TypeError: fs.readFile is not a function

Question

I'm trying to import a file using javascript, and every time I run, it flashes the same error. I already tried redownloading the file system, and I just downloaded requirejs.

var importFile = function() {
    console.log("started import");
    var fs = require(['fs']);
    console.log("required!");
    fs.exists('articles.txt', function(exists) {
        if(exists) console.log("found file");
    });
    fs.readFile('articles.txt', function(err, data) {
        if(err) {
            throw err;
            console.log("error thrown");
        }
        var rawFileData = data.toString().split("\n");
        for(i in rawFileData) {
            console.log(articles[i]);
        }
    });
    for(var i = 0; i< rawFileData.length; i+=4) {
        var title = rawDataFiles[i];
        var tags = rawDataFiles[i+1].split(",");
        var content = rawDataFiles[i+2];
        var date = rawDataFiles[i+3];
        articles.append(new Article(title, tags, content, date));
    }
}

Solution

I solved this using jQuery:

var importFile = function() {
    console.log("started import");
    var file = "/path/to/file.txt";
    console.log(file);
    $.get(file, function(data) {
        var lines = data.split("\n");
        var id = 0;
        $.each(lines, function(n, elem) {
            parseLine(elem, id);    
            id++;
        }); 
        console.log("done parsing.");
    }, "text");
    console.log("done getting");
};

though it never prints "done getting". I don't know why.

Comments

[user2651269]

I think it is actually require not requirejs, sorry. I tried taking the brakets out and it said, "Module name "fs" has not been loaded yet for context: _. Use require([])".

[user2651269]

did some more digging and its not require. I got the API from this site: requirejs.org sorry for the confusion. my best guess is that I don't have fs on my computer, so when it tries to do anything there is nothing there. I have tried downloading node.js, but I don't know how to use it.

[Daniel A. White]

@user2651269 so this is running in a browser? browsers don't have access to the file system this way.

[user2651269]

How can I access the file system in a browser? I am trying to create a web page that can search through a database read into from a file.

[Daniel A. White]

that isn't a trivial matter. it has way too many possibilities.

[Nufosmatic]

I think you'll find that your "done getting" comes out BEFORE the contents of the file. There is something asynchronous about $.get() (that I am not [yet] clever enough to understand).