Custom Tasks

Skier is designed to be extensible. You can write your own custom tasks to add new build steps, integrate with APIs, or perform any logic you need.

What is a Custom Task?

A custom task is an object with a name and a run function. You can also add a config property if needed.

Example: Basic Custom Task

const myCustomTask = {
  name: 'say-hello',
  run: async (config, ctx) => {
    ctx.logger.info('Hello from my custom task!');
    return {};
  }
};

Add it to your pipeline in skier.tasks.js:

module.exports = [
  ...,
  myCustomTask,
  ...
];

Config and Context

• The run function receives (config, context).
• config: Your task's config object (if any).
• context: Includes globals, logger, debug, and more.

Using the Logger

Use ctx.logger to log info, warnings, or errors. This keeps output consistent with built-in tasks.

run: async (config, ctx) => {
  ctx.logger.info('Doing something');
  ctx.logger.warn('Something might be wrong');
  ctx.logger.error('Something went wrong');
}

Accessing Globals

You can read or set global variables for use in later tasks or templates:

run: async (config, ctx) => {
  ctx.globals.siteBuildTime = new Date().toISOString();
}

Returning Data to Globals

If your custom task's run function returns an object, Skier will merge those key-value pairs onto the global context. This is the recommended way to pass data between tasks or make it available to templates.

Example:

const collectPostsTask = {
  name: 'collect-posts',
  run: async (config, ctx) => {
    // ...collect posts
    return { allPosts };
  }
};

Now, globals.allPosts will be available to all subsequent tasks and templates.

Best Practices

• Give your task a unique name.
• Keep tasks focused—do one thing well.
• Use config for any user-settable options.
• Use the logger for all output.
• Document your custom tasks for future maintainers.

Next: Learn more about Templates & Partials or FAQ.