π§± AngularJS Components & Lifecycle β Building Blocks of UI Architecture
π§² Introduction β The Heart of AngularJS Applications
AngularJS components are the backbone of your UI, defining how data, behavior, and presentation coalesce into dynamic interfaces. Paired with a robust lifecycle, encapsulation, and communication patterns, components enable scalable, testable, and maintainable applications. This guide explores creation, interaction, projection, and runtime control through dynamic and standalone components.
π― What Youβll Learn:
- Defining and structuring components
- Lifecycle stages from initialization to teardown
- Parentβchild and sibling communication
- Content projection with
<ng-content>
- Dynamic and standalone components use cases
π Topics Covered
π§© Topic | π Description |
---|---|
AngularJS Components | Component syntax, registrations, and structure |
AngularJS Nested Components | How to nest and manage child components |
AngularJS Component Lifecycle | Hooks like $onInit , $onChanges , $onDestroy and when they fire |
AngularJS View Encapsulation | How AngularJS scopes styles and templates inside components |
AngularJS Component Communication | Data and event binding patterns between components |
AngularJS Content Projection | Inject external markup using <ng-content> |
AngularJS Dynamic Components | Create and mount components at runtime |
AngularJS Standalone Component | Build self-contained components without module dependencies |
π§± AngularJS Components β Defining UI Units
Components are registered via:
angular.module('app')
.component('myComp', {
template: '<h1>{{$ctrl.title}}</h1>',
controller() { this.title = 'Hello'; }
});
- Use
$ctrl
(alias for controller) in templates - Promotes reuse and isolation
π Nested Components β ParentβChild Composition
Parent template includes child:
<parent-comp></parent-comp>
Inside parent-comp
:
<child-comp some-prop="$ctrl.value"></child-comp>
- One-way binding via
<
(Angular 1.5+) - Encourages modular structure
β±οΈ Component Lifecycle β Hook into Behavior
Lifecycle hooks provide control at each stage:
$onInit()
: after bindings ready$onChanges(changesObj)
: when inputs change$postLink()
: DOM linked$onDestroy()
: cleanup logic
Example:
controller: function() {
this.$onInit = () => console.log('Initialized');
}
π View Encapsulation β Scoped Templates & Styles
AngularJS isolates components logically. While styles arenβt truly scoped like Angular 2+, template bindings and controllers stay self-containedβminimizing leakage across sibling components.
π Component Communication & Interaction
- One-way binding (
<
) passes data to child - Callback binding (
&
) invokes parent functions - Event emitters via services or
$emit
for broader scopes - Avoid
$scope
βpreferbindings
withcontroller as
π¦ Content Projection β <ng-content>
Component template:
<div class="panel">
<ng-content></ng-content>
</div>
Wrapper:
<my-panel>
<p>Projected content here.</p>
</my-panel>
- Enables flexible content insertion
π Dynamic Components β On-Demand Instantiation
Use $compile
and $element
to create components at runtime:
$compile('<dynamic-comp></dynamic-comp>')($scope);
- Useful for dynamic UIs, plugin loading, dashboards
π Standalone Components β Independence Matters
Standalone components can operate without being in a module:
- Use direct
.component()
registration - Ideal for library-like widgets, micro frontends
π Summary β Recap & Next Steps
Components and lifecycles in AngularJS lay the groundwork for structured UI logic. Through hooks, dependency injection, encapsulation, and content projection, you build modular, reusable, and testable units.
β Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
β How do AngularJS components differ from directives?
β Components are a type of directive with easier lifecycle hooks and isolated scopeβideal for UI.
β When is $onChanges
triggered?
β
When one-way bindings (<
) change before or after $onInit
.
β Can I nest multiple dynamic components?
β Yesβjust compile and link multiple templates dynamically within a parent.
β How to pass callback functions from parent to child?
β
Use binding syntax: &
in child; call $ctrl.onSave()
to invoke parent method.
β How to clean up event listeners in a component?
β
Use $onDestroy
to unregister listeners or cancel intervals to prevent memory leaks.
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