gulp-autoload/README.md

# gulp-autoload

A 5000-lines long `Gulpfile.js` is so 2015 :eyes:

[![NPM](https://nodei.co/npm/gulp-autoload.png?downloads=true&downloadRank=true&stars=true)](https://nodei.co/npm/gulp-autoload/)

## Backstory

gulp-autoload was created out of pure frustration while working on a project in my company.<br>
The `Gulpfile.js` had grown to a real beast and the first 45 lines of the file were just `require` calls.

I wanted something more modular and decided to revamp the structure a bit.<br>
A few months later we faced that problem again and I decided to extract the code that loads the 
gulp tasks into this npm module.

So uhm yeah.<br>
Have fun, and if you like it leave a :star: :grimacing:

## API

#### `require("gulp-autoload")([object])`

Executes the autoloader.<br>
Takes an optional config object.

These are the available config options:

```txt
{
    // The path where your gulp scripts are saved
    path:         <string> [optional] [default="./gulp.d"] 
    
    // An object that is passed to your gulp scripts
    moduleConfig: <object> [optional] [default={}]  
           
    // Enables (a lot of) debug logging
    debug:        <bool>   [optional] [default=false]      
}
```

## Usage

- Create a `Gulpfile.js` that autoloads the other tasks and optionally defines some config options

I tend to write all gulp-related files in coffeescript, but of course plain javascript will work too.

```js
// This object will be passed to every autoloaded gulp task.
// Use it to store paths, configurations or mode variables
const moduleConfig = {
  js: {
    dst: "./dist/js",
    src: "./src/js"
  }
};
  
// Execute the autoloader
require("gulp-autoload")({moduleConfig});
```

- Create the folder that will contain your scripts 

```
mkdir gulp.d
```

- Create a gulp module in that folder

Gulp modules can be written in coffeescript (v1) or javascript.<br>
The autoloader only recognizes files with `.js` or `.coffee` extension.

Example `js.coffee` that uglifies javascript:

```coffee
gulp = require("gulp")
pump = require("pump")

# A gulp module is an exported function that accepts a config object.
# If you don't export a function the autoloader assumes that the require()-call
# had some kind of side-effects and does nothing after loading it.
module.exports = (config) ->
  gulp.task("js", (cb) ->
    pump([
      gulp.src(config.js.src)
      uglify()
      gulp.dest(config.js.dst)
    ], cb)
    return
  )
```

- Run your tasks as usual (eg `gulp js`)

- ...

- Profit!