node-ray

The official Node/JS & TypeScript integration for Ray - Understand and fix bugs faster.

The package can be installed in any NodeJS, ES6+, or TypeScript application to send data to the Ray app.

Installation

Install with npm:

npm install node-ray

or bun:

bun add node-ray

Available environments

node-ray offers several options to allow you to use it in either NodeJS, Web-based TypeScript or Javascript projects, and browser environments.

If you're using NextJs/React, take a look at permafrost-dev/react-ray.

If you're using Vue, check out permafrost-dev/vue-ray.

NodeJS

When using in a NodeJS environment (the default), import the package as you would normally:

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const ray = require('node-ray').ray;

Browser bundle

When bundling scripts for use in a Browser environment (i.e., using webpack or vite), import the /web export:

import { ray } from 'node-ray/web';

// or a commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

Browser standalone

There are two standalone versions of node-ray available: one with axios included, and one without (slim version).

node-ray may be directly used within a web page via a script tag. The standalone version includes all required libraries, including axios.

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone.min.js"></script>

Or use the slim version (without axios) if you already have axios included in your project:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone-slim.min.js"></script>

Recommended Standalone Initialization

As of version 2.0.0, you no longer need to manually initialize the global ray objects; it is now performed automatically on load:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone.min.js"></script>
<script>
    // nothing to do here, just use `window.ray()` as normal
</script>

Laravel Mix

To use node-ray with Laravel Mix, include the following in resources/js/bootstrap.js:

const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

window.ray = ray;

Compile the bundle _(npm run dev)_as usual. After including js/app.js in your view, you may access ray() within your scripts.

Laravel + Vite

To use node-ray with Laravel + Vite, include the following in resources/js/bootstrap.js:

import { ray } from 'node-ray/web';

window.ray = ray;

ray() is immediately available to other scripts such as app.js, however note that window.ray() is NOT immediately available in <script> tags embedded in the view.

Usage

Most of the API from the original PHP package is supported. See the api reference for more information.

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray');

To modify the host or port:

// make sure you import the Ray class (capital "R")
import { Ray, ray } from 'node-ray';

Ray.useDefaultSettings({ host: '127.0.0.1', port: 3000 });

// or just modify the port:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 3000 });

// ...and use ray() as normal

When using NodeJS, you must call await Ray.initSettings() to initialize the settings before using ray(). This is not necessary when using the browser bundle.

ray('a string');

ray(['several', 'arguments'], 'can', {be: provided});

ray().table(['one two', {a: 100, b: 200, c: 300}, [9, 8, 7]]).blue();

ray().chain(ray => ray.html('<em>large text</em>').large().green());

ray().image('https://placekitten.com/200/300');

ray().clearAll();

ray().disable(); // disable sending data to Ray at runtime
ray().xml('<one>11</one>'); // previous call disabled sending data, XML not sent to Ray

Configuration

NodeJS config

Note: This section only applies when using node-ray in the NodeJS environment, NOT a browser environment.

node-ray will search for ray.config.js, which should be in the project's root directory.

Using a configuration file is optional, and the package will use the default settings if no configuration file is specified.

Example:

// ray.config.js

module.exports = {
    enable: true,
    host: 'localhost',
    port: 23517,
    scheme: 'http', //only change this if you know what you're doing!

    // calls to console.log() are redirected to Ray
    intercept_console_log: true,

    // determine the enabled state using the specified callback
    // the 'enable' setting is also considered when using this setting.
    enabled_callback: () => {
        return functionThatReturnsABoolean();
    },

    sending_payload_callback: (rayInstance, payloads) => {
        if (payloads[0].getType() === 'custom') {
            payloads[0].html += ' <strong>- modified!</strong>';
        }
    },

    sent_payload_callback: (rayInstance) => {
        // automatically make all payloads sent to Ray green.
        rayInstance.green();
    },
}

When running node-ray within a NodeJS environment, you may set the environment variable NODE_ENV to "production" or "staging" to disable sending data to Ray from calls to ray().

Browser config

This section only applies within a browser environment (i.e., webpack).

You can configure node-ray by importing the Ray class and calling the useDefaultSettings() method.

import { Ray, ray } from 'node-ray/web';

// set several settings at once:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({
    host: '192.168.1.20',
    port: 23517
});

// or set individual settings only:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 23517 });

// use ray() normally:
ray().html('<strong>hello world</strong>');

These settings persist across calls to ray(), so they only need to be defined once.

Enabled state

If providing a callback for the enabled_callback setting (a function that returns a boolean), payloads will only be sent to Ray if:

• the enable setting is set to true.
• the callback returns a value of true.

