prepareOutputTask

Summary

Ensures the output directory exists and is ready for site generation. This is typically the first task in your pipeline and prevents errors from missing or stale output folders.

Default Behavior

By default, creates the specified output directory (outDir) if it does not exist, and optionally empties it before the build if clean is enabled.

Configuration Options

outDir (string, required): Path to your output directory (e.g., public).

Example config:

prepareOutputTask({
  outDir: 'public',
})

Input Expectations

No input files required. This task operates on the output directory only.

Output

Ensures the output directory exists.
If clean: true, removes all files/folders inside the output directory before the build.

Practical Example

const { prepareOutputTask } = require('skier/builtins');

module.exports = [
  prepareOutputTask({
    outDir: 'public',
  }),
  // ...other tasks
];

Common Pitfalls & Tips

Use clean: true to avoid stale files from previous builds, but be careful if you manually place files in the output directory.
Always run this task before any that write to the output directory.