profthecopyright/file-box

Pack a File into Box for easy move/transfer between servers no matter of where it is.(local, remote url, or cloud storage)

file-box

FileBox is a virtual container for packing a file data into it for future read, and easily transport between servers with the least payload, no mater than where it is (local path, remote url, or cloud storage).

Currently the FileBox supports almost all kinds of the data input/output methods/formats:

File Type	Pack Method	Unpack Method	Description
Local File	fromFile()	toFile()	Local file in file system
Remote URL	fromUrl()	toUrl()(TBW)	Remote file in a HTTP/HTTPS URL
Buffer	fromBuffer()	toBuffer()	JavaScript Buffer
Stream	fromStream()	toStream()	JavaScript Stream
Base64	fromBase64()	toBase64()	Base64 data
DataURL	fromDataURL()	toDataURL()	DataURL data
QRCode	fromQRCode()	toQRCode()	QR Code Image Decode/Encode
JSON	fromJSON()	toJSON()	Serialize/Deserialize FileBox

Examples

The following example demos:

1. Save URL to File
2. Convert Buffer to Stream
3. Pack from Base64 then Unpack to DataURL

import { FileBox } from 'file-box'

/**
 * 1. Save URL to File
 */
const fileBox1 = FileBox.fromUrl(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
  'logo.jpg',
)
fileBox1.toFile('/tmp/file-box-logo.jpg')

/**
 * 2. Convert Buffer to Stream
 */
import fs from 'fs'
const fileBox2 = FileBox.fromBuffer(
  Buffer.from('world'),
  'hello.txt',
)
const writeStream = fs.createWriteStream('/tmp/hello.txt')
fileBox2.pipe(writeStream)

/**
 * 3. Pack Base64, Unpack to DataURL
 */
const fileBox3 = FileBox.fromBase64('d29ybGQK', 'hello.txt')
fileBox3.toDataURL()
        .then(console.log)
// Output: data:text/plain;base64,d29ybGQK

API Reference

1. Load File in to Box

1.1 fromFile(filePath: string): FileBox

Alias: fromLocal()

const fileBox = FileBox.fromLocal('/tmp/test.txt')

1.2 fromUrl(url: string, name?: string, headers?: http.OutgoingHttpHeaders): FileBox

Alias: fromRemote()

const fileBox = FileBox.fromUrl(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
  'logo.jpg',
)

1.3 fromStream(stream: Readable, name: string): FileBox

const fileBox = FileBox.fromStream(res, '/tmp/download.zip')

1.4 fromBuffer(buffer: Buffer, name: string): FileBox

const fileBox = FileBox.fromBuffer(buf, '/tmp/download.zip')

1.5 FileBox.fromBase64(base64: string, name: string): FileBox

Decoded a base64 encoded file data.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromBase64('d29ybGQK', 'hello.txt')
fileBox.toFile()

1.6 FileBox.fromDataURL(dataUrl: string, name: string): FileBox

Decoded a DataURL data.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromDataURL('data:text/plain;base64,d29ybGQK', 'hello.txt')
fileBox.toFile()

1.7 FileBox.fromJSON()

Restore a FileBox.toJSON() text string back to a FileBox instance.

const restoredFileBox = FileBox.fromJSON(jsonText)

1.8 FileBox.fromQRCode(qrCodeValue: string)

Get a FileBox instance that represent a QR Code value.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromQRCode('https://github.com')
fileBox.toFile('qrcode.png')

2. Get File out from Box

2.1 toFile(name?: string): Promise<void>

Save file to current work path(cwd) of the local file system with the default name.

if name specified with a full path, then will use the speficied file name instead.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
await fileBox.toFile('/tmp/logo.jpg')

2.2 pipe(destination: Writable): Promise<void>

Pipe to a writable stream.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
const writableStream = fs.createWritable('/tmp/logo.jpg')
fileBox.pipe(writableStream)

2.3 toBase64(): Promise<string>

Get the base64 data of file.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
const base64Text = await fileBox.toBase64()
console.log(base64Text) // Output: the base64 encoded data of the file

2.4 toJSON(): string

Get the JSON.stringify-ed text.

Not Implement Yet: Working In Progress...

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
const jsonText1 = fileBox.toJSON()
const jsonText2 = JSON.stringify(fileBox)
assert(jsonText1 === jsonText2)

console.log(jsonText1) // Output: the stringified data of the fileBox

const restoredFileBox = fileBox.fromJSON(jsonText1)
restoredFileBox.toFile('/tmp/file-box-logo.jpg')

2.5 toDataURL(): Promise<string>

Get the DataURL of the file.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromFile('tests/fixtures/hello.txt')
const dataUrl = await fileBox.toDataURL()
console.log(dataUrl) // Output: data:text/plain;base64,d29ybGQK'

2.6 toBuffer(): Promise<Buffer>

Get the Buffer of the file.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromFile('tests/fixtures/hello.txt')
const buffer = await fileBox.toBuffer()
console.log(buffer.toString()) // Output: world

2.7 toQRCode(): Promise<string>

Decode the QR Code value from the file.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromFile('qrcode.jpg')
const qrCodeValue = await fileBox.toQRCode()
console.log(`QR Code decoded value is: "${qrCodeValue}"`)
// Output: QR Code decoded value is: "https://github.com"

2.8 toJSON(): string

Encode a FileBox instance to JSON string so that we can transfer the FileBox on the wire.

const fileBox = FileBox.fromBase64('RmlsZUJveEJhc2U2NAo=')

const jsonText = JSON.stringify(fileBox)
// the above code equals to the following line of code:
// const jsonText = fileBox.toJSON()

// we will get the serialized data for this FileBox:
console.log(jsonText)
// Output: {"name":"qrcode.png","metadata":{},"boxType":1,"base64":"RmlsZUJveEJhc2U2NAo="}

