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API Reference

DOM reference

We refer to the functions like dom.cls(), which can be used as arguments to the dom() function as "dom-methods". These often take an argument of type BindableValue, which means that either a plain value (e.g. string) may be supplied, or an Observable (or Computed) containing that type, or a "use callback" to create a Computed from (e.g. use => use(obs1) && use(obs2)).

Note that all the bindings are one-way: if the supplied value is an observable, the method will listen to it, and update something about DOM when that observable changes.

dom

ts
dom<Tag extends TagName>(tagString: Tag, ...args: IDomArgs<TagElem<Tag>>): TagElem<Tag>;

dom() provides a way to build a DOM tree easily.

The first argument is a string consisting of a lowercase tag name (e.g. "div"), with optional "#foo" suffix to add the ID 'foo', and zero or more ".bar" suffixes to add a CSS class 'bar'.

The rest of the arguments are optional and may be any number, of these types:

ParameterDescription
Nodesbecome children of the created element
stringsbecome text node children
objectsLiteral objects to set string attributes on the element. E.g. {title: "foo"}.
nullThe values null and undefined values are ignored completely.
Arraysflattened with each item processed recursively
functionscalled with the element being built as the argument, for a chance to modify the element as it's being created. Return values are processed recursively.
functions"dom methods" are a expressions such as dom.attr('href', url) or dom.hide(obs), which are special cases of the "functions" category.

Example

ts
import {dom} from 'grainjs';
dom('a', {href: url, className: 'myclass'}, 'Hello ', dom('strong', 'world'));

creates HTML element <a href= class="myclass">Hello <strong>world</strong></a>.

Example

Here's an example equivalent to the one above, using dom methods dom.cls, dom.attr, dom.text. In reality, these methods are useful with observable values rather than constant strings.

ts
 dom('a', dom.attr('href', url), dom.cls('myclass'),
     dom.text('Hello '), dom('strong', dom.text('world')));

dom.attr

ts
attr(attrName: string, attrValueObs: BindableValue<string | null | undefined>): DomElementMethod;

Sets an attribute of a DOM element to the given value. Removes the attribute when the value is null or undefined.

Example

ts
dom('a', dom.attr('href', urlObs))

dom.attrElem

ts
attrElem(elem: Element, attrName: string, attrValue: string | null | undefined): void;

Sets an attribute of a DOM element to the given value. Removes the attribute when the value is null or undefined.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
attrNameThe name of the attribute to bind, e.g. 'href'.
attrValueThe string value, or null or undefined to remove the attribute.

dom.attrs

ts
attrs(attrsObj: IAttrObj): DomElementMethod;

Sets multiple attributes of a DOM element. Null and undefined values are omitted, and booleans are either omitted or set to empty string.

dom.attrsElem

ts
attrsElem(elem: Element, attrsObj: IAttrObj): void;

Sets multiple attributes of a DOM element. Null and undefined values are omitted, and booleans are either omitted or set to empty string.

ParameterDescription
attrsObjObject mapping attribute names to attribute values.

dom.boolAttr

ts
boolAttr(attrName: string, boolValueObs: BindableValue<boolean>): DomElementMethod;

Dom-method that sets or removes a boolean attribute of a DOM element.

ParameterDescription
attrNameThe name of the attribute to bind, e.g. 'checked'.
boolValueObsValue, observable, or function for a whether to set or unset the attribute.

dom.boolAttrElem

ts
boolAttrElem(elem: Element, attrName: string, boolValue: boolean): void;

Sets or removes a boolean attribute of a DOM element. According to the spec, empty string is a valid true value for the attribute, and the false value is indicated by the attribute's absence.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
attrNameThe name of the attribute to bind, e.g. 'checked'.
boolValueBoolean value whether to set or unset the attribute.

dom.cls

ts
cls(className: string, boolValue?: BindableValue<boolean>): DomElementMethod;
cls(className: BindableValue<string>): DomElementMethod;

Sets or toggles a css class className. If className is an observable, it will be replaced when the observable changes. If a plain string, then an optional second boolean observable may be given, which will toggle it.

