📂 Robo File Structure
The primary way to create with Robo.js is through the file structure. This is the foundation of Robo.js and is used to determine your project's functionality.
If you're familiar with Next.js, you'll feel right at home. If not, no worries — Robo.js keeps things simple. All you need to know is how to arrange your files. And that's it. Seriously!
Standard Structure
Standard Robo.js projects contain the following directories:
/.robo: Generated files for Robo.js to manage. You can ignore this./config: The configuration file(s) for your project./src: Source code for your project functionality..env: Environment variables for your project.package.json: Project metadata and dependencies.
You will be working primarily in the /src directory. This is where you code your Project's features. /config is where you can tweak project and plugin configurations.
Depending on what other things you have installed - like ESLint or Prettier - you may have additional files or directories outside of these.
Source Code
The /src directory is where you'll spend most of your time. Depending on what you're building, you'll have to pay attention to different directories in it.
Any type of file is supported as long as Node.js supports it. This includes JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, and more. TypeScript works out of the box, so you can use it without any additional setup.
Configuration
You can find config files in the /config directory. These files are used to configure your project and plugins. Plugin config files are generated in here when you run npx robo add.
You may rarely need to edit these files, if at all. See the Configuration section for more information.
Environment Variables
The .env file is where you store sensitive information, such as API keys, database URLs, or Discord tokens. These variables are loaded into your project when it starts.
See the Environment Variables section for more information.
Package File
The package.json file is standard for Node.js projects. It contains metadata about your project, such as the name, version, and dependencies. You can also add scripts to run commands, like npm run dev.
Modules
For larger projects, you can use modules to group similar functionality together to keep things clean. Each module is its own mini-project within your main project that follows the same Robo File Structure.
Check out Modules for more information.
.robo Directory
/.robo is special because it's managed by Robo.js. It contains generated files that Robo.js uses to manage your project. You can ignore this directory, as it's not meant for manual editing, but feel free to keep reading if you're curious.
Build
/.robo/build contains compiled files from your project. This is where your TypeScript files are compiled to JavaScript, or where your project is bundled for production.
For plugins, this is what gets published to NPM.
Data
/.robo/data contains Flashcore data. Flashcore uses the local filesystem to store data by default, but can be configured to use a database of your choice.
Be careful not to delete this directory or you may lose important data!
Manifest
The /.robo/manifest.json file contains information about your project, such as the project name, version, plugins, directories in use, and more. This file is generated and updated by Robo.js for performant startup times.
Temp Files
Sometimes you may see a /.robo/temp directory. This is used for temporary files that Robo.js generates during runtime. You know, things like intermediate files during compression and such.