markbind deploy: build before deploying

[damithc]

Current: markbind deploy does not build but deploy only.

In most cases users would want to deploy the latest version of the site. Should it build by default with possibly a --no-build option?

[yamgent]

Commands should usually do only a single thing though. It can have additional features to ease typing, but those features are usually off by default, not on by default.

So a markbind deploy will still deploy only, but if the user wants a build to happen as well, then he should specify a --build option:

markbind deploy --build

This principle is also followed by other command line tools such as git:

git checkout existing-branch  # check out an existing branch (error if branch does not exist)
git checkout -b my-new-branch # create a new branch first from current branch, then check it out

[damithc]

Commands should usually do only a single thing though. It can have additional features to ease typing, but those features are usually off by default, not on by default.

That's a good point. I'm Ok with a -b | --build flag.

BTW, isn't git pull command an exception to that principle? i.e., it fetches and merges in one shot.

[yamgent]

BTW, isn't git pull command an exception to that principle? i.e., it fetches and merges in one shot.

git's pull is a composed command though, it calls other commands (git fetch <options> and git merge <options>) in order to achieve its objective of updating the branch.

We could also create a brand new command that is composed, just like git's pull. Maybe something like markbind publish, which calls markbind build && markbind deploy? Not sure whether publish is a good name though.

[damithc]

We could also create a brand new command that is composed, just like git's pull. Maybe something like markbind publish, which calls markbind build && markbind deploy? Not sure whether publish is a good name though.

Sounds good. Alternatively, we can rename deploy to push or upload and use deploy for the new command.

[lhw-1]

While this issue has been dormant for years, I think this is definitely still worth implementing as it allows for build before deploy.

With regards to having commands only do a single thing, while in principle this is true, our markbind serve command will build and then serve, so this principle is not exactly being followed. Of course, for the serve command this is more of a necessity, but I think that as per the original suggestion, having the deploy command build by default and having a --no-build option could still be on the table if we are already not following this idea strictly.

@damithc What do you think? Personally, at the moment this makes more sense than coming up with a new command altogether that simply combines the two commands. Of course, if you think that coming up with a new command is still better, then I think push could be a good name for it as you suggested (publish might be too similar to deploy).

[damithc]

@damithc What do you think? Personally, at the moment this makes more sense than coming up with a new command altogether that simply combines the two commands. Of course, if you think that coming up with a new command is still better, then I think push could be a good name for it as you suggested (publish might be too similar to deploy).

@lhw-1 I'm OK with deploy command building by default while providing a --no-build option. A few times I ended up deploying without building properly which resulted in a partial website being deployed.

Other views are welcome too.