Compared to the previous release we've proceeded a step or two closer towards paper. This time around in addition to the usual tweaks there are a couple of new chapters and more content.
It will likely take at least one more release till we get to the magical 2.0 release that should become available in paper as well.
If you aren't interested in what has changed, [skip straight to the book](/webpack/preface).
I tackled most of the issues I had in mind for this release. Some were deferred to the next one and I'll continue iterating there. The structure of the book feels solid and it's fast to progress now. There are three chapters and three appendices to add. After that I consider the book "feature complete".
This time around my special thanks go to Pedr Browne for his amazing feedback that helped me improve particularly the flow of the book. Some improvements are still in store.
There will be at least a 1.8 version before the book reaches paper, but the end is definitely in sight. Open issues as you see fit. You can also reach me through Gitter.
Note that webpack 2 is considered stable now and you don't need @beta specifier with it when installing. Only extract-text-webpack-plugin remains in release candidate mode. If you want to help with it, check out the issue tracker and especially the milestones. It has to reach a final release before I can push the paper book out there.
If you have found the content useful, this would be a good time to contribute a testimonial. A sentence or two would go a long way. Contact me the way you see the most fitting. You can find a couple of channels at the site footer.
1.7.0#In total 159 commits went to the book since the last release. You can find the important changes below. See GitHub for all changes. Remember especially the "Files changed" tab as it gives you a good overview of what's happening with the book.
I continued the habit of silent releases and I actually intend to do one quite fast after this release to improve the formatting of webpack output.
There's a new part on how to extend webpack. I pushed the existing loader chapter there and added a short one on plugins. It's more of a quick dip in the topic to give you some idea on how you might write one.
I also integrated React HMR appendix to the React chapter itself as that felt like a better place for it. During this process I upgraded the setup to use the newest beta version of react-hot-loader while covering a couple of gotchas related to it and how to work around those.
The configuration style has improved a notch and you'll see many functions accept objects. This is to keep them readable and easy to extend.
You will find numerous smaller improvements in the book and it should flow better. Certain chapters contribute more to the book project and I've tried to take care to write the chapters so that you can approach them even without knowledge of the previous ones. Sometimes that's impossible to pull off, but it should be a little better now at least.
env discussion as that's covered earlier now.use.I'll focus on the smaller tweaks on my list first and get a silent release or two out there based on those. After that I will get the remaining chapters and appendices done. Especially the early part of the book will receive certain improvements that make it a little easier to approach.
I hope you enjoy the changes. As usual, feedback is welcome. I'm active at the book Gitter channel and you can reach me through it easily.
If you want to support the development of the book, pick up a copy at Leanpub. A part of the income (around ~30%) goes to Tobias Koppers, the author of webpack. This is my way of supporting his work given mine builds on top of his. Literally most of the income goes to webpack developers now!
You can [support webpack through open collective](https://opencollective.com/webpack) too.