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block includes
include ../_util-fns
- var _library_module = 'library module'
- var _at_angular = '@angular'
:marked
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Angular is a framework to help us build client applications in HTML and
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either JavaScript or a language (like Dart or TypeScript) that compiles to JavaScript.
block angular-parts
:marked
The framework consists of several cooperating libraries, some of them core and some optional.
:marked
With Angular, we write applications by composing HTML *templates* with Angularized-markup,
writing *component* classes to manage those templates, adding application logic in *services*,
and handing the top root component to Angular's *bootstrapper*.
Angular takes over, presenting our application content in a browser and
responding to user interactions according to the instructions we provided.
Of course there is more to it than this.
We'll learn the details when we dive into the guide chapters.
Let's get the big picture first.
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/overview2.png" alt="overview" style="margin-left:-40px;" width="700")
:marked
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The architecture diagram identifies the eight main building blocks of an Angular application:
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1. [Modules](#modules)
1. [Components](#components)
1. [Templates](#templates)
1. [Metadata](#metadata)
1. [Data binding](#data-binding)
1. [Directives](#directives)
1. [Services](#services)
1. [Dependency injection](#dependency-injection)
Learn these, and we're on our way.
.l-sub-section
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p The code referenced in this chapter is available as a <live-example></live-example>.
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.l-main-section
:marked
## Modules
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/module.png" alt="Component" align="left" style="width:240px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
Angular apps are modular.
In general we assemble our application from many **modules**.
A typical module is a cohesive block of code dedicated to a single purpose.
A module **exports** something of value in that code, typically one thing such as a class.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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block modules-in-dart
//- N/A
block modules-are-optional
.l-sub-section
:marked
### Modules are optional
We highly recommend modular design. TypeScript has great support for ES2015 module syntax and our chapters assume we're taking a modular
approach using that syntax. That's why we list *Module* among the basic building blocks.
Angular itself doesn't require a modular approach nor this particular syntax. Don't use it if you don't want it.
Each chapter has plenty to offer after you steer clear of the `import` and `export` statements.
Find setup and organization clues in the JavaScript track (select it from the combo-box at the top of this page)
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which demonstrates Angular development with plain old JavaScript and no module system.
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- var _app_comp_filename = _docsFor == 'dart' ? 'app_component.dart' : 'app.component.ts';
:marked
Perhaps the first module we meet is a module that exports a *component* class.
The component is one of the basic Angular blocks, we write a lot of them,
and we'll talk about components in the next segment. For the moment it is enough to know that a
component class is the kind of thing we'd export from a module.
Most applications have an `AppComponent`. By convention, we'll find it in a file named `!{_app_comp_filename}`.
Look inside such a file and we'll see a declaration such as this one.
+makeExcerpt('app/app.component.ts ()', 'export')
block export-qualifier
:marked
The `export` statement tells TypeScript that this is a module whose
`AppComponent` class is public and accessible to other modules of the application.
:marked
When we need a reference to the `AppComponent`, we **import** it like this:
+makeExcerpt('app/main.ts', 'import')
block ts-import
:marked
The `import` statement tells the system it can get an `AppComponent` from a module named `app.component`
located in a neighboring file.
The **module name** (AKA module id) is often the same as the filename without its extension.
:marked
### Libraries
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/library-module.png" alt="Component" align="left" style="width:240px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
block angular-library-modules
:marked
Some modules are _libraries_ of other modules.
Angular itself ships as a collection of library modules within several npm packages.
Their names begin with the `!{_at_angular}` prefix.
Each Angular library contains a [barrel](../glossary.html#barrel) module
that is actually a public façade over several logically-related private modules.
:marked
`!{_at_angular}/core` is the primary Angular library from which we get most of what we need.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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There are other important Angular libraries too, such as `!{_at_angular}/common`<span if-docs="ts">,
`!{_at_angular}/http`</span> and `!{_at_angular}/router`.
We import what we need from an Angular !{_library_module}.
block angular-imports
:marked
For example, we import the Angular **`Component` *function*** from `@angular/core` like this:
+makeExcerpt('app/app.component.ts', 'import')
:marked
Compare that syntax to our previous import of `AppComponent`.
