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No build for Javascript libraries with Rails and Importmap

As a web developer working with Ruby on Rails, you’re always looking for ways to streamline your workflow and make your applications more efficient. Enter Importmap - a powerful feature that simplifies how you manage JavaScript libraries in your Rails projects. In this post, we’ll dive into what Importmap is, how it works, and how you can use it for your projects.

What is Importmap?

Importmap is a way to map JavaScript module names to their actual locations. They allow you to use import statements in your JavaScript code without needing a bundler like Webpack or Rollup. This means you can use modern JavaScript modules directly in the browser, making your development process simpler and faster.

How does Importmap work?

  1. Mapping: Importmaps create a mapping between a module name and its location.
  2. Browser Support: Modern browsers use this mapping to load modules when they encounter import statements.
  3. Rails Integration: Rails 7+ includes built-in support for Importmap, making it easy to use in your projects.
  4. Local Pinning: By default, Rails pins libraries locally, copying the code to your project into the vendor/javascript folder. While this might feel similar to how JavaScript libraries were vendored in older Rails projects, Importmap provides a modern tool for managing dependencies and versions.

Practical tips for using Importmap in Rails

1. Setting up Importmap

For a new Rails application, Importmap is set up by default. If you want to add it to an existing application, then follow these steps.

To get started with Importmap in your Rails project, add this to your Gemfile:

gem "importmap-rails"

Then run:

bundle install
bin/rails importmap:install

This sets up the necessary files and configurations.

2. Adding JavaScript libraries

To add a library, use the pin option with bin/importmap command. Let’s use Chart.js as an example:

> bin/importmap pin chart.js
Pinning "chart.js" to vendor/javascript/chart.js.js via download from https://ga.jspm.io/npm:[email protected]/dist/chart.js
Pinning "@kurkle/color" to vendor/javascript/@kurkle/color.js via download from https://ga.jspm.io/npm:@kurkle/[email protected]/dist/color.esm.js

This command performs the following steps::

  1. Download Chart.js and its dependencies.
  2. Place the files in the vendor/javascript directory.
  3. Update the config/importmap.rb file with the correct local paths.

This is the contents of vendor/javascript directory.

> ls vendor/javascript
8.5k  9 Aug 12:53 -N  @kurkle--color.js
186k  9 Aug 12:53 -N  chart.js.js

The config/importmap.rb looks as follows with the pinned libraries.

pin 'chart.js' # @4.4.3
pin '@kurkle/color', to: '@kurkle--color.js' # @0.3.2

Now, let’s create a Stimulus controller to use Chart.js. First, make sure you have Stimulus installed in your Rails application. Then, create a new file app/javascript/controllers/chart_controller.js:

import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"
import { Chart, registerables } from 'chart.js'

Chart.register(...registerables)

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ['canvas']

  connect() {
    const ctx = this.canvasTarget.getContext('2d')
    this.chart = new Chart(ctx, {
  type: 'line',
  data: {
   labels: ['January', 'February', 'March', 'April', 'May', 'June'],
   datasets: [{
    label: 'Sample Data',
    data: [65, 59, 80, 81, 56, 55],
    borderColor: 'rgba(75, 192, 192, 1)',
    backgroundColor: 'rgba(75, 192, 192, 0.2)',
    borderWidth: 2
   }]
  },
  options: {
   scales: {
    y: {
     beginAtZero: true
    }
   }
  }
 })
  }

  disconnect() {
    this.chart.destroy()
  }
}

Now you can use this Stimulus controller in your Rails view. For example, in app/views/home/index.html.erb:

<div data-controller="chart">
  <canvas data-chart-target="canvas" width="400" height="200"></canvas>
</div>

This setup allows you to easily create charts in your Rails application using Chart.js through a Stimulus controller. The chart data can be dynamically passed from your Rails backend to the frontend using Stimulus values.

But if you try to load the page, the graph is not displayed. After looking at the developer tools in the browser, you will find the following error:

Failed to register controller: chart (controllers/chart_controller)
  TypeError: Importing a module script failed.

The error is not helpful, but it gives you a clue that there is a problem with the dependencies in the Stimulus chart_controller. Looking at the network tab in the browser tools, you find out that there is a missing file.

