require-test

How to Add a require Search Path to a Mako Server Application

Overview

This example accompanies the mako.createloader(io) documentation. It shows how to configure Lua module loading for files stored in an application's own IO tree.

Files

• www/.preload - Sets up the module loader for the application.
• www/index.lsp - Demonstrates loading the example modules.
• www/helloworld1.lua - Example Lua module at the application root.
• www/.lua/helloworld2.lua - Example Lua module in the .lua directory.
• www/.lua/subdir/helloworld3.lua - Example Lua module in a nested subdirectory.

How to run

Start the example with the Mako Server:

cd require-test
mako -l::www

For more detail on starting the Mako Server, see the command line video tutorial and the command line options documentation.

After the server starts, open the HTTP URL printed in the Mako console. The page prints the output from each dofile(...) and require(...) variant.

How it works

The startup script creates a loader bound to the application's IO. That makes it possible to use Lua's normal require(...) mechanism for modules stored inside the application package instead of relying only on the default global search path.

Notes / Troubleshooting

• If require(...) fails, confirm that .preload ran and that the module path inside the app matches the name passed to require.
• Hidden directories such as .lua are normal for BAS applications and are still available server-side.