less-watchr

a simple file watcher for less files

Installation

npm install -g less-watchr

Usage

Example 1

folder/
		style.less

less-watchr --path folder/style.less

Listens at the folder/style.less file and recompiles it when changes occur. Creates/updates the file folder/style.css.

Example 2

folder/
		style.less
		style2.less

less-watchr --path folder

Listens at the folder folder and recompile the .less when changes occur. Creates/updates the file folder/style.css or folder/style2.css.

Example 3

folder/
		one.less
		two.less
		style.less

less-watchr --path folder --fileToCompile folder/style.less

Listens at the folder folder and recompiles only the style.less after changes made at any .less file. Creates/updates the file folder/style.css. This is usefull when style.less is your main entry and uses @import.

Example 4

folder/
		folder1/
			one.less
			two.less
			style.less
		folder2/
			one.less
			two.less
			style.less

less-watchr --config less-watchr-config.json

less-watchr-config.json

{
    "path" : "folder",
    "outputFilename" : "$1.css",
    "fileToCompileMap" : [
	      {
	          "path": "folder/folder1/",
	          "fileToCompile" : "folder/folder1/style.less"
	      },
	      {
	          "path": "folder/folder2",
	          "fileToCompile" : "folder/folder2/style.less"
	      }
    ]
}

Listens at the folder folder and recompiles folder/folder1/style.less when changes in folder/folder1 occur. Same for folder/folder2. This is usefull you have different sections in one folder but still only want to use one less-watchr process.

Example 5

folder/
		folder1/
			one.less
			two.less
			style.less
		folder2/
			one.less
			two.less
			style.less
		global/
			mixins.less

less-watchr --config less-watchr-config.json

less-watchr-config.json

{
    "path" : "folder",
    "outputFilename" : "$1.css",
    "fileToCompileMap" : [
          {
              "path": "folder/folder1/",
              "fileToCompile" : "folder/folder1/style.less"
          },
          {
              "path": "folder/folder2",
              "fileToCompile" : "folder/folder2/style.less"
          },
          {
              "path": "folder/global",
              "fileToCompile" : [
              	"folder/folder1/style.less",
              	"folder/folder2/style.less"
              ]
          }
    ]
}

If something in folder folder/global is changed it recompiles folder/folder1/style.less and folder/folder2/style.less.

Additional Features

Path as array

Option path can be an array.

less-watchr --path folder1 -path folder2

or

{
    "path" : ["folder1", "folder2"],
}

outputFilename

You can define the ouput file name of the lessc compiler. $1 will be replaced with the .less name.

less-watchr --outputFilename "$1.less.css"

or

less-watchr --outputFilename "hello.css"

now, if you want to set another path for outputfile, the path must be relative to the .less file location:

folder/
		css/
			style.css
		folder1/
			style.less
			other.less

less-watchr --path folder/folder1/styles.less --outputFilename ../css/styles.css

Same in the config file.

options

With the options you can pass options to the lessc compiler.

--options="--yui-compress"

Notice the = when you this argument