+makeExcerpt('app/main.ts', 'import')
:marked
Notice the difference?
In the first case, when importing from an Angular library module,
the import statement refers to the bare module name, `@angular/core`, *without a path prefix*.
When we import from one of *our* own files, we prefix the module name with the file path.
In this example we specify a relative file path (`./`). That means the
source module is in the same folder (`./`) as the module importing it.
We could path up and around the application folder structure if the source module were somewhere else.
.l-sub-section
:marked
We import and export in the ECMAScript 2015 (ES2015) module syntax.
Learn more about that syntax [here](http://www.2ality.com/2014/09/es6-modules-final.html)
and many other places on the web.
The infrastructure *behind* module loading and importing is an important subject.
But it's a subject outside the scope of this introduction to Angular.
While we're focused on our application, *import* and *export*
is about all we need to know.
- var _export = _docsFor == 'dart' ? 'publicly declare' : 'export';
- var _declare = _docsFor == 'dart' ? 'declare' : 'export';
:marked
The key take-aways are:
* Angular apps are composed of modules.
* Modules !{_export} things — classes, function, values — that other modules import.
* We prefer to write our application as a collection of modules, each module exporting one thing.
The first module we write will most likely !{_declare} a component.
.l-main-section
:marked
## Components
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/hero-component.png" alt="Component" align="left" style="width:200px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
A **component** controls a patch of screen real estate that we could call a *view*.
The shell at the application root with navigation links, a list of heroes, a hero editor ...
they're all views controlled by components.
We define a component's application logic — what it does to support the view — inside a class.
The class interacts with the view through an API of properties and methods.
<a id="component-code"></a>
A `HeroListComponent`, for example, might have a `heroes` property that returns !{_an} !{_array} of heroes
that it acquired from a service.
It might have a `selectHero()` method that sets a `selectedHero` property when the user clicks to choose a hero from that list.
The component might be a class like this:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.ts', 'class')
:marked
Angular creates, updates, and destroys components as the user moves through the application.
The developer can take action at each moment in this lifecycle through optional [lifecycle hooks](lifecycle-hooks.html), like `ngOnInit()` declared above.
.l-sub-section
:marked
We may wonder who is calling the component's constructor? Who provides the service parameter?
For the moment, have faith that Angular will call the constructor and deliver an
appropriate `HeroService` when we need it.
.l-main-section
:marked
## Templates
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/template.png" alt="Template" align="left" style="width:200px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
We define a component's view with its companion **template**. A template is a form of HTML
that tells Angular how to render the component.
A template looks like regular HTML much of the time ... and then it gets a bit strange. Here is a
template for our `HeroListComponent`:
+makeExample('app/hero-list.component.html')
:marked
This template features typical HTML elements like `<h2>` and `<p>`.
But what are `*ngFor`, `{{hero.name}}`, `(click)`, `[hero]`, and `<hero-detail>`?
These are examples of Angular's [template syntax](template-syntax.html).
We will grow accustomed to that syntax and may even learn to love it.
We'll begin to explain it in a moment.
Before we do, focus attention on the last line.
The `<hero-detail>` tag is a custom element representing the `HeroDetailComponent`.
The `HeroDetailComponent` is a *different* component than the `HeroListComponent` we've been reviewing.
The `HeroDetailComponent` (code not shown) presents facts about a particular hero, the
hero that the user selects from the list presented by the `HeroListComponent`.
The `HeroDetailComponent` is a **child** of the `HeroListComponent`.
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/component-tree.png" alt="Metadata" align="left" style="width:300px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
Notice how `<hero-detail>` rests comfortably among native HTML elements.
We can and _will_ mix our custom components with native HTML in the same layouts.
In this manner we'll compose complex component trees to build out our richly featured application.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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.l-main-section
:marked
## Metadata
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/metadata.png" alt="Metadata" align="left" style="width:150px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
<p style="padding-top:10px">Metadata tells Angular how to process a class.</p>
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
[Looking back at the code](#component-code) for `HeroListComponent`, we see that it's just a class.
