Why does a prop change not change data? - vue.js

I'm trying to understand why changing a prop, used to provide an initial value, doesn't cause the data variable to change.
In the below example, changing the initialName value passed in the parent component, also causes the initialName to change in the child component. However, name keeps the value it was originally initialized as. I believed, seemingly incorrectly, that changing a prop would re-render the component.
ChildComponent.vue
<template>
<div>
{{initialName}}
{{name}}
</div>
</template>
<script>
export default {
props: {
initialName: {
type: String,
default: '',
}
},
data() {
return {
name: this.initialName,
};
},
</script>
ParentComponent.vue
<template>
<ChildComponent :initialName="AnExampleName"/>
</template>
<script>
import ChildComponent from ChildComponent.vue
export default {
components: {
ChildComponent
}
</script>
I've been able to work around this by watching the prop and updating name, however this doesn't feel like the best approach.
How come changing the prop doesn't change the data? Is there a better way to pass an initial value to a child component?

data is meant to be static, so if you set it once, it will not be reactive afterwards.
It will change if you mutate it directly of course, like this this.name = 'updated value hi hi'.
But it will not mutate if you update another prop/state elsewhere (like initialName in your example).
A simple approach for this would be to use a computed like this
<script>
export default {
props: {
initialName: {
type: String,
default: "",
},
},
computed: {
name() {
return this.initialName
}
},
};
</script>
This example proves that the usage of data is NOT updating the name value (initialName is totally reactive) if you do use it like the OP did. The usage of computed solves this issue tho.

Related

Unexpected mutation of prop in Vue2 [duplicate]

