shortstop

shortstop
=========


Sometimes JSON just isn't enough for configuration needs. Occasionally it would be nice to use arbitrary types as values,
but JSON is necessarily a subset of all available JS types. shortstop enables the use of protocols and handlers to
enable identification and special handling of json values.

``javascript
var fs = require('fs');
var shortstop = require('shortstop');

function buffer(value) {
return new Buffer(value);
}


var resolver, json;
resolver = shortstop.create();
resolver.use('buffer', buffer);
resolver.use('file', fs.readFile);

json = {
"secret": "buffer:SGVsbG8sIHdvcmxkIQ==",
"ssl": {
"pfx": "file:foo/bar",
"key": "file:foo/baz.key",
}
};

resolver.resolve(json, function (err, data) {
console.log(data);
// {
// "secret": ,
// "ssl" {
// "pfx": ,
// "key":
// }
// }
});
`

API

parent (Object*, optional) - An optional shortstop resolver. Returns a resolver instance.

$3

protocol (String*) - The protocol used to identify a property to be processed, e.g. "file"
handler (Function*) - The implementation of the given protocol with signature function (value, [callback])

This method returns a function when invoked will remove the handler from the stack for this protocol.

$3

data (Object*) - The object, containing protocols in values, to be processed.
callback (Function*) - The callback invoked when the processing is complete with signature function (err, result).

$3

path (String*) - The path to a file which is, or exports, JSON or a javascript object.
callback (Function*) - The callback invoked when the processing is complete with signature function (err, result).

Multiple handlers

`javascript
var fs = require('fs'),
var path = require('path'),
var shortstop = require('shortstop');

function resolve(value) {
if (path.resolve(value) === value) {
// Is absolute path already
return value;
}
return path.join(process.cwd(), value);
}


var resolver, json;
resolver = shortstop.create();
resolver.use('path', resolve);
resolver.use('file', resolve);
resolver.use('file', fs.readFile);

json = {
"key": "file:foo/baz.key",
"certs": "path:certs/myapp"
};

resolver.resolve(json, function (err, data) {
console.log(data);
// {
// "key": ,
// "certs": "/path/to/my/certs/myapp"
// }
});
`

Removing Handlers

When registered, handlers return an unregister function you can call when you no longer want a handler in the chain.

`javascript
var path = require('path');
var shortstop = require('shortstop');


function resolve(value) {
if (path.resolve(value) === value) {
// Is absolute path already
return value;
}
return path.join(process.cwd(), value);
}

var resolver, unuse, json;
resolver = shortstop.create();
unuse = resolver.use('path', resolve);
json = { "key": "path:foo/baz.key" };

resolver.resolve(json, function (err, data) {
console.log(data);
// {
// "key": "/path/to/my/foo/baz.key"
// }

unuse();

resolver.resolve(json, function (err, data) {
console.log(data);
// {
// "key": "path:foo/baz.key"
// }
});
});
``