ts
dom.cls('foo')                                // Sets className 'foo'
dom.cls('foo', isFoo);                        // Toggles 'foo' className according to observable.
dom.cls('foo', (use) => use(isFoo));          // Toggles 'foo' className according to observable.
dom.cls(fooClass);                            // Sets className to the value of fooClass observable
dom.cls((use) => `prefix-${use(fooClass)}`);  // Sets className to prefix- plus fooClass observable.

dom.clsElem

ts
clsElem(elem: Element, className: string, boolValue?: boolean): void;

Sets or toggles the given css class className.

dom.clsPrefix

ts
clsPrefix(prefix: string, className: string, boolValue?: BindableValue<boolean>): DomElementMethod;
clsPrefix(prefix: string, className: BindableValue<string>): DomElementMethod;

Just like cls() but prepends a prefix to className, including when it is an observable.

dom.create

ts
create<Fn extends IDomCreator<any[]>>(fn: Fn, ...args: DomCreatorArgs<Fn>): DomContents;

UI components that can be inserted into dom().

Components are created and inserted using dom.create():

ts
dom('div',
  dom.create(MyWidget, ...myArgs),        // Calls MyWidget.create(owner, ...myArgs)
  dom.create(createMyWidget, ...myArgs),  // Calls createMyWidget(owner, ...myArgs)
)

The first argument may be a function, which is called directly, or a class with a .create() static method, in which case that's what gets called.

In both cases, the call gets a first argument of owner followed by the rest of the arguments to dom.create(). The owner is a MultiHolder that will own this component. This works naturally with any class that derives from Disposable, since it then has a suitable static create() method.

Function-based components may use owner to easily handle disposal. For example:

ts
dom.create(createMyWidget)
function createMyWidget(owner) {
  const foo = Foo.create(owner);
  return dom('div', foo.getTitle());
}

The owner argument is the main benefit of dom.create(). Logically, the owner is the DOM where the component is attached. When the parent DOM element is disposed, so is the component.

Explanation

To understand why the syntax is such, consider a potential alternative such as:

ts
dom('div', _insert_(new Comp1()), _insert_(new Comp2(...args)))

In both cases, the constructor for Comp1 runs before the constructor for Comp2. What happens when Comp2's constructor throws an exception? In the second case, nothing yet owns the created Comp1 component, and it will never get cleaned up. With dom.create(), the DOM gets ownership of Comp1 early enough and will dispose it.

A function component may return DOM directly. A class component returns the class instance, which must have a .buildDom() method which will be called right after the constructor to get the DOM. Note that buildDom is only called once.

A function component may also return an object with .buildDom(). So these are equivalent:

ts
dom.create(MyWidget)
dom.create((owner) => MyWidget.create(owner))

Note that ownership should be handled using the owner argument. Don't do this:

ts
// NON-EXAMPLE: Nothing will dispose the created object:
// dom.create(() => new MyWidget());

The returned DOM may includes Nodes, strings, and domComputed() values, as well as arrays of any of these. In other words, any DomArg goes except DomMethods. All the DOM returned will be disposed when the containing element is disposed, followed by the owner itself.

dom.data

ts
data(key: string, valueObs: BindableValue<any>): DomMethod;

Associate arbitrary data with a DOM element: value may be an observable or a function.

ParameterDescription
keyKey to identify this piece of data among others attached to elem.
valueArbitrary value to associate with elem.

dom.dataElem

ts
dataElem(elem: Node, key: string, value: any): void;

Associate arbitrary data with a DOM element.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element with which to associate data.
keyKey to identify this piece of data among others attached to elem.
valueArbitrary value to associate with elem.

dom.domComputed

ts
domComputed(valueObs: BindableValue<Exclude<DomArg, DomMethod>>): DomComputed;
domComputed<T>(valueObs: BindableValue<T>, contentFunc: (val: T) => DomContents): DomComputed;

Appends dynamic DOM content to an element. The value may be an observable or function (from which a computed is created), whose value will be passed to contentFunc which should return DOM content. If the contentFunc is omitted, it defaults to identity, i.e. it's OK for the observable or function to return DOM directly.

The DOM content returned may be an element, string, array, or null. Whenever the observable changes, previous content is disposed and removed, and new content added in its place.