I started https://laracasts.com/series/learning-vue-step-by-step series. I stopped on the lesson Vue, Laravel, and AJAX with this error:
vue.js:2574 [Vue warn]: Avoid mutating a prop directly since the value will be overwritten whenever the parent component re-renders. Instead, use a data or computed property based on the prop's value. Prop being mutated: "list" (found in component )
I have this code in main.js
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
created() {
this.list = JSON.parse(this.list);
}
});
new Vue({
el: '.container'
})
I know that the problem is in created() when I overwrite the list prop, but I am a newbie in Vue, so I totally don't know how to fix it. Does anyone know how (and please explain why) to fix it?
This has to do with the fact that mutating a prop locally is considered an anti-pattern in Vue 2
What you should do now, in case you want to mutate a prop locally, is to declare a field in your data that uses the props value as its initial value and then mutate the copy:
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
data: function () {
return {
mutableList: JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
});
You can read more about this on Vue.js official guide
Note 1: Please note that you should not use the same name for your prop and data, i.e.:
data: function () { return { list: JSON.parse(this.list) } } // WRONG!!
Note 2: Since I feel there is some confusion regarding props and reactivity, I suggest you to have a look on this thread
The Vue pattern is props down and events up. It sounds simple, but is easy to forget when writing a custom component.
As of Vue 2.2.0 you can use v-model (with computed properties). I have found this combination creates a simple, clean, and consistent interface between components:
Any props passed to your component remains reactive (i.e., it's not cloned nor does it require a watch function to update a local copy when changes are detected).
Changes are automatically emitted to the parent.
Can be used with multiple levels of components.
A computed property permits the setter and getter to be separately defined. This allows the Task component to be rewritten as follows:
Vue.component('Task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
model: {
prop: 'list',
event: 'listchange'
},
computed: {
listLocal: {
get: function() {
return this.list
},
set: function(value) {
this.$emit('listchange', value)
}
}
}
})
The model property defines which prop is associated with v-model, and which event will be emitted on changes. You can then call this component from the parent as follows:
<Task v-model="parentList"></Task>
The listLocal computed property provides a simple getter and setter interface within the component (think of it like being a private variable). Within #task-template you can render listLocal and it will remain reactive (i.e., if parentList changes it will update the Task component). You can also mutate listLocal by calling the setter (e.g., this.listLocal = newList) and it will emit the change to the parent.
What's great about this pattern is that you can pass listLocal to a child component of Task (using v-model), and changes from the child component will propagate to the top level component.
For example, say we have a separate EditTask component for doing some type of modification to the task data. By using the same v-model and computed properties pattern we can pass listLocal to the component (using v-model):
<script type="text/x-template" id="task-template">
<div>
<EditTask v-model="listLocal"></EditTask>
</div>
</script>
If EditTask emits a change it will appropriately call set() on listLocal and thereby propagate the event to the top level. Similarly, the EditTask component could also call other child components (such as form elements) using v-model.
Vue just warns you: you change the prop in the component, but when parent component re-renders, "list" will be overwritten and you lose all your changes. So it is dangerous to do so.
Use computed property instead like this:
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
computed: {
listJson: function(){
return JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
});
If you're using Lodash, you can clone the prop before returning it. This pattern is helpful if you modify that prop on both the parent and child.
Let's say we have prop list on component grid.
In Parent Component
<grid :list.sync="list"></grid>
In Child Component
props: ['list'],
methods:{
doSomethingOnClick(entry){
let modifiedList = _.clone(this.list)
modifiedList = _.uniq(modifiedList) // Removes duplicates
this.$emit('update:list', modifiedList)
}
}
Props down, events up. That's Vue's Pattern. The point is that if you try to mutate props passing from a parent. It won't work and it just gets overwritten repeatedly by the parent component. Child component can only emit an event to notify parent component to do sth. If you don't like these restrict, you can use VUEX(actually this pattern will suck in complex components structure, you should use VUEX!)
You should not change the props's value in child component.
If you really need to change it you can use .sync.
Just like this
<your-component :list.sync="list"></your-component>
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
created() {
this.$emit('update:list', JSON.parse(this.list))
}
});
new Vue({
el: '.container'
})
According to the VueJs 2.0, you should not mutate a prop inside the component. They are only mutated by their parents. Therefore, you should define variables in data with different names and keep them updated by watching actual props.
In case the list prop is changed by a parent, you can parse it and assign it to mutableList. Here is a complete solution.
Vue.component('task', {
template: ´<ul>
<li v-for="item in mutableList">
{{item.name}}
</li>
</ul>´,
props: ['list'],
data: function () {
return {
mutableList = JSON.parse(this.list);
}
},
watch:{
list: function(){
this.mutableList = JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
});
It uses mutableList to render your template, thus you keep your list prop safe in the component.
The answer is simple, you should break the direct prop mutation by assigning the value to some local component variables(could be data property, computed with getters, setters, or watchers).
Here's a simple solution using the watcher.
<template>
<input
v-model="input"
#input="updateInput"
#change="updateInput"
/>
</template>
<script>
export default {
props: {
value: {
type: String,
default: '',
},
},
data() {
return {
input: '',
};
},
watch: {
value: {
handler(after) {
this.input = after;
},
immediate: true,
},
},
methods: {
updateInput() {
this.$emit('input', this.input);
},
},
};
</script>
It's what I use to create any data input components and it works just fine. Any new data sent(v-model(ed)) from parent will be watched by the value watcher and is assigned to the input variable and once the input is received, we can catch that action and emit input to parent suggesting that data is input from the form element.
do not change the props directly in components.if you need change it set a new property like this:
data() {
return {
listClone: this.list
}
}
And change the value of listClone.
I faced this issue as well. The warning gone after i use $on and $emit.
It's something like use $on and $emit recommended to sent data from child component to parent component.
one-way Data Flow,
according to https://v2.vuejs.org/v2/guide/components.html, the component follow one-Way
Data Flow,
All props form a one-way-down binding between the child property and the parent one, when the parent property updates, it will flow down to the child but not the other way around, this prevents child components from accidentally mutating the parent's, which can make your app's data flow harder to understand.
In addition, every time the parent component is updates all props
in the child components will be refreshed with the latest value. This means you should not attempt to mutate a prop inside a child component. If you do .vue will warn you in the
console.
There are usually two cases where it’s tempting to mutate a prop:
The prop is used to pass in an initial value; the child component wants to use it as a local data property afterwards.
The prop is passed in as a raw value that needs to be transformed.
The proper answer to these use cases are:
Define a local data property that uses the prop’s initial value as its initial value:
props: ['initialCounter'],
data: function () {
return { counter: this.initialCounter }
}
Define a computed property that is computed from the prop’s value:
props: ['size'],
computed: {
normalizedSize: function () {
return this.size.trim().toLowerCase()
}
}
