facebook/relay

Custom `artifactDirectory` has to exist and is not automatically created (like `__generate__`)

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#3782 opened on Jan 31, 2022

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 (10 comments) (6 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (18,930 stars) (1,874 forks)batch import
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Description

When specifying a custom artifactDirectory in the relay compiler config, ​the compiler requires this directory to exist. Otherwise you get:

[ERROR] Config `/home/.../frontend/relay.config.js` is invalid:
​- The `artifactDirectory` does not exist at `/home/.../frontend/src/query-types`.

This is particularly annoying when using git, as you cannot check empty folders into git. The typical ".gitkeep file in folder" trick does not work well, because the relay-compiler deletes all files from the artifact directory on each compile, always leading to a dirty working directory.

I think the best is to use the same behavior as for the default __generated__ folder: create it, if it doesn't exist.

This problem only occurred after upgrading to v13 (i.e. the compiler written in Rust).

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rusttypescriptgraphql
Domain
developer experiencetooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Relay compiler configurationRust basics
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Locate the Rust compiler's configuration validation logic, likely in the 'config.rs' or 'compiler.rs' file. Identify where the default ' generated ' directory is automatically created and implement similar logic for custom 'artifactDirectory'. The change should create the directory if it does not exist before compilation. Refer to existing behavior as a model.