If either condition is false, then no payloads will be sent to Ray.

Set the enabled_callback setting to null or leave it undefined to consider the enable setting (the default).

Sending/sent payload callbacks

Specify the sending_payload_callback or sent_payload_callback settings to trigger a callback before (sending) or after (sent) sending a payload.

This feature is helpful when sending additional payloads or modifying all payloads (i.e., changing the color).

Chaining payloads

You can chain payloads together using the chain() method. This allows you to send multiple payloads at once, which may be necessary when performing multiple chained calls to ray() in an asynchronous context.

ray().chain((ray) => {
    ray.text('first payload')
        .blue()
        .small()
        .label('test');
});

About

This package attempts to replicate the entire PHP API for Ray to provide a robust solution for debugging NodeJS, TypeScript, Javascript and web-based projects.

Using the package

See using the package.

Reference

Call	Description
ray(variable)	Display a string, array or object
ray(var1, var2, …)	Ray accepts multiple arguments
ray().blue()	Output in color. Use green, orange, red, blue,purple or gray
ray().caller()	Asynchronous. Show the calling class and method
ray().chain(callback)	Chain multiple Ray payloads and send them all at once. callback: (ray: Ray) => void
ray().clearScreen()	Clear current screen
ray().clearAll()	Clear current and all previous screens
ray().className(obj)	Display the classname for an object
ray().confetti()	Display Confetti in Ray
ray().count(name)	Count how many times a piece of code is called, with optional name
ray().date(date, format)	Display a formatted date, the timezone, and its timestamp
ray().die()	Halt code execution - NodeJS only
ray().disable()	Disable sending stuff to Ray
ray().disabled()	Check if Ray is disabled
ray().enable()	Enable sending stuff to Ray
ray().enabled()	Check if Ray is enabled
ray().error(err)	Display information about an Error/Exception
ray().event(name, data)	Display information about an event with optional data
ray().exception(err)	Asynchronous. Display extended information and stack trace for an Error/Exception
ray().file(filename)	NodeJS only. Display contents of a file
ray().hide()	Display something in Ray and make it collapse immediately
ray().hideApp()	Programmatically hide the Ray app window
ray().html(string)	Send HTML to Ray
ray().htmlMarkup(string)	Display syntax-highlighted HTML code in Ray
ray().if(true, callback)	Conditionally show things based on a truthy value or callable, optionally calling the callback with a ray argument
ray().image(url)	Display an image in Ray
ray().interceptor()	Access ConsoleInterceptor; call .enable() to show console.log() calls in Ray
ray().json([…])	Send JSON to Ray
ray().label(string)	Add a text label to the payload
ray().limit(N)	Asynchronous. Limit the number of payloads that can be sent to Ray to N; used for debugging within loops
ray().macro(name, callable)	Add a custom method to the Ray class. make sure not to use an arrow function if returning this
ray().measure(callable)	Measure the performance of a callback function
ray().measure()	Begin measuring the overall time and elapsed time since previous measure() call
ray().newScreen()	Start a new screen
ray().newScreen('title')	Start a new named screen
ray().nodeinfo()	NodeJS only. Display statistics about node, such as the v8 version and memory usage
ray().notify(message)	Display a notification
ray().once(arg1, …)	Asynchronous. Only send a payload once when in a loop
ray().pass(variable)	Display something in Ray and return the value instead of a Ray instance
ray().pause()	Pause code execution within your code; must be called using await
ray().projectName(name)	Change the active project name
ray().remove()	Remove an item from Ray
ray().screenColor(color)	Changes the screen color to the specified color
ray().separator()	Display a separator
ray().showApp()	Programmatically show the Ray app window
ray().small()	Output text smaller or bigger. Use large or small
ray().stopTime(name)	Removes a named stopwatch if specified, otherwise removes all stopwatches
ray().table(…)	Display an array or an object formatted as a table; Objects and arrays are pretty-printed
ray().text(string)	Display raw text in Ray while preserving whitespace formatting
ray().toJson(variable)	Convert a variable using JSON.stringify() and display the result
ray().trace()	Display a stack trace
ray().xml(string)	Send XML to Ray

FAQ

• Is node-ray only for NodeJS? Not at all! It can be used in a web environment with javascript as well.

• Can node-ray be used with React/Vue? yes, be sure to import node-ray/web. Alternatively, check out the react-ray and vue-ray packages.

• Can node-ray be used with webpack-based projects? Yes! Just be sure to import node-ray/web.

Development setup

npm install`
npm run build:dev
npm run test

Testing

node-ray uses Vitest for unit tests. To execute the test suite, run the following command:

npm run test

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Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

Credits

• Patrick Organ
• All Contributors

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.