NPM : Create an NPM package that adds files and folders to the project root directory

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I've created a web app template that I use frequently for many different projects.

I would like to create an NPM package for it so that it's easier to install for new projects, separate the template from the project files, separate the template dependencies from the project dependencies, and allow easier updating of the template across all projects.

The issue I have is that I need some files/folders to be installed in the root directory (i.e. where package.json is saved). Most can go in the node_modules folder however I have some files that must be placed in the root directory.

For example, the template uses Next.js with a custom _app.js file. This must be in the root directory in a folder named pages. I also have various config files that must be in the root directory.

Can this be done with NPM, or does everything need to be installed in the node_modules folder? I'm having trouble finding anything on SO or Google that answers this, so if you happen to know a guide online on how to do this or can outline things I should search for it would be much appreciated.

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1 Answers

With pure npm, everything has to go to the node_modules folder, so you can't solve your issue this way.

Maybe going with a templating tool such as grunt init or yeoman could be a solution here, although – unfortunately – you'll then lose some of the benefits of being able to install a package via npm.

Another option might be to use GitHub template repositories, which have just been introduced recently.

Last but not least one option might also be to just have the files' contents in the npm package, but create the pages/_app.js manually, but inside of it simply require the file contents from an npm module, and that's it. This at least helps to have the content portable, but of course it still asks you to setup the file and folder structure on your own.

Sorry that I don't have a better answer, but I hope it helps anyway.

PS: One "solution" might also be to use the postinstall step in an npm module's package.json file to create folder structure, copy files to where they should be and so on, but at least to me this feels more like a clumsy workaround than like a real solution.

user_13338730
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