Roots Sage 9 – Building for Production Returns Error on SASS Mixin with Yarn
As a software developer, you know that working with modern web frameworks and build tools can sometimes be a double-edged sword. On one hand, they provide us with powerful features and abstractions that make our lives easier. On the other hand, they can also introduce unexpected challenges, especially when it comes to managing the production build process.
In this blog post, we'll explore a common issue faced by Roots Sage 9 users when building their projects for production using Yarn. Specifically, we'll dive into the problem of a SASS mixin that breaks when the production build is generated, and how to effectively resolve this problem.
The Problem: Map Structure Changes in Production
The issue at hand is that when you build your Roots Sage 9 project for production using Yarn, the map structure for the @include imgRetina()
SASS mixin changes, causing an error.
The mixin, which is used to include high-resolution (retina) images, typically looks like this:
@mixin imgRetina($image, $type, $width, $height) {
background-image: url('../assets/images/#{$image}.#{$type}');
@media (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-resolution: 192dpi) {
background-image: url('../assets/images/#{$image}@2x.#{$type}');
background-size: $width $height;
}
}
In a development environment, when you run yarn watch
, the mixin works as expected, and Webpack correctly converts the images. However, when you run yarn build
to generate the production-ready assets, the mixin starts to break, and the image paths no longer work as anticipated.
The problematic line in the mixin is:
background-image: url('../assets/images/#{$image}.#{$type}');
In the development environment, this line correctly resolves the image path. However, in the production build, the map structure changes, and the image path needs to be adjusted to:
background-image: url('../../assets/images/#{$image}.#{$type}');
This change in the map structure is the root cause of the issue, and it's something you need to address to ensure your production build works as expected.
Understanding the Roots Sage 9 Build Process
To better understand the problem, let's take a closer look at the Roots Sage 9 build process.
Roots Sage 9 is a popular WordPress starter theme that uses Webpack as its build tool. When you run yarn watch
, Webpack compiles your SASS, JavaScript, and other assets, and serves them in a development environment. However, when you run yarn build
, Webpack generates the production-ready assets, which are typically optimized for performance and file size.
During the production build process, Webpack's module resolution algorithm may change the relative paths of your assets, leading to the issue with the @include imgRetina()
mixin.
Resolving the Issue
To resolve the issue, you need to update your SASS mixin to handle the change in the map structure between the development and production environments.
Here's how you can do it:
- Detect the Environment: First, you need to detect whether the code is running in a development or production environment. You can do this by checking the value of the
process.env.NODE_ENV
variable in your SASS mixin.
$is-dev: (process.env.NODE_ENV != 'production');
- Update the Image Path: Next, you need to update the image path in the mixin based on the detected environment. If the code is running in a development environment, use the relative path
'../assets/images/'
. If the code is running in a production environment, use the relative path '../../assets/images/'
.
@mixin imgRetina($image, $type, $width, $height) {
$image-path: if($is-dev, '../assets/images/', '../../assets/images/');
background-image: url('#{$image-path}#{$image}.#{$type}');
@media (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-resolution: 192dpi) {
background-image: url('#{$image-path}#{$image}@2x.#{$type}');
background-size: $width $height;
}
}
- Update Your Call to the Mixin: Finally, you need to update any calls to the
@include imgRetina()
mixin in your SASS files to use the correct relative path. For example, instead of:
@include imgRetina('../assets/images/logo', png, 370px, 115px);
You should use:
@include imgRetina('logo', png, 370px, 115px);
By making these changes, your Roots Sage 9 project should now build successfully for production using Yarn, and your images should be correctly resolved in both development and production environments.
Optimizing the Build Process
While the solution above should resolve the immediate issue, you may want to consider further optimizing your build process to make it more robust and maintainable.
One approach is to use the path
module in your Webpack configuration to dynamically generate the correct relative paths for your assets. This can help ensure that the paths are always correct, regardless of the build environment.
Here's an example of how you could do this:
const path = require('path');
module.exports = {
// ... other Webpack config options
output: {
path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist'),
publicPath: '/',
},
resolve: {
alias: {
'@assets': path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/assets/'),
},
},
};
In your SASS mixin, you can then use the @assets
alias to reference your images:
@mixin imgRetina($image, $type, $width, $height) {
background-image: url('@assets/images/#{$image}.#{$type}');
@media (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-resolution: 192dpi) {
background-image: url('@assets/images/#{$image}@2x.#{$type}');
background-size: $width $height;
}
}
This approach ensures that your image paths are consistent across your codebase, and it also makes it easier to maintain and update your build configuration in the future.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we've explored a common issue faced by Roots Sage 9 users when building their projects for production using Yarn. We've identified the root cause of the problem, which is a change in the map structure for the @include imgRetina()
SASS mixin, and we've provided a solution to address it.
By detecting the environment and updating the image paths accordingly, you can ensure that your Roots Sage 9 project builds successfully for production, and your images are correctly resolved in both development and production environments.
Additionally, we've discussed some strategies for further optimizing your build process, such as using the path
module in your Webpack configuration to dynamically generate the correct relative paths for your assets.
Remember, as a software developer, it's important to stay vigilant and proactive when it comes to addressing build-related issues. By understanding the underlying mechanisms of your build tools and frameworks, you can more effectively troubleshoot and resolve problems, ultimately delivering a better product to your users.
If you're interested in learning more about how Flowpoint.ai can help you identify and fix technical issues that impact your website's conversion rates, be sure to check out our website
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