Tools for class
-based reactivity powered by Solid.js,
and for using class
es as Solid components (f.e. in a JSX template).
Note If you do not have or do not wish to use a build tool, see the Without compiler support section for plain JavaScript usage without decorators.
Note
classy-solid
works only with the latest stage-3 decorators. Legacy decorators are no longer supported, as we've moved onto the official decorator format finally blessed by the TC39 EcmasScript language design committee.
Using classy-solid
with Vite may result in the following error because
decorators are not yet released natively into JavaScript engines (but they will
be soon!). For now, a Babel configuration must be provided to compile the syntax
for decorators.
Support for the experimental syntax 'decorators' isn't currently enabled
To use classy-solid
with Vite (or Solid Start), we need to set up the Babel configuration for
the Solid.js Vite plugin. First run the following:
npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-proposal-decorators
Then update your vite.config.js
to use the Babel plugin:
// ...
solidPlugin({
babel: {
plugins: [['@babel/plugin-proposal-decorators', {version: '2022-03'}]],
},
})
// ...
Similar to the Vite Setup above, you'll specify in your
Babel config file
the same @babel/plugin-proposal-decorators
plugin.
// ...
plugins: [['@babel/plugin-proposal-decorators', {version: '2022-03'}]]
// ...
Note, these docs assume you have basic knowledge of Solid.js first.
Mark a class with this decorator if it will have signal properties (properties
backed by Solid signals). See @signal
below for an example.
Decorate a property of a class with @signal
to make it reactive (backed by a
Solid signal). Be sure to decorate a class that has signal properties with the
@reactive
decorator as well.
import {reactive, signal} from 'classy-solid'
import {createEffect} from 'solid-js'
export
@reactive
class Car {
@signal engineOn = false
@signal sound = 'vroom'
}
import {Car} from './Car'
const car = new Car()
createEffect(() => {
// This re-runs any time car.engineOn or car.sound change.
if (car.engineOn) console.log(car.sound)
})
// ...
A decorator that makes a class
usable as a component within a Solid template
(f.e. within JSX markup).
A class decorated with @component
can optionally have any three of the
following methods:
onMount
- Called after the the initial instantiation of the component, after thetemplate
has been executed, just like Solid'sonMount
.onCleanup
- Called when the component is removed, just like Solid'sonCleanup
.template
- Returns a template (f.e. JSX markup), just like the return values of a Solid function component, and it can use any reactive signal properties of the class.
Note All props passed into a class component get mapped to class properties, regardless if the property is reactive or not. This means you can, for example, forgo the
@reactive
and@signal
decorators and use your own accessors to handle changes in some other way as you wish, or use existing classes that have properties implemented in their own way.
Examples:
Currently the best way to write JavaScript code with classy-solid
is if you have a
build setup in place (soon decorators will be native in JavaScript engines and a
build step will not be necessary for decorators, but will still be necessary for
JSX templates).
The Babel compiler, for example, allows use of decorators and JSX:
import {component, reactive, signal} from 'classy-solid'
import {onMount, onCleanup, createEffect} from 'solid-js'
export
@component
@reactive
class MyComp {
@signal last = 'none'
@signal count = 1
h1
onMount() {
console.log('h1 element reference:', this.h1)
this.int = setInterval(() => this.count++, 1000)
// Clean up like this,
onCleanup(() => clearInterval(this.int))
}
// or clean up like this.
onCleanup() {
clearInterval(this.int)
}
template(props) {
// The class is in a Solid reactive context. You can also use onMount or
// other Solid APIs like usual. The template() method is a Solid
// function component that has access to `this`. For example, the
// following two lines of standard Solid code would work fine here:
onMount(() => console.log('mounted'))
createEffect(() => console.log('count:', this.count))
// Here we show that passed-in `props` can be used directly. All
// props are automatically mapped to same-name properties on the
// class instance, which is why the passed in `last={}` prop is
// accessible as `this.last`.
return (
<h1 ref={this.h1}>
Hello, my name is {props.first} {this.last}! The count is {this.count}.
