> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://bryan-guner.gitbook.io/my-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://bryan-guner.gitbook.io/my-docs/redux/repos/examples/real-world/node_modules/pn.md).

# pn

[![NPM](https://nodei.co/npm/pn.png)](https://nodei.co/npm/pn/)

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/cscott/node-pn.svg)](https://travis-ci.org/cscott/node-pn)

The `pn` library gives you the Promise-using node standard library you've always dreamed of. Think "Promised Node" when saying it.

Just about every node standard library method that takes a callback will now return a `Promise` iff no callback is supplied. But existing code that passes callbacks will still work fine --- and fast: No unnecessary `Promise`s are created if you supply a callback.

The wrappers are generated automatically by a script, with a table to handle exceptions and odd cases. See below for more details.

## Installation

```
npm install pn
```

## Usage

```
var fs = require('pn/fs');
fs.writeFile('foo', 'bar', 'utf-8').then(function() { console.log('done'); });
// But you can use callbacks, too -- existing code won't break.
fs.writeFile('foo', 'bat', 'utf-8', function(err) { console.log('yay'); });
```

This library uses node native promises (ie `global.Promise`) by default, and thus works with node >= 0.11.

You can use [`core-js`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/core-js) or [`es6-shim`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/es6-shim) to add ES6 Promises to earlier versions of node, for example:

```
require('es6-shim');
var fs = require('pn/fs');
```

Just be sure that `es6-shim` is loaded before the `pn` package in that case.

You might also want to look into packages like [`prfun`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/prfun) which add some helpers to make working with native promises much more fun.

In particular, the `Promise#done` method is very useful when debugging, at least until v8's native Promise debugging capabilities are completed.

## Custom Promise types

You can also specify a custom `Promise` type to use, as follows:

```
var MyPromise = require('prfun');  // Use prfun's Promises, for example.
require('pn/_promise')(MyPromise); // This only needs to be done once.
```

## Exceptions and odd cases

The wrappers are automatically generated by `scripts/generate.js`; there is a table in that file which specifies all the odd cases.

In general: if the node API has a callback which takes multiple value arguments, the `Promise` returned will be an object with named fields corresponding to the different values. If the node API takes a callback *and* returns a value, `pn` will return the original value with a nonenumerable field named `promise` corresponding to the callback. Combining these two cases:

```
var child_process = require('pn/child_process');
var cp = child_process.execFile('true');
console.log('pid', cp.pid);
cp.promise.then(function(result) {
  console.log('stdout: ', result.stdout);
  console.log('stderr: ', result.stderr);
});
```

* `child_process`: The `exec` and `execFile` methods promise a object with fields named `stdout` and `stderr`. They return a `ChildProcess` object with a nonenumerable field named `promise` corresponding to the callback.
* `crypto`: The `randomBytes` and `pseudoRandomBytes` methods are now always asynchronous, returning a `Promise` if no callback is supplied. Use the new `randomBytesSync` and `pseudoRandomBytesSync` methods if you want synchronous computation. *This is backwards incompatible with existing node code.*
* `dns`: The `lookupService` method promises an object with fields named `hostname` and `service`.
* `fs`: The `exists` method doesn't pass an error to its callback. The promisied version will never reject. The `write` method promises an object with fields named `written` and `data`. The `read` method promises an object with fields named `read` and `data`.
* `http`, `https`: The `request` and `get` methods return a `ClientRequest` object with a nonenumerable field named `promise`, which will resolve to an `IncomingMessage` object.
* `process`: You can defer computation to the next tick with `require('pn/process').nextTick().then(function(){...})`
* `tls`: The `connect` and `createServer` return objects with a nonenumerable field named `promise`.

There are a few object methods which are not promisified by this package:

* `domain`: `Domain#bind`, `Domain#intercept`
* `http`,`https`: `ClientRequest#setTimeout`, `IncomingMessage#setTimeout`, `Server#setTimeout`, `ServerResponse#setTimeout`, `Server#listen`, `Server#close`
* `net`: `Server#listen`, `Server#close`, `Server#getConnections`, `Socket#write`, `Socket#setTimeout`
* `readline`: `Interface#question`
* `stream`: `Writable#write`, `Writable#end`
* `dgram`: `Socket#send`, `Socket#bind`.

## Related packages

Here are some other packages with similar aims:

* [`promised-node`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/promised-node)
* [`then-fs`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/then-fs)
* [`final-fs`](https://www.npmjs.org/package/final-fs)

## License

Copyright (c) 2014-2018 C. Scott Ananian

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://bryan-guner.gitbook.io/my-docs/redux/repos/examples/real-world/node_modules/pn.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
