Automatic refresh of nbdev_preview lost when using output-file on the frontmatter

[thigm85]

Using output-file on the notebook frontmatter works great to specify a fixed URL. However, I lost the automatic refresh of the output of nbdev_preview.

Without output-file, any notebook changes saved get immediately reflected on localhost:3000 when using nbdev_preview. This feature is lost when using output-file. Is this expected?

[jph00]

No not expected - it's a bug. It's a non-trivial fix though so might not be done right away.

BTW, what do you use output-file for? Why not just rename your notebook? I'm interested in understanding how folks use quarto and nbdev features so would love to hear more about this.

PS: Sorry I didn't respond sooner to when you mentioned this in an earlier issue.

[thigm85]

As you suggested, I currently use numbers in front of notebook files to maintain an ordering of files that makes sense to my project. However, I noticed that the ideal ordering changes when the project evolves, as do the notebook names.

Since the documentation links are used externally, it is not pleasant to change the link address every time I change the notebook name, hence output-file. Makes sense?

No worries about the lack of reply. I am grateful for the work and support you and your team provide.

[jph00]

Yup makes sense. The good news is that the latest quarto pre-releases make this numbered filename thing unnecessary.

https://quarto.org/docs/websites/website-navigation.html#auto-generation

We're now using this for the nbdev website, so check our _quarto.yml for examples. You'll need to add order: frontmatter to your notebooks.

[thigm85]

Excellent, will there be a new _quarto.yml template in future nbdev releases, or should everyone adapt their file manually to use the auto-generation functionality?

[jph00]

I'm not sure yet - will have to think about it once quarto 1.2 is released.