Add no-compile option to tsconfig

[ivogabe]

Some users want to use the built-in compilation of their IDE, but some want to use grunt or gulp. If you want to use grunt or gulp for compilation, you need to disable compilation in your IDE. Since a big team can use multiple IDEs, I think this should be implemented in tsconfig.json.

Suggestion: Add a new option to tsconfig.json to disable the compilation in the IDE ("compile on save"), which defaults to false.

Example:

{
    "disableCompileOnSave": true,
    "compilerOptions": {
        "module": "commonjs",
        "noImplicitAny": true
    },
    "files": [
        "foo.ts",
        "bar.ts"
    ]
}

If an IDE finds a config file with this option, it shouldn't compile the project, but it should give auto completions, type errors, etcetera. If a build tool sees this option it should ignore it, because you use an IDE always for writing, sometimes for building and you use a build system always for building.

[danquirk]

You mean full build not compile on save right? Compile on save is already toggleable in VS and using (or not using) --watch on the command line. It sounds like you want something similar to this #2294 but provided in tsconfig?

[ivogabe]

Yes, that's what I meant. It should be something like disableIdeCompilation or disableCompilation then.

[mhegazy]

Your IDE build is triggered by the msbuild targets in your project file. if you want to stop that, open your project file, and comment out the reference to Microsoft.TypeScript.Targets, and no build will occur. no need for a different file here :)

[ivogabe]

@mhegazy Unless someone else in your team uses another editor, like Atom. You can disable it in Atom, but defining it once in tsconfig would be better.

[ivogabe]

Related: TypeStrong/atom-typescript#175 and ivogabe/gulp-typescript#65

[johnnyreilly]

As I understand it this switch would support those users who are using Gulp or Grunt to do their TypeScript compilation and they don't want Visual Studio / atom-typescript / sublime etc to get involved in doing a build.

As @mhegazy says we can already cater for this in Visual Studio by tweaking the project file.

As regards atom-typescript etc I understand there's a an agreement that we can extend the tsconfig.json file already (as long as we don't conflict with existing settings.

That being the case I'm not sure this needs an official tsconfig.json flag (although I guess it'd be nicer?) Is it enough if we just extend it unofficially?

@basarat - do you have a view on this?

[ivogabe]

@johnnyreilly That's a good summary. There is a big advantage for this to be official, since if it's official, all editors should support it. That makes it easier for these users: they can configure this option once and it will be disabled in all editors. That's very useful if you have a big team or an open source project.

[danquirk]

I'm inclined to agree. If enough people want this in enough different scenarios then there's value in just standardizing the name of the flag rather than having some people use noCompile and someone else use skipCompile and someone else use yet another option.

[basarat]

I recommend compileOnSave (default true). Atom-typescript already supports this as a package option, that you can even configure per project : https://github.com/TypeStrong/atom-typescript/blob/master/docs/packages.md#manage-your-projects

👍 on moving this into tsconfig.json. I'll do that.

PS: Having a negative like disable in a variable name is a bad idea. Double negation is not easy for the human brain. "disableCompileOnSave": false,. I've done this myself too and sometimes it does make sense, so no judgement ❤️

[basarat]

https://github.com/TypeStrong/atom-typescript/blob/master/docs/tsconfig.md#compileonsave

[ivogabe]

@basarat I chose for disable since it can then default to false, and undefined is false-ish. But I can also life without disable. As pointed out by @danquirk compileOnSave might not be the right name for it, since that would mean that Visual Studio should only disable automatic compilation, not the compile button. I'd call it something like ideCompilation, or maybe better: externalCompilation, which defaults to false and doesn't have a double negotiation. externalCompilation: true would mean you're using Gulp, Grunt, Jake etcetera.

[basarat]

@danquirk compileOnSave might not be the right name for it, since that would mean that Visual Studio should only disable automatic compilation, not the compile button

I specifically want to disable "compile" OnSave. For Atom-TypeScript build is an explicit option triggered by the user. If they don't trigger it, it doesn't happen. Compile on save is what happened as a side effect of saving and so it needed configuration.

I guess you want to disable all IDE compile. That seems like a Visual Studio / exclude from MSBuild problem, not related to other other IDEs. At the very least don't see it as an option we need to read in Atom-TypeScript.