Master HTML5 Drag and Drop API with This Step-by-Step Tutorial

Unlock the Power of HTML 5 Drag and Drop API

What is HTML 5 Drag and Drop API?

Imagine being able to build applications with rich UI elements that can be dragged from one place to another, just like you do on your desktop. This is exactly what the HTML 5 drag and drop API offers. With this powerful tool, developers can create interactive and engaging user experiences.

Building a Kanban Board with Vue.js

To demonstrate the capabilities of the HTML 5 drag and drop API, we’ll build a simple Kanban board using Vue.js. A Kanban board is a project management tool that allows users to visually manage a project from start to finish. Tools like Trello, Pivotal Tracker, and Jira are all examples of Kanban boards.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have:

• Basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript
• Basic knowledge of Vue.js 2.x
• Vue CLI 4 (or later) installed on your machine
• Node.js 8.0.0 and npm installed on your machine

Setting up the Kanban Board

We’ll start by creating a new Vue CLI application. Run the command vue create my-kanban-board and choose the default preset containing only Babel and ESLint. Then, delete the default component HelloWorld and modify the App component to be empty.

Building the UI Components

Our Kanban board will consist of three Vue components: Column, Card, and AddCard. We’ll create each component and style them using Bootstrap CSS CDN.

The Card Component

The Card component will display a single item or task to be performed. We’ll create a new file Card.vue and add the following code:
“`html

“`
The Column Component

The Column component will display a list of cards and allow users to create new cards directly into the column. We’ll create a new file Column.vue and add the following code:
“`html

“`
The AddCard Component

The AddCard component will allow users to create new cards and add them to the column. We’ll create a new file AddCard.vue and add the following code:
“`html

“`
Drag and Drop Functionality

To enable drag and drop functionality, we’ll make the Card component draggable and the Column component drop-enabled.

Making Cards Draggable

We’ll add the following code to the Card component:
“`javascript
mounted() {
this.setDraggable()
},

methods: {
setDraggable() {
const card = this.$refs.card
card.draggable = true
card.addEventListener(‘dragstart’, this.handleDragStart)
card.addEventListener(‘dragend’, this.handleDragEnd)
},
handleDragStart(event) {
event.dataTransfer.setData(‘text/x-kanban-card’, this.cardData)
event.target.style.opacity = 0.2
},
handleDragEnd(event) {
event.target.style.opacity = 1
}
}
“`
Making Columns Drop-Enabled

We’ll add the following code to the Column component:
“`javascript
mounted() {
this.setColumnDropEnabled()
},

methods: {
setColumnDropEnabled() {
const column = this.$refs.column
column.addEventListener(‘dragover’, this.handleDragOver)
column.addEventListener(‘drop’, this.handleDrop)
},
handleDragOver(event) {
event.preventDefault()
event.dataTransfer.dropEffect = ‘ove’
},
handleDrop(event) {
const cardData = event.dataTransfer.getData(‘text/x-kanban-card’)
// Emit a cardMoved event to the parent component
this.$emit(‘cardMoved’, cardData, this.columnName)
}
}
“`
Completing the Kanban Board

Finally, we’ll update the App component to handle the cardMoved event and update the application state:
“`javascript

“`
And that’s it! You now have a fully functional Kanban board with drag and drop functionality using the HTML 5 drag and drop API and Vue.js.