This is fantastic news for TypeScript lovers – SharePoint TypeScript Definitions 1.1 just has been released!
SharePoint TypeScript Definitions represents high-quality (documented and strongly typed) TypeScript declarations for SharePoint 2013 JavaScript Object Model (CSOM). Also, it provides lots of samples.
Hey, what’s that?
If you already know what the TypeScript is, you may skip this paragraph and continue with “What’s new in release 1.1?”.
TypeScript is a language for application scale JavaScript. Introduced by Microsoft last year, it is intensively growing up. Several releases at codeplex have already introduced such a lovely features like clear subclassing, interfaces, type checking at compile type, good support by IDE; debugging, refactoring, intellisence and so on. At the end, it is compiled in readable cross-browser JavaScript.
Supported by Node.js, other hosts, open source development, TypeScript looks extremely promising for the current and future client-side projects.
SharePoint TypeScript Definitions allows you to write JavaScript application for SharePoint utilizing CSOM and having all the benefits of TypeScript language.
What’s inside in release 1.1?
One of the greatest improvements is that SPTypeScript supports TypeScript 0.9. This is just fantastic as with TypeScript 0.9 we can use… generics! Other benefits of TS 0.9 could be found here – Announcing TypeScript 0.9.
The next thing is all about better coverage. There are improvements for SP.Utilities, SP.UI modal dialogs, client side rendering and a few things I would like to mention; mQuery and SPClientAutoFill control.
More samples are included; new client side render samples, client form tabs, mQuery samples, lookup fields with autocomplete via SPClientAutoFill, some other SPClientAutoFill samples.
Finally, SPTypeScript team has made a significant step up! – SharePoint TypeScript Definitions are now available via Nuget: http://nuget.org/packages/sharepoint.TypeScript.DefinitelyTyped and could be installed with one line from Visual Studio Shell:
PM> Install-Package sharepoint.TypeScript.DefinitelyTyped
Learn more!
Well, check out http://sptypescript.codeplex.com/ to get more information, documentation and examples!
Also, stay tuned following authors of SPTypeScript – @amarkeev and @gandjustas.
Conclusion
JavaScript seems to be one of the major skills for the modern SharePoint development. Due nature and some legacy, pure JavaScript development could be quite challenging and painful.
TypeScript helps to improve the overall quality and development experience for the large JavaScript based application. In turn, SharePoint TypeScript Definitions enables TypeScript benefits for the modern SharePoint development. Do more, code less!