Latest version breaks template-compiler usage in the browser

[boris-petrov]

Using version 4.4.1 leads to the following when running ember test:

tests/helpers/templates.ts: hbs should be invoked with at least a single argument: the template string
  16 |     return {
  17 |       value: template,
> 18 |       precompiled: JSON.parse(precompileTemplate(template)),
     |                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  19 |     };
  20 |   }
  21 | }

With the import:

import { compileTemplate, precompileTemplate } from '@ember/template-compilation';

4.2.1 works fine.

Using Ember.HTMLBars.compile and Ember.HTMLBars.precompile instead also works.

Related Discord discussion.

cc @rwjblue

[rwjblue]

In order for us to make this work, we have to leave the code untranspiled when given a dynamic value.

[pzuraq]

When used dynamically in the browser, users should use compileTemplate instead of precompileTemplate. I don't think the precompileTemplate was ever guaranteed to work in at runtime - the point is that it runs ahead of time.

[rwjblue]

ya, that makes sense

@boris-petrov - Can you double check?

[boris-petrov]

We use precompile from the template compiler on the backend, send the result to the frontend where we use createTemplateFactory(precompiledTemplate) and create a template-only component that we use. In our frontend (Ember) tests we want to mock the backend's implementation - hence we have to do the precompile part at runtime during the tests. So we need Ember.HTMLBars.precompile (or import { precompileTemplate } from '@ember/template-compilation'; when it still worked a few weeks ago).

[rwjblue]

Hmm, I see. Why not use a middleware (in testing) and have the same "backend compiles the template" workflow? Wouldn't it be much better to avoid having it behave so differently than production?

[boris-petrov]

Well, we have integration tests for that (which are slow). We want the frontend tests fast, so we don't want to run the backend server. Besides, mocking what the backend returns is literally 2 lines of code. I'm fine with the different behavior in the Ember tests.

[boris-petrov]

The state as of today is that compileTemplate can be used from the @ember/template-compilation import, however precompileTemplate gives the error from my first post. I guess, because the workaround uses the global Ember variable, that won't work on Ember 4? @rwjblue - what can I do? Or is that just something that you have to fix?

[boris-petrov]

A little update on that. precompileTemplate still can't be imported from the correct place and on Ember 4 one has to use require('ember').default.HTMLBars.precompile(template).

[boris-petrov]

Still happens on Ember v5.