If you want to mutate props - use object.
<component :model="global.price"></component>
component:
props: ['model'],
methods: {
changeValue: function() {
this.model.value = "new value";
}
}
I want to give this answer which helps avoid using a lot of code, watchers and computed properties. In some cases this can be a good solution:
Props are designed to provide one-way communication.
When you have a modal show/hide button with a prop the best solution to me is to emit an event:
<button #click="$emit('close')">Close Modal</button>
Then add listener to modal element:
<modal :show="show" #close="show = false"></modal>
(In this case the prop show is probably unnecessary because you can use an easy v-if="show" directly on the base-modal)
You need to add computed method like this
component.vue
props: ['list'],
computed: {
listJson: function(){
return JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
computed: {
middleData() {
return this.list
}
},
watch: {
list(newVal, oldVal) {
console.log(newVal)
this.newList = newVal
}
},
data() {
return {
newList: {}
}
}
});
new Vue({
el: '.container'
})
Maybe this will meet your needs.
Vue3 has a really good solution. Spent hours to reach there. But it worked really good.
On parent template
<user-name
v-model:first-name="firstName"
v-model:last-name="lastName"
></user-name>
The child component
app.component('user-name', {
props: {
firstName: String,
lastName: String
},
template: `
<input
type="text"
:value="firstName"
#input="$emit('update:firstName',
$event.target.value)">
<input
type="text"
:value="lastName"
#input="$emit('update:lastName',
$event.target.value)">
`
})
This was the only solution which did two way binding. I like that first two answers were addressing in good way to use SYNC and Emitting update events, and compute property getter setter, but that was heck of a Job to do and I did not like to work so hard.
Vue.js props are not to be mutated as this is considered an Anti-Pattern in Vue.
The approach you will need to take is creating a data property on your component that references the original prop property of list
props: ['list'],
data: () {
return {
parsedList: JSON.parse(this.list)
}
}
Now your list structure that is passed to the component is referenced and mutated via the data property of your component :-)
If you wish to do more than just parse your list property then make use of the Vue component' computed property.
This allow you to make more in depth mutations to your props.
props: ['list'],
computed: {
filteredJSONList: () => {
let parsedList = JSON.parse(this.list)
let filteredList = parsedList.filter(listItem => listItem.active)
console.log(filteredList)
return filteredList
}
}
The example above parses your list prop and filters it down to only active list-tems, logs it out for schnitts and giggles and returns it.
note: both data & computed properties are referenced in the template the same e.g
<pre>{{parsedList}}</pre>
<pre>{{filteredJSONList}}</pre>
It can be easy to think that a computed property (being a method) needs to be called... it doesn't
For when TypeScript is your preferred lang. of development
<template>
<span class="someClassName">
{{feesInLocale}}
</span>
</template>
#Prop({default: 0}) fees: any;
// computed are declared with get before a function
get feesInLocale() {
return this.fees;
}
and not
<template>
<span class="someClassName">
{{feesInLocale}}
</span>
</template>
#Prop() fees: any = 0;
get feesInLocale() {
return this.fees;
}
Assign the props to new variable.
data () {
return {
listClone: this.list
}
}
Adding to the best answer,
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: ['list'],
data: function () {
return {
mutableList: JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
});
Setting props by an array is meant for dev/prototyping, in production make sure to set prop types(https://v2.vuejs.org/v2/guide/components-props.html) and set a default value in case the prop has not been populated by the parent, as so.
Vue.component('task', {
template: '#task-template',
props: {
list: {
type: String,
default() {
return '{}'
}
}
},
data: function () {
return {
mutableList: JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
});
This way you atleast get an empty object in mutableList instead of a JSON.parse error if it is undefined.
YES!, mutating attributes in vue2 is an anti-pattern. BUT...
Just break the rules by using other rules, and go forward!
What you need is to add .sync modifier to your component attribute in the parent scope.
<your-awesome-components :custom-attribute-as-prob.sync="value" />
Below is a snack bar component, when I give the snackbar variable directly into v-model like this if will work but in the console, it will give an error as
Avoid mutating a prop directly since the value will be overwritten whenever the parent component re-renders. Instead, use a data or computed property based on the prop's value.
<template>
<v-snackbar v-model="snackbar">
{{ text }}
</v-snackbar>
</template>
<script>
export default {
name: "loader",
props: {
snackbar: {type: Boolean, required: true},
text: {type: String, required: false, default: ""},
},
}
</script>
Correct Way to get rid of this mutation error is use watcher
<template>
<v-snackbar v-model="snackbarData">
{{ text }}
</v-snackbar>
</template>
<script>
/* eslint-disable */
export default {
name: "loader",
data: () => ({
snackbarData:false,
}),
props: {
snackbar: {type: Boolean, required: true},
text: {type: String, required: false, default: ""},
},
watch: {
snackbar: function(newVal, oldVal) {
this.snackbarData=!this.snackbarDatanewVal;
}
}
}
</script>
So in the main component where you will load this snack bar you can just do this code
<loader :snackbar="snackbarFlag" :text="snackText"></loader>
This Worked for me
Vue.js considers this an anti-pattern. For example, declaring and setting some props like
this.propsVal = 'new Props Value'
So to solve this issue you have to take in a value from the props to the data or the computed property of a Vue instance, like this:
props: ['propsVal'],
data: function() {
return {
propVal: this.propsVal
};
},
methods: {
...
}
This will definitely work.
In addition to the above, for others having the following issue:
"If the props value is not required and thus not always returned, the passed data would return undefined (instead of empty)". Which could mess <select> default value, I solved it by checking if the value is set in beforeMount() (and set it if not) as follows:
JS:
export default {
name: 'user_register',
data: () => ({
oldDobMonthMutated: this.oldDobMonth,
}),
props: [
'oldDobMonth',
'dobMonths', //Used for the select loop
],
beforeMount() {
if (!this.oldDobMonth) {
this.oldDobMonthMutated = '';
} else {
this.oldDobMonthMutated = this.oldDobMonth
}
}
}
Html:
<select v-model="oldDobMonthMutated" id="dob_months" name="dob_month">
<option selected="selected" disabled="disabled" hidden="hidden" value="">
Select Month
</option>
<option v-for="dobMonth in dobMonths"
:key="dobMonth.dob_month_slug"
:value="dobMonth.dob_month_slug">
{{ dobMonth.dob_month_name }}
</option>
</select>
I personally always suggest if you are in need to mutate the props, first pass them to computed property and return from there, thereafter one can mutate the props easily, even at that you can track the prop mutation , if those are being mutated from another component too or we can you watch also .
Because Vue props is one way data flow, This prevents child components from accidentally mutating the parent’s state.
From the official Vue document, we will find 2 ways to solve this problems
if child component want use props as local data, it is best to define a local data property.
props: ['list'],
data: function() {
return {
localList: JSON.parse(this.list);
}
}
The prop is passed in as a raw value that needs to be transformed. In this case, it’s best to define a computed property using the prop’s value:
props: ['list'],
computed: {
localList: function() {
return JSON.parse(this.list);
},
//eg: if you want to filter this list
validList: function() {
return this.list.filter(product => product.isValid === true)
}
//...whatever to transform the list
}
You should always avoid mutating props in vue, or any other framework. The approach you could take is copy it into another variable.
for example.
// instead of replacing the value of this.list use a different variable
this.new_data_variable = JSON.parse(this.list)
A potential solution to this is using global variables.
import { Vue } from "nuxt-property-decorator";
export const globalStore = new Vue({
data: {
list: [],
},
}
export function setupGlobalsStore() {
Vue.prototype.$globals = globalStore;
}
Then you would use:
$globals.list
Anywhere you need to mutate it or present it.

