User:Aeric/HowTo:Install CoffeeScript

1. Go to http://nodejs.org/, click [Download], do the install

--CoffeeScript requires Node.js to run the compiler

--It uses npm (node package manager) to download & install coffescript

(bundled with Node.js!)

2. In File Explorer, move the nodejs folder to C:\

--In :\Program Files, or C:\Program Files (x86) on a 64 bit system

3. Start a command shell

cd c:\nodejs

set path=%PATH%;%CD%

setx path "%PATH%

--that command modifies the registry, so you don't have to go find env variables!

4. Install Coffeescript

npm install -g coffee-script

--installation folder is created:

C:\Users\{user}\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\coffee-script

5. Start a new shell,so the commands in coffee-script/bin can be used

6. In the command shell, verify the install:

coffee

--after a short pause, you see the prompt for the coffe-script interpreter

--coffee>

--Press Ctrl+C to exit the interpreter

--Try out the "instant eval" option for a one-line command:

coffee -e "console.log num for num in [10..1]"

result: Count down from 10 to 1, one value per line

7. Do a test compile

--Create a project folder

--Create a file with the initial sample code from coffeescript.org (below)

(sample.coffee)

--Compile it: coffee -c

--Resulting .js file should match the results displayed at coffeescript.org

--Notice how much cleaner and nicer it is, and much more fun it will be to work with!

8. Clean up the build environment

--create src/ and lib/ subfolders

--move the .coffee file to src/

--nuke the .js file

--Save and run the following command (put it build.cmd):

coffee -c -o lib/ src/

9. Other options to explore:

--watch a file and recompile every time it is saved

coffee -w -c myfile.coffee

--concatenate a list of files into a single script

coffee --join project.js --compile src/*.coffee

--watch and recompile an entire project

coffee -o lib/ -cw src