TypeScript 4.8 was released as a beta and will generally be available on August 23. Under strict null checks, the beta introduces several consistency and accuracy enhancements.
TypeScript 4.8, the widely used highly typed JavaScript variation from Microsoft, will receive improvements to its correctness and consistency as well as fixes for file-watching.
TypeScript 4.8 was released as a beta and will generally be available on August 23. Under strict null checks, the beta introduces several consistency and accuracy enhancements. These modifications have an impact on how intersection and union types work as well as how TypeScript narrows types.
Given that it takes null, undefined, and any other type, unknown is analogous in some ways to the union type {} | null | undefined. Now that TypeScript is aware, assignments from unknown {} | null | undefined are permitted. According to Microsoft, changes in TypeScript 4.8 enable logical enhancements to regulate flow and type narrowing. Additionally, generic values are honed.
Regarding the file-watching fixes, TypeScript has long had an issue where the language would struggle with specific file changes in the editor and — watch mode. These frequently happen on Unix systems. Assumptions about how Node.js handles rename events across file systems led to the problem.
Inodes, used by Linux and MacOS’s file systems, will be used by Node.js to attach file watchers rather than file paths. If TypeScript determines that a path still exists on the disc, it will attempt to use the same watcher objects. As a result, it will reuse the watcher object rather than installing a new watcher at the original location and will check for changes at what may be an irrelevant file. These instances are handled by TypeScript 4.8 on the inode.
