Provide config to rename `index.html` in `dist` folder

[Meligy]

This is a feature request.

TL;DR; As a full-stack developer, I want to be able to rename the file extension of the generated HTML file in dist folder, so I can easily integrate it into my server-side project.

Right now (beta-15), I can rename the source HTML file in angular-cli.json using the index property, but the output file in dist is still called index.html.

I don't care whether the implementation chooses to carry the name forward from the index property, or introduce another property for it.

Use Case:

I need to use this inside an ASP .NET MVC application (.NET 4.5 not .NET Core).

My plan is to:

1. Include the folder as sub-folder in the project, called say client.
2. Set redirects in the root server-side project to go to client/dist when it's not matching files / folders or APIs
3. Run ng build --watch for dev, while IIS is looking at my parent server-side project folder

But I may well end up needing a legacy layout file, and some other server-side code to run before returning the HTML file, so my plan is to have a root server-side rout + MVC controller that returns the HTML file, using the Razor template engine (a .cshtml file, like Views/Home/Index.cshtml), which will still have the layout.

But I still want Webpack to generate the script tag etc. So, I want to:

1. strip everything from the CLI project index.html file
2. Include the generated file, which only has the generated script tag etc, in the server-side Index.cshtml file.

But to include it in my server template, it's way easier for me if its extension was cshtml not html. It's doable without that, but it's too much config, and part of this is showing the guys here how super easy it is to include Angular 2 seamlessly.

P.S.

Sorry if this sounds like a very complex scenario, I believe it really isn't, and it's awesome to have something like this to integrate Angular 2 with server-side frameworks; and the change -I hope- isn't a big one really to support this.

Thanks a lot for creating such an awesome starter that makes developing Angular 2 much easier, and making it available for everyone for free, while you definitely do not have to, and owe nothing to any of us.

[filipesilva]

I think the existing config can be used for the output as well. This isn't a big priority, I want to be honest with you. There's just a lot of bigger fish to fry right now.

But I can point you in the right direction in case you wanna do a PR.

• We use this plugin, it seem to allow you to chose the destination filename: https://github.com/ampedandwired/html-webpack-plugin#configuration
• This is where you should change it https://github.com/angular/angular-cli/blob/master/packages/angular-cli/models/webpack-build-common.ts#L128
• appConfig.index is what's in angular-cli.json, specifically apps[0].index
• you'll need tests, see https://github.com/angular/angular-cli/blob/master/tests/e2e/tests/build/output-dir.ts for a build test and https://github.com/angular/angular-cli/blob/master/tests/e2e/tests/third-party/bootstrap.ts on how to update the angular-cli.json file
• do node tests/e2e_runner.js to run the e2e test suite

[AurelieV]

Definitly need it too, and already have done something similar with my wepback config in an other project.
I will push a PR this week-end if I can

[changLiuUNSW]

PR created for publicPath support
#3285