Typopo newsletter #1: 2020 summary & 2021 outlook
Hi Typopo subscriber! 👋
This is the very first Typopo newsletter. It may be a bit raw, so your feedback on what to improve in the upcoming issues is more than welcome.
Let’s recap the important product updates of 2020 and share plans for 2021.
What was new in 2020
Most updates this year were about improving existing functionality—covering new edge cases that Typopo can fix. As of the latest release, Typopo is covered by 1865 tests. The number is a bit of a vanity metric, really. Interestingly, the number of tests has almost doubled in the last year, and for me, it is an indication that Typopo is getting more mature and robust with each release. And yet, there is still a long road ahead.
Besides the improvements, I’d like to highlight the most interesting addition to the Typopo ecosystem in 2020—Typopo extension for VS Code.
Typopo extension for VS Code
VS Code is a popular source code editor for developers. You may ask yourself: “Why bother adding Typopo to an editor for devs?” I had two reasons for that.
The first one was personal. Earlier this year, I’ve wanted to change how I maintain and cultivate my personal knowledge. I’ve found out a Zettelkasten technique may help me out with that. After trying a couple of tools to practice the technique, I’ve ended up using the VS Code to write my notes. With an urge to maintain a microtypography in my notes, it was clear that Typopo needs to be a part of the VS Code.
Another reason to build an extension was to help developers. I’ve observed front-end developers were pasting in-app copy to Typopo so that they could get rid of dumb quotes. Otherwise, they would need to escape dumb quotes in their code. With an extension being handy, devs can now fix in-app texts directly in their favorite editor.
VS Code extension is available for free at the VS Code marketplace. Sadly, it has no ratings yet. If you’re using it, feel free to give it some stars. 🙏
Plans for 2021
I have two major goals for Typopo in 2021.
One improvement is already in progress. A friend of mine helps me transform the whole project from JavaScript to TypeScript. The change shouldn’t affect how you use Typopo, but it will improve the codebase maintenance.
A second goal is to revamp how Typopo fixes double quotes, single quotes, and apostrophes. Even though Typopo is good at fixing standard use cases, I’ve collected about o dozen edge cases where the tool could do a better job.
Would you like to help Typopo?
If you like the project, here’s how you can always help:
- report a bug when you find one—via email or GitHub,
- if you know of a good newsletter, forum, or a place where it would make sense to promote Typopo, drop me a line,
- if you’d like to buy me more time for Typopo, you can support me at Patreon.
That’s the end of the first newsletter. If you have any feedback to share, I’d more than happy to hear it!
Cheers,
Brano
Creator of Typopo