Use a time window to detect changes in batches

[choldgraf]

Currently a re-build is triggered the moment that a file in a watched folder is updated. However, sometimes you want to make a few updates in quick succession. Currently, this will cause the re-build to trigger immediately after the first re-build completes. It would be nice if a user could configure a window where changes would be batched together in a single reload event.

Looking at the livereload-python docs, something like this seems to be possible with a delay parameter.

This package is just directly using the Server class so maybe we could make that configurable:

https://github.com/executablebooks/sphinx-autobuild/blob/ea4d04f4f68f564e65ac21843d4839ce24a6e0ae/src/sphinx_autobuild/cli.py#L175

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[pradyunsg]

Duplicate off https://github.com/executablebooks/sphinx-autobuild/issues/87

[asmeurer]

I don't want there to be a delay in the rebuild. That would be a degradation in the user experience as far as I'm concerned.

The problem I described in #123 is that it rebuilds off of files that were changes since before the previous rebuild, basically rebuilding one file at a time.

[pradyunsg]

As I see it, #87 is meant to solve exactly that issue -- to throttle builds so that when there's more than one change in a time period, they're all bundled together and a single rebuild is performed.

[asmeurer]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what is being proposed. In the common case where I am just editing a single file I would still want the build to be instant so that I can see the built version as quickly as possible.

[pradyunsg]

https://github.com/executablebooks/sphinx-autobuild/blob/ea4d04f4f68f564e65ac21843d4839ce24a6e0ae/src/sphinx_autobuild/cli.py#L40

The build directory not being ignored is likely a bug. #87 covers the infinite loop aspects of the complaint and #125 covers the blocking serving of the pages.

[pradyunsg]

(I have limited bandwidth to write a lot here, apologies for the terseness)

FWIW, I'm not sure what you are trying to say either @asmeurer -- are you saying that #87 doesn't cover your concerns, or that this issue does not cover your concerns, or something else?

[choldgraf]

I believe that @asmeurer is responding to my note that there is "a delay parameter" in livereload, and suggesting that this would not be the right fix. That makes sense to me - I was just noting it as something that seemed relevant. I have no idea how livereload works so am just grasping at straws of things that might be useful :-)

[guideloom]

Make the delay option optional.. if set to 0, it works as it is today. If set to anything else, it's the number of seconds to wait before a rebuild happens.. problem solved for all.