The following are roughly equivalent:

ts
// (A)
domComputed(nlinesObs, nlines => nlines > 1 ? dom('textarea') : dom('input'))
// (B)
domComputed(use => use(nlinesObs) > 1 ? dom('textarea') : dom('input'))
// (C)
domComputed(use => use(nlinesObs) > 1, isTall => isTall ? dom('textarea') : dom('input'))

Here, (C) is best. Both (A) and (B) would rebuild DOM for any change in nlinesObs, but (C) encapsulates meaningful changes in the observable, and only recreates DOM when necessary.

Syntax (B), without the second argument, may be useful in cases of DOM depending on several observables, e.g.

ts
domComputed(use => use(readonlyObs) ? dom('div') :
    (use(nlinesObs) > 1 ? dom('textarea') : dom('input')))

If the argument is not an observable, domComputed() may but should not be used. The following are equivalent:

ts
dom(..., domComputed(listValue, list => `Have ${list.length} items`), ...);
dom(..., `Have ${listValue.length} items`, ...);

In this case, the latter is preferred as the clearly simpler one.

ParameterDescription
valueObsObservable or function for a computed.
contentFuncFunction called with the result of valueObs as the input, and returning DOM as output. If omitted, defaults to the identity function.

dom.domComputedOwned

ts
domComputedOwned<T>(valueObs: BindableValue<T>, contentFunc: (owner: MultiHolder, val: T) => DomContents): DomComputed;

Like domComputed(), but the callback gets an additional first argument, owner, which may be used to take ownership of objects created by the callback. These will be disposed before each new call to the callback, and when the containing DOM is disposed.

domComputedOwned(valueObs, (owner, value) => Editor.create(owner, value).renderSomething())

dom.find

ts
find(selector: string): Element | null;

Find the first element matching a selector; just an abbreviation for document.querySelector().

dom.findAll

ts
findAll(selector: string): NodeListOf<Element>;

Find all elements matching a selector; just an abbreviation for document.querySelectorAll().

dom.forEach

ts
forEach<T>(obsArray: MaybeObsArray<T>, itemCreateFunc: (item: T, index: number) => Node | null): DomContents;

Creates DOM elements for each element of an observable array. As the array is changed, children are added or removed. This works for any array-valued observable, and for obsArray() and computedArray() it works more efficiently for simple changes.

The given itemCreateFunc() should return a single DOM node for each item, or null to skip that item. It is called for new items whenever they are spliced in, or the array replaced. The forEach() owns the created nodes, and runs domDispose() on them when they are spliced out.

If the created nodes are removed from their parent externally, forEach() will cope with it, but will consider these elements as no longer owned, and will not run domDispose() on them.

Note that itemCreateFunc() is called with an index as the second argument, but that index is only accurate at the time of the call, and will stop reflecting the true index if more items are inserted or removed before it.

If you'd like to map the DOM node back to its source item, use dom.data() and dom.getData() in itemCreateFunc().

dom.frag

Creates a DocumentFragment, processing arguments in the same way as the dom() function.

It's rarely needed since an array of dom() arguments is treated the same as a DocumentFragment in most cases.

Example

ts
dom.frag(dom('span', 'Hello'), ' good ', dom('div', 'world'))

creates document fragment with <span>Hello</span> good <div>world</div>.

Example

These two examples are equivalent:

ts
const world1 = () => dom.frag(' good ', dom('div', 'world'));
dom('div', 'Hello', world1);

const world2 = () => [' good ', dom('div', 'world')];
dom('div', 'Hello', world2);

dom.getData

ts
getData(elem: Node, key: string): any;

Retrieve data associated with a DOM element using data() or dataElem().

dom.hide

ts
hide(boolValueObs: BindableValue<boolean>): DomElementMethod;

The opposite of show, hiding the element when boolValue is true. boolValueObs may be an observable or a function. Note that the element must be visible by default (i.e. unsetting style.display should show it).

dom.hideElem

ts
hideElem(elem: HTMLElement, boolValue: boolean): void;

The opposite of show, hiding the element when boolValue is true.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
boolValueTrue to hide the element, false to show it.

dom.maybe

ts
maybe<T>(boolValueObs: BindableValue<T>, contentFunc: (val: NonNullable<T>) => DomContents): DomComputed;

Conditionally appends DOM to an element. The value may be an observable or function (from which a computed is created), whose value -- if truthy -- will be passed to contentFunc which should return DOM content. If the value is falsy, DOM content is removed.

