process-polyfill.ts in Refly codebase.

In this article, we review process-polyfill file in Refly codebase. We will look at:

process-polyfill.ts

You will find the following code in process-polyfill.ts


/**
 * Process polyfill for browser environments
 * This is used to provide a 'process' global that some 
 * libraries expect to exist
 */
 
// Simply providing minimal process shim
// @ts-ignore - Ignoring type errors to create a simple shim
if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
  // @ts-ignore - Using any to bypass strict type checking
  window.process = window.process || {
    env: {},
    version: '0.0.0',
  };
}
 
export {};

The comment is self explanatory, but I am not sure which package in Refly expects window.process to exist.

I also found the similar code in refly/apps/web/public/index.html.


<!-- Process polyfill -->
<script>
  window.process = window.process || {
    env: {},
    browser: true,
    version: '0.0.0'
  };
</script>

This process-polyfill file is imported in refly/web/src/index.tsx as shown below:


// Some injects
import './process-polyfill';
import './utils/dom-patch';
import './index.css';
import './tokens.css';
import './antd-overrides.css';
import './audio-controls.css';
 
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';
import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
import { QueryClientProvider } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { queryClient } from '@refly-packages/ai-workspace-common/utils/request';
import { App } from './App';
 
ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
  <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
    <BrowserRouter>
      <App />
    </BrowserRouter>
  </QueryClientProvider>,
);

This is where I came across another inject, dom-patch.ts. In the section, let’s find out what dom-patch is about.

dom-patch.ts

You will find the following code in refly/web/dom-patch.ts


// @ts-nocheck - Disable all type checking for this file
 
// Workaround for removeChild and insertBefore errors when 
// google translate is enabled
// See https://github.com/facebook/react/issues/11538#issuecomment-417504600.
if (typeof Node === 'function' && Node.prototype) {
  const originalRemoveChild = Node.prototype.removeChild;
  Node.prototype.removeChild = function (child) {
    if (child.parentNode !== this) {
      if (console) {
        console.error('Cannot remove a child from a different parent', child, this);
      }
      return child;
    }
    // biome-ignore lint/style/noArguments: using arguments is simpler
    return originalRemoveChild.apply(this, arguments);
  };
 
  const originalInsertBefore = Node.prototype.insertBefore;
  Node.prototype.insertBefore = function (newNode, referenceNode) {
    if (referenceNode && referenceNode.parentNode !== this) {
      if (console) {
        console.error(
          'Cannot insert before a reference node from a different parent',
          referenceNode,
          this,
        );
      }
      return newNode;
    }
    // biome-ignore lint/style/noArguments: using arguments is simpler
    return originalInsertBefore.apply(this, arguments);
  };
}

This function has added the check below in removeChild and insertBefore methods:


if (referenceNode && referenceNode.parentNode !== this) {
  if (console) {
    console.error(
      'Cannot insert before a reference node from a different parent',
      referenceNode,
      this,
    );
  }
  return newNode;
}

Why? you might ask. Well, I don’t know. I am thinking this has to do with the comment:


// Workaround for removeChild and insertBefore errors when 
// google translate is enabled
// See https://github.com/facebook/react/issues/11538#issuecomment-417504600.

In the OSS, it is a common practice to leave links in the comments to justify the work arounds/hacks.

There is also a biome/ignore comment:


// biome-ignore lint/style/noArguments: using arguments is simpler
return originalRemoveChild.apply(this, arguments);

About me:

Hey, my name is Ramu Narasinga. I study codebase architecture in large open-source projects.

Email: ramu.narasinga@gmail.com

I spent 200+ hours analyzing Supabase, shadcn/ui, LobeChat. Found the patterns that separate AI slop from production code. Stop refactoring AI slop. Start with proven patterns. Check out production-grade projects at thinkthroo.com

process-polyfill.ts in Refly codebase.