Public APIs not normalizing paths

[cartant]

As discussed in this issue, the parseJsonConfigFileContent public API can fail on Windows when passed non-normalized paths (that is, paths containing backslash delimiters).

It appears that this is not the only public API with which this occurs. The following two public API functions call getDirectoryPath with non-normalized paths:

• findConfigFile
• resolveTripleslashReference

The first of these has caused numerous issue with tsify:

• Replace backslashes in the current directory
• switch to hard-coded tsconfig.json string
• Replace backslashes

Is there any guidance regarding how module authors are supposed to use public TypeScript APIs that accept paths? Are paths always expected to be normalized? If so, that puts a burden on module developers. Would it not be preferable for the parseJsonConfigFileContent, findConfigFile, resolveTripleslashReference functions to normalize any paths before calling functions - like getDirectoryPath - that expect/assume normalized paths?

[cartant]

@mhegazy would you welcome a pull request that sees findConfigFile and resolveTripleslashReference call normalizeSlashes before getDirectoryPath is called?

At the moment, the findConfigFile function is broken on Windows for tsconfig.json files located in parent directories, as backslash-delimited paths are not correctly handled. If getDirectoryPath is passed this:

C:\Users\Nicholas\git\personal\something\app\something

it will return this:

C:

And the tsconfig.json file will not be found.

As far as I can see, there is no guidance as to whether paths are expected to have slashes normalized before being passed to TypeScript's public API. In fact, elsewhere in the codebase a path is passed to normalizeSlashes before being passed to getDirectoryPath.

[basarat]

As an experiment I have gone with / all paths in alm and that has worked out beautifully both on windows and mac :rose:

[cartant]

Thanks, @basarat. However, replacing my tool chain and switching to another IDE is not my preferred solution to the problem. Specifically, the current implementation of findConfigFile causes problems with tsify, as, in some situations, browserify supplies a base directory that contains backslashes. I use Sublime Text with the TypeScript plugin and have no problems with that part of my tool chain.

[basarat]

However, replacing my tool chain and switching to another IDE is not my preferred solution to the problem

I wasn't recommending that. I was supporting your suggestion to let ts do all the normalization :rose: