@firefoxic/conjure

Conjure

🪄 Conjure images, icons and favicons for your frontend project.

Purpose

In most frontend projects, you have to perform the same and rather boring actions with images between exporting them from Figma and deploying the project to the server. Spare yourself from this routine!

Conjure is a command line utility for optimizing vector images, converting raster images to modern formats for different pixel densities and also preparing favicons.

Installation

To install Conjure, you need to have Node.js installed on your machine. You can then install it via npm or pnpm in your project (or globally, then replace -D flag with -g):

npm add @firefoxic/conjure -D

or

pnpm add @firefoxic/conjure -D

Usage

Conjure is invoked via the command line:

• with globally installation:

  conjure <command> [options]
  

• with locally installation (in a project):

  npm exec conjure <command> [options]
  

  or

  pnpm exec conjure <command> [options]
  

• without installation:

  npm exec @firefoxic/conjure <command> [options]
  

  or

  pnpm dlx @firefoxic/conjure <command> [options]
  

Commands

• images — Optimize SVGs and convert raster images to modern formats (Webp and Avif by default).

• icons — Optimize SVG icon files.

• favicons — Convert the original SVG favicons (expect at least one of touch.svg, 32.svg, and 16.svg) to optimized vector and all raster favicons, including ICO format and necessary PNG and Webp, and also generate a webmanifest (read this article about favicons by Andrey Sitnik).

• all — Run all the above commands.

  Notice: Individual commands handle the contents of the specified directory. But the general all command expects the path to the directory containing the images, icons and favicons directories (see examples below).

Options

-i, --inputDirectory

• Type: String
• Default: src/shared
• Description: Path to the directory containing raw files

-o, --outputDirectory

• Type: String
• Default: the value of --inputDirectory
• Description: Path to the directory where processed files will be placed

-d, --originDensity

• Type: Number
• Default: 2
• Description: Pixel density in dppx of the raw raster images

-f, --targetFormats

• Type: String
• Default: webp,avif
• Description: Comma-separated list of formats for output raster images

-a, --addOriginFormat

• Type: Boolean
• Default: false
• Description: Add the original raster format to the list of output formats

-r, --removeOrigin

• Type: Boolean
• Default: false
• Description: Remove the original raster files and source favicons after successful processing

Examples

• In the source/images folder, optimize all SVGs and convert the raster images to webp and avif formats at the original size for 2x pixel density and at a reduced size for 1x pixel density; and after processing the raster images, delete their original files:

  conjure images --inputDirectory=source/images --removeOrigin
  

  Tip for exporting raster layers from layouts

  If you have finally managed to give up old formats (such as JPG and PNG) and use only modern Webp and Avif, it is better to export raster layers from Figma only to PNG. JPG will only add artifacts on them. Avoid unnecessary quality loss.

• Take all vector and raster images from the raws/images folder; optimize vector images and put them in source/images; convert raster images to webp format and to the original format, optimizing them for 2x and 1x pixel densities, placing these results also in source/images; when processing is completed, delete the original raster images from raws/images:

  conjure images -i raws/images -o source/images -f webp -a -r
  

• Optimize SVG icons in the default src/shared/icons folder:

  conjure icons
  

• In the assets/favicons folder, convert files touch.svg, 32.svg (and optionaly 16.svg) to:

  • favicon.ico in size 32×32 (and optionaly with second layer in size 16×16)
  • icon.svg — optimized version of 32.svg (or touch.svg if 32.svg and 16.svg are missing)
  • icon-180.png in size 180×180 for old iPhones
  • icon-192.png and icon-192.webp in size 192×192
  • icon-512.png and icon-512.webp in size 512×512
  • manifest.webmanifest with the name and description fields from your package.json and the icons field for the 192 and 512 files
  • Links.md — advice on code of links for generated files, moving files, and fixing paths to files.

  conjure favicons -i assets/favicons
  

  Move the resulting favicon.ico and manifest.webmanifest to the project directory, from where they will be moved to the root of the server. The default paths in manifest.webmanifest are formed with the expectation that the manifest.webmanifest file will be moved to the root of the project source (which corresponds to src/ by default). In any case, double-check these paths to make sure they match the file structure of your project.

  Recommendations for the source favicon files

  • The most optimal composition of source files is a couple of files:
    • 32.svg — the drawing is adjusted to a 32×32 pixel grid, may transparent areas such as rounded corners of the background;
    • touch.svg — the drawing is prepared for large touch icons with solid background without rounding, with margins much larger than 32.svg.
  • If you don't have a variant specially prepared by the designer for the pixel grid size 16×16, then don't create a file 16.svg from variants of other sizes — it will only increase the weight of the final favicon.ico.
  • If you don't have a 32×32 variant, but you have a 16×16 variant, there is no need to make a 32.svg file, conjure will make all the variants for you.
  • If you have only one variant and it's not 16×16, it doesn't matter what you name the file, 32.svg or touch.svg (as long as it's not 16.svg) — a file with either of these two names will be used by conjure to generate the entire set of favicons.

• Run all three special commands with default settings, but deleting the original raster images, i.e.:

  • run conjure images in the rc/shared/images folder with deleting the original raster images,
  • run conjure icons in the ``src/shared/icons` folder,
  • run conjure favicons in the ``src/shared/favicons` folder,

  conjure all -r
  

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE.md file for details.

Changelog

[1.0.0] — 2024–04–19

Changed

• Now the conjure favicons command does not generate the entire set of files for each SVG found, including those nested in subdirectories. Instead, this command only works with files in the specified directory and expects at least one of touch.svg, 32.svg and 16.svg (preferably only the first two, and the third only if there is such a version in the design). See README.md for details on preparing and working with these files.
• Now the -r (--removeOrigin) option also applies to the conjure favicons command.

Added

• Gereration of Links.md file with advice on the code of links for generated files, moving files, and fixing paths to files.