babel-dts-generator

0.6.3 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript maintenance

A Babel plugin that generates TypeScript declaration (.d.ts) files from JavaScript code with JSDoc type annotations. Version 0.6.3 is the latest stable release; the project appears to be in maintenance mode with no recent activity. It specializes in converting Babel-parsed ASTs into TypeScript declarations, supporting features like object parameters, this-type annotations, typeof-type annotations, and string literal types. Key differentiators include integration with Babel's transformation pipeline and suppression of private exports for clean typings.

Common errors

error ReferenceError: regeneratorRuntime is not defined ↓

cause Async/await usage without regenerator runtime polyfill

fix

Install regenerator-runtime and require('regenerator-runtime/runtime') at your entry point

error Cannot find module 'babel-core' ↓

cause babel-core not installed or wrong version (needs v6)

fix

Run npm install babel-core@^6.0.0 --save-dev

error TypeError: generator is not a function ↓

cause Using default import incorrectly with CommonJS require

fix

Use const generator = require('babel-dts-generator').default; in CommonJS

Warnings

breaking Untyped parameters now treated as optional (since v0.5.0) ↓

fix Add explicit type annotations to parameters that should be required, or update code to handle optional parameters

gotcha Requires babel-core (not @babel/core) due to legacy Babel 6 plugin API ↓

fix Ensure you have babel-core@^6.x installed, not @babel/core

deprecated The project has not been updated since 2017 and may not work with modern Babel versions ↓

fix Consider alternatives like tsc or @babel/preset-typescript for generating .d.ts files

gotcha Supports only default exports? Check configuration for named exports ↓

fix Verify the 'output' option points to a folder; plugin generates .d.ts for each file but may require additional config

breaking Private exports (prefixed with _) are suppressed by default since v0.6.0 ↓

fix If you need _-prefixed exports in .d.ts, adjust the 'suppressPrivate' option (not documented)

gotcha Generator yields a Promise, not synchronous result ↓

fix Always await or use .then() when calling babel.transform() with this plugin

Install

npm install babel-dts-generator

yarn add babel-dts-generator

pnpm add babel-dts-generator

Imports

default

wrong

const generator = require('babel-dts-generator').default

correct

import generator from 'babel-dts-generator'

Default export is a function; CommonJS users must use require().default

generate
```
import { generate } from 'babel-dts-generator'
```
Named export for programmatic generation, distinct from default

BabelDtsGeneratorOptions

wrong

import { BabelDtsGeneratorOptions } from 'babel-dts-generator'

correct

import type { BabelDtsGeneratorOptions } from 'babel-dts-generator'

Type import only; do not use at runtime

Quickstart

Shows how to use babel-dts-generator as a Babel plugin to generate a .d.ts file from a source file with JSDoc annotations.

import generator from 'babel-dts-generator';
import * as babel from 'babel-core';

const code = `
/** @param {number} a */
function foo(a) { return a; }
`;

babel.transform(code, {
  plugins: [
    [generator, {
      output: 'dist/types',
      suppressExcess: true,
      suppressAmbientDeclaration: true
    }]
  ]
}).then(result => {
  console.log(result.code); // .d.ts content
}).catch(err => console.error(err));