Proposal of a convention about npm modules distribution.

[vilicvane]

See microsoft/TypeScript#575

Will this interests WebEssentials team?

[am11]

I don't think so; since WE isn't using TypeScript's npm. WE provides previewing, linting and intellisense feature for TS. Compilation is done by VS's native TS support.

[vilicvane]

Hmm, I understand.

However, this feature won't need WE to handle compiling, the definition files are already compiled by the package owner, and what need to be done is just wrap up the definition files and do some little magic.

Anyway WE does compile markdown right? I think we shouldn't add that hard limit to typescript as well.

[am11]

Web Essentials doesn't intervene with compilers' business either. It consumes the output and surpluses the experience with rich features. Also, we try not to post-process or alter the generated output, unless there is a bug in upstream which is a show stopper (for instance, some CSS compilers generating incorrect paths in source-maps).

Markdown compilation is handled differently but that's besides the point. Visual Studio doesn't have built-in Markdown compilation support, so we had to use the third-party solution (MarkdownSharp, which btw is not npm either, its a .NET implementation).

I think we shouldn't add that hard limit to typescript as well

There is no limit on TypeScript imposed by WE. For compilation we simply let VS handle with its OOTB support for TypeScript, not via npm. From WE's perspective, TypeScript -- being native in VS -- has this advantage over CoffeeScript, Markdown, LiveScript, SweetJS etc.

[vilicvane]

okay I got your point. but as this is proposed as a convention, I don't think VS would do anything about it. and though it gets something related compiler stuffs, it's essentially none of compiler's business.

but anyway hoping there would be a solution for typescript npm package distribution.