feat: allowOutsideReadDir configuration

Author: eromano

docs/documentation/stories/asset-configuration.md

@@ -60,3 +60,24 @@ to `true` on your asset definition, like so:
 ```
 
 This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.
+
+## Read assets outside of `dist/`
+
+This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.
+
+Because reading files in your project isn't an expected effect of `ng build`, it is disabled by 
+default on every assets. In order to allow this behaviour, you need to set `allowOutsideReadDir` 
+to `true` on your asset definition, like so:
+
+```json
+"assets": [
+  {
+    "glob": "**/*",
+    "input": "./assets/",
+    "output": "../not-dist/some/folder/",
+    "allowOutsideReadDir": true
+  },
+]
+```
+
+This needs to be set for every assets you want to write outside of your build output directory.

packages/@angular/cli/lib/config/schema.json

@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@
                       "type": "boolean",
                       "description": "Allow assets to be copied outside the outDir.",
                       "default": false
+                    },
+                    "allowOutsideReadDir": {
+                      "type": "boolean",
+                      "description": "Allow assets to be read outside the project dir.",
+                      "default": false
                     }
                   },
                   "additionalProperties": false

packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts

@@ -114,9 +114,11 @@ export function getCommonConfig(wco: WebpackConfigOptions) {
       }
 
       // Prevent asset configurations from reading files outside of the project.
-      if (!asset.input.startsWith(projectRoot)) {
-        const message = 'An asset cannot be read from a location outside the project.';
-        throw new SilentError(message);
+      if (!asset.input.startsWith(projectRoot) && !asset.allowOutsideReadDir) {
+          const message = `${asset.input} cannot be read from a location outside the project.`
+                        + 'You can override this message by setting the `allowOutsideReadDir` '
+                        + 'property on the asset to true in the CLI configuration.';
+          throw new SilentError(message);
       }
 
       // Ensure trailing slash.

packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/utils.ts

@@ -93,4 +93,5 @@ export interface AssetPattern {
   input?: string;
   output?: string;
   allowOutsideOutDir?: boolean;
+  allowOutsideReadDir?: boolean;
 }

tests/e2e/tests/basic/assets.ts

@@ -83,6 +83,14 @@ export default function () {
       ];
     }))
     .then(() => expectToFail(() => ng('build')))
+    .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {
+      const app = configJson['apps'][0];
+       app['assets'] = [
+         { 'glob': '**/*', 'input': '/temp-folder/outside-allowed/of/project', 'output': 'temp',
+           'allowOutsideReadDir': true }
+       ];
+      }))
+      .then(() => ng('build'))
 
     // Add asset config in .angular-cli.json.
     .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {