Provide way to configure default compiler options for TS Server Inferred Project

Search Terms

Inferred Project
TS Server

Suggestion

Add an option to configure the default compilerOptions for inferred projects outside of the host.

Related to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eB6cGCG_2ircfS5GzpDC9dBgikeYYcMxghVH5sDESHw/edit#heading=h.telvo0tzo7t0 and https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/issues/39632

Checklist

Use Cases

Currently, there is no way to configure the default compilerOptions for inferred projects outside of the server host. Being able to configure should options would be give a better DX when not using the default compiler options such as experimentalDecorators, strictNullChecks etc... together with stricter file inclusions, ie favoring explicitly listing the entry-point files using files instead of include with globbing.

Previously when not using TypeScript solution style tsconfig this could be achieved by adding a tsconfig.json in the root of the project which will include all files and set these options example.

{
   "compilerOptions":  {
     "experimentalDecorators": true,
     "strictNullChecks": true,
     ...
   }
}

This trickery cannot be used when using a solution style tsconfig, because the root tsconfig will not contain any files due to files: [] setting.

Examples

Ideally, compiler options for inferred projects are configured in a TypeScript configuration file. When using solution style tsconfig, such configuration can be set here.

{
 "files": [],
 "compilerOptions":  {
   "experimentalDecorators": true,
   "strictNullChecks": true,
   ...
 },
 "references": [
   {
     "path": "./tsconfig.app.json"
   },
   {
     "path": "./tsconfig.spec.json"
   }
 ]
}

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.

//cc @kyliau

Start with the TS Server inferred-project behavior and the linked issue 39632, then review how solution-style tsconfig files with files: [] are handled. Determine the configuration location and precedence needed for default compilerOptions such as experimentalDecorators and strictNullChecks. Done means inferred projects can receive those defaults without changing existing project behavior.