Note that if the observable changes between different truthy values, contentFunc gets called for each value, and previous content gets destroyed. To consider all truthy values the same, use an observable that returns a proper boolean, e.g.

ts
   dom.maybe(use => Boolean(use(fooObs)), () => dom(...));

As with domComputed(), dom.maybe() may but should not be used when the argument is not an observable or function. The following are equivalent:

ts
   dom(..., dom.maybe(myValue, () => dom(...)));
   dom(..., myValue ? dom(...) : null);

The latter is preferred for being simpler.

ParameterDescription
boolValueObsObservable or function for a computed.
contentFuncCalled with the result of boolValueObs when it is truthy. Should return DOM.

dom.maybeOwned

ts
maybeOwned<T>(boolValueObs: BindableValue<T>, contentFunc: (owner: MultiHolder, val: NonNullable<T>) => DomContents): DomComputed;

Like maybe(), but the callback gets an additional first argument, owner, which may be used to take ownership of objects created by the callback. These will be disposed before each new call to the callback, and when the condition becomes false or the containing DOM gets disposed.

ts
   maybeOwned(showEditor, (owner) => Editor.create(owner).renderSomething())

dom.on

ts
on<E extends EventName | string, T extends EventTarget>(eventType: E, callback: EventCB<EventType<E>, T>, { useCapture }?: {
    useCapture?: boolean | undefined;
}): DomMethod<T>;

Listen to a DOM event. It is typically used as an argument to the dom() function:

ts
dom('div', dom.on('click', (event, elem) => { ... }));

When the div is disposed, the listener is automatically removed.

The callback is called with the event and the element to which it was attached. Unlike in, say, JQuery, the callback's return value is ignored. Use event.stopPropagation() and event.preventDefault() explicitly if needed.

To listen to descendants of an element matching the given selector (what JQuery calls "delegated events", see http://api.jquery.com/on/), see onMatch.

ParameterDescription
eventTypeEvent type to listen for (e.g. 'click').
callbackCallback to call as callback(event, elem), where elem is the element this listener is attached to.
optionsuseCapture?: boolean: Add the listener in the capture phase.

dom.onElem

ts
onElem<E extends EventName | string, T extends EventTarget>(elem: T, eventType: E, callback: EventCB<EventType<E>, T>, { useCapture }?: {
    useCapture?: boolean | undefined;
}): IDisposable;

Listen to a DOM event, returning the listener object.

ts
const listener = dom.onElem(elem, 'click', (event, elem) => { ... });

To stop listening:

ts
listener.dispose();

Disposing the listener returned by onElem() is the only way to stop listening to an event. You can use autoDispose to stop listening automatically when subscribing in a Disposable object:

ts
this.autoDispose(domevent.onElem(document, 'mouseup', callback));

If you need "once" semantics, i.e. to remove the callback on first call, here's a useful pattern:

ts
const lis = domevent.onElem(elem, 'mouseup', e => { lis.dispose(); other_work(); });
ParameterDescription
elemDOM Element to listen to.
eventTypeEvent type to listen for (e.g. 'click').
callbackCallback to call as callback(event, elem), where elem is elem.
optionsuseCapture: boolean: Add the listener in the capture phase. This should very rarely be useful (e.g. JQuery doesn't even offer it as an option).

Returns

Listener object whose .dispose() method will remove the event listener.

dom.onKeyDown

ts
onKeyDown<T extends HTMLElement>(keyHandlers: IKeyHandlers<T>): DomMethod<T>;

Add listeners to "keydown" events. See onKeyElem for details.

dom.onKeyElem

ts
onKeyElem<T extends HTMLElement>(elem: T, evType: KeyEventType, keyHandlers: IKeyHandlers<T>): IDisposable;

Listen to key events (typically 'keydown' or 'keypress'), with specified per-key callbacks. Key names are listed at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/KeyboardEvent/key/Key_Values

By default, handled events are stopped from bubbling with stopPropagation() and preventDefault(). If, however, you register a key with a "$" suffix (i.e. "Enter$" instead of "Enter"), then the event is allowed to bubble normally.

