Replace --preserveWatchOutput with --clearWatchOutput

Search Terms

Suggestion

A compiler should never default to erase information and should never assume that it is the only program outputting to a terminal.

Instead of developers having to search for which program is clearing the console and fixing it, it should be an explicit setting.

tsc --preserveWatchOutput should be removed and replaced with an explicit clear instruction, such as tsc --clearWatchOutput

Use Cases

Examples

Checklist

My suggestion meets these guidelines:

• This wouldn't be a breaking change in existing TypeScript/JavaScript code
• This wouldn't change the runtime behavior of existing JavaScript code
• This could be implemented without emitting different JS based on the types of the expressions
• This isn't a runtime feature (e.g. library functionality, non-ECMAScript syntax with JavaScript output, etc.)
• This feature would agree with the rest of TypeScript's Design Goals.

The issue names the tsc --preserveWatchOutput entry point; start by tracing how this watch-mode option controls terminal clearing. Define the replacement flag's exact default and explicit behavior, then identify the related compiler-option tests and verify both existing and requested watch-output behavior.