</h1>
)
}
}
render(() => <MyComp first="Joe" last="Pea" />, document.body)
Note You only need the
@reactive
decorator if you will use@signal
properties in your class, regardless if your class is a component or not.
Note The new decorators proposal reached stage 3, so JavaScript will have decorators natively soon and won't require compiler support.
For plain JS users without build setups, use component
and signalify
with
normal function calls, and use Solid's html
template
tag for
templating:
TODO @component needs to be updated to stage 3
import {component, signalify} from 'classy-solid'
import html from 'solid-js/html'
const MyComp = component(
class MyComp {
last = 'none'
count = 1
h1
constructor() {
signalify(this, 'last', 'count')
// Or, to signalify all properties:
// signalify(this)
}
onMount() {
console.log('h1 element:', this.h1)
this.int = setInterval(() => this.count++, 1000)
// Clean up like this,
onCleanup(() => clearInterval(this.int))
}
// or clean up like this.
onCleanup() {
clearInterval(this.int)
}
template(props) {
onMount(() => console.log('mounted'))
createEffect(() => console.log('count:', this.count))
return html`<h1 ref=${el => (this.h1 = el)}>Hello, my name is ${() => props.first} ${() => this.last}!</h1>`
}
},
)
render(() => html`<${MyComp} first="Joe" last="Pea" />`, document.body)
For reference, here's the same example using the component
decorator as a
regular function, but with accessor properties that wire up Solid signals
manually, which is essentially the equivalent of what the @reactive
and @signal
decorators do under the hood for convenience:
import {component} from 'classy-solid'
import {createSignal} from 'solid-js'
import html from 'solid-js/html'
const MyComp = component(
class MyComp {
#last = createSignal('none')
get last() {
// read from a Solid signal
const [get] = this.#last
return get()
}
set last(value) {
// write to a Solid signal
const [, set] = this.#last
set(value)
}
#count = createSignal(1)
get count() {
const [get] = this.#count
return get()
}
set count(value) {
const [, set] = this.#count
set(value)
}
h1
onMount() {
console.log('h1 element:', this.h1)
this.int = setInterval(() => this.count++, 1000)
// Clean up like this,
onCleanup(() => clearInterval(this.int))
}
// or clean up like this.
onCleanup() {
clearInterval(this.int)
}
template(props) {
onMount(() => console.log('mounted'))
createEffect(() => console.log('count:', this.count))
return html`<h1 ref=${el => (this.h1 = el)}>Hello, my name is ${() => props.first} ${() => this.last}!</h1>`
}
},
)
render(() => html`<${MyComp} first="Joe" last="Pea" />`, document.body)
TypeScript does not yet support stage 3 decorators, so you'll have to use Babel's TypeScript preset to compile TypeScript code after type checking with TypeScript (Babel's transform won't perform type checking, it only strips types when converting to JavaScript).
Note The same rules apply here as with decorators in the previous JavaScript section, and the only difference here is added type checking.
import {component, reactive, signal, Props} from 'classy-solid'
@component
@reactive
class MyComp {
// Define `PropTypes` on your class to define prop types for JSX. Note, this
// property does not actually need to exist at runtime and is not used at
// runtime, so here we use the `!` to tell TS not to worry about it being
// `undefined`.
PropTypes!: Props<this, 'last' | 'count' | 'first'>
@signal last = 'name'
@signal first = 'no'
@signal count = 123
// This property will not appear in the JSX prop types, because we did not
// list it in the `PropTypes` definition.
foo = 'blah'
h1: HTMLHeadingElement | undefined = undefined
onMount() {
console.log('h1 element:', this.h1)
}
onCleanup() {
console.log('cleaned up')
}
template(props: this['PropTypes']) {
// Note, unlike the JS examples, we had to define a `first` property on
// the class or else it would not have a type definition here within
// `props` or in JSX that uses the component. Plain JS has no types, so
// there is no concern with that in those cases.
return (
<h1 ref={this.h1}>
Hello, my name is {props.first} {this.last}! The count is {this.count}.
