Custom build step with @now/python?

[simonw]

If I'm using the @now/python builder is there a way for me to run some custom code during the build phase?

I'd like to do things like generate static assets to include in the build.

[styfle]

Hi @simonw

You can run configure a Build Command and Output Directory using Project Settings. All the files in the Output Directory are considered static files and served with the correct mime type.

If you have a static site generator written in javascript, you can add a package.json to the root like so:

{
  "private": true,
  "scripts": {
    "build": "invoke your ssg cli here"
  }
}

This assumes the SSG will write the output to the public directory.

[simonw]

Is there a way to specify a custom build command from within the now.json file?

I always prefer having this kind of configuration in source control along with the rest of my code.

[styfle]

That is not available at this time.

[simonw]

Please consider this a feature request then! One of the things that drew me to Now in the first place was that my configuration could easily live in my repo and I wouldn't have to worry about clicking around in configuration pages (like I so often have to do with AWS).

[styfle]

Thanks, I'll pass on your feedback to the team!

[styfle]

@simonw I just thought of a possible solution for your Datasette project.

Today, we detect many static site generators such as Next.js, Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, etc.

Is there a way we can detect if a project is using Datasette? That way we can automatically populate the Build Command and Output Directory. Perhaps there is a dependency in requirements.txt we could look for?

[simonw]

Oh we could definitely do something like that. I'm actually thinking about making a change to the core project that would make that easier - but right now if datasette is listed in the requirements.txt and there's at least one *.db file that could be a trigger.

[simonw]

Here are notes on that core project change I'm considering which could fit in with the idea of automatically detecting a Datasette project: simonw/datasette#731

[leo]

Additionally, if that's not possible, what do you think about a vercel-build.sh file that would always be invoked and could provide the command.

[simonw]

That would work really well for me.

[tianhuil]

I haven't gotten it to work but perhaps this is a solution: https://github.com/almapario/vercel-poetry