How to distribute modules written in eslisp

eslisp code in npm modules

People will expect your npm modules to contain JavaScript code, not eslisp code. Luckily, npm has a built-in way to automatically run scripts (like compilation) at appropriate times. You can read more about it in the package.json documentation, but here's a summary of the killer bit:

Putting eslc < index.esl > index.js in your package.json's scripts.preinstall will ensure that index.esl is compiled to index.js on npm install, npm publish, npm pack and just generally when it needs to be put in a usable state.

This means you don't have to track index.js in your revision control (git, Mercurial, whatever you use). And indeed you shouldn't; it's much cleaner!

If your module requires a more complex build, consider moving to a build system like make, grunt or gulp.

eslisp macros as npm modules

Since eslisp macros are just JavaScript functions that are assumed to take certain values, you can easily export them from modules that are created just as above.

Add an appropriate eslisp version range as a peerDependency. This says what version of eslisp your macro works in.

To prevent confusion, it might be best to use an eslisp- prefix on your package name.

writing an eslisp-based language

If you'd like to write a bunch of macros and other stuff that construct a whole new programming language with different abstractions, which uses eslisp as the back-end, you're very welcome to do that!

It's likely wisest to add eslisp to dependencies then.

Call it anything you like, but try to make it different enough from "eslisp" that they don't get confused.

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