`output_javascript` no longer emits `.d.ts` files

[sourishkrout]

Starting with v2.9.4 it appears that output_javascript no longer emits typescript definitions. Conversely, output_typescript won't emit any JS files and unfortunately won't play nicely with bundlers (when consumed through Buf via node_modules) either.

Here's the difference, v2.9.4; please note how the parser_pb.d.ts is absent:

internal/gen/proto/ts/runme/parser
└── v1
    ├── parser_pb.client.d.ts
    ├── parser_pb.client.js
    └── parser_pb.js

2 directories, 3 files

And here's v2.9.3:

internal/gen/proto/ts/runme/parser
└── v1
    ├── parser_pb.client.d.ts
    ├── parser_pb.client.js
    ├── parser_pb.d.ts
    └── parser_pb.js

2 directories, 4 files

[timostamm]

Sebastian, are you sure this is related to https://github.com/timostamm/protobuf-ts/releases/tag/v2.9.4 ? The changes were minimal.

The version of TypeScript used by plugin-framework was not changed either (it would be the most likely cuprit).

[sourishkrout]

@timostamm looking at the diff I'm a bit puzzled myself but A/B testing the two versions side-by-side with nothing else changing, I can reliably reproduce the results from above.

I can try to do more digging. Would you have any pointers where to look @timostamm? The only other place I can think of is https://github.com/bufbuild/protobuf-es but I'm somewhat unfamiliar with both projects.

[sourishkrout]

Actually, never mind my comment about:

The only other place I can think of is https://github.com/bufbuild/protobuf-es but I'm somewhat unfamiliar with both projects.

Realized https://github.com/bufbuild/protobuf-es is not involved here at all.

[sourishkrout]

Update: I just ran protobuf-ts locally instead of as Buf plugin and the ts compiler in v2.9.4 appears to produce the desired result.

@timostamm any chance you could point me at where I can file an issue for Buf? Thank you! And thanks for maintaining this project!

internal/gen/proto/direct/runme/parser
└── v1
    ├── parser_pb.client.d.ts
    ├── parser_pb.client.js
    ├── parser_pb.d.ts
    └── parser_pb.js

2 directories, 4 files

[timostamm]

That's right, both projects are completely independent of each other right now. The plan is to gradually change that to keep maintenance manageable, with the first step switching to @bufbuild/protoplugin as the plugin framework. But that has not happened yet.

Thanks for the investigation! I think this is due to a recent optimization for the remote plugins. They use exactly the same code, but the Docker image build recently changed.

Can you file an issue on https://github.com/bufbuild/plugins and reference https://github.com/bufbuild/plugins/tree/main/plugins/community/timostamm-protobuf-ts?

It will be extremely helpful to include a proto file that demonstrates the issue. The problem most likely does not show for every proto input, and may only show under rare circumstances. So you'll save the folks a lot of trial an error if you include an example.

[sourishkrout]

Filed https://github.com/bufbuild/plugins/issues/1162 in this issues place.