tsconfig path remapping for JS files

In TypeScript, you can use path remapping in the tsconfig.json file to map specific import paths to different directories or files. However, path remapping is a feature of TypeScript, not JavaScript. The remapping is used by TypeScript's compiler (tsc) to resolve import paths during the compilation process.

Here's how you can use path remapping in tsconfig.json:

1. Create or Locate tsconfig.json:

   • If you don't have a tsconfig.json file in your project, create one in the root of your project directory.
   • If you already have one, locate and open it for editing.

2. Add Path Mapping:

   • Inside tsconfig.json, add a paths property to specify the path mapping.

   jsonCopy code
   {
     "compilerOptions": {
       "baseUrl": "./src",
       "paths": {
         "@components/*": ["components/*"],
         "@utils/*": ["utils/*"],
         "@styles/*": ["styles/*"]
       }
     },
     "include": ["src/**/*.ts", "src/**/*.tsx"]
   }
   

   • In this example, we have three path mappings:
     • @components/*: Maps to the components directory.
     • @utils/*: Maps to the utils directory.
     • @styles/*: Maps to the styles directory.

3. Using Path Aliases in Imports:

   • Once the path mappings are defined in the tsconfig.json, you can use them in your TypeScript or JavaScript files using import statements.

   javascriptCopy code
   // Before path remapping
   import { someFunction } from '../../../utils/my-utils';
   
   // After path remapping
   import { someFunction } from '@utils/my-utils';
   

   • The import statement using the path alias @utils/* will be resolved to the mapped path defined in the tsconfig.json.

4. Setting the baseUrl:

   • The baseUrl property in the compilerOptions specifies the base directory to resolve non-relative module names.
   • In the example above, we set the baseUrl to "./src", which means that all the path mappings will be relative to the src directory.

Please note that path remapping with tsconfig.json is specific to TypeScript's compilation process. When you run the TypeScript compiler (tsc) or use TypeScript-aware tools, the path mappings will be used to resolve import paths. However, if you are using a bundler like webpack or Parcel, you may need additional configuration to handle the path aliases during the bundling process.

For JavaScript-only projects (without TypeScript), you can use module bundlers like webpack to set up similar path aliases or path mappings to achieve the same result during the bundling process. The configuration for path aliases in webpack will be different from TypeScript's path remapping.