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[matt-42]

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[cong1920]

As you are the project owner, what are the top 3 features you plan to add?
And what are the top 3 improvements in your plan?

Asking because I, as a trivial contributor, might just randomly feel something needs to be added or done better, and then start coding so. For example, I am trying to add default index file list for static serving because I just feel if Lithium is used to host a HTML5 SPA app it should be more user friendly to use https://web-app-site/ directly without typing index.html in the end. But this kind of random contributions might make Lithium off your planned track more and more.

[matt-42]

Hi @cong1920 , you are welcome to add features for static file serving. Its something lithium should be able to do.

There is no roadmap yet, up until now, it was to align the performance with the fastest webserver available (otherwise
there is no point of coding it in c++) and to finish the documentation website. Both are done.

My idea was to wait for users to ask for missing features (as you did :) so we can implement them. Lithium is pretty new so it
does not get much feedback yet, but hopefully by ranking #1 in the next techempower round20 we'll reach more users.

[matt-42]

Thanks @cong1920 for the propositions. That's a lot of work :), here is my review below. I added link to the official docs where I think this may be a duplicate.

On the other hand, I like the idea of the blog system tutorial. The official docs are actually still missing complete examples, so you could focus on them. Here what I see as candidates for examples: A rest API and a blog system. For the auth system, I'm not sure if this is relevant if the blog system includes user authentication.

Just one question: Would you prefer adding these tutorials in the official documentation web site or in a personal blog ?

[ Introduction to web app programming in C++ and Lithium
What readers should know already
Tools/Libs to get start 
3.1. Gcc, CMake, and Docker (Docker with WSL2 on Windows) 
3.2. Libboost-dev, libmysql, libpq and libopenssl  ]
     -> there is already a getting started section in the doc. https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/getting-started 
         Could you check it and see if there is something missing ?
    -> same remark, see the getting started.

Build "hello, world!" with Lithium
      -> same remark, check this page: https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/http-server/introduction
Build a web server serving static contents,     5.1. Plain HTML page
      -> there is this page already: https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/http-server/serving-static-files
5.2. Parsing request parameters from query string
5.3. Parsing form data from POST request
      -> https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/http-server/get-post-and-url-request-parameters

REST APIs
     -> there is no example of rest API, so this may be a nice candidate for an example
Work with database
     -> https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/sql/headers

Websocket -> there is no websocket support yet.
Examples
9.1 Auth -> (already included in the blog system ?)
9.2 TODO workitem tracking web app (what do you mean by tracking web app?)
9.3 Blog system  -> good candidate for an example

[cong1920]

Feeling so sorry, even guilty, for my belated reply. Besides preparing resume and interviews, there is a home remodeling project going on. Still I should really open GitHub often and start looking into your links during my fragmentary time pieces.

First to answer the question of "adding these tutorials in the official documentation web site or in a personal blog ?". It's really up to you. I am open to both but I don't have my own blog yet :) It is my honor to contribute to official doc website if that works for you better.

My original thought about the tutorial is to make reader realize how easy and how similar with NodeJS and other framework of script programming when writing web application with Lithium in native C++. So some of my examples might seem too basic or kinda redundant like the separated "auth" and then "blogging". And also I didn't know there is no websocket support yet. I will remove that section. Thanks for pointing out there is no REST APIs example, probably I should start with that part to draft and send you to review first to see if my writing is okay :)

Oh, for "TODO workitem tracking web app", sorry for confusing. I just mean a simple web app that can let users track TODO workitems. It is as simple as just like for signed in users, it can create work items, change status as "in progress", and mark "completed". In my mind it is simpler than a blogging system, but it needs "auth" module built ready first.

Hope soon I will be free from my tediously LeetCoding days and get more time for this fun project.

[matt-42]

No worries! I'm also busy on my current job and my time for lithium is also limited.
I like the idea of an article that help javascript users to get into lithium.

I forgot to tell you but there is a blog system example, but just code + comments, not a blog post.
https://github.com/matt-42/lithium/blob/master/libraries/http_server/examples/blog.cc

I suggest that you focus on just one thing if your time is limited: one of the blog articles you proposed (from js to lithium, or the blog system), or moving the test suite to doctest.

If it's a blog post, it will be great to post it on the official website !

Cheers,
Matt

[cong1920]

Yes, sir. Focusing on one thing first. I think a good start point for me is that I can start composing a step-by-step tutorial post from one of your code + comments example.

[jmafc]

Hi @matt-42,

Regarding your earlier comment:

I'm saying this because Catch is amazingly slow to compile (10s with gcc for their simple factorial example https://github.com/catchorg/Catch2/blob/v2.x/docs/tutorial.md#top) and will slow down our productivity.

I ran into this too, but then someone pointed out that I should create a separate test_main.cpp file with a simple #define and #include "catch2.hpp". The object from that file then gets linked with your other code/tests and doesn't add 10s to each compile/test cycle. However, after learning that I found doctest and I believe it's even faster than catch2. And you can use the same trick, i.e., have a test_main.cpp like this:

#define DOCTEST_CONFIG_IMPLEMENT_WITH_MAIN
#include <doctest/doctest.h>

doctest has even more macros if you want to really squeeze machine cycles from testing.

[cong1920]

And for using Catch in test code, and considering logging lib. Sorry I didn't realize compiling could be hugely slowed down with Catch. I like to use Catch in test because:

1. Catch can group test scenarios better. Like we can have good test scenarios in one group, and error cases in another.
2. Catch can get test setup/teardown better than assert. At least for the test code I added to clean up temporary files assert() on failing cases never have chance clean them up because assert() just terminates process directly.

If we stay away with Catch, could here be a way to have test groups in one test code file with ctest? and a gently teardown than assert()? Or any mitigation like build flag or something to only build with Catch for test code if it turned on?

Same for logging I do believe logging with timestamps and output redirection to file or screen is pretty important for a web server. Or maybe it should be Lithium user's choice to use a modern logging lib when coding a web server with Lithium?

[jmafc]

@matt-42 Thought you may want to know that, although the logo is clearly visible on https://matt-42.github.io/lithium/ no matter which dark/light theme you use, on GH itself, the logo in the README is nearly invisible if you use a dark theme.