part one on release 8.3

_blogposts/2020-09-23-release-8-3.md.raw

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+---
+author: hongbo
+date: "2020-09-23" 
+previewImg:
+category: compiler
+title: What's new in ReScript 8.3 (Part 1)
+description: |
+---
+
+
+# What's new in ReScript 8.3 (Part 1)
+
+ReScript is a soundly typed language with an optimizing compiler focused on JS platform. 
+It's focused on type safety, performance and JS interop. It used to be called BuckleScript.
+
+ReScript@8.3 is available, people can try it via
+
+```
+npm i bs-platform@8.3.0
+```
+
+The changes are listed [here](https://github.com/rescript-lang/rescript-compiler/blob/master/Changes.md#83), this is a large release,  and we will go through some highlighted changes.
+
+
+
+## Lightweight FFI attributes without `bs.` prefix
+
+In this release, we make the `bs.` prefix optional, this will make the FFI less verbose.
+
+For example, the old externals for `readFileAsUtf8Sync` used to be written like this
+
+
+```ocaml
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync : string -> (_[@bs.as "utf8"]) -> string = "readFileSync" [@@bs.val] [@@bs.module "fs"]
+```
+
+It can now be simplified as 
+```ocaml
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync : string -> (_[@as "utf8"]) -> string = "readFileSync" 
+[@@val] [@@module "fs"]
+```
+
+Note almost all previous attributes with `bs.xx` can be simplified as `xx` 
+with the exception of the following two that don't have abbreviations:
+
+- `bs.send.pipe` : this attribute was deprecated in favor of `bs.send`; you can still use the existing one for backward compatibility.
+
+- `bs.splice` : this attribute was deprecated in favor of `bs.variadic`; you can still use the existing one for 
+backward compatibility.
+
+
+## default import in Es6 support
+
+If you use es6 module output, the default bindings will be compiled properly now:
+
+```ocaml
+external input : string -> string = "default" [@@module "hello"]
+
+let a = input "hello"
+```
+
+Will now be compiled properly under es6 format as below:
+
+```js
+import Hello from "hello";
+var a = Hello("hello");
+```
+
+
+## Customized js file extension support
+
+Now user can pick up their js file extension support per module format:
+
+```json
+  "package-specs": [{
+    "module": "es6",
+    "suffix": ".mjs"
+  },{
+    "module": "commonjs",
+    "suffix": ".cjs"
+  }],
+
+```
+
+## More flexible filename support
+
+To have better integration with other [JS infrastructures](https://github.com/rescript-lang/rescript-compiler/issues/4624), 
+for example, Next.js/React Native, we allow file names like `404.res`, 
+`Button.Android.res` so that it can just be picked up by those tools
+
+
+
+## Better type based inference for pattern `let {a,b,c} = value`
+
+Previously, for code like this:
+
+```ocaml
+module N = struct 
+    type t = {
+        x : int 
+    }
+end
+
+let f (u : N.t) = 
+    let {x } = u in x + 1 (* type error *)
+```
+
+You will get a type error
+
+```
+Error: Unbound record field x
+```
+
+However, since the compiler already knows the type of `u`, it is capable of looking up the label `x` properly. 
+In this release, we make the original code style work out of the box without a work-around such as adding a module prefix 
+like `let {N.x} = ..`
+
+## Build system enhancement 
+
+A lot of work is put in improving the build system, we will expand on this topic in the next post!
+
+Happy Hacking!

