fast-plist

library0.1.3jsnpmunverified

fast-plist is a JavaScript library designed for rapidly parsing Apple Property List (PLIST) files. Currently at version 0.1.3, this package has a very low release cadence, with its last update approximately three years ago. It focuses solely on parsing XML-formatted PLISTs efficiently, providing a straightforward API for converting PLIST XML strings into JavaScript objects. While it is maintained by Microsoft (suggesting reliability for its niche), its lack of recent updates means it may not incorporate the latest performance optimizations or features found in more actively developed PLIST parsing libraries, nor does it explicitly support binary PLIST formats. It ships with TypeScript type definitions, making it compatible with modern TypeScript projects, though its primary usage examples are CommonJS-based.

serialization

npm install fast-plist

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · FAST-PLIST

fast-plist

serializationjavascriptv0.1.3

Install

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Import

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Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

parse

✓ import { parse } from 'fast-plist';

✗ const parse = require('fast-plist');

The package's primary entry point is CommonJS. For ESM contexts, a named import like this should work via bundler or Node.js's interoperability layers. The `require` syntax directly accesses the `parse` function from the module's exports.

Demonstrates parsing a well-formed XML PLIST string into a JavaScript object and handling errors for malformed input.

import { parse } from 'fast-plist'; const plistString = ` <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>name</key> <string>Brogrammer</string> <key>settings</key> <dict> <key>background</key> <string>#1a1a1a</string> <key>caret</key> <string>#ecf0f1</string> <key>foreground</key> <string>#ecf0f1</string> <key>invisibles</key> <string>#F3FFB51A</string> <key>lineHighlight</key> <string>#2a2a2a</string> </dict> </dict> </plist>`; try { const parsedData = parse(plistString); console.log(JSON.stringify(parsedData, null, 2)); } catch (error) { console.error('Failed to parse PLIST:', error.message); } // Example of parsing an invalid string (will throw an error) try { parse(`bad string`); } catch (error) { console.error('Error parsing bad string:', error.message); }

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe package version 0.1.3 is quite old (last published 3 years ago). This may lead to compatibility issues with newer Node.js versions or browser environments, and it might lack patches for potential security vulnerabilities discovered since its last release.

fix

Thoroughly test in your target environment. Consider auditing the code or evaluating more actively maintained alternatives if security or compatibility with very recent runtimes is critical.

affects: <=0.1.3

gotchaThe package primarily exports CommonJS modules. When used in an ECMAScript Module (ESM) project, you might encounter `ERR_REQUIRE_ESM` errors, especially in Node.js environments without proper transpilation or direct ESM support for CommonJS modules. While bundlers often handle this, direct Node.js ESM execution might fail.

fix

For Node.js ESM projects, ensure your build setup correctly handles CommonJS dependencies. You might need to use dynamic `import()` or configure your bundler (e.g., Webpack, Rollup, esbuild) to resolve CommonJS modules. If using TypeScript, ensure your `tsconfig.json`'s `moduleResolution` is set appropriately (e.g., 'Bundler' or 'NodeNext').

affects: >=0.1.0

gotchaThis library only supports XML-based PLIST parsing. It does not provide functionality for parsing or generating binary PLIST (`bplist`) files, which are often used by Apple for performance reasons. Attempting to parse a binary PLIST will result in a parsing error.

fix

If you need to work with binary PLISTs, consider using alternative libraries like `bplist-parser` or `@expo/plist` which offer support for both XML and binary formats.

affects: >=0.1.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Near offset X: expected < ~~~bad string~~~

Attempting to parse an input string that is not a valid XML-formatted PLIST.

fix

Ensure the input string is a well-formed XML PLIST. The parser is strict and expects valid XML structure from the beginning.

Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: require() of ES Module /path/to/project/node_modules/fast-plist/index.js from ... not supported

You are trying to `require()` this CommonJS package within an ECMAScript Module (ESM) context in Node.js, and Node.js's interoperability could not handle it, or a bundler issue.

fix

If in an ESM file, change `const parse = require('fast-plist').parse;` to `import { parse } from 'fast-plist';`. If this persists with bundlers, ensure your build configuration is set up to correctly handle CommonJS modules within an ESM project, or consider downgrading your module system to CommonJS if possible for the specific file.

Upgrade

Version history

0.1.3latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/Microsoft/node-fast-plist ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/fast-plist ↗