When this handler is set on an element, we automatically ensure that tabindex attribute is set, to allow this element to receive keyboard events.

For example:

   dom('input', ...
     dom.onKeyDown({
       Enter: (e, elem) => console.log("Enter pressed"),
       Escape: (e, elem) => console.log("Escape pressed"),
       Delete$: (e, elem) => console.log("Delete pressed, will bubble"),
     })
   )

dom.onKeyPress

ts
onKeyPress<T extends HTMLElement>(keyHandlers: IKeyHandlers<T>): DomMethod<T>;

Add listeners to "keypress" events. See onKeyElem for details.

dom.onMatch

ts
onMatch(selector: string, eventType: string, callback: EventCB, { useCapture }?: {
    useCapture?: boolean | undefined;
}): DomElementMethod;

Listen to a DOM event on descendants of the given element matching the given selector.

This is similar to JQuery's delegated events

ts
dom('div', dom.onMatch('.selector', 'click', (event, elem) => { ... }));

In this usage, the element passed to the callback will be a DOM element matching the given selector. If there are multiple matches, the callback is only called for the innermost one.

ParameterDescription
selectorCSS selector string to filter elements that trigger this event.
eventTypeEvent type to listen for (e.g. 'click').
callbackCallback to call as callback(event, elem), where elem is an element matching selector.
optionsuseCapture?: boolean: Add the listener in the capture phase.

dom.onMatchElem

ts
onMatchElem(elem: EventTarget, selector: string, eventType: string, callback: EventCB, { useCapture }?: {
    useCapture?: boolean | undefined;
}): IDisposable;

Listen to a DOM event on descendants of the given elem matching the given selector.

ts
const let lis = domevent.onMatchElem(elem, '.selector', 'click', (event, el) => { ... });
ParameterDescription
elemDOM Element to whose descendants to listen.
selectorCSS selector string to filter elements that trigger this event. JQuery calls it "delegated events" (http://api.jquery.com/on/). The callback will only be called when the event occurs for an element matching the given selector. If there are multiple elements matching the selector, the callback is only called for the innermost one.
eventTypeEvent type to listen for (e.g. 'click').
callbackCallback to call as callback(event, elem), where elem is a descendent of elem which matches selector.
optionsuseCapture?: boolean: Add the listener in the capture phase.

Returns

Listener object whose .dispose() method will remove the event listener.

dom.prop

ts
prop<T>(property: string, valueObs: BindableValue<T>): DomMethod;

Sets the property of a DOM element to the given value, which may be an observable or a function.

ParameterDescription
propertyThe name of the property to update, e.g. 'disabled'.
valueThe value for the property.

dom.propElem

ts
propElem<T>(elem: Node, property: string, value: T): void;

Sets the property of a DOM element to the given value.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
propertyThe name of the property to update, e.g. 'disabled'.
valueThe value for the property.

dom.replaceContent

ts
replaceContent(nodeBefore: Node, nodeAfter: Node, content: DomContents): void;

Replaces the content between nodeBefore and nodeAfter, which should be two siblings within the same parent node. New content may be anything allowed as an argument to dom(), including null to insert nothing. Runs disposers, if any, on all removed content.

dom.show

ts
show(boolValueObs: BindableValue<boolean>): DomElementMethod;

Shows or hides the element depending on a boolean value, which may be an observable or a function. Note that the element must be visible by default (i.e. unsetting style.display should show it).

dom.showElem

ts
showElem(elem: HTMLElement, boolValue: boolean): void;

Shows or hides the element depending on a boolean value. Note that the element must be visible initially (i.e. unsetting style.display should show it).

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
boolValueTrue to show the element, false to hide it.

dom.style

ts
style(property: string, valueObs: BindableValue<string>): DomElementMethod;

Sets a style property of a DOM element to the given value, which may be an observable or a function.

