include a config file in webpack bundle - node.js

Question

In my webpack project I want to bundle my project and include an example usage file with it. However when I bundle my project in this form
module.exports = {
entry: {
main: './src/main.js',
about: './src/pages/config.js'
},
output: {
path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist'),
filename: '[name].js',
library: 'report' //makes this a global variable we can call from basic javascript page,
devtool: 'source-map',
devServer: {
port: 3001,
clientLogLevel: 'none',
stats: 'errors-only'
},
module: {
rules: [
{
test: /\.css$/,
use: ['style-loader', 'css-loader'] //npm install --save-dev style-loader css-loader
}
]
},
plugins: [
new CleanWebpackPlugin({ cleanStaleWebpackAssets: false }),
new HtmlWebpackPlugin({
title: 'ESS Map Learning',
}),
],
};
},
The outputted file in the dist is converted or loaded into bundled code and is unreadable as an example. I am trying to find a way to load this file so it is not changed and sits in the bundle in its original format

Answer 1

If you want to include an example usage file along with your bundle, you can try the following two ways:
1. use CopyWebpackPlugin
With this plugin, you can copy specific files from your source project into your output folder.
First you need to install the plugin:
npm install --save-dev copy-webpack-plugin
Then in your webpack configuration file:
const CopyPlugin = require("copy-webpack-plugin");
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin([
{
from: "path/to/some-example.js",
to: "" // leave blank if you want to keep the folder hierachy as in the source code, otherwise specify an output path
},
]),
]
}
More about the plugin:
Webpack Plugins: CopyWebpackPlugin
2. use the "Asset Modules" configuration
module.exports = {
module: {
rules: [
{
test: /example\.js/, // regex to match your source example file path
type: 'asset/resource', // files with this type will be copied to your output folder
generator: {
filename: 'examples/[name][ext]', // you can give a desired name for your output file, or webpack will defaultly name it with hash value
}
}
]
},
// rest of your webpack configuration
// ...
}
Caveats: I think webpack will never process your example file if it is not a dependency of any of your entry points (which is very likely the case). In this sense I guess using the CopyWebpackPlugin is more reliable.
More about asset modules:
Webpack Guides: Asset Management
Webpack Guides: Asset Modules