Typescript: importing with /// <reference path="" /> doesn't work

[johnfn]

Issue description or question

When I use Quokka.js on a TypeScript file, if it has /// references, quokka won't know to pull in those files, meaning it can't resolve any objects in external files.

Sample code

a.ts

/// <reference path="b.ts" />

b;

b.ts

let b = 5;

Quokka.js Console Output

​​b is not defined​​

Code editor version

Visual Studio Code v1.27.1

OS name and version

macOS high sierra

[ArtemGovorov]

/// reference is not importing anything in runtime. It serves as a declaration of dependency between files. The a.ts file gets compiled to the following JavaScript:

/// <reference path="b.ts" />
b;

so the error is expected.

In order to import a module you may use import or require, for example

/// <reference path="b.ts" />
import './b'
b;

[johnfn]

No, that's not true. Depending on how you have your tsconfig configured, it's possible that TypeScript will concatenate all your source files into a single file (if you use outFile). While it's probably unreasonable to expect quokka to compile every file (even though that is what TS does), it would be nice if reference paths hinted quokka to concatenate the two files together.

Unfortunately imports are not always possible - some projects use outFile and imports will confuse that.

[ArtemGovorov]

Depending on how you have your tsconfig configured, it's possible that TypeScript will concatenate all your source files into a single file (if you use outFile)

It's only the case if you run TypeScript for the whole project, however I specifically mentioned the scenario when The a.ts file gets compiled .... When a single file is compiled (and that's what Quokka is doing), the /// reference is not affecting the the JavaScript output for the file. Any files imported by the file that Quokka is running on are processed with ts-node (that also compiles file by file and doesn't respect /// references).

Unfortunately imports are not always possible - some projects use outFile and imports will confuse that.

Fair enough, re-opening as a feature request.

[johnfn]

It's only the case if you run TypeScript for the whole project, however I specifically mentioned the scenario when The a.ts file gets compiled ....

If you want to be pedantic, there is no such thing as "single file compilation" in a project with outFile set. It's all or nothing 😉

But yea, seeing this sort of thing would be nice. I actually already bought quokka half with the expectation that this would work (the "try pro" wasn't working for some reason), if that motivates you at all, hehe.