There is no evidence of a framework, no "Angular" in it at all.
In fact, it really is *just a class*. It's not a component until we *tell Angular about it*.
We tell Angular that `HeroListComponent` is a component by attaching **metadata** to the class.
In !{_Lang}, we attach metadata by using !{_a} **!{_decorator}**.
Here's some metadata for `HeroListComponent`:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.ts', 'metadata')
:marked
Here we see the `@Component` !{_decorator} which (no surprise) identifies the class
immediately below it as a component class.
block ts-decorator
:marked
A decorator is a function. Decorators often have a configuration parameter.
The `@Component` decorator takes a required configuration object with the
information Angular needs to create and present the component and its view.
Here are a few of the possible `@Component` configuration options:
:marked
- `selector`: CSS selector that tells Angular to create and insert an instance of this component
where it finds a `<hero-list>` tag in *parent* HTML.
For example, if an app's HTML contains `<hero-list></hero-list>`, then
Angular inserts an instance of the `HeroListComponent` view between those tags.
- `templateUrl`: address of this component's template, which we showed [above](#templates).
- `directives`: !{_array} of the components or directives that *this* template requires.
We saw in the last line of our template that we expect Angular to insert a `HeroDetailComponent`
in the space indicated by `<hero-detail>` tags.
Angular will do so only if we mention the `HeroDetailComponent` in this `directives` !{_array}.
- `providers`: !{_array} of **dependency injection providers** for services that the component requires.
This is one way to tell Angular that our component's constructor requires a `HeroService`
so it can get the list of heroes to display. We'll get to dependency injection later.
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/template-metadata-component.png" alt="Metadata" align="left" style="height:200px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
Angular reads the metadata specified by the `@Component`
annotation. That's how Angular learns to do "the right thing".
The template, metadata, and component together describe a view.
We apply other metadata !{_decorator}s in a similar fashion to guide Angular behavior.
`@Injectable`, `@Input`, and `@Output` are a few of the more popular !{_decorator}s
we'll master as our Angular knowledge grows.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
The architectural takeaway is that we must add metadata to our code
so that Angular knows what to do.
.l-main-section
:marked
## Data binding
Without a framework, we would be responsible for pushing data values into the HTML controls and turning user responses
into actions and value updates. Writing such push/pull logic by hand is tedious, error-prone, and a nightmare to
read as any experienced jQuery programmer can attest.
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/databinding.png" alt="Data Binding" style="width:220px; float:left; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:20px" )
:marked
Angular supports **data binding**,
a mechanism for coordinating parts of a template with parts of a component.
We add binding markup to the template HTML to tell Angular how to connect both sides.
There are four forms of data binding syntax. Each form has a direction — to the DOM, from the DOM, or in both directions —
as indicated by the arrows in the diagram.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
We saw three forms of data binding in our [example](#templates) template:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.1.html', 'binding')
:marked
* The `{{hero.name}}` [*interpolation*](displaying-data.html#interpolation)
displays the component's `hero.name` property value within the `<li>` tags.
* The `[hero]` [*property binding*](template-syntax.html#property-binding) passes the value of `selectedHero` from
the parent `HeroListComponent` to the `hero` property of the child `HeroDetailComponent`.
* The `(click)` [*event binding*](user-input.html#click) calls the component's `selectHero` method when the user clicks a hero's name.
**Two-way data binding** is an important fourth form
that combines property and event binding in a single notation, using the `ngModel` directive.
We didn't have a two-way binding in the `HeroListComponent` template;
here's an example from the `HeroDetailComponent` template:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-detail.component.html', 'ngModel')
:marked
In two-way binding, a data property value flows to the input box from the component as with property binding.
The user's changes also flow back to the component, resetting the property to the latest value,
as with event binding.
Angular processes *all* data bindings once per JavaScript event cycle,
from the root of the application component tree down to the leaves.
