Unlocking the Power of Vue 3 Components
Building Blocks of Complex Applications
Components are the backbone of Vue 3 applications, allowing developers to create reusable pieces of UI code that can be easily combined to build complex and functional web applications. In this article, we’ll dive into the world of Vue 3 components, exploring their importance, creation, and usage.
What are Components in Vue 3?
Components in Vue 3 are reusable pieces of UI code that can be used as building blocks of complex applications or as reusable pieces to prevent rewriting similar code repeatedly. A Vue application typically consists of a root component and any number of other components, each holding state variables, component logic, and a template that specifies the component rendering.
Setting Up a Vue 3 Project
Before creating components, we need to set up our project. There are two types of Vue 3 projects: CDN and CLI. A CDN project is the simplest type of Vue 3 project, where we import the CDN into our HTML page and create a div element to render the Vue application. On the other hand, a CLI project is more complex and requires installing Node.js, npm or Yarn, and Vue CLI.
Creating a Component in Vue 3
To create a component in Vue 3, we start with an empty object and register it to the component we want to use it in. We can then add a template that specifies the component rendering, and bind the template to the component using the template property.
The Root Component
The root component is the foundation of every Vue web application. We create a root component by calling the createApp function and passing it to the root component object. In Vue CLI, the root component is just like any other component and is located at src/App.vue.
Creating a Simple Component
To create a simple component, we start with an empty object and register it to the component we want to use it in. We then add a template that specifies the component rendering, and bind the template to the component using the template property.
Adding State to Vue 3 Components
To add state variables to Vue components, we create a data method in the component object. The data method should return an object that contains the state variables.
Handling Props in Vue 3 Components
Props in Vue are attributes that are passed to components, promoting flexibility and reusability. We pass props to components in the same way we pass attributes to HTML elements, and then register them to the component using the props array.
Nested Components
Vue 3 allows us to nest components in other components, leading to composition, where one large or complex component is composed of smaller components. This composition helps make the user interface more efficient and easier to maintain.
Using defineComponent and TypeScript
Both Vue 2 and Vue 3 allow us to build Vue applications using TypeScript. Vue 3 resolves the drawbacks of Vue 2 by providing a defineComponent function, which allows us to create a TypeScript component that is similar to a component object and also supports extra features.
Debugging Vue 3 Applications
Debugging Vue.js applications can be difficult, especially when there are dozens, if not hundreds, of mutations during a user session. LogRocket provides a solution by recording literally everything that happens in your Vue apps, including network requests, JavaScript errors, performance problems, and much more.