microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

tsconfig extend field should be more user friendly

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#39,540 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Description

Suggestion

Probably some functionality may refer to editor (i.e VSCode)

extends field in tsconfig.json:

  1. propose auto suggestions (propose existing parent configs in the project)

  2. check if a path exists, and expose an error if the path doesn't exist.

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.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by investigating how TypeScript handles the extends field in tsconfig.json and how editor integrations expose configuration suggestions and diagnostics. The requested outcome is suggestions for existing parent configs and an error when the extends path does not exist; the issue names no files or tests, so the relevant entry points must be located first.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
developer-experience
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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