Automate the Execution of Multiple JavaScript Files with Ease!

Learn how to run several JavaScript files at once seamlessly with command chaining techniques in your terminal.
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Automate the Execution of Multiple JavaScript Files with Ease!

Have you ever found yourself running multiple JavaScript files manually in your terminal? If you have, you probably know that typing node file.js over and over again for each file can be tedious and time-consuming. Luckily, there’s an efficient way to automate this process, allowing you to execute all your JavaScript files simultaneously with just one command! In this guide, we’ll cover how to run several JavaScript files at once and make your script-running tasks much easier.

The Problem

Imagine you have created a tool that fetches new data every day, and you need to run three different JavaScript files:

news.js for news updates

main.js for your core functionality

weather.js for weather data

You currently need to type the following commands in your terminal one by one:

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This can get cumbersome, especially if you have to do it daily. The good news? There’s a way to streamline this process with automation.

The Solution

You can run multiple JavaScript files sequentially by chaining commands in your terminal. Here’s how to do it:

Chaining Commands

To run your scripts in sequence, where each script waits for the previous one to finish, use the && operator. Below is the command you can use:

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How It Works

&& Operator: This command tells the system to execute the next command only if the previous command finished successfully (exit status 0).

Exit Status: An exit status of 0 indicates that the command completed successfully. If any command fails, subsequent commands will not be executed.

Alternative Options

If you want the commands to run without checking for success (meaning the next command will run regardless of whether the previous command succeeded), you can use the ; operator:

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Note for Windows Users

While the ; operator works in PowerShell, it does not function in the Command Prompt on Windows. In Command Prompt, you must use the && operator to ensure commands are executed in sequence based on success.

Running in Parallel

If you prefer to run your scripts concurrently (all at the same time), you can replace && with &. Here’s the command:

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This will execute all scripts simultaneously, not waiting for any of them to complete before starting the next.

Conclusion

Automating the running of several JavaScript files not only saves you time but also increases efficiency by allowing you to run scripts with one simple command. Whether you need to run them sequentially or in parallel, using command chaining and terminal operators can make your workflow much smoother.

Now that you know how to set it up, you can confidently run your scripts automatically, retrieving data daily without the hassle. Happy coding!