TypeScript 3.0
TypeScript 3.0 also introduces a new mode for tsc, the —build
flag, that works hand-in-hand with project references to enable faster TypeScript builds.
See Project References handbook page for more documentation.
Tuples in rest parameters and spread expressions
TypeScript 3.0 adds support to multiple new capabilities to interact with function parameter lists as tuple types.TypeScript 3.0 adds support for:
- Expansion of spread expressions with tuple types into discrete arguments.
- Optional elements in tuple types.
- With these features it becomes possible to strongly type a number of higher-order functions that transform functions and their parameter lists.
Rest parameters with tuple types
When a rest parameter has a tuple type, the tuple type is expanded into a sequence of discrete parameters.For example the following two declarations are equivalent:
declare function foo(args_0: number, args_1: string, args_2: boolean): void;
When a function call includes a spread expression of a tuple type as the last argument, the spread expression corresponds to a sequence of discrete arguments of the tuple element types.
Thus, the following calls are equivalent:
const args: [number, string, boolean] = [42, "hello", true];
foo(42, "hello", true);
foo(args[0], args[1], args[2]);
foo(...args);
Generic rest parameters
A rest parameter is permitted to have a generic type that is constrained to an array type, and type inference can infer tuple types for such generic rest parameters. This enables higher-order capturing and spreading of partial parameter lists:
Example
In the declaration of f2
above, type inference infers types number
, [string, boolean]
and void
for T
, U
and V
respectively.
Optional elements in tuple types
Tuple types now permit a ?
postfix on element types to indicate that the element is optional:
Example
let t: [number, string?, boolean?];
t = [42, "hello", true];
t = [42, "hello"];
t = [42];
In —strictNullChecks
mode, a ?
modifier automatically includes undefined
in the element type, similar to optional parameters.
A tuple type permits an element to be omitted if it has a postfix ?
modifier on its type and all elements to the right of it also have ?
modifiers.
When tuple types are inferred for rest parameters, optional parameters in the source become optional tuple elements in the inferred type.
The length
property of a tuple type with optional elements is a union of numeric literal types representing the possible lengths.For example, the type of the length
property in the tuple type [number, string?, boolean?]
is 1 | 2 | 3
.
The last element of a tuple type can be a rest element of the form , where X
is an array type.A rest element indicates that the tuple type is open-ended and may have zero or more additional elements of the array element type.For example, [number, …string[]]
means tuples with a number
element followed by any number of string
elements.
Example
function tuple<T extends any[]>(...args: T): T {
return args;
}
const numbers: number[] = getArrayOfNumbers();
const t2 = tuple("bar", ...numbers); // [string, ...number[]]
The type of the length
property of a tuple type with a rest element is number
.
TypeScript 3.0 introduces a new top type unknown
.unknown
is the type-safe counterpart of any
.Anything is assignable to unknown
, but unknown
isn’t assignable to anything but itself and any
without a type assertion or a control flow based narrowing.Likewise, no operations are permitted on an unknown
without first asserting or narrowing to a more specific type.
Example
Support for defaultProps in JSX
TypeScript 3.0 adds support for a new type alias in the JSX
namespace called LibraryManagedAttributes
.This helper type defines a transformation on the component’s Props
type, before using to check a JSX expression targeting it; thus allowing customization like: how conflicts between provided props and inferred props are handled, how inferences are mapped, how optionality is handled, and how inferences from differing places should be combined.
In short using this general type, we can model React’s specific behavior for things like defaultProps
and, to some extent, propTypes
.
export interface Props {
name: string;
export class Greet extends React.Component<Props> {
render() {
const { name } = this.props;
return <div>Hello {name.toUpperCase()}!</div>;
}
static defaultProps = { name: "world"};
}
// Type-checks! No type assertions needed!
let el = <Greet />
Caveats
Explicit types on defaultProps
The default-ed properties are inferred from the defaultProps
property type. If an explicit type annotation is added, e.g. static defaultProps: Partial<Props>;
the compiler will not be able to identify which properties have defaults (since the type of defaultProps
include all properties of Props
).
Use static defaultProps: Pick<Props, "name">;
as an explicit type annotation instead, or do not add a type annotation as done in the example above.
For function components (formerly known as SFCs) use ES2015 default initializers:
function Greet({ name = "world" }: Props) {
return <div>Hello {name.toUpperCase()}!</div>;
}
Changes to @types/React
Corresponding changes to add LibraryManagedAttributes
definition to the JSX
namespace in @types/React
are still needed.Keep in mind that there are some limitations.
TypeScript adds a new triple-slash-reference directive (/// <reference lib="name" />
), allowing a file to explicitly include an existing built-in lib file.
Built-in lib files are referenced in the same fashion as the "lib"
compiler option in tsconfig.json (e.g. use lib="es2015"
and not lib="lib.es2015.d.ts"
, etc.).
Example
Using /// <reference lib="es2017.string" />
to one of the files in a compilation is equivalent to compiling with .