Board Game Arena • Board Game Arena

This page will help you set up your project to use Typescript client file and Scss style files, and automatically build Javascript (in ES5) files and CSS files so your project stay compatible to BGA framework requirements. You can use only TS or only SCSS part if you want, they are not linked.

The following document is geared towards setting up a custom project where you will be in charge of typing all components that you want to use. There is also untested 3rd party project that aims to automate some of the steps below, you can look at this instead BGA Type Safe Template.

Install and configure

Install dev stack

Install node/npm. Here is an example to activate auto-build in Visual Studio Code, if you use another tool I strongly recommend to find an equivalent so you don't have to launch build manually after each modification.

Configure package.json and tsconfig.json

Create a file named package.json on the root folder, not on the src folder.

package.json

{
  "name": "yourgamename",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "YourGameName.js",
  "scripts": {
    "build:ts": "tsc",
    "build:scss": "sass --no-source-map src/yourgamename.scss yourgamename.css",
    "watch:ts": "tsc --watch",
    "watch:scss": "sass --watch src/yourgamename.scss yourgamename.css",
    "watch": "npm run watch:ts && npm run watch:scss",
    "build": "npm run build:ts && npm run build:scss"
  },
  "author": "yourname",
  "license": "MIT",
  "devDependencies": {
    "sass": "^1.32.6",
    "typescript": "^4.1.3"
  }
}

Note: if you not using scss - remove corresponding scripts and deps.

When package.json is created, run npm i on the root folder to install builders (will generate a node_modules folder).

For Typescript compilation we also need to set up a tsconfig.json on the root folder.

tsconfig.json

{
    "rootDir": ".", 
    "compilerOptions": {
      "target": "es5",
      "module": "none",
      "lib": ["dom", "esnext"],  
      "sourceMap": false,
      "typeRoots": ["src/types", "./types", "./node_modules/@types"],
      "outFile": "YourGameName.js"
    },
    "files": [
        "src/GameBody.ts",
        "src/define.ts"
    ]
}

Note: it only works now with es5

If you want to split your code onto multiple files, just add them in the file list (order is important for dependencies, new subpart should go on top of the list). No need to import classes or types from one file to another. In fact, you can't with this configuration.

Create skeleton

When you create your game in BGA Studio, a JS and CSS file are generated. As we will overwrite them with autobuild. You can put the TS/SCSS files on a src folder to separate them from built files, but that's not mandatory. Note to myself: check if 'src' dir will be svn version control, if not cannot really use it (even if duplicated in git).

Typescript file skeleton

Typescript example here have been stripped down of all comments for clarity. Your TS code can be splitted in multiple files, you can have a look here for inspiration. To make this page concise, I removed comments and code samples. If it's your first game, well - don't do it if your first game - you won't be able to apply other code samples from docs, they all using dojo style and have to completely rewritten.

src/GameBody.ts

// @ts-ignore
GameGui = (function () { // this hack required so we fake extend GameGui
  function GameGui() {}
  return GameGui;
})();

// Note: it does not really extend it in es6 way, you cannot call super you have to use dojo way 
class GameBody extends GameGui { 
     constructor() {}
     
     public setup(gamedatas: any) {
         this.setupNotifications();
     } 
     public onEnteringState(stateName: string, args: any) {}
     public onLeavingState(stateName: string) {}
     public onUpdateActionButtons(stateName: string, args: any) {} 
     public setupNotifications() {}
}

To plug the class with BGA framework, we'll also create another file:

src/define.ts

define([
    "dojo","dojo/_base/declare",
    "ebg/core/gamegui",
    "ebg/counter",
    "ebg/stock"
],
function (dojo, declare) {
    return declare("bgagame.yourgamename", ebg.core.gamegui, new GameBody());             
});

Copy bgagame.yourgamename from original JS to avoid name mistakes with letter case.

If you try to compile it you will be missing definitions of bunch of methods and variables for that we will add special ts type definition file .d.ts, this is not a complete version but you can get more complete from git projects below

src/types/bga-framework.d.ts


declare var gameui: GameGui;
declare var g_replayFrom: number | undefined;
declare var g_gamethemeurl: string;
declare var g_themeurl: string;
declare var g_archive_mode: string;
declare function _(str: string): string;

declare const define;
declare const ebg;

declare class GameGui {
    page_is_unloading: any;
    game_name: string;
    instantaneousMode: any;
    player_id: string;
    interface_min_width: number;
    gamedatas: any;
    
  
    isCurrentPlayerActive(): boolean;
    addActionButton(id: string, label: string, callback: (event?: any) => void);
    checkAction(action: any);
    ajaxcall(url: string, args: object, bind: GameGui, resultHandler: (result: any) => void, allHandler: any);
    bgaPerformAction(action: string, args?: object, params?: object)
    
    setup(gamedatas: any): void;
    onEnteringState(stateName: string, args: any): void;
    onLeavingState(stateName: string ): void;
    onUpdateActionButtons(stateName: string, args: any): void;
    setupNotifications(): void;

    onScriptError(msg: string, url?: string, linenumber?: number);
    inherited(args: any);
}

Above is barebone definition of gameui interface, you can find more complete one here https://github.com/elaskavaia/bga-dojoless/blob/main/src/types/bga-framework.d.ts

SCSS file

Nothing special here, just write classic SCSS (will be compiled by Dart scss) and name it src/yourgamename.scss. Original content same as original .css, i.e

 @import url(../../../css/csslayer.css);

Your SCSS code can be splitted in multiple files, for example :

yourgamename.scss

 @import 'gametable';

 /* some classes */

_gametable.scss

 /* _gametable related classes */

Auto build and auto upload

Auto build JS and CSS files

To build and watch (i.e. re-build continiously changed files) run in terminal:

 npm run watch

Alternately you can make vscode to do it for you by installing Run on Save extension, see details in Setting_up_BGA_Development_environment_using_VSCode

Note: to build without watch

 npm run build

Auto-upload generated files

You can setup stanard file sync or use vscode SFTP extension, see details in Setting_up_BGA_Development_environment_using_VSCode

Hint

Make sure .vscode and node_modules are in .gitignore if you commit your project somewhere.

Code completion

To add code completion on framework, dojo, stock, ... you'll need more type definition files. Feel free to copy them from this repo and reference them at the top of files array, even before your subpart files.

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