Support hot-reload on client applications

[ballPointPenguin]

Problem:
Rebuilding and Reloading client applications (admin, participation, report) when developing is slow and cumbersome.

Suggested solution:
Utilize webpack hot-reloading (dev server) and write documentation to support this workflow

Alternative suggestions:
Cloud-based development ?!

Additional context:
This is partly supported, to various degrees, in each client app already but needs to be finished and tested and documented.

[Simon-Dirks]

Would LOVE this! Any short-term/alternative workarounds for this or is it really the only option to completely rebuild client-participation with each front-end change? (Takes 20+ seconds on my machine..)

[colinmegill]

I would add that I've got interactive node debugging in the repo as well (VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/nodejs/nodejs-debugging and docker https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/containers/debug-node) working, and found it very helpful. A separate issue, but I'm tagging here specifically to make sure it's included in hot reloading dev workflows because it's implicated in that workflow path.

[xeeg]

@Simon-Dirks We're actively working on completing and releasing this very soon.

[Simon-Dirks]

@Simon-Dirks We're actively working on completing and releasing this very soon.

Hi there! Any news on this? (-:

[ballPointPenguin]

@Simon-Dirks We're actively working on completing and releasing this very soon.

Hi there! Any news on this? (-:

I have an open PR that moves client-report entirely to Webpack (from Gulp), which had been a blocker.
With this, all client apps will support hot reloading. I'll have some updated docs and info about setting up and running in "dev mode" coming soon.

[Simon-Dirks]

Awesome news, can confirm that I'm now hot-reloading client-report during development! Only ran into one minor issue (see PR #1721)