Global namespace

[ComLock]

It would be ideal if the global namespace where as similar as possible within the browser, node and Enonic XP environments.

As such I think we should make a libApp to provide name, version and config properties (or functions). Then deprecate (with a log.warning) the use of the global app object in Enonic XP 7.0 And then remove it entirely in Enonic XP 8.

The same probably goes for most the other things we have added to the global namespace.

ref: https://xp.readthedocs.io/en/stable/developer/ssjs/global-objects.html

Hopefully the global or window object becomes available in Enonic XP 7. Not to share things between controllers, but to make sure as many as possible node modules work.

ref: https://javascript.info/global-object

[ComLock]

Here is an example of why adding things to the global namespace is a bad idea: https://github.com/enonic/lib-util/blob/master/src/main/resources/site/lib/enonic/util/index.es#L23

If we need a global logger I think we should use console which already exists in the browser and node.

[sigdestad]

This is interesting.. Need to discuss the details!

[sigdestad]

@aro what is being used in PurpleJS?

[ComLock]

Example node modules that doesn't work in Enonic XP 6.x:

//import parse from 'csv-parse'; // global.Buffer.TYPED_ARRAY_SUPPORT undefined
//import parse from 'csv-parse/lib/sync'; // global.Buffer.TYPED_ARRAY_SUPPORT undefined
//import parse from 'csv-string'; // global.Buffer.TYPED_ARRAY_SUPPORT undefined
//import csv from 'csvtojson'; // setTimeout is not defined
//import csvdata from 'csvdata'; // Uses fs
//import csv from 'csv-parser'; // global.Buffer.TYPED_ARRAY_SUPPORT undefined

[ComLock]

Webpack 4.26.1 breaks transpilation of modules that depend on the global object for us. So use webpack 4.25.1

In browser context:

• this is window
• window is window
• global is undefined

In node context

• this is {} an empty object
• global is a huge object
• window is undefined

ref: https://github.com/webpack/webpack/compare/v4.25.1...v4.26.1#diff-a5b27cd0606ad3e895b1e11e729e9c14R10

[ComLock]

There is actually a a global object in Enonic XP (nashorn?) It can be fetched by doing an indirect call to eval in order to get variables from the global scope.

log.info((1, eval)(“this”)); --> [object global] log.info(JSON.stringify((1, eval)(“this”))); --> {}

So this in global context is an empty object.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9107240/1-evalthis-vs-evalthis-in-javascript

[ComLock]

Webpack workaround https://github.com/ComLock/enonic-xp-app-crawler/commit/32b140ffd97bfe93d59fc18e6fdbd3728c19bba8

[sigdestad]

Good ideas indeed. We should aim to implement this before we release 8.0