Running pre-build action while also using internal libraries

[Martinsos]

Is there any way to run something before building but also use the feature of internal libraries?

We tried using build-type: Custom but then we got error message:

Error:
    Internal libraries only supported with per-component builds.
    Per-component builds were disabled because build-type is Custom

While when using build-type: Simple, Setup.hs gets ignored.

For context, what we need to run is a shell command that builds a Typescript project, and we want to ensure that always happens before our Haskell program builds.

[Mikolaj]

I'd use a makefile, which would also prevent building the Typescript project twice, but perhaps there are better ways.

[Martinsos]

And then you would, from that Makefile, both build that Typescript project and also build cabal project, where Typescript project is a dependency of cabal project?

[Mikolaj]

I guess so? I'd make it so the parameters to make are passed to cabal or to cabal build inside the Makefile, but I'd keep most of the params in cabal.project.local file (cabal configure creates such file from the commandline parameters).

BTW, the "prevent building the Typescript project twice" only makes sense if the tool used to build it doesn't take care of that already and if you can tell make what file is the output of the corresponding Typescript file so that make can verify typestamps.