</h1>
)
}
}
render(() => <MyComp first="Joe" last="Pea" count={456} />, document.body)
Returns a Solid signal in the form of an object with .get
and .set
methods,
instead of an array tuple.
let count = createSignalObject(0) // count starts at 0
count.set(1) // set the value of count to 1
count.set(count.get() + 1) // add 1
let currentValue = count.get() // read the current value
In cases where decorators are not yet supported or undesired, using Solid's
createSignal
directly as a class
property is not so ideal:
class Counter {
count = createSignal(0)
increment() {
// These are not so readable:
this.count[1](this.count[0]() + 1)
// or
this.count[1](c => c + 1)
}
}
createSignalObject
provides an alternative that is more usable as a class
property:
class Counter {
count = createSignalObject(0)
increment() {
// These are more readable:
this.count.set(this.count.get() + 1)
// or
this.count.set(c => c + 1)
}
}
Returns a Solid signal in the form of a single overloaded function for both getting and setting the signal, instead of an array tuple. Call the function with no arguments to get the signal value, and call it with an arg to set the signal value.
let count = createSignalFunction(0) // count starts at 0
count(1) // set the value of count to 1
count(count() + 1) // add 1
let currentValue = count() // read the current value
In cases where decorators are not yet supported or undesired, using Solid's
createSignal
directly as a class
property is not so ideal:
class Counter {
count = createSignal(0)
increment() {
// These are not so readable:
this.count[1](this.count[0]() + 1)
// or
this.count[1](c => c + 1)
}
}
createSignalFunction
provides an alternative that is more usable as a class
property:
class Counter {
count = createSignalFunction(0)
increment() {
// These are more readable:
this.count(this.count() + 1)
// or
this.count(c => c + 1)
}
}
Use this to convert properties on an object into Solid signal-backed properties.
This is what @signal
uses behind the scenes.
This can be useful with plain objects, as well with class
es in situations
where decorators are unavailable or undesired.
Here are some examples. Make certain properties on an object reactive signal-backed properties:
import {signalify} from 'class-solid'
import {createEffect} from 'solid-js'
const obj = {
foo: 1,
bar: 2,
baz: 3,
}
// Make only the 'foo' and 'bar' properties reactive (backed by Solid signals).
signalify(obj, 'foo', 'bar')
// ...
createEffect(() => {
console.log(obj.foo, obj.bar)
})
In some cases, using signalify
is more desirable than Solid's createMutable
because the original object is not wrapped in a Proxy
. This can be useful for
patching 3rd-party objects to make them reactive, whereas it would not be
possible with createMutable
.
Note, it returns the same object passed in, so you can write this:
const obj = signalify(
{
foo: 1,
bar: 2,
baz: 3,
},
// Make only the 'foo' and 'bar' properties reactive (backed by Solid signals).
'foo',
'bar',
)
If you want to make all properties signal-backed, then omitting the property
names in the call will internally use Object.keys(obj)
as a default:
// Make all properties reactive signals
const obj = signalify({
foo: 1,
bar: 2,
baz: 3,
})
Note that the object passed in is the same object returned:
let test
const obj = signalify(test = {...})
console.log(obj === test) // true
Signalify properties in a class (alternative to decorators):
import {signalify} from 'class-solid'
import {createEffect} from 'solid-js'
class Counter {
count = 0
on = true
constructor() {
// Make only the 'count' variable reactive (signal-backed). The 'on'
// variable remains a regular property.
signalify(this, 'count')
}
}
const c = new Counter()
// ...
