Components
Components are the fundamental building blocks of CBWIRE applications. They encapsulate both the data and behavior needed to create interactive user interface elements that respond to user actions without requiring full page refreshes. Think of components as self-contained, reusable pieces of functionality that manage their own state and handle their own user interactions.
Each CBWIRE component is a ColdBox component (.bx for BoxLang, .cfc for CFML) that extends the base cbwire.models.Component
class. This inheritance provides all the reactive functionality and lifecycle methods needed to create dynamic user interfaces. Components follow a clear structure and naming convention, making them easy to organize and maintain as your application grows.
Components are made up of data properties, computed properties, actions, and a template. This separation of concerns keeps your code organized and maintainable while providing the flexibility to create complex interactive experiences.
When a component is rendered, CBWIRE automatically handles the initial setup, manages the component's lifecycle, and coordinates communication between the server and client. This abstraction allows you to focus on your application's business logic rather than the underlying mechanics of creating reactive interfaces.
// ./wires/Counter.bx
class extends="cbwire.models.Component" {
// Data properties
data = {
"counter": 0 // default value
};
// Action
function increment() {
data.counter++;
}
// Helper method also available to template
function isEven() {
return data.counter % 2 == 0;
}
}
<!--- ./wires/counter.bxm --->
<bx:output>
<div>
<h1>My Counter</h1>
Counter: #counter#<br>
Is Even: #isEven()#
<button wire:click="increment">Increment</button>
</div>
</bx:output>
Rendering Components
You can render a component using the wire() method.
<!--- ./layouts/Main.bxm|cfm --->
<body>
<div>
#wire( name="ShowPosts" )#
</div>
</body>
<!--- ./views/posts/index.bxm|cfm --->
<h1>My Posts</h1>
#wire( name="ShowPosts" )#
External Components
You can render wires from folders and subfolders outside of the default ./wires folder.
<div>
#wire( name="myFolder.MyComponent" )#
#wire( name="myFolder.subFolder.MyComponent" )#
</div>
You can also reference components within another ColdBox module by using the @module syntax.
<div>#wire( name="MyComponent@myModule" )#</div>
Passing Parameters
You can pass data into a component as an additional argument using wire().
<body>
<div>
#wire( name="ShowPost", params={ "post": post } )#
#wire( "ShowPost", { "post": post } )#
</div>
</body>
By passing in parameters, you can create reusable UI components that are unique but similar in functionality. For example, you could make a button component that you reuse throughout your app.
Using Parameters
Parameters are passed into your component's onMount() method. This is an optional method you can add.
<!--- ./views/posts/index.bxm|cfm --->
<div>
#wire( "ShowPost", { title: "Post 1" } )#
</div>
// ./wires/ShowPost.bx
class extends="cbwire.models.Component" {
data = {
"title": ""
};
function onMount( params ) {
data.title = params.title;
}
}
Auto Populating Data Properties
Properties you pass into your component as params will be automatically populated if onMount() is not defined and a matching data property is found.
<div>
#wire( name="ShowPost", params={ title: "Some title" } )#
</div>
Passed-in properties must have a data type of string, boolean, numeric, date, array, or struct.
Nesting Components
CBWIREController
There may be areas of your application where you need to use wire() but don't have access to it. You can use the CBWIREController object to insert wires anywhere you need.
// property injection
property name="CBWIREController" inject="CBWIREController@cbwire";
// using getInstance
CBWIREController = getInstance( "CBWIREController@cbwire" );
// Creating a wire from controller
CBWIREController.wire( "EditablePage", { contentKey: "someValue" } );
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