module.export and node.js. I'm loosing my mind over 4 lines of codes and I don't understand the issue at all

Question

I am currently learning node.js using udemy and I'm having an issue that I absolutely don't understand because it shouldn't be happening.

So the lecture is about accessing external files using node.js with module.exports. I followed exactly the video and it was not working.

here is the code of app.js

require('./utils.js')

console.log(name);

and here is utils.js

const name = 'test' ;

module.exports = name;

Dead simple right ? But it wasn't working. I would get this error :

iMac-de-user:notes-app user$ node app.js
utils.js
/Users/user/Desktop/notes-app/app.js:3
console.log(name)
            ^
 
ReferenceError: name is not defined
    at Object.<anonymous> (/Users/user/Desktop/notes-app/app.js:3:13)
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1137:30)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1157:10)
    at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:985:32)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:878:14)
    at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (internal/modules/run_main.js:71:12)
    at internal/main/run_main_module.js:17:47
iMac-de-user:notes-app user$ 

So app.js couldn't access the constant name from utils.js (even though my code was exactly the same than the one on the video at this point.) So I downloaded the finished project from the ressources and it was pretty much the same except it was a function that was being exported.

const getNotes = function () {
    return 'Your notes...'
}

module.exports = getNotes

I tried it and it worked. So at first I thought that maybe it could access functions and not variables ? It was weird because the trainer did it but that was the only explanation. So I kept it and deleted the function to just add a console.log

    const getNotes = console.log('test');
    
    module.exports = getNotes

It worked. At that point I was weirded out because it was pretty much my first code. So i tried changing the names to name again (of course I changed it in the console.log() in app.js as well) and it didnt work. I checked if maybe it was a reserved keyword ? nope. I tried test testTest Name Name1 nameName. Nothing works, nothing except getNotes(everytime I would change the name in app.js and utils.js so a total a 3 constant names changed.)

I don't understand, to the best of my knowledge this is not possible and doesn't make any sense

What's going on ? Is my computer haunted ? It's probably something very stupid but I can't figure it out. I understand it might be a bit confusing so I included 2 pictures.

Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

Do something like below you have to store the object or variable exported in a new variable after requiring it .Make sure you give the correct path in require statement.

const name=require('./utils.js')
console.log(name);

Exporting it

const name = 'test' ;

module.exports = name;

Also see here