Vue: Make sure the component cannot modify props (even if it is a reference object)?

I know that the vue model is a unidirectional data flow of props.
However, when prop is a reference object, the component can directly modify its properties. This is wrong, but vue will not check it.
I hope there is a mechanism to ensure that the component cannot modify the props (even if it is a reference object), rather than being checked by the developer.
For example, I have a component
<template>
<input v-model="obj.text" />
</template>
<script>
export default {
props: ['obj']
};
</script>
And a page that uses it
<template>
<my-template :obj="myobj"></my-template>
</template>
<script>
export default {
data() {
myobj: {
text: "hello";
}
}
};
</script>
When data changes in 'input', myobj.text will change together. This violates the unidirectional data flow.
Of course, as shown in the answer, I can use the "get" and "set" methods of the "computed".
But I must be careful not to write 'obj.someProperty' to any 'v-model', but this requires my own attention.
I hope there is a mechanism to give a hint when I make a mistake.
Couldn't find an existing duplicate so here's an answer. If anyone can find one, let me know and I'll make this one a Community wiki.
Use a computed property with getter and setter to represent your v-model value.
The getter gets the value from the prop and the setter emits the new value to the parent.
For example
<input v-model="computedProp">
props: ['referenceObject'],
computed: {
computedProp: {
get () {
return this.referenceObject.someProperty
},
set (val) {
this.$emit('updated', val)
}
}
}
and in the parent
<SomeComponent :reference-object="refObject" #updated="updateRefObject">
data: () => ({ refObject: { someProperty: 'initial value' } }),
methods: {
updateRefObject (newVal) {
this.refObject.someProperty = newVal
}
}

