Third party modules and libraries

You can load third-party Common.js-type modules using the require() function.

Load an external module in one of the following ways:

Load a single file

Load a single file written in Common.js format by copying the file into the script folder and requiring it. The standard Node.js require functionality is used.

Example:

If the file is myLibrary.js and it is in the script folder, add the following lines to the script:

const myLibrary = require('./myLibrary.js');

myLibrary.myFunc1();

myLibrary.js then contains:

module.exports = {
   myFunc1(){
   },
…
 

Example:

For a JSON file, add the following lines to the script:

const someData = require('data.json');

load.log(someData.age); //prints 36 to the log

data.json then contains:

{
  "user":"bob",
  "age":36
}
Load an npm module

Load any npm module that runs within Node.js. To use this method, Node.js must be installed on your computer.

For example, use the following procedure to install the lodash library:

  1. Open the command prompt and navigate to the script folder.

  2. Type npm install lodash and wait for the process to finish. The node_modules folder is created in the script folder.

  3. In your script, add the following line (do not add the .js extension):

    const lodash = require('lodash');

Tip: If Node.js is not installed, you can download an npm module using standalone npm or using a third-party package manager such as Yarn.
Manage multiple modules via package.json (advanced use case)

If you are using multiple third-party npm modules and want to manage their dependencies, you can create a package.json file and manage all the dependencies with npm.

To use this method, Node.js must be installed on your computer.

  1. Create the package.json file using the npm init command as follows:

    1. Open the command prompt and change to the script folder.

    2. Type npm init --yes and wait for the process to finish.

  2. To install any supported package, type npm install <packagename> and wait for the process to finish. The node_modules folder is created in the script folder.

  3. In your script, add the following line (do not add the .js extension):

    const <packagename> = require('<packagename>');

Tip: If Node.js is not installed, you can download an npm module using standalone npm or using a third-party package manager such as Yarn.

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