ParameterDescription
propertyThe name of the style property to update, e.g. 'fontWeight'.
valueThe value for the property.

dom.styleElem

ts
styleElem(elem: Element, property: string, value: string): void;

Sets a style property of a DOM element to the given value.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
propertyThe name of the style property to update, e.g. 'fontWeight'.
valueThe value for the property.

dom.svg

ts
svg(tagString: string, ...args: IDomArgs<SVGElement>): SVGElement;

svg('tag#id.class1.class2', ...args) Same as dom(...), but creates an SVG element.

dom.text

ts
text(valueObs: BindableValue<string>): DomMethod;

Sets text content of a DOM element to a value that may be an observable or a function.

dom.textElem

ts
textElem(elem: Node, value: string): void;

Adds a text node to the element.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to update.
valueThe text value to add.

dom.update

ts
update<T extends Node, Args extends IDomArgs<T>>(elem: T, ...args: Args): T;

Update an element with any number of arguments, as documented in dom().

IAttrObj

ts
interface IAttrObj {
  [attrName: string]: string | boolean | null | undefined;
}

Object mapping attribute names to attribute values. When applied to a DOM element, null and undefined values are omitted, and booleans are either omitted or set to empty string.

keyframes

ts
keyframes(styles: string): string;

Animations with @keyframes may be created with a unique name by using the keyframes() helper:

ts
const rotate360 = keyframes(`
  from { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
`);

const Rotate = styled('div', `
  display: inline-block;
  animation: ${rotate360} 2s linear infinite;
`);

This function returns simply a string with the generated name. Note that keyframes do not support nesting or ampersand (&) handling, like styled() does, since these would be difficult and are entirely unneeded.

makeTestId

ts
makeTestId(prefix: string): TestId;

See documentation for TestId above.

noTestId

ts
noTestId: TestId

See documentation for TestId above.

styled

ts
styled<Tag extends TagName>(tag: Tag, styles: string): DomCreateFunc<TagElem<Tag>> & IClsName;
styled<Args extends any[], R extends Element>(creator: (...args: Args) => R, styles: string): typeof creator & IClsName;

In-code styling for DOM components, inspired by Reacts Styled Components.

Usage:

ts
const cssTitle = styled('h1', `
  font-size: 1.5em;
  text-align: center;
  color: palevioletred;
`);

const cssWrapper = styled('section', `
  padding: 4em;
  background: papayawhip;
`);

cssWrapper(cssTitle('Hello world'))

This generates class names for cssTitle and cssWrapper, adds the styles to the document on first use, and the result is equivalent to:

ts
dom(`section.${cssWrapper.className}`, dom(`h1.${cssTitle.className}`, 'Hello world'));

What styled(tag) returns is a function that takes the same arguments ...args as dom(tag, ...args). In particular, you may call it with all the arguments that dom() takes: content, DOM methods, event handlers, etc.

Calls to styled() should happen at the top level, at import time, in order to register all styles upfront. Actual work happens the first time a style is needed to create an element. Calling styled() elsewhere than at top level is wasteful and bad for performance.

You may create a style that modifies an existing styled() or other component, e.g.

ts
const cssTitle2 = styled(cssTitle, `font-size: 1rem; color: red;`);

Now calling cssTitle2('Foo') becomes equivalent to dom('h1', {className: cssTitle.className + ' ' + cssTitle2.className}).

Styles may incorporate other related styles by nesting them under the main one as follows:

ts
const myButton = styled('button', `
  border-radius: 0.5rem;
  border: 1px solid grey;
  font-size: 1rem;

  &:active {
    background: lightblue;
  }
  &-small {
    font-size: 0.6rem;
  }
`);

In nested styles, ampersand (&) gets replaced with the generated .className of the main element.

The resulting styled component provides a .cls() helper to simplify using prefixed classes. It behaves as dom.cls(), but prefixes the class names with the generated className of the main element. E.g. for the example above,

ts
myButton(myButton.cls('-small'), 'Test')

creates a button with both the myButton style above, and the style specified under "&-small".

