initial_setup.md

Initial setup

1. Initialize the folder as an NPM project:

$ npm init

• follow the prompts (still with defaults if not sure)

Optional: Install lite-server

• helps with serving the index.html page
• don't use -g flag (we don't want to install it globally)
• use --save-dev to mark the module as development only (it will not be included in the dependencies requirements, but under devDependencies. To store it under dependencies, just use --save.)
• not using either of these 2 options, means that the package will not be included anywhere

$ npm install lite-server --save-dev

Then update your package.json file, by adding new script:

  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
    "start": "lite-server"   // new line to add
  },

• now you can run

$ npm start

and it will start the lite-server and serve your page on localhost:3000 by default

• you can stop it with CTRL-C.

2. Initialize the folder as a TypeScript project:

$ tsc --init

• now you can run just tsc and all typescript files will be compiled

3. Continuing work on different machine

a) Clone repo
b) run npm install --only=dev (or npm run resume) in the folder of the repo, to get back lite-server

4. How to compile and run your files

• you always compile .ts files with:

$ tsc file.ts 

OR, if you have your tsconfig.json file properly configured:

$ tsc

Result is .js file.

• .js file you run with:

$ node file.js

• alternatively, use the lite-server, and check the console tab (right-click -> inspect) of the webpage, for output.