How to bind a local component's data object to an external component

how do you use a local component's data attriutes to bind an external component's v-model
for example i have this component
<publish-blog>
<VueTrix v-model="form.editorContent">
</publish-blog>
so the form.editorContent there refers to the publish-blog component's form.editorContent inside data, how do I do that ?
You can pass a prop to the publish-blog component.
This would be what ever page or component you are using the publish blog on, though to be honest I'm not sure why you would not just put the VueTrix component inside of the publish-blog component.
This would be on what ever page/component you are wanting it on.
<template>
<PublishBlog :trix="trix">
<VueTrix v-model="trix" />
</PublishBlog>
</template>
<script>
import PublishBlog from './PublishBlog.vue';
export default {
components: {
PublishBlog,
},
data() {
return {
trix: '',
};
},
};
</script>
and inside of the publish blog component make the form.editorContent the prop passed or a default value.
But without a global store/state you are stuck with props.
UPDATE: Showing what a publish blog component might look like
PublishBlog.vue
<template>
<section>
what ever goes here.
<slot />
</section>
</template>
<script>
export default {
name: 'PublishBlog',
props: {
trix: {
type: String,
default: '',
},
},
data() {
return {
form: {
editorContent: this.trix
},
};
},
};
</script>

can not assign props to data

This is a simple component. I'm trying to assign props to data as docs said so. (the initialData comes from vuex and database)
<template>
<section>
{{ initialData }}
{{ privateData }}
</section>
</template>
<script>
export default {
name: 'someName',
props: [
'initialData'
],
data() {
return {
privateData: this.initialData
};
}
};
But, the problem is initialData is OK, but privateData is just an empty object {}.
Weirdest thing is, if I save my file again, so webpack hot reloads stuff, privateData also gets the proper data I need.
Here is the parent:
<template>
<section v-if="initialData">
<child :initial-data="initialData"></micro-movies>
</section>
</template>
<script>
export default {
name: 'parentName',
data() {
return {};
},
computed: {
initialData() {
return this.$store.state.initialData;
}
},
components: {
child
}
};
</script>
I know that it's about getting data dynamically . because if I change initialData in parent to some object manually, it works fine.
The data function is only ever called once at component creation. If initialData is not populated at that point in time, then privateData will always be null. That is why you probably want to use a computed property, or watch the property.

