Feature request: Allow module names instead of paths for `reaches`, `doNotFollow`, etc.

[mrmckeb]

Context

I'd like to be able to pass module names to dependency-cruiser, instead of paths to node modules, so that I can match those without having to list all potential paths.

I'm using the JS API, and want to support user input in my wrapper. The below references to "chalk" are just for example.

Expected Behavior

In this scenario, I want to find all modules that reach chalk, but not modules within chalk that reference other chalk modules.

const options = {
  reaches: ['^chalk$'],
  doNotFollow: ['^chalk$'],
};

Current Behavior

The example above returns no matches. With pnpm (7.x, 8.x), I need to use the following to get the example above to work.

const options = {
  reaches: [^node_modules/.pnpm/chalk@5.2.0/node_modules/chalk'],
  doNotFollow: [^node_modules/.pnpm/chalk@5.2.0/node_modules/chalk'],
};

If someone installed a new version of chalk in the monorepo, this wouldn't catch that version.

Possible Solution

I think adding moduleNames (or modules) alongside paths might be a good solution here.

const options = {
  reaches: {
    moduleNames: ['^chalk$'],
  },
  doNotFollow: {
    moduleNames: ['^chalk$'],
  },
};

Considered alternatives

I realise that I can just pass the string, but this would match any package with "chalk" in its name, i.e. definitely-not-chalk.

const options = {
  reaches: {
    moduleNames: ['chalk'],
  },
  doNotFollow: {
    moduleNames: ['chalk'],
  },
};

I could also pass with slashes, but that could match an internal directory of the same name, i.e. utils/chalk/wrapper.ts.

const options = {
  reaches: {
    moduleNames: ['/chalk/'],
  },
  doNotFollow: {
    moduleNames: ['/chalk/'],
  },
};

[sverweij]

hi @mrmckeb thanks for this suggestion! This can indeed be useful, and not only for the scenario you describe. Reason dependency-cruiser started out with resolved paths only is that it's the only way a module can be uniquely identified - the shorthand names (local/ relative inclusions, aliasses, node_modules, tsconfig paths) don't have that property.

I'm looking for a way to add it - looks like it's something that should fit within the scope of a weekend; I'll keep you posted in this issue - but in the mean time it might in some cases possible to use a quick'n dirty trick: require.resolve the module and then path.relative it:

import { relative } from "node:path";

// next two lines only necessary in ESM:
import { createRequire } from "node:module";
const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);


// ...
const options = {
  reaches: {
    path: [relative(process.cwd(), require.resolve("chalk"))],
  }
};

[mrmckeb]

Thank you! And a good idea on the "quick'n dirty" workaround!

[github-actions]

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