Is it possible to have TypeScript support in Visual Studio Express for Windows?

Question

I got access to a Windows 8 machine and, wanting to check out the new Windows Runtime API, downloaded VS 2013 Express for Windows. WinRT offers the ability to code in HTML5 / CSS / JS, but I'm interested in using TypeScript as an alternative to JavaScript when not encoding the DOM. This feature is described here , but applies only to Visual Studio 2012 and not even to Express Edition, since the Web Essentials extension will not work there.

The TypeScript webpage claims that full support is built into VS 2013 Update 2 RC. However, although this update installs some new extensions and TypeScript is also installed in Program Files, it does not add TypeScript support for VS 2013 Express for Windows. I still cannot create the .ts file, not to mention compiling it from the IDE.

Please note that this is another question from this that is about VS 2013 for the Web . I checked the accepted answer there and it will not work. I am interested in getting TypeScript to work with VS 2012 Express for Windows 8 or VS 2013 Express for Windows. I also agree with the answer pointing to alternative IDEs for developing WinRT / Store applications, but web research tells me that this is unlikely to happen.

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to write a Windows Store application using TypeScript in Visual Studio 2013 for Express for Windows. But, unfortunately, it is not supported right out of the box. You will have to modify the project file yourself.

This sounds more complicated than ... I wrote a tutorial on how this happened a while ago. Basically it comes down to adding some xml to the project file, tells Visual Studio what to do with the .ts files.

After changing the project, the .ts files are compiled and even put breakpoints in the .ts files.