RustRover 2024.1 Help

Running and debugging TypeScript

With RustRover, you can run and debug TypeScript code.

Before running or debugging an application, you need to compile your TypeScript code into JavaScript. You can do that using the built-in TypeScript compiler.

During compilation, there can also be generated source maps that set correspondence between your TypeScript code and the JavaScript code that is actually executed. As a result, you can set breakpoints in your TypeScript code, launch the application with the run/debug configuration and then step through your original TypeScript code, thanks to generated sourcemaps.

Run a client-side TypeScript application

You can write a client-side application in TypeScript, compile the code as described in Compiling TypeScript into JavaScript, and then run and debug your application exactly in the same way as client-side applications written in JavaScript. The only difference is that you can set breakpoints right in the TypeScript code.

  1. Compile the TypeScript code into JavaScript.

  2. In the editor, open the HTML file with a reference to the generated JavaScript file. This HTML file does not necessarily have to be the one that implements the starting page of the application.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Choose View | Open in Browser from the main menu or press Alt+F2. Then select the desired browser from the list.

    • Hover over the code to show the browser icons bar: Chrome Firefox Safari Opera Internet Explorer Edge. Click the icon that indicates the desired browser.

Debug a client-side TypeScript application

If your application is running on the built-in RustRover server, refer to Running a client-side TypeScript application above, you can also debug it in the same way as JavaScript running on the built-in server.

Debug client-side TypeScript on the built-in server

Debug a TypeScript application running on an external web server

Most often, you may want to debug a client-side application running on an external development web server, for example, powered by Node.js.

Debug client-side TypeScript on an external server
  1. Configure the built-in debugger as described in Configuring JavaScript debugger.

  2. To enable source maps generation, open your tsconfig.json and set the sourceMap property to true, as described in Create a tsconfig.json file.

  3. Configure and set breakpoints in the TypeScript code.

  4. Run the application in the development mode. Often you need to run npm start for that.

    Most often, at this stage TypeScript is compiled into JavaScript and source maps are generated. For more information, refer to Compiling TypeScript into JavaScript.

    When the development server is ready, copy the URL address at which the application is running in the browser - you will need to specify this URL address in the run/debug configuration.

  5. Go to Run | Edit Configurations. Alternatively, select Edit Configurations from the list on the toolbar.

    Open the Edit Configurations dialog

    In the Edit Configurations dialog that opens, click the Add button (the Add button) on the toolbar and select JavaScript Debug from the list. In the Run/Debug Configuration: JavaScript Debug dialog that opens, specify the URL address at which the application is running. This URL can be copied from the address bar of your browser as described in Step 3 above.

    Debug client-side TypeScript on an external server: run configuration
  6. From the Select run/debug configuration list on the toolbar, select the newly created configuration and click the Debug button next to it. The URL address specified in the run configuration opens in the browser and the Debug tool window appears.

    You may need to refresh the page in the browser to get the controls in the Debug tool window available.

  7. In the Debug tool window, proceed as usual: step through the program, stop and resume the program execution, examine it when suspended, view actual HTML DOM, run JavaScript code snippets in the Console, and so on.

Last modified: 09 July 2024