_blogposts/2020-09-23-release-8-3.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+---
+author: hongbo
+date: "2020-09-23" 
+previewImg:
+category: compiler
+title: What's new in ReScript 8.3 (Part 1)
+description: |
+---
+
+
+# What's new in ReScript 8.3 (Part 1)
+
+ReScript is a soundly typed language with an optimizing compiler focused on JS platform. 
+It's focused on type safety, performance and JS interop. It used to be called BuckleScript.
+
+ReScript@8.3 is available, people can try it via
+
+```
+npm i bs-platform@8.3.0
+```
+
+The changes are listed [here](https://github.com/rescript-lang/rescript-compiler/blob/master/Changes.md#83), this is a large release,  and we will go through some highlighted changes.
+
+
+
+## Lightweight FFI attributes without `bs.` prefix
+
+In this release, we make the `bs.` prefix optional, this will make the FFI less verbose.
+
+For example, the old externals for `readFileAsUtf8Sync` used to be written like this
+
+
+<CodeTab labels={["ReScript", "Reason", "ML"]}>
+```res
+@bs.val @bs.module("fs")
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync: (string, @bs.as("utf8") _) => string = "readFileSync"
+```
+```reason
+[@bs.val] [@bs.module "fs"]
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync: (string, [@bs.as "utf8"] _) => string =
+  "readFileSync";
+```
+```ocaml
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync : string -> (_[@bs.as "utf8"]) -> string = "readFileSync" [@@bs.val] [@@bs.module "fs"]
+```
+</CodeTab>
+
+It can now be simplified as 
+<CodeTab labels={["ReScript", "Reason", "ML"]}>
+```res
+@val @module("fs") external readFileAsUtf8Sync: (string, @as("utf8") _) => string = "readFileSync"
+```
+```reason
+[@val] [@module "fs"]
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync: (string, [@as "utf8"] _) => string =
+  "readFileSync";
+```
+```ocaml
+external readFileAsUtf8Sync : string -> (_[@as "utf8"]) -> string = "readFileSync" 
+[@@val] [@@module "fs"]
+```
+</CodeTab>
+
+Note almost all previous attributes with `bs.xx` can be simplified as `xx` 
+with the exception of the following two that don't have abbreviations:
+
+- `bs.send.pipe` : this attribute was deprecated in favor of `bs.send`; you can still use the existing one for backward compatibility.
+
+- `bs.splice` : this attribute was deprecated in favor of `bs.variadic`; you can still use the existing one for 
+backward compatibility.
+
+
+## default import in Es6 support
+
+If you use es6 module output, the default bindings will be compiled properly now:
+
+<CodeTab labels={["ReScript", "Reason", "ML"]}>
+```res
+@module("hello") external input: string => string = "default"
+
+let a = input("hello")
+```
+```reason
+[@module "hello"] external input: string => string = "default";
+
+let a = input("hello");
+```
+```ocaml
+external input : string -> string = "default" [@@module "hello"]
+
+let a = input "hello"
+```
+</CodeTab>
+
+Will now be compiled properly under es6 format as below:
+
+```js
+import Hello from "hello";
+var a = Hello("hello");
+```
+
+
+## Customized js file extension support
+
+Now user can pick up their js file extension support per module format:
+
+```json
+  "package-specs": [{
+    "module": "es6",
+    "suffix": ".mjs"
+  },{
+    "module": "commonjs",
+    "suffix": ".cjs"
+  }],
+
+```
+
+## More flexible filename support
+
+To have better integration with other [JS infrastructures](https://github.com/rescript-lang/rescript-compiler/issues/4624), 
+for example, Next.js/React Native, we allow file names like `404.res`, 
+`Button.Android.res` so that it can just be picked up by those tools
+
+
+
+## Better type based inference for pattern `let {a,b,c} = value`
+
+Previously, for code like this:
+
+<CodeTab labels={["ReScript", "Reason", "ML"]}>
+```res
+module N = {
+  type t = {x: int}
+}
+
+let f = (u: N.t) => {
+  let {x} = u
+  x + 1
+} /* type error */
+```
+```reason
+module N = {
+  type t = {x: int};
+};
+
+let f = (u: N.t) => {
+  let {x} = u;
+  x + 1;
+}; /* type error */
+```
+```ocaml
+module N = struct 
+    type t = {
+        x : int 
+    }
+end
+
+let f (u : N.t) = 
+    let {x } = u in x + 1 (* type error *)
+```
+</CodeTab>
+
+You will get a type error
+
+```
+Error: Unbound record field x
+```
+
+However, since the compiler already knows the type of `u`, it is capable of looking up the label `x` properly. 
+In this release, we make the original code style work out of the box without a work-around such as adding a module prefix 
+like `let {N.x} = ..`
+
+## Build system enhancement 
+
+A lot of work is put in improving the build system, we will expand on this topic in the next post!
+
+Happy Hacking!