hadron-ipc

Simplified wrapper around Electron's IPC events.

Usage

process.env.DEBUG = 'hadron-*';

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');
const AppRegistry = require('@mongodb-js/compass-app-registry');

const globalAppRegistry = new AppRegistry();

// called from a renderer process:
ipc.call('compass:loading:change-status', { status: 'loading preferences' });

// responded to in the main process:
ipc.respondTo('app:loading:change-status', (evt, meta) => {
  // main process then broadcasts to its renderer processes:
  ipc.broadcast('app:loading:change-status', meta);
});

// renderer process deals with information when received
ipc.on('app:loading:change-status', (evt, meta) => {
  globalAppRegistry.emit('app:loading:change-status', meta);
});

API - from Main Process

Communication from the main process to a renderer process.

ipc.respondTo(methodName, handler)

Respond to an event sent from a renderer process. handler keeps track of BrowserWindow instance and any of the args.

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

const onFindInPage = (sender, searchTerm, opt) => {
  if (!_window) return;

  opt = opt || {};
  _window.webContents.findInPage(searchTerm, opt);
};

ipc.respondTo('app:find-in-page', onFindInPage);

You can also use broadcast as part of the response:

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

ipc.respondTo('app:loading:change-status', (evt, meta) => {
  ipc.broadcast('app:loading:change-status', meta);
});

ipc.broadcast(methodName, [...args])

Broadcast an event to renderer process(es).

For example, here is a broadcast from a Menu Item:

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

function viewSubMenu() {
  return {
    label: '&View',
      {
        label: '&Reload Data',
        accelerator: 'CmdOrCtrl+R',
        click: function() {
          ipc.broadcast('app:refresh-data'); // renderer processes will be
listening to this event
        }
      }
    ]
  };
}

ipc.broadcastFocused(methodName, [...args])

Broadcast to renderer process(es) only if the current window is focused.

ipc.broadcastFocused('app:disconnect');

ipc.remove(channel, listener)

Remove a listener from the main process' ipc.

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

const onFindInPage = (sender, searchTerm, opt) => {
  if (!_window) return;

  opt = opt || {};
  _window.webContents.findInPage(searchTerm, opt);
};

ipc.remove('app:stop-find-in-page', onStopFindInPage);

API - from Renderer process

Communication from a renderer proces to the main process. All of the ipcRenderer events are kept as is, ipc.call is added as an additional method.

ipc.call(methodName, [...args])

Call the main process under the provided methodName. Under the hood args are serialised as JSON.

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

const args = {
  query: {
    filter: {},
    project: { field: 1 }
  }
};
ipc.call('app:open-export', args, (res) = {
  console.log('callback from renderer process', res)
});

ipc.on(methodName, handler)

From Electron's ipcRenderer API. Useful for when replying to Main process' ipc.broadcast events.

const ipc = require('hadron-ipc');

ipc.on('app:refresh-data', () =>
  // do something
);

Install

npm install hadron-ipc

Related Content

• Electron's ipcMain
• Electron's ipcRenderer
• Hadron App
• Compass App Registry