Shared Libraries
ChurchApps shared code is published to npm under the @churchapps/* scope. These packages provide common utilities, server-side helpers, and React components that are consumed by all ChurchApps projects as regular npm dependencies.
Packages
| Package | Description | Used By |
|---|---|---|
@churchapps/helpers | Base utilities (DateHelper, ApiHelper, etc.) | All projects |
@churchapps/apihelper | Server-side Express.js utilities | All APIs |
@churchapps/apphelper | Shared React components and utilities | All web apps |
Local Development with npm link
When developing a shared library alongside a consuming project, use npm link to test changes without publishing to npm:
# Build and link the library
cd Helpers && npm run build && npm link
# Link it into the consuming project
cd ../Api && npm link @churchapps/helpers
This creates a symlink from the consuming project's node_modules/@churchapps/helpers to your local build output, so changes are reflected immediately after rebuilding.
Remember to run npm run build in the library project after making changes -- the consuming project reads from the compiled dist/ folder, not the source.
npm link connections are reset whenever you run npm install in the consuming project. You will need to re-run the npm link @churchapps/<package> command after installing dependencies.