.again

This is old news, but I only found out about it a couple of weeks ago.

The guys over at 37Signals have done it again. Well, not “it.” Generally “it” as it refers to 37Signals indicates that they have created a shiny new web app that the whole world needs to get organized and get stuff done.

Today it’s a little more specific. They’ve created Sprockets–a new (and awesome) way to organize and deploy large JavaScript projects. With Sprockets you can keep your project spread across multiple files and use what amount to pre-processor directives to tell Sprockets how to join them all together into one single JavaScript file for deployment.

You can “import” files using the syntax:

//= require <MyFileWithoutExtension>

This will cause Sprockets to search through your chosen application directories, grab the .js file named “MyFileWithoutExtension.js” and make sure that it goes into the combined .js file before the code below it. To phrase it differently, it orders the JavaScript so that everything gets declared in the proper order. It’s ridiculously simple and powerful. And now you’ve only got one file to deploy!

Sprockets isn’t really anything more than a Ruby script, but it’s certainly handy. It’s the kind of thing you say, “you know, I really ought to spend some time to make this,” but you never do. Well, they did, and we’re fortunate that they are sharing!

You can read all about it (including the details of getting it set up and what other features it has) at the website they created for it. GetSprockets.org.

Thanks, guys!

Welcome to the blog of a lowly software developer.

I write mostly custom applications using the .NET Framework. Mild mannered, computer nerd by day, slightly less mildly mannered video game geek by night.

Here you’ll find my thought on software, games, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

How often will I update? It’s hard to say. Traditionally, I’m not very good at this sort of thing. But I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

I’m out!