Determining if slot content is null or empty

I have a little Loading component, whose default text I want to be 'Loading...'. Good candidate for slots, so I have something like this as my template:
<p class="loading"><i class="fa fa-spinner fa-spin"></i><slot>Loading...</slot></p>
That allows me to change the loading message with e.g. <loading>Searching...</loading>. The behaviour I would like, though, is not just to display the default message if no slot content is supplied, but also if the slot content is null or blank. At the moment if I do e.g.<loading>{{loadingMessage}}</loading> and loadingMessage is null, no text is displayed (where I want the default text to be displayed). So ideally I need to test this.$slots.default. This tells me whether content was passed in, but how do I find whether or not it was empty? this.$slots.default.text returns undefined.
You'd need a computed property which checks for this.$slots. With a default slot you'd check this.$slots.default, and with a named slot just replace default with the slot name.
computed: {
slotPassed() {
return !!this.$slots.default[0].text.length
}
}
And then use it in your template:
<template>
<div>
<slot v-if="slotPassed">Loading...</slot>
<p v-else>Searching...</p>
</div>
</template>
You can see a small example here. Notice how fallback content is displayed and not "default content", which is inside the slot.
Edit:
My wording could've been better. What you need to do is check for $slots.X value, but computed property is a way to check that. You could also just write the slot check in your template:
<template>
<div>
<slot v-if="!!$slots.default[0].text">Loading...</slot>
<p v-else>Searching...</p>
</div>
</template>
Edit 2: As pointed out by #GoogleMac in the comments, checking for a slot's text property fails for renderless components (e.g. <transition>, <keep-alive>, ...), so the check they suggested is:
!!this.$slots.default && !!this.$slots.default[0]
// or..
!!(this.$slots.default || [])[0]
#kano's answer works well, but there's a gotcha: this.$slots isn't reactive, so if it starts out being false, and then becomes true, any computed property won't update.
The solution is to not rely on a computed value but instead on created and beforeUpdated (as #MathewSonke points out):
export default {
name: "YourComponentWithDynamicSlot",
data() {
return {
showFooter: false,
showHeader: false,
};
},
created() {
this.setShowSlots();
},
beforeUpdate() {
this.setShowSlots();
},
methods: {
setShowSlots() {
this.showFooter = this.$slots.footer?.[0];
this.showHeader = this.$slots.header?.[0];
},
},
};
UPDATE: Vue 3 (Composition API)
For Vue 3, it seems that the way to check whether a slot has content has changed (using the new composition API):
import { computed, defineComponent } from "vue";
export default defineComponent({
setup(_, { slots }) {
const showHeader = computed(() => !!slots.header);
return {
showHeader,
};
},
});
note: I can't find any documentation on this, so take it with a pinch of salt, but seems to work in my very limited testing.
this.$slots can be checked to see if a slot has been used.
It is important to note that this.$slots is not reactive. This could cause problems when using this.$slots in a computed value.
https://v2.vuejs.org/v2/api/?redirect=true#:~:text=Please%20note%20that%20slots%20are%20not%20reactive.
This means we need to ensure that this.slots is checked whenever the component re-renders. We can do this simply by using a method instead of a computed property.
https://v2.vuejs.org/v2/guide/computed.html?redirect=true#:~:text=In%20comparison%2C%20a%20method%20invocation%20will%20always%20run%20the%20function%20whenever%20a%20re%2Drender%20happens
<template>
<div>
<slot v-if="hasHeading" name="heading"/>
</div>
</template>
<script>
export default{
name: "some component",
methods: {
hasHeading(){ return !!this.slots.heading}
}
}
</script>