// restore our fleBox:
// const newFileBox = FileBox.fromJSON(jsonText)

Limitation

Because we want to enable the JSON.stringify(fileBox), which will call fileBox.toJSON(), so the toJSON() can not be async, which means we can only support limited FileBoxType(s):

1. FileBoxType.Base64
2. FileBoxType.Url
3. FileBoxType.QRCode

For other types like FileBoxType.File, FileBoxType.Buffer, FileBoxType.Stream, etc, we need to transform them to FileBoxType.Base64 before we call toJSON:

const fileBoxLazy = FileBox.fromFile('./test.txt')
const base64 = await fileBoxLazy.toBase64()

const fileBox = FleBox.fromBase64(base64, 'test.txt')
// fileBox will be serializable because it do not need async operations

const jsonText = JSON.stringify(fileBox)
console.log(jsonText)

3. Misc

3.1 name

File name of the file in the box

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
console.log(fileBox.name) // Output: file-box-logo.jpg

3.2 metadata: Metadata { [key: string]: any }

Metadata for the file in the box. This value can only be assigned once, and will be immutable afterwards, all following assign or modify actions on metadata will throw errors

const fileBox = FileBox.fromRemote(
  'https://huan.github.io/file-box/images/file-box-logo.jpg',
)
fileBox.metadata = {
  author      : 'huan',
  githubRepo  : 'https://github.com/huan/file-box',
}

console.log(fileBox.metadata)       // Output: { author: 'huan', githubRepo: 'https://github.com/huan/file-box' }
fileBox.metadata.author = 'Tank'  // Will throw exception

3.3 version(): string

Version of the FileBox

3.4 toJSON(): string

Serialize FileBox metadata to JSON.

To be implemented.

3.5 ready(): Promise<void>

Update the necessary internal data and make everything ready for use.

3.6 syncRemoteName(): Promise<void>

Sync the filename with the HTTP Response Header

HTTP Header Example:

Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filename.ext"

3.7 type(): FileBoxType

Return the type of the current FileBox instance.

The currently supported types are defined at file-box-type.ts as the following demonstrated:

enum FileBoxType {
  Unknown = 0,
  Base64  = 1,
  Url     = 2,
  QRCode  = 3,
  Buffer  = 4,
  File    = 5,
  Stream  = 6,
}

Features

1. Present A File by Abstracting It's Meta Information that supports Reading & toJSON() API.
2. Follow DOM File/BLOB Interface
3. Present a file that could be: Local, Remote, Stream
4. Lazy load
5. Serializable
6. Can be Transfered from server to server, server to browser.

SCHEMAS

Url

Node.js Documentation > URL Strings and URL Objects

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                            href                                             │
├──────────┬──┬─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┬───────┤
│ protocol │  │        auth         │        host         │           path            │ hash  │
│          │  │                     ├──────────────┬──────┼──────────┬────────────────┤       │
│          │  │                     │   hostname   │ port │ pathname │     search     │       │
│          │  │                     │              │      │          ├─┬──────────────┤       │
│          │  │                     │              │      │          │ │    query     │       │
"  https:   //    user   :   pass   @ sub.host.com : 8080   /p/a/t/h  ?  query=string   #hash "
│          │  │          │          │   hostname   │ port │          │                │       │
│          │  │          │          ├──────────────┴──────┤          │                │       │
│ protocol │  │ username │ password │        host         │          │                │       │
├──────────┴──┼──────────┴──────────┼─────────────────────┤          │                │       │
│   origin    │                     │       origin        │ pathname │     search     │ hash  │
├─────────────┴─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴──────────┴────────────────┴───────┤
│                                            href                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Path

Node.js Documentation > path.parse(path)

┌─────────────────────┬────────────┐
│          dir        │    base    │
├──────┬              ├──────┬─────┤
│ root │              │ name │ ext │
"  /    home/user/dir / file  .txt "
└──────┴──────────────┴──────┴─────┘

History

master

v0.14 (Oct 2020)

1. Add fileBox.type() to return the FileBoxType of a FileBox. (wechaty/wechaty#1918)
2. Change Readable to stream.Readable for better compatibility. (Jun 27, 2020)
3. Add chunkerTransformStream to toStream (#44)

v0.12 (Feb 2020)

Add support to JSON.stringify() (#25):

1. FileBox.fromJSON() - Static method for deserialization
2. fileBox.toJSON() - Instance method for serialization

v0.10 (Jan 2020)

1. Add support to QR Code: FileBox.fromQRCode() and FileBox.toQRCode()
2. Start using @chatie/tsconfig

v0.8 (Jun 2018)

1. Add two new factory methods: fromBase64(), fromDataURL()
2. Add toBuffer(), toBase64() and toDataURL() to get the Buffer and BASE64 encoded file data
3. Add metadata property to store additional information. (#3)

v0.4 (May 2018)

1. Add headers option for fromRemote() method

v0.2 (Apr 2018)

Initial version.

See Also

• File API - W3C Working Draft, 26 October 2017
• MIME Sniffing - Living Standard — Last Updated 20 April 2018
• Using files from web applications
• Web technology for developers > Web APIs > File
• Web technology for developers > Web APIs > Blob
• Web technology for developers > Web APIs > FileReader
• A simple HTTP Request & Response Service.
• Hurl.it — Make HTTP Requests

Thanks

This module is inspired by https://github.com/gulpjs/vinyl and DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped#12368 when I need a virtual File module for my Chatie project.

Author

Huan LI (李卓桓), Microsoft AI MVP, zixia@zixia.net

Copyright & License

• Docs released under Creative Commons
• Code released under the Apache-2.0 License
• Code & Docs © 2018 Huan LI <zixia@zixia.net>