can't generate sprites because of folder name starting with a number

[doppelreim]

Hi there,

I would like to use compass to generate a sprite map of the flags using this code:

@import "compass/utilities/sprites";
@import "flags/24x24/*.png";
@include all-24x24-sprites;

This fails in the second line with:
Invalid CSS after "$": expected identifier, was "24x24-sprite-ba..."
I think this is because the folder containing the icons starts with a number, which is not allowed in Sass, apparently.
Renaming the folder "24x24" to something starting with a character fixes the issue.

Would you be willing to rename your folders? I could create a pull request, if necessary.
Or is there maybe another way to fix this?

[geraldb]

Thanks for trying. Sorry I'm not familiar with the sprite machinery for compass. I'd say please check if there's a way to make it work w/ compass - if there's really no way as you suggest might be a good idea to rename 24x24 to x24 for example.

[doppelreim]

Ok, I looked around for a bit and found the following:

A similar issue in compass (Compass/compass#1342). The problem there is image files (instead of directories) starting with a number, but I assume the underlying problem is the same. The problem in the issue is attributed to Sass itself not allowing variables starting with a number.

Then there is this SO thread http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17191265/legal-characters-for-sass-and-scss-variable-names/17194994#17194994 ultimately linking to https://github.com/sass/sass/blob/stable/lib/sass/scss/rx.rb#L61 which makes me fairly certain, that Sass variables can't start with a number.

In the context of a Rails App, I imagine using compass to generate the sprite-map is quite common.
The alternative gems come bundled with a pre-made sprite-map and corresponding css. But I like doing that myself, so this gem would be right up my alley.

[geraldb]

Thanks for the detailed follow up. For a quick fix I suggest just fork the repo and rename to x24 or something. Better do NOT wait until I get around - it will take weeks, sorry.

[doppelreim]

Ok :)