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/component-databinding.png" alt="Data Binding" style="float:left; width:300px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
We don't know all the details yet,
but it's clear from these examples that data binding plays an important role in communication
between a template and its component.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/parent-child-binding.png" alt="Parent/Child binding" style="float:left; width:300px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
Data binding is also important for communication between parent and child components.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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.l-main-section
:marked
## Directives
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/directive.png" alt="Parent child" style="float:left; width:150px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
Angular templates are *dynamic*. When Angular renders them, it transforms the DOM
according to the instructions given by **directives**.
A directive is a class with directive metadata. In !{_Lang} we apply the `@Directive` !{_decorator}
to attach metadata to the class.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
We already met one form of directive: the component. A component is a *directive-with-a-template*;
a `@Component` !{_decorator} is actually a `@Directive` !{_decorator} extended with template-oriented features.
.l-sub-section
:marked
While **a component is technically a directive**,
components are so distinctive and central to Angular applications that we chose
to separate components from directives in this architectural overview.
:marked
Two *other* kinds of directives exist: _structural_ and _attribute_ directives.
They tend to appear within an element tag as attributes do,
sometimes by name but more often as the target of an assignment or a binding.
**Structural** directives alter layout by adding, removing, and replacing elements in DOM.
Our [example](#templates) template uses two built-in structural directives:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.1.html', 'structural')
:marked
* [`*ngFor`](displaying-data.html#ngFor) tells Angular to stamp out one `<li>` per hero in the `heroes` list.
* [`*ngIf`](displaying-data.html#ngIf) includes the `HeroDetail` component only if a selected hero exists.
block dart-bool
//- N/A
:marked
**Attribute** directives alter the appearance or behavior of an existing element.
In templates they look like regular HTML attributes, hence the name.
The `ngModel` directive, which implements two-way data binding, is
an example of an attribute directive. `ngModel` modifies the behavior of
an existing element (typically an `<input>`)
by setting its display value property and responding to change events.
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-detail.component.html', 'ngModel')
:marked
Angular ships with a small number of other directives that either alter the layout structure
(for example, [ngSwitch](template-syntax.html#ngSwitch))
or modify aspects of DOM elements and components
(for example, [ngStyle](template-syntax.html#ngStyle) and [ngClass](template-syntax.html#ngClass)).
Of course, we can also write our own directives. Components such as
`HeroListComponent` are one kind of custom directive.
<!-- PENDING: link to where to learn more about other kinds! -->
.l-main-section
:marked
## Services
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/service.png" alt="Service" style="float:left; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
_Service_ is a broad category encompassing any value, function, or feature that our application needs.
Almost anything can be a service.
A service is typically a class with a narrow, well-defined purpose. It should do something specific and do it well.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
Examples include:
* logging service
* data service
* message bus
* tax calculator
* application configuration
There is nothing specifically _Angular_ about services. Angular itself has no definition of a service.
There is no service base class, and no place to register a service.
Yet services are fundamental to any Angular application. Our components are big consumers of services.
Here's an example of a service class that logs to the browser console
+makeExcerpt('app/logger.service.ts', 'class')
:marked
Here's a `HeroService` that fetches heroes and returns them in a resolved !{_PromiseLinked}.
The `HeroService` depends on the `Logger` service and another `BackendService` that handles the server communication grunt work.
+makeExcerpt('app/hero.service.ts', 'class')
:marked
Services are everywhere.
We prefer our component classes lean. Our components don't fetch data from the server,
they don't validate user input, and they don't log directly to the console.
They delegate such tasks to services.
A component's job is to enable the user experience and nothing more. It mediates between the view (rendered by the template)
and the application logic (which often includes some notion of a _model_).
A good component presents properties and methods for data binding.
It delegates everything nontrivial to services.
Angular doesn't *enforce* these principles.
It won't complain if we write a "kitchen sink" component with 3000 lines.
Angular does help us *follow* these principles by making it easy to factor our
application logic into services and make those services available to components through *dependency injection*.
.l-main-section
:marked
## Dependency injection
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/dependency-injection.png" alt="Service" style="float:left; width:200px; margin-left:-40px;margin-right:10px" )
:marked
_Dependency injection_ is a way to supply a new instance of a class
with the fully-formed dependencies it requires. Most dependencies are services.
