Reloading modules from the repl in Node.js

reload.js

// Reloading modules from the repl in Node.js
// Benjamin Gleitzman ([email protected])
//
// Inspired by Ben Barkay
// http://stackoverflow.com/a/14801711/305414
//
// Usage: `node reload.js`
// You can load the module as usual
// var mymodule = require('./mymodule')
// And the reload it when needed
// mymodule = require.reload('./mymodule')
//
// I suggest using an alias in your .bashrc/.profile:
// alias node_reload='node /path/to/reload.js'


var myrepl = require("repl").start({});

/**
 * Removes a module from the cache.
 */
myrepl.context.require.uncache = function (moduleName) {
    // Run over the cache looking for the files
    // loaded by the specified module name
    myrepl.context.require.searchCache(moduleName, function (mod) {
        delete require.cache[mod.id];
    });
};

/**
 * Runs over the cache to search for all the cached files.
 */
myrepl.context.require.searchCache = function (moduleName, callback) {
    // Resolve the module identified by the specified name
    var mod = require.resolve(moduleName);

    // Check if the module has been resolved and found within
    // the cache
    if (mod && ((mod = require.cache[mod]) !== undefined)) {
        // Recursively go over the results
        (function run(mod) {
            // Go over each of the module's children and
            // run over it
            mod.children.forEach(function (child) {
                run(child);
            });

            // Call the specified callback providing the
            // found module
            callback(mod);
        })(mod);
    }
};

/*
 * Load a module, clearing it from the cache if necessary.
 */
myrepl.context.require.reload = function(moduleName) {
    myrepl.context.require.uncache(moduleName);
    return myrepl.context.require(moduleName);
};

This code seems to not be resetting some that it should. After 'many' reloads, I get this error:

var pp = require.reload('../lib/myTestLib.js');
(node) warning: possible EventEmitter memory leak detected. 11 listeners added. Use emitter.setMaxListeners() to increase limit.
Trace
at process.EventEmitter.addListener (events.js:160:15)
at process.on.process.addListener (node.js:768:26)
at Object. (/Users/joallen/_Dev/Node.js/node_modules/log4js/lib/appenders/file.js:13:9)
at Module._compile (module.js:456:26)
at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:474:10)
at Module.load (module.js:356:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:312:12)
at Module.require (module.js:364:17)
at require (module.js:380:17)
at requireAppender (/Users/joallen/_Dev/Node.js/node_modules/log4js/lib/log4js.js:387:22)
undefined

I have to assume that it is something in the log4js modules that is messing things up.

What is a module "repl"?

Hello, maybe you can have a look at my module-invalidate.
It allows you to invalidate a module and then make it automatically reloaded on further access, without the need to call require() again.