Components

A component is an ideal solution for creating reusable features. It consists of two main parts: the self (JavaScript) and the template (HTML). LemonadeJS facilitates binding both the self and the template within the same scope, enabling seamless sharing of properties, objects, and methods between them.

Summary of this chapter

The most important points:

The self properties: All attributes from the component HTML tag will be available in the method as this.
Reserved properties: the parent, el, and refresh are reserved properties in any component.
Dynamic template: All HTML within a component tag is the template and is part of the function call.
Component refresh: This is used to re-render the component keeping the self state.
Component declaration: A custom tag and its methods should have the same name and passed in your call lemonade.element(template, self, { Component1, Component2, ... }).

The self properties

All attributes used in the custom component tag in the template will be available as this inside the custom component.

<html>
<script src="https://lemonadejs.net/lemonade.js"></script>
<div id='root'></div>
<script>
function Hello() {
    // Get the attributes from the tag
    const self = this;
    // Title and year are declared in the parent template
    return `<h1>{{self.title}} {{self.year}}</h1>`;
}

function Component() {
    const self = this;
    self.value = '2023';
    // title and year will be available inside Hello through (this)
    return `<>
            <Hello title="Hello" year="{{self.value}}" />
            <input type="button" value="Next"
                onclick="self.value++" />
        </>`;
}
// Register custom tags
lemonade.setComponents({ Hello });
// Render the component
lemonade.render(Component, document.getElementById('root'));
</script>
</html>

Reserved self properties

When a self is created from a custom component, the following properties are reserved:

parent: the self from the caller;
el: the HTML root element;
refresh: a method to trigger the refresh bound to a property. Normally used on array operations;

Dynamic template

Any HTML inside component tag is considered as a template, and it will passed to the component method handler as the first argument.

<html>
<script src="https://lemonadejs.net/lemonade.js"></script>
<div id='root'></div>
<script>
// Template is based on the caller innerHTML
function Crypto(template) {
    // this received title from the caller
    const self = this;
    // Create the component
    return template;
}

function Component() {
    let self = this

    // The innerHTML of Crypto is the template for the component
    return `<>
        <h3>Example</h3>
        <Crypto title="Bitcoin">
            <b>Coin: {{self.title}}</b>
        </Crypto>
    </>`;
}
// Register custom tags
lemonade.setComponents({ Crypto });
// Render the component
lemonade.render(Component, document.getElementById('root'));
</script>
</html>

Component refresh

It is important to notice in the examples above that the components Hello and Crypto are included in the third argument of lemonade.element. This is because, the component reference should be available in the same scope of the template during the rendering.

<html>
<script src="https://lemonadejs.net/lemonade.js"></script>
<div id='root'></div>
<script>
// Component
// Component
function Element() {
    if (self.type) {
        return `<select :bind="self.value">
            <option value=""></option>
            <option value="test">test</option>
        </select>`;
    } else {
        return `<input type="text" :bind="self.value" />`;
    }
}

function Form() {
    let self = this
    // The innerHTML of Crypto is the template for the component
    return `<>
        <h3>Form</h3>
        <Test type="{{self.type}}" :ref="self.element" /><br><br>
        <input type="button" value="Update type"
            onclick="self.type = !self.type; self.element.refresh();" />
    </>`;
}
// Register custom tags
lemonade.setComponents({ Element });
// Render the component
lemonade.render(Form, document.getElementById('root'));
</script>
</html>

Component declaration

It is important to notice in the examples above that the components Hello and Crypto need to be register to be used across the application.

Local declaration

To declare a local component, you can use lemonade.element to create your component as below.

<html>
<script src="https://lemonadejs.net/lemonade.js"></script>
<div id='root'></div>
<script>
// Component
function Element() {
    if (self.type) {
        return `<select :bind="self.value">
            <option value=""></option>
            <option value="test">test</option>
        </select>`;
    } else {
        return `<input type="text" :bind="self.value" />`;
    }
}

function Form() {
    let self = this

    // Declare the components locally
    let template = `<>
        <h3>Form</h3>
        <Element type="1" />
    </>`;

    return lemonade.element(template, self, { Element });
}
// Render the component
lemonade.render(Form, document.getElementById('root'));
</script>
</html>

Next Chapter

The next Chapter presents how to create a Component as a JavaScript.

Next chapter: Classes