Dynamics Community Forum Thread Details

Is it possible to reference nodejs in a javascript web resource

Hi,

Short answer: no—a JavaScript web resource in CRM 2011 runs in the browser, not in a Node.js runtime. The Node‑style require() and most npm modules won’t work directly. You have a few workable options, though:

What you can do

1) Bundle modules for the browser (recommended)

Use a bundler like Browserify or Webpack on your dev machine to compile your modules into one ES5 file that runs in IE8/IE9 (CRM 2011 era).

Avoid Node‑only APIs (fs, net, tls, etc.). Pick browser‑friendly packages.

Typical flow (example with Browserify + Babel):

npm init -y
npm install --save browserify @babel/core @babel/cli @babel/preset-env
npx babel src/main.js --out-file build/main.es5.js --presets=@babel/preset-env
npx browserify build/main.es5.js -o build/bundle.js

Upload build/bundle.js as a Script (JScript) web resource and reference it in your form libraries.

2) Use an AMD loader (RequireJS) inside CRM 2011

Upload require.js as a web resource, include it first, then load your modules using AMD:

// /WebResources/new_require
require.config({
  baseUrl: '/WebResources',
  paths: {
    mylib: 'new_mylib' // points to /WebResources/new_mylib.js
  }
});

require(['mylib'], function (mylib) {
  mylib.run();
});

And define new_mylib.js as:

define([], function () {
  function run() {
    // your logic
  }
  return { run: run };
});

Ensure the forms include these web resources and that the load order is correct. Publish all customizations.

3) Stick to classic namespaces (IIFE pattern)

For simple scenarios, create one or more global namespaces with IIFEs and load scripts in the desired order via form libraries:
```
// new_lib.js
var MyOrg = MyOrg || {};
MyOrg.Lib = (function () {
  function doWork() { /* ... */ }
  return { doWork: doWork };
}());
```
Then call MyOrg.Lib.doWork() from your event handlers.