createEffect(() => {
console.log(c.count)
})
The downside of the previous example (namely, not using decorators) is that the code is less DRY, we had to repeat ourselves by writing the word "count" twice. But, if you're okay with it, you can make all properties reactive by omitting the second arg (sometimes you don't want all properties to be reactive):
class Counter {
count = 0
on = true
constructor() {
// Both 'count' and 'on' will be signal-backed:
signalify(this)
}
}
Note how with decorators, the code is more DRY and concise, because we don't
have to express the count
word more than once, therefore reducing some surface
area for human mistakes, and we don't have to write a constructor
:
@reactive
class Counter {
@signal count = 0
on = true
}
Effectful
is a class-factory mixin that gives your class a createEffect()
method, along with a stopEffects()
method that will stop all current effects.
Here's an example that shows a custom element that starts effects on connected, and cleans them up on disconnect:
import {reactive, signal, Effectful} from 'classy-solid'
@reactive
class CounterDisplay extends Effectful(HTMLElement) {
@signal count
get double() {
return this.count * 2
}
constructor() {
super()
this.attachShadow({mode: 'open'})
this.shadowRoot.innerHTML = `<div></div>`
}
connectedCallback() {
// Create some effects
this.createEffect(() => {
this.shadowRoot.firstElementChild.textContent = `Count is: ${this.count}`
})
this.createEffect(() => {
console.log('count:', this.count)
})
this.createEffect(() => {
console.log('double:', this.double)
})
}
disconnectedCallback() {
// Stop the effects
this.stopEffects()
}
}
customElements.define('counter-display', CounterDisplay)
createEffect()
creates a single owner root for all effects for the current
instance, unless it is called inside another root in which case it'll use that
root.
An instantiation of Effectful(Object)
as a shortcut.
Useful when not extending from a mixin:
class MyClass extends Effects {
constructor() {
this.createEffect(() => {...})
this.createEffect(() => {...})
}
dispose() {
this.stopEffects()
}
}
const o = new MyClass()
// ...later, when finished...
o.dispose()
Useful when separate groups of effects are needed where each group can be stopped indepently of others.
class MyClass {
specialEffects = new Effects()
otherEffects = new Effects()
doSpecialStuff() {
this.specialEffects.createEffect(() => {...})
this.specialEffects.createEffect(() => {...})
}
cleanupSpecialStuff() {
this.specialEffects.stopEffects()
}
doOtherStuff() {
this.otherEffects.createEffect(() => {...})
this.otherEffects.createEffect(() => {...})
}
cleanupOtherStuff() {
this.otherEffects.stopEffects()
}
}
Syncs two signals together so that setting one signal's value updates the other, and vice versa, without an infinite loop.
Example:
const [foo, setFoo] = createSignal(0)
const [bar, setBar] = createSignal(0)
syncSignals(foo, setFoo, bar, setBar)
createEffect(() => console.log(foo(), bar()))
setFoo(1) // logs "1 1"
setBar(2) // logs "2 2"
It returns the getters/setters, so it is possible to also create the signals and sync them at once:
const [[foo, setFoo], [bar, setBar]] = syncSignals(...createSignal(0), ...createSignal(0))
createEffect(() => console.log(foo(), bar()))
setFoo(1) // logs "1 1"
setBar(2) // logs "2 2"
Useful as a shorthand for:
const [[foo, setFoo], [bar, setBar]] = syncSignals(...createSignal(0), ...createSignal(0))
Example:
const [[foo, setFoo], [bar, setBar]] = createSyncedSignals(0)
NOTE: Experimental
Create a stoppable effect.
const effect = createStoppableEffect(() => {
// ...
})
// ...later, stop the effect from running again.
effect.stop()
Note, this is experimental because when inside of a parent reactive context that is long-lived (f.e. for life time of the app), each new effect created with this and subsequently stopped will stick around and not be GC'd until the parent context is cleaned up (which could be never).
Stopped effects will currently only be GC'd freely when they are created outside of a reactive context.