diff --git a/docs/components.md b/docs/components.md index c67ea89b..940b7444 100644 --- a/docs/components.md +++ b/docs/components.md @@ -101,6 +101,109 @@ To learn more about lifecycle methods, [see the lifecycle methods page](lifecycl --- +### Alternate component syntaxes + +#### ES6 classes + +Components can also be written using ES6 class syntax: + +```javascript +class ES6ClassComponent { + constructor(vnode) { + // vnode.state is undefined at this point + this.kind = "ES6 class" + } + view() { + return m("div", "Hello from an " + this.kind) + } + oncreate() { + console.log(`A ${this.kind} component was created`) + } +} +``` + +Component classes must define a `view()` method. + +They can be consumed in the same way regular components can. + +```javascript +// EXAMPLE: via m.render +m.render(document.body, m(ES6ClassComponent)) + +// EXAMPLE: via m.mount +m.mount(document.body, ES6ClassComponent) + +// EXAMPLE: via m.route +m.route(document.body, "/", { + "/": ES6ClassComponent +}) + +// EXAMPLE: component composition +class AnotherES6ClassComponent { + view() { + return m("main", [ + m(ES6ClassComponent) + ]) + } +} +``` + +More generally, a constructible function whose `.prototype.view` is a function will be treated as a class. + +#### Closure components + +Functionally minded developers may prefer using the "closure component" syntax: + +```javascript +function closureComponent(vnode) { + // vnode.state is undefined at this point + var kind = "closure component" + + return { + view: function() { + return m("div", "Hello from a " + kind) + }, + oncreate: function() { + console.log("We've created a " + kind) + } + } +} +``` + +The returned object must hold a `view` function. + +They can be consumed in the same way regular components can. + +```javascript +// EXAMPLE: via m.render +m.render(document.body, m(closureComponent)) + +// EXAMPLE: via m.mount +m.mount(document.body, closuresComponent) + +// EXAMPLE: via m.route +m.route(document.body, "/", { + "/": closureComponent +}) + +// EXAMPLE: component composition +function anotherClosureComponent() { + return { + view: function() { + return m("main", [ + m(closureComponent) + ]) + } + } +} +``` + +#### Mixing component kinds + +Components can be freely mixed. A Class component can have closure or POJO components as children, etc... + +--- + ### State Like all virtual DOM nodes, component vnodes can have state. Component state is useful for supporting object-oriented architectures, for encapsulation and for separation of concerns. @@ -109,7 +212,7 @@ The state of a component can be accessed three ways: as a blueprint at initializ #### At initialization -The component object is the prototype of each component instance, so any property defined on the component object will be accessible as a property of `vnode.state`. This allows simple state initialization. +For POJO components, the component object is the prototype of each component instance, so any property defined on the component object will be accessible as a property of `vnode.state`. This allows simple state initialization. In the example below, `data` is a property of the `ComponentWithInitialState` component's state object. @@ -127,6 +230,10 @@ m(ComponentWithInitialState) //
Initial content
``` +For class components, the state is an instance of the class. + +For closure components, the state is the object returned by the closure. The state object is mostly redundant for closure components (since variables defined in the closure scope can be used instead). + #### Via vnode.state State can also be accessed via the `vnode.state` property, which is available to all lifecycle methods as well as the `view` method of a component. @@ -171,44 +278,6 @@ Be aware that when using ES5 functions, the value of `this` in nested anonymous --- -### ES6 classes - -Components can also be written using ES6 class syntax: - -```javascript -class ES6ClassComponent { - view() { - return m("div", "Hello from an ES6 class") - } -} -``` - -They can be consumed in the same way regular components can. - -```javascript -// EXAMPLE: via m.render -m.render(document.body, m(ES6ClassComponent)) - -// EXAMPLE: via m.mount -m.mount(document.body, ES6ClassComponent) - -// EXAMPLE: via m.route -m.route(document.body, "/", { - "/": ES6ClassComponent -}) - -// EXAMPLE: component composition -class AnotherES6ClassComponent { - view() { - return m("main", [ - m(ES6ClassComponent) - ]) - } -} -``` - ---- - ### Avoid anti-patterns Although Mithril is flexible, some code patterns are discouraged: diff --git a/docs/vnodes.md b/docs/vnodes.md index cc6139bd..cff0ebe4 100644 --- a/docs/vnodes.md +++ b/docs/vnodes.md @@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Property | Type | Description `text` | `(String|Number|Boolean)?` | This is used instead of `children` if a vnode contains a text node as its only child. This is done for performance reasons. Component vnodes never use the `text` property even if they have a text node as their only child. `dom` | `Element?` | Points to the element that corresponds to the vnode. This property is `undefined` in the `oninit` lifecycle method. In fragments and trusted HTML vnodes, `dom` points to the first element in the range. `domSize` | `Number?` | This is only set in fragment and trusted HTML vnodes, and it's `undefined` in all other vnode types. It defines the number of DOM elements that the vnode represents (starting from the element referenced by the `dom` property). -`state` | `Object?` | An object that is persisted between redraws. It is provided by the core engine when needed. In component vnodes, the `state` inherits prototypically from the component object/class. +`state` | `Object?` | An object that is persisted between redraws. It is provided by the core engine when needed. In POJO component vnodes, the `state` inherits prototypically from the component object/class. In class component vnodes it is an instance of the class. In closure components it is the object returned by the closure. `_state` | `Object?` | For components, a reference to the original `vnode.state` object, used to lookup the `view` and hooks. This property is only used internally by Mithril, do not use or modify it. `events` | `Object?` | An object that is persisted between redraws and that stores event handlers so that they can be removed using the DOM API. The `events` property is `undefined` if there are no event handlers defined. This property is only used internally by Mithril, do not use or modify it. `instance` | `Object?` | For components, a storage location for the value returned by the `view`. This property is only used internally by Mithril, do not use or modify it.