Define npm scripts

[alanmoo]

Obviously we've got start, but what about development scripts? npm run dev?

[gvn]

By "development script", do you mean running a local build?

[alanmoo]

Yup, scripts for use during local development. I feel like we should have at least one standard one across projects which perhaps runs an install and watches files when run.

[gvn]

Usually that's already covered by start.

I'd standardize start as containing:

• npm i
• Compile code
• Run server(s) and watch tasks in parallel
• Any other tasks needed for local dev
• Launch app (?)

[gvn]

Proposed standard naming:

• start
• build:*
• server:*
• watch:*
• test:*
• • with the :* denoting potential subtasks, eg watch:html.

[alanmoo]

I'm still not sure I love npm i being a part of start- it often slows things down. If we started using yarn, I could see that as it's pretty fast to validate existing packages are installed properly. Though I feel like I've run into this issue before.

Also, would server then be the command to run the project as it will run in production? Basically start without the watch tasks? I feel like we should go the other way where start works as production, but then a dev task sprinkles in some extra usefulness (like watch).

[gvn]

I'm still not sure I love npm i being a part of start- it often slows things down.

Oh, I thought you liked it because you asked for it on Science. I'm fine not having npm i as part of start, but I don't find it problematic either. I'm not generally re-running start repeatedly. yarn is a good reason to leave it out if people want to use it.

Also, would server then be the command to run the project as it will run in production?

I like to do either:

• Just server if dev and prod have no real difference. (EG: static generated sites)
• server:dev and server:prod if there's a difference. (EG: science.mozilla.org)

I feel like we should go the other way where start works as production, but then a dev task sprinkles in some extra usefulness (like watch).

That's the opposite of the convention that we've been using on most projects.