Angular | How to Move/ Copy Folder/Files During Project Build Process

When we build an Angular project, the resulting code is usually stored in a folder called dist. However, sometimes we may need to move or copy the contents of the dist folder or some other files to another folder or location. In this article, we’ll explore how to accomplish this task with ease.

During the build process in an Angular project, we use the $ ng build or $ npm run build command to create the distributable source code of the application in a dist folder. Once the build process is complete, we may need to move or copy the dist folder to some other project directory or location.

 

Why Move/Copy Files During Build Process?

The main reason why we may need to move or copy files during the build process is to keep the application code separate from the build artifacts. By doing this, we can easily manage the build artifacts and prevent them from interfering with the application code.

 

Moving/Copying Files with “postbuild” Script

To move or copy files during the build process, we need to add a “postbuild” script to the package.json file. This script will run automatically after the build process is complete.

Updating the package.json file

Let’s say we want to copy the dist folder from its location to a folder called mydistapp/dist. To accomplish this, we need to add the following script to the package.json file:

"scripts": {
    "ng": "ng",
    "start": "ng serve",
    "build": "ng build && npm run postbuild",
    "postbuild": "xcopy /s \".\/dist\" \".\/mydistapp\/dist\" \/Y",
}

this script, we have added the “postbuild” script to copy the dist folder to the mydistapp/dist folder. The xcopy command is used to copy files and folders. The /s option copies directories and subdirectories, while the /Y option suppresses prompting to confirm whether we want to overwrite an existing destination file.

Running the Script

To run the script, we need to execute the following command in the terminal:

npm run build

This will build the Angular project and automatically run the “postbuild” script to copy the dist folder to the mydistapp/dist folder.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, moving or copying files during the build process can help us manage the build artifacts and prevent them from interfering with the application code. We can achieve this task by adding a “post-build” script to the package.json file. By doing this, we can automate the process and save time and effort.

FAQs

 

Q1. Can we copy other files during the build process?

Yes, we can copy other files or folders during the build process by updating the “postbuild” script accordingly.

 

Q2. Can we move files instead of copying them?

Yes, we can move files instead of copying them by using the move command instead of the xcopy command.

 

Q3. Can we copy files to a remote location?

Yes, we can copy files to a remote location by specifying the remote location path instead of the local folder path in the “postbuild” script.

 

Q4. Can we rename the files during the copy process?

Yes, we can rename the files during the copy process by specifying a new filename in the “postbuild” script.