Parcel serve and watch commands ignoring target distDir configuration

[bladeski]

🐛 bug report

When running parcel serve or parcel watch commands, along with the --target parameter, the configuration for the target's distribution directory (either 'dist/<target_name>' or as per the distDir param under the target) is ignored, and the output is sent entirely to the default 'dist' directory.
This is particularly noticeable when multiple targets are specified, in which case the outputs for all targets are sent to the same 'dist' directory'.

Note that when running parcel build the problem does not exist and correct directories are observed.

This is similar, if not the same issue as the one closed here for inactivity: #8105

🎛 Configuration (.babelrc, package.json, cli command)

.babelrc N/A

{
  "targets": { 
    "dev": {
      "source": [ "src/index.html" ]
    },
    "production": {
      "source": ["src/index.html"],
      "sourceMap": false
    }
  }
}

parcel serve --target dev

🤔 Expected Behavior

Output for this command should be directed to:
/dist/dev/...

😯 Current Behavior

Output for this command is:
/dist/...

🔦 Context

Trying to create simple (low config) tasks to help me develop locally

💻 Code Sample

(https://github.com/bladeski/b-links/tree/parcel-bug)

🌍 Your Environment

Software	Version(s)
Parcel	2.9.2
Node	14.19.0
npm/Yarn	1.22.19
Operating System	Windows 10

[davidjb]

I'm seeing the same problem with parcel 2.10.3. With a config in package.json that matches https://parceljs.org/features/targets/#targets, trying to run parcel (to watch files) sees the default distDir option ignored and files continuing to be built in dist/. By comparison, parcel build correctly outputs to the distDir directory.

[mischnic]

This is because of https://parceljs.org/features/development/#development-target

[davidjb]

@mischnic I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean that with parcel watch you need to explicitly add the --target default flag because there isn’t a default target? The docs you’ve linked to seem to be able to be read in multiple ways.

I currently have

{
  "targets": {
    "default": {
      "distDir": "./output"
    }
  }
}

in my package.json but this default target isn’t used with watch.

[mischnic]

What that linked section is trying to say: parcel serve and parcel watch by default don't use any of your explicit targets but uses a different one with last 1 Chrome version, last 1 Firefox version, ... as the browserslist setting (and also not inheriting any settings from your targets).

If you don't have any targets (but a browserslist setting), you can use parcel watch --target default to make it behave more like parcel build.

If you do have explicit targets (regardless of their names), use them instead for --target ...

[davidjb]

Thanks for the explanation @mischnic.

It seems that the target doesn't apply (at least for distDir) when running parcel --target default; the default dist/ still gets generated. Setting distDir does work with parcel watch --target default, however. Is this expected or a bug?

Edit: running parcel watch --target default with the package.json config above generates dist files in the named distDir but trying to load http://localhost:1234 just leads to a 404 Not Found. So, this option doesn't appear to work correctly. The only workaround that works is adding the --dist-dir ./output flag.

[performantdata]

It seems that the target doesn't apply (at least for distDir) when running parcel --target default; the default dist/ still gets generated.

The only workaround that works is adding the --dist-dir ./output flag.

I can confirm that this is still an issue with parcel 2.11.0, and this workaround functions.