launch-editor-middleware

2.13.2 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

Express middleware that opens files in the user's default editor when requested via a URL. Version 2.13.2 is current; it is part of the launch-editor ecosystem by Evan You. It relies on launch-editor to resolve the editor and is typically used in development tooling like Vue CLI or Vite to open source files directly from the browser console. No active development fork, but stable and widely used. Differentiator: simple integration with Express, zero-config editor detection.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'launch-editor-middleware' ↓

cause Package not installed.

fix

Run npm install launch-editor-middleware --save-dev.

error TypeError: launchEditorMiddleware is not a function ↓

cause Missing function call parentheses.

fix

Change app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware) to app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware()).

Warnings

breaking In version 2.x, the middleware signature changed from `app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware)` to `app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware())`. ↓

fix Call the function: `app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware())`.

gotcha The middleware only works in development environments; production builds should not include it. ↓

fix Conditionally apply the middleware only when `NODE_ENV` is not `'production'`.

deprecated The `default` import is the same as the named import; both are valid. ↓

fix Use either import style consistently.

Install

npm install launch-editor-middleware

yarn add launch-editor-middleware

pnpm add launch-editor-middleware

Imports

default

wrong

const launchEditorMiddleware = require('launch-editor-middleware')

correct

import launchEditorMiddleware from 'launch-editor-middleware'

ESM default export; CJS via require works with default export

launchEditorMiddleware

wrong

const launchEditorMiddleware = require('launch-editor-middleware').default

correct

const { launchEditorMiddleware } = require('launch-editor-middleware')

CJS named export also available; prefer ESM when possible

Quickstart

Shows how to mount the middleware on an Express app to open files via /__open-in-editor?file=path.

import express from 'express';
import launchEditorMiddleware from 'launch-editor-middleware';

const app = express();
app.use('/__open-in-editor', launchEditorMiddleware());
app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));