URL: http://localhost:3000/_/6La3kzg5.js
Status: 404 Not Found
Source: Network

Looking at the code of the file vendor/javascript/chart.js.js, almost at the beginning of the file, you find the following reference:

import{r as t,c ...
... as Jt}from"../_/6La3kzg5.js" ...

It seems like jspm.io adds a dependency which Importmap is unable to identify and download with the rest of the files. This is a known issue documented in the Importmap repository, as Download all the files associated with a package from a CDN.

3. Pinning from CDNs

While Importmap pins libraries locally by default, it also allows you to pin from a CDN instead. Using this method, the library is served directly from the CDN instead of our Rails application.

To try to find a solution, change the pins in the config/importmap.rb file to point to the CDN:

# Using JSPM.io (default)
pin 'chart.js', to: 'https://ga.jspm.io/npm:[email protected]/dist/chart.js'
pin '@kurkle/color', to: 'https://ga.jspm.io/npm:@kurkle/[email protected]/dist/color.esm.js'

After making the change, reload the page. Now the graph is there, loading the libraries from the CDN solved the issue of missing references. If you are ok with this approach, then you can stop here.

If your goal is to serve and cache the libraries without a dependency on external CDN, then continue to the next section.

4. Customizing local pinning

With the option to choose a CDN from which to vendor JavaScript libraries, you should try another CDN, like JSDeliver. Each CDN bundles dependencies differently, so you might get lucky trying another option.

Remove all files from vendor/javascript and remove the pins to Chart.js and @kurkle/color from config/importmap.rb. The Importmap’s pin command accepts option -f to specify a specific CDN different from JSpm.io.

The first try to pin Chart.js fails with an error.

> bin/importmap pin chart.js -f jsdelivr
Pinning "chart.js" to vendor/javascript/chart.js.js via download from https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/chart.js
/.rbenv/versions/3.3.4/lib/ruby/3.3.0/net/http.rb:1603:in `initialize': Failed to open TCP connection to cdn.jsdelivr.net:443 (execution expired) (Net::OpenTimeout)

For the second try, add the library @kurkle/color to the pin command:

> bin/importmap pin chart.js @kurkle/color  -f jsdelivr
Pinning "@kurkle/color" to vendor/javascript/@kurkle/color.js via download from https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@kurkle/[email protected]/dist/color.esm.js
Pinning "chart.js" to vendor/javascript/chart.js.js via download from https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/chart.js

This time it succeeded, the new files are placed in vendor/javascript and the file config/importmap.rb contains the pins. Reloading the page in your application shows that you have the same error as before, the missing file name is different but still the same result.

It is time to try something different. Remove the files from vendor/javascript one more time. Navigate to that directory and open your browser to https://www.jsdelivr.com/. Search for Chart.js and from the code block copy the URL and download the library using curl. Also, search for @kurkle/color and download it.

> curl -o chart.js.js 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/+esm'
> curl -o @kurkle--color.js 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@kurkle/[email protected]/+esm'

Once again, reload your application page. One more time you will get an error in the browser developer tools, but this time the error is different. It says that @kurkle/color failed to be loaded.

[Error] Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404 (Not Found) http://localhost:3000/npm/@kurkle/[email protected]/+esm
[Error] Failed to register controller: chart (controllers/chart_controller) – TypeError: Importing a module script failed.
TypeError: Importing a module script failed.
 error

The reference to npm/@kurkle/[email protected]/+esm appears at the beginning of chart.js.js file. You need to replace this reference for the @kurkle/color that you have pinned in config/importmap.rb. Use sed command to replace the value as follows:

sed -i '' 's|/npm/@kurkle/[email protected]/+esm|@kurkle/color|g' chart.js.js

After this change, reload the application page. Now the graph is rendered and there are no errors related to missing references.

Not in all cases when pinning libraries from a CDN you will have this problem, but if there is a case, now you know how to diagnose and try to fix it. I would expect that newer versions of Importmap will have a feature to understand and resolve hidden references that libraries might have.

Conclusion

Importmap in Ruby on Rails offers a streamlined approach to managing JavaScript libraries like Chart.js. By simplifying your workflow, leveraging the power of modern browsers, and providing local access to your dependencies, you can focus more on creating functionality and less on configuration. Give Importmap a try in your next Rails project and experience the benefits for yourself!

Remember, while Importmap is powerful and the default local pinning provides good version control, you still have the flexibility to use various CDNs when needed. Consider your specific needs and performance requirements when deciding on your Importmap strategy.