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{
"categories": ["Development"]
"categories": ["Development"],
"summary": "Methods for working with projects that use different frameworks (such as C# and TypeScript) including how to handle the different build systems and processes."
}

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# Project Layout
I'm a polyglot programmer. I work in a variety of languages but mostly in [C##](/tags/c-sharp/), [Typescript](/tags/typescript/), and [Rust](/tags/rust/). Every few years, I try a new language to see if I can pick up new ideas or if one "fits" my current mental state better. This is also why I've done a lot dozens of other languages; I would say I know over thirty languages but I'm only a "master" in a handful.
I'm a polyglot programmer. I work in a variety of languages but mostly in [C#](/tags/c-sharp/), [Typescript](/tags/typescript/), and [Rust](/tags/rust/). Every few years, I try a new language to see if I can pick up new ideas or if one "fits" my current mental state better. This is also why I've done a lot dozens of other languages; I would say I know over thirty languages but I'm only a "master" in a handful.
I also flit from project to project. I have my [writing](/categories/writing/) and games. I have little one-off programs and ones that I hope will become a major thing. But, like everything else in my life, I'm "gloriously unfocused" on my tasks which means I have to minimize the speed that I get into a project.
I also flit from project to project. I have my [writing](/categories/writing/) and games. I have little one-off programs and ones that I hope will become a major thing. But, like everything else in my life, I'm "gloriously unfocused" on my tasks which means I have to minimize the speed that I get into a project before the muse escapes me.
## Tools Selection
@ -14,9 +14,11 @@ This means that most of my projects now have a `./flake.nix` and a `./flake.lock
Because I've fallen in love with [Semantic Releases](/tags/semantic-release/) and [Conventional Commits](/tags/conventional-commits/), a lot of my processes are built around those. In earlier projects, that usually meant that almost every project _also_ included Node in some form so I could use [semantic-release](https://github.com/semantic-release/semantic-release). That also meant I could use `package.json` to handle versioning.
Though, recent thoughts have suggested that I need to break that "one tool fits all" approach. Mostly it came while working on [Nitride](/tags/nitride/) and this website. I found myself trying to have "one build system" to create everything related to the site, including handling Javascript and CSS/SASS. Those are two very complicated projects in C##, so I realize it made sense that instead of creating a Nitride task to call [webpack](/tags/webpack/), I really should just call `webpack` directly. In other words, the [Unix philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy).
Though, recent thoughts have suggested that I need to break that "one tool fits all" approach. Mostly it came while working on [Nitride](/tags/nitride/) and this website. I found myself trying to have "one build system" to create everything related to the site, including handling Javascript and CSS/SASS. Those are two very complicated projects in C#, so I realize it made sense that instead of creating a Nitride task to call [webpack](/tags/webpack/), I really should just call `webpack` directly. In other words, the [Unix philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy).
This is where being a polyglot and using different tools comes into play. I have a website that does C##, Typescript, and SASS at the same time. Which one is the "root", which command drives everything? What about a Rust project? Or something else?
This is where being a polyglot and using different tools comes into play. I have a website that does C#, Typescript, and SASS at the same time. Which one is the "root", which command drives everything? What about a Rust project? Or something else?
### Shell Scripts
That has kind of led me to my current approach. Instead of always packaging Node in my projects, I really should have a standard location to handle the various actions/targets that apply to any project. Right now, that seems to be shell scripts.
@ -27,3 +29,57 @@ This will give me room to experiment. If I decide I want to play with [Cake](/ta
I also went with `.sh` suffixes on the files because while I mostly code in [Linux](/tags/linux/), I also want to support [Powershell](/tags/powershell/) and [Windows](/tags/windows/). That way, it is also clear that `build.sh` and `build.ps1` probably result in the same end-result, but specific for that language. (I know Powershell runs on Linux too.)
Obviously, some documentation would be required, but that could be a `README.md` file in that directory. That will look nice in [GitLab](/tags/gitlab/) and give documentation.
### Paths
Fortunately, I use [direnv](https://direnv.net/) and [nix-direnv](https://github.com/nix-community/nix-direnv) frequently in my development. This loads the `flake.nix` file as soon as I enter the directory and sets up the tools I need. It also gives me a chance to modify the `PATH` variable but only for that directory which means I can add the `./scripts` folder into the path and have it available anywhere inside the project.
```shell
export PATH=$PWD/scripts:$PATH
use flake || use nix
```
When working with packaging systems such as Node that also include scripts, I also add those into the path. In both cases, `$PWD` is always the directory with the `.envrc` file, even if I change directly into somewhere deeper into the proejct tree; using `$PWD/scripts` means that the `build.sh` command is available anywhere.
```shell
export PATH=$PWD/scripts:$PWD/node-modules/.bin:$PATH
use flake || use nix
```
### Boilerplates
Over the half year or so that I've been using this, I found that I was introducing a few new patterns into my scripts. Mostly these were to support CI/CD environments but also because I like feedback that scripts are doing something.
The most notable aspects were to almost always move into the root directory of the project.
```shell
#! /usr/bin/env bash
cd $(dirname $(dirname $0))
```
In the above case, `$0` is the name of the script. The first `dirname` gets me into the `./scripts` folder, the second gets me into the root. That means that even if I call this script from deep inside the project, the paths are always relative to the project root.
The other is to set up logging so I have something to see what is going on. This is useful for the CI process, but also just so I know something is working properly. I ended up using a consistent start to the scripts to help me identify where the build process was.
```shell
log() { echo "️🧪 $(basename $0): $@"; }
log "running tests/gregorian-tests.scm"
# some testing code
```
When run, it looks like this:
```shell
$ test.sh
🧪 test.sh: running tests/gregorian-tests.scm
......................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 38 tests in 0.001s
OK
$
```
Each script usually has their only Unicode character, which also gives the logs a nice colorful appearance and really makes it easier to see where things are going. I ended up using a Bash function for this because it simplifed the calls into a simple `log message` and made it easier to function.
Sadly, Bash doesn't have a good packaging story, so I just copy/paste this into the top of every script along with the `#! /usr/bin/env bash` shebang. Overall, it seems to work and I've been pretty happy with it since.