Angular uses dependency injection to provide new components with the services they need.
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<br class="l-clear-both">
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:marked
Angular can tell which services a component needs by looking at the types of its constructor parameters.
For example, the constructor of our `HeroListComponent` needs a `HeroService`:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.ts (constructor)', 'ctor')
:marked
When Angular creates a component, it first asks an **injector** for
the services that the component requires.
An injector maintains a container of service instances that it has previously created.
If a requested service instance is not in the container, the injector makes one and adds it to the container
before returning the service to Angular.
When all requested services have been resolved and returned,
Angular can call the component's constructor with those services as arguments.
This is what we mean by *dependency injection*.
The process of `HeroService` injection looks a bit like this:
figure
img(src="/resources/images/devguide/architecture/injector-injects.png" alt="Service" )
:marked
If the injector doesn't have a `HeroService`, how does it know how to make one?
In brief, we must have previously registered a **provider** of the `HeroService` with the injector.
A provider is something that can create or return a service, typically the service class itself.
We can register providers at any level of the application component tree.
We often do so at the root when we bootstrap the application so that
the same instance of a service is available everywhere.
+makeExcerpt('app/main.ts', 'bootstrap')
:marked
Alternatively, we might register at a component level, in the providers property of the `@Component` metadata:
+makeExcerpt('app/hero-list.component.ts', 'providers')
:marked
Registering at a component level means we get a new instance of the
service with each new instance of that component.
<!-- We've vastly oversimplified dependency injection for this overview.
The full story is in the [Dependency Injection](dependency-injection.html) chapter. -->
Points to remember about dependency injection:
* Dependency injection is wired into the Angular framework and used everywhere.
* The *injector* is the main mechanism.
* An injector maintains a *container* of service instances that it created.
* An injector can create a new service instance from a *provider*.
* A *provider* is a recipe for creating a service.
* We register *providers* with injectors.
.l-main-section
:marked
## Wrap up
We've learned just a bit about the eight main building blocks of an Angular application:
1. [Modules](#modules)
1. [Components](#components)
1. [Templates](#templates)
1. [Metadata](#metadata)
1. [Data binding](#data-binding)
1. [Directives](#directives)
1. [Services](#services)
1. [Dependency injection](#dependency-injection)
That's a foundation for everything else in an Angular application,
and it's more than enough to get going.
But it doesn't include everything we'll need or want to know.
Here is a brief, alphabetical list of other important Angular features and services.
Most of them are covered in this Developers Guide (or soon will be).
> [**Animations**](animations.html): The animation library makes it easy for developers to animate component behavior
without deep knowledge of animation techniques or CSS.
> **Bootstrap**: A method to configure and launch the root application component.
> **Change detection**: Learn how Angular decides that a component property value has changed and
when to update the screen.
Learn how it uses **zones** to intercept asynchronous activity and run its change detection strategies.
> **Component router**: With the component Router service, users can navigate a multi-screen application
in a familiar web browsing style using URLs.
> **Events**: The DOM raises events. So can components and services. Angular offers mechanisms for
publishing and subscribing to events.
> [**Forms**](forms.html): Support complex data entry scenarios with HTML-based validation and dirty checking.
> [**HTTP**](server-communication.html): Communicate with a server to get data, save data, and invoke server-side actions with an HTTP client.
> [**Lifecycle hooks**](lifecycle-hooks.html): We can tap into key moments in the lifetime of a component, from its creation to its destruction,
by implementing the lifecycle hook interfaces.
> [**Pipes**](pipes.html): Services that transform values for display.
We can put pipes in our templates to improve the user experience. Consider
this `currency` pipe expression:
<div style="margin-left:40px">
code-example().
price | currency:'USD':true
</div>
:marked
> It displays a price of "42.33" as `$42.33`.
> [**Router**](router.html): Navigate from page to page within the client
application and never leave the browser.
> [**Testing**](testing.html): Angular provides a
[testing library](https://pub.dartlang.org/packages/angular2_testing)
to run unit tests on our application parts as they interact with the Angular framework.
