WordPress/gutenberg

Scripts: Try using cosmiconf for locating tool configs

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#30842 opened on Apr 14, 2021

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Good First IssueNeeds Dev[Tool] WP Scripts[Type] Enhancement

Description

A number of our scripts in the @wordpress/scripts contain logic to find the relevant config and/or ignore file (or package.json entry) for a given tool by replicating that tool's logic in doing so. E.g. lint-js tries to locate the relevant config for eslint here: https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/blob/dd4cc1b65433fc1f55ae7b674726e85af5f13ff7/packages/scripts/scripts/lint-js.js#L23-L33

Similar strategies can be found across our other scripts. This has lead to creation of helper methods such as hasProjectFile or hasPackageProp.

Rather than replicating and hard-wiring those tools' strategies, we might consider using a tool like cosmiconf, which seeks to establish somewhat of a standard for config file retrieval across tools. (Here's a broader discussion in the nodejs/tooling repo that had a similar goal but didn't really go anywhere.) AFAIK, some of the tools we use actually use cosmiconf themselves (e.g. prettier), while it has been proposed (but not yet adopted) by others (e.g. eslint).

We could consider multiple strategies:

  • Audit our tools, and only switch those to cosmiconf that use it themselves.
  • Use it for all our tools, as we might consider it "good enough".

Inspired by https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/30240#issuecomment-817515651

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascriptnodejs
Domain
toolingdeveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Understanding of npm scriptsFamiliarity with cosmiconfigKnowledge of ESLint/Prettier config resolution
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30
Research direction
This issue proposes replacing custom config file resolution logic in @wordpress/scripts with cosmiconfig. First, audit which tools (eslint, prettier, etc.) already use cosmiconfig. Then, evaluate if a universal adoption is feasible. The main files to modify are in packages/scripts/scripts/, e.g., lint js.js and similar scripts that currently use hasProjectFile or hasPackageProp. Research the cosmiconfig API and how it can integrate with WordPress's custom config structure. No linked PRs yet; the discussion in issue #30240 may provide context.