TypeScript removes comments even when `removeComments: false`

[abelepereira]

Bug Report

TypeScript removes comments when transpiling even when removeComments: false.

🔎 Search Terms

removeComments; comments;

🕗 Version & Regression Information

Seems to happen on all versions (at least from 3.x to latest).

⏯ Playground Link

Playground Link

💻 Code

Specifying a type on b causes the problem to manifest,

let a = /*[[${something}]]*/ {};
let b: any = /*[[${something}]]*/ {};

🙁 Actual behavior

Produces the following output when removeComments is set to false on tsconfig.json:

"use strict";
let a = /*[[${something}]]*/ {};
let b = {};

🙂 Expected behavior

Should keep the comments on both lines:

"use strict";
let a = /*[[${something}]]*/ {};
let b = /*[[${something}]]*/ {};

[RyanCavanaugh]

Just to set expectations, removeComments: false is not a guarantee that 100% of comments will be retained -- those attached to interfaces, for example, will still not be present in the JS.

This case looks like an oversight though

[a-tarasyuk]

It looks similar to #40943

[abelepereira]

yup, it's a dup of #40943.

@RyanCavanaugh for interfaces and other type artifacts that are lost while transpiling, it's fine. And I would say, it's even expected those to be lost.