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How To Remove Global Use Strict Added By Babel

Are you working on a project using Babel and JavaScript for your frontend development and suddenly found that the "use strict" directive has been globally added to all your files? Not to worry! In this guide, we will show you a simple and quick way to remove the global "use strict" added by Babel, allowing you to regain control over your code's strict mode implementation.

First, let's understand why Babel automatically adds "use strict" globally. Babel inserts the "use strict" directive to ensure that your JavaScript code is in strict mode, which helps catch common coding mistakes and enforce better practices. While strict mode is generally beneficial, there may be instances where you need to remove it, such as when specific files or modules should not adhere to strict mode rules.

To remove the global "use strict" directive added by Babel, you can follow these steps:

1. **Check your Babel configuration**: The first step is to locate your Babel configuration file, often named as `.babelrc` or specified in your `package.json` file under the `babel` key. Ensure that your Babel presets/plugins are not explicitly adding the "use strict" directive.

2. **Update Babel configuration**: If your Babel configuration is responsible for adding the "use strict" globally, you can modify your preset or plugin settings to exclude this behavior. Look for any preset/plugin options related to strict mode and disable or customize them as needed.

3. **Use the Babel Parser option**: Another approach is to use the `parserOpts` option from the Babel parser itself to control the insertion of "use strict" directive. You can set `directives: false` in your Babel configuration file to prevent Babel from automatically adding "use strict".

4. **Remove "use strict" pragmas manually**: If the above methods do not work or if you require more granular control over where "use strict" should be applied, you can manually remove the directive from individual files. Search for and delete any occurrences of "use strict" at the beginning of your JavaScript files.

5. **Test your code**: After making the necessary changes to your Babel configuration or codebase, be sure to thoroughly test your application to ensure that removing the global "use strict" directive has not caused any unintended issues.

By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove the global "use strict" added by Babel from your JavaScript code. Remember that while strict mode can enhance code quality and prevent errors, there are scenarios where you may need to customize its implementation to suit your specific requirements.