Working With TypeScript Options – The Complete Guide

Working with TypeScript Options

If you’re using TypeScript, there are a few options you should consider to get the most out of your code. Making sure you’re up-to-date on the best practices for working with TypeScript will ensure that your codebase stays consistent and free of errors.

Compiling

The first step in working with TypeScript is to compile your code into JavaScript. This can be done with the command line compiler, or with an IDE like Visual Studio Code. The command line compiler requires some configuration to get it working correctly. The TypeScript compiler supports a variety of options to allow you to customize the output of the compiled JavaScript. Here are some of the more commonly used options:

• --target: This option allows you to specify which version of JavaScript you want your code to compile to. The most common values are “es6” and “es5”.
• --module: This option allows you to specify the module system you want to use. The most common values are “commonjs” and “es2015”.
• --lib: This option allows you to specify which libraries you want to include in your output. This can be useful for adding support for features like Promises and async/await.

Typings

When working with TypeScript, typings are essential. Typings are files that contain definitions for different types in your code. This helps the compiler understand the structure of your code, ensuring that it compiles correctly. You can either manually define your typings, or you can use a tool like TypeDoc to automatically generate them.

Linting

Linting is a great way to keep your code free from errors and maintain consistency across your codebase. TypeScript also has its own linter, TSLint. TSLint is customizable and can be used to enforce various coding standards and best practices.

Debugging

When working with TypeScript, it’s important to have a good debugging solution in place. The most popular debugger for TypeScript is Source Map, which allows you to debug your TypeScript code directly, without having to recompile or transpile the code into JavaScript. Source Map works by mapping the original source code to the output JavaScript.

Testing

Testing is crucial when developing with TypeScript. There are several popular test frameworks available for TypeScript. Mocha and Jasmine are two of the most popular, with both offering support for asynchronous tests and object mocking. Additionally, TypeScript comes with its own testing framework, called ts-jest, which makes it easier to test code written in TypeScript.

By taking advantage of all the options available to you when working with TypeScript, you’ll be able to write better code faster. There’s a lot to consider when deciding how to configure your TypeScript setup, but making sure you’re using the best tools and following the best practices should help you create a robust and reliable codebase.