Rename `src/routes` to `src/app`

[Rich-Harris]

Describe the problem

Have come to the view that src/routes is suboptimal naming. It downplays the centrality of that folder, and makes you think about 'routing' even if your app has no routes (or e.g. you're brand new to web dev and are tinkering with Svelte for the first time, and don't yet even know what that word means in this context).

By contrast, src/app/index.svelte almost announces itself as the root of your app.

It has appealing aesthetic qualities as well:

• app and lib have a pleasing symmetry — both three letters, with app coming first, and lib coming later when you need it
• in the same way that $lib points to the contents of your lib folder, the $app/* imports are essentially a reification of your app. it makes sense that $app -> src/app and $lib -> src/lib
• 'app root' is nicer to say than 'root route'
• it's more compact, and we like things that are compact

Describe the proposed solution

We'd need to

• change the default option here
• update the templates
• (optionally) detect the presence of a src/routes directory and invite people to either a) change the default kit.files.app to src/routes or b) preferably move src/routes to src/app

Alternatives considered

Keeping things as they are

Importance

nice to have

Additional Information

No response

[rchrdnsh]

And an images folder, if added, could be img, and an assets folder, for audio, video, etc, could be…err…never mind 🤪

Would the app.html file still be outside the app folder? Might that be a touch confooz for some? Or would it be the case that there are both an app folder and a routes folder?

I also personally want to rename lib to library for myself because I don't personally enjoy abbreviations, but to each their own

[ZetiMente]

This is my "routes" folder and you can see that "routes" doesn't really capture the essence of the folder. So you have this random person on the internet vote.

I would also petition to change "static" to "assets" as that folder contains images, robot.txt & wasm files. Static doesn't really capture it's essence either as the .wasm files can and do change often.

[rchrdnsh]

This is my src folder structure currently:

...where content is markdown files and images are images that I want vite to process, themes are css files for theme switching that I then import into app.css, and the other stuff is as it usually is. lib being only three letters feels like the odd one out for me...but...doesn't matter :-)

Just fun to share 😁

[bluwy]

I personally still prefer routes, it's more clearer upfront that it contains the application routes. app sounds a bit vague until we explain what it contains.

[Conduitry]

I'm slightly against this. This directory doesn't contain your app - the whole src directory contains your app. If we are still looking for another name so we can avoid saying route root, that's fine, but I don't think that name should be app.

[lsabi]

To me app represents the entire app folder, while src the source code folder. I would expect something like:

• app the folder that contains the entire project
• app/src the folder that contains the source code (routes, hooks, lib, utilities)
• app/assets the folder that contains the "static" assets (some may be 3rd party libraries or be dynamically generated at build time)
• app/.env to contain ENV variables

Nevertheless, also the current folder structure is not a problem to me. It is well described in the docs, so I don't see the problem with

It downplays the centrality of that folder, and makes you think about 'routing' even if your app has no routes (or e.g. you're brand new to web dev and are tinkering with Svelte for the first time, and don't yet even know what that word means in this context).

There will always be someone who doesn't read the docs, doesn't understand the current naming folder and asks somewhere the meaning.....

[IsaacHub]

routes -> pages

static -> assets

[Conduitry]

pages would be confusing because we're already saying there are two types of routes: pages and endpoints.

[Valexr]

[IsaacHub]

No it won't confuse, unless the core team want us to get confused.
There are multitude of childish and critical issues on both svelte and sveltekit, Priority must be given to those, not renaming stuff.

[Doomd]

I like app, and I also like that app.html would be the entry point to the app directory, which imo clarifies that the lib directory is for your behind-the-scenes logic, components, assets etc...and that the app directory is the front-facing structure of your...well...app.

When we think of an app's different "routes" we never think, "What routes does this app have?" No, we ask, "What does this app do?" A web app might have "pages", and a phone app might have "tabs" that "do" different things, but each of these pages and tabs ultimately comprises what we and users think not of as "routes" but as the "app."

As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” -- Patrick Rothfuss

I don't think that the names of things are childish or trivial either. SvelteKit exists, at least in part, to make turning ideas into real apps...easier and faster...for professional developers...and for novices alike. If naming directories more concisely makes SvelteKit even only a little bit more accessible...I honestly can't think of a cheaper way of making an improvement.

[Tropix126]

I feel like this could ultimately lead to more confusion. "app" terminology, at least with the Svelte SPA template describes an entire project, components included. routes on the other hand is a term specific to an app that uses a router. It's clear that the folder contains the project's routes at the moment.

Without diving too far into semantics, I think that app is too ambiguous of a term to assign to a folder that's only purpose is to store routes.

[Tropix126]

As for what $lib is, that's a whole other discussion. If you're packaging, then it's internal actions and components should be in there, but some also throw in their route-specific stores. Others straight up remove it and use a different folder, and some put in database helper.

[ghostdevv]

Throwing my hat in: routes is the perfect name. The point of file routing a website is that you have a 1:1 map between the file and the web page. Each page has a route, if you want to rename anything then maybe rename src to app but I personally am so used to src it would be a hard change but not the end of the world. I still hung up on app.html not being index.html xD

[kevmodrome]

I'm personally quite ok with routes. But if it must change, what about routes -> site? I know it's very hip to consider websites apps but for beginners I suspect apps is confusing as well.