TestId

ts
type TestId = (name: string) => DomElementMethod | null;

A very simple setup to identify DOM elements for testing purposes. Here's the recommended usage.

ts
  // In the component to be tested.
  import {noTestId, TestId} from 'grainjs';

  function myComponent(myArgs, testId: TestId = noTestId) {
    return dom(..., testId("some-name"),
      dom(..., testId("another-name"), ...),
    );
  }

In the fixture code using this component:

ts
  import {makeTestId} from 'grainjs';

  dom(..., myComponent(myArgs, makeTestId('test-mycomp-'), ...)

In the webdriver test code:

ts
  driver.find('.test-my-comp-some-name')
  driver.find('.test-my-comp-another-name')

When myComponent() is created with testId argument omitted, the testId() calls are no-ops. When makeTestId('test-foo-') is passed in, testId() calls simply add a css class with that prefix.

Disposable reference

See Disposables for background.

Disposable_2

ts
abstract class Disposable implements IDisposable, IDisposableOwner

Base class for disposable objects that can own other objects.

For background and motivation, see Disposables.

Disposable is a class for components that need cleanup (e.g. maintain DOM, listen to events, subscribe to anything). It provides a .dispose() method that should be called to destroy the component, and .onDispose() / .autoDispose() methods that the component should use to take responsibility for other pieces that require cleanup.

To define a disposable class:

ts
class Foo extends Disposable { ... }

To create Foo:

ts
const foo = Foo.create(owner, ...args);

This is better than new Foo for two reasons: 1. If Foo's constructor throws an exception, any disposals registered in that constructor before the exception are honored. 2. It ensures you specify the owner of the new instance (but you can use null to skip it).

In Foo's constructor (or rarely methods), take ownership of other Disposable objects:

ts
this.bar = Bar.create(this, ...);

For objects that are not instances of Disposable but have a .dispose() methods, use:

ts
this.bar = this.autoDispose(createSomethingDisposable());

To call a function on disposal (e.g. to add custom disposal logic):

ts
this.onDispose(() => this.myUnsubscribeAllMethod());
this.onDispose(this.myUnsubscribeAllMethod, this);

To mark this object to be wiped out on disposal (i.e. set all properties to null):

ts
this.wipeOnDispose();

See the documentation of that method for more info.

To dispose Foo directly: foo.dispose().

To determine if an object has already been disposed: foo.isDisposed().

If you need to replace an owned object, or release, or dispose it early, use a Holder or MultiHolder.

If creating your own class with a dispose() method, do NOT throw exceptions from dispose(). These cannot be handled properly in all cases.

Using a parametrized (generic) class as a Disposable is tricky. E.g.

ts
class Bar<T> extends Disposable { ... }
// Bar<T>.create(...)   <-- doesn't work
// Bar.create<T>(...)   <-- doesn't work
// Bar.create(...)      <-- works, but with {} for Bar's type parameters

The solution is to expose the constructor type using a helper method:

ts
class Bar<T> extends Disposable {
  // Note the tuple below which must match the constructor parameters of Bar<U>.
  public static ctor<U>(): IDisposableCtor<Bar<U>, [U, boolean]> { return this; }
  constructor(a: T, b: boolean) { ... }
}
Bar.ctor<T>().create(...)   // <-- works, creates Bar<T>, and does type-checking!

Disposable_2.create

ts
static create<T extends new (...args: any[]) => any>(this: T, owner: IDisposableOwnerT<InstanceType<T>> | null, ...args: ConstructorParameters<T>): InstanceType<T>;

Create Disposable instances using Class.create(owner, ...) rather than new Class(...).

This reminds you to provide an owner, and ensures that if the constructor throws an exception, dispose() gets called to clean up the partially-constructed object.

Owner may be null if you intend to ensure disposal some other way.

Disposable_2#autoDispose

ts
autoDispose<T extends IDisposable>(obj: T): T;

Take ownership of obj, and dispose it when this.dispose() is called.

Disposable_2#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Clean up this by disposing all owned objects, and calling onDispose() callbacks, in reverse order to that in which they were added.

Disposable_2#isDisposed

ts
isDisposed(): boolean;

Returns whether this object has already been disposed.

Disposable_2#onDispose

ts
onDispose<T>(callback: (this: T) => void, context?: T): IDisposable;

Call the given callback when this.dispose() is called.

Disposable_2#wipeOnDispose

ts
wipeOnDispose(): void;

Wipe out this object when it is disposed, i.e. set all its properties to null. It is recommended to call this early in the constructor.

This makes disposal more costly, but has certain benefits:

  • If anything still refers to the object and uses it, we'll get an early error, rather than silently keep going, potentially doing useless work (or worse) and wasting resources.

  • If anything still refers to the object (even without using it), the fields of the object can still be garbage-collected.

  • If there are circular references involving this object, they get broken, making the job easier for the garbage collector.

The recommendation is to use it for complex, longer-lived objects, but to skip for objects which are numerous and short-lived (and less likely to be referenced from unexpected places).

dom.autoDispose

ts
autoDispose(disposable: IDisposable | null): ((elem: Node) => void) | undefined;

Make the given element own the disposable, and call its dispose method when domDispose() is called on the element or any of its parents.

ParameterDescription
disposableAnything with a .dispose() method.

dom.autoDisposeElem

ts
autoDisposeElem(elem: Node, disposable: IDisposable | null): void;

Make the given element own the disposable, and call its dispose method when domDispose() is called on the element or any of its parents.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to own the disposable.
disposableAnything with a .dispose() method.

dom.domDispose

ts
domDispose(node: Node): void;

Run disposers associated with any descendant of elem or with elem itself. Disposers get associated with elements using dom.onDispose(). Descendants are processed first.

It is automatically called if one of the function arguments to dom() throws an exception during element creation. This way any onDispose() handlers set on the unfinished element get called.

ParameterDescription
nodeThe element to run disposers on.

dom.onDispose

ts
onDispose(disposerFunc: INodeFunc): (elem: Node) => void;

Associate a disposer function with a DOM element. It will be called when the element is disposed using domDispose() on it or any of its parents. If called multiple times, all disposer functions will be called in reverse order.

ParameterDescription
disposerFuncWill be called when domDispose() is called on the element or its ancestor.

dom.onDisposeElem

ts
onDisposeElem(elem: Node, disposerFunc: INodeFunc): void;

Associate a disposer function with a DOM element. It will be called when the element is disposed using domDispose() on it or any of its parents. If called multiple times, all disposer functions will be called in reverse order.

Note that it is not necessary usually to dispose event listeners attached to an element (e.g. with dom.on()) since their lifetime is naturally limited to the lifetime of the element.

ParameterDescription
elemThe element to associate the disposer with.
disposerFuncWill be called when domDispose() is called on the element or its ancestor.

domDisposeHooks

ts
domDisposeHooks: IDomDisposeHooks

Support for extending dom disposal. This is very low-level, and needs utmost care. Any disposers set should take care of calling the original versions of the disposers.

Holder

ts
class Holder<T extends IDisposable> implements IDisposable, IDisposableOwner

Holder keeps a single disposable object. If given responsibility for another object using holder.autoDispose() or Foo.create(holder, ...), it automatically disposes the currently held object. It also disposes it when the holder itself is disposed.

If the object is an instance of Disposable, the holder will also notice when the object gets disposed from outside of it, in which case the holder will become empty again.

If you need a container for multiple objects and dispose them all together, use a MultiHolder:

Example

ts
this._holder = Holder.create(this);
Bar.create(this._holder, 1);      // creates new Bar(1), assuming it's a Disposable
Bar.create(this._holder, 2);      // creates new Bar(2) and disposes previous object
this._holder.clear();             // disposes contained object
this._holder.release();           // releases contained object

Holder.create

ts
static create<T extends IDisposable>(owner: IDisposableOwnerT<Holder<T>> | null): Holder<T>;

Holder.create(owner) creates a new Holder.

Holder#autoDispose

ts
autoDispose(obj: T): T;

Take ownership of a new object, disposing the previously held one.

Holder#clear

ts
clear(): void;

Disposes the held object and empties the holder.

Holder#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

When the holder is disposed, it disposes the held object if any.

Holder#get

ts
get(): T | null;

Returns the held object, or null if the Holder is empty.

Holder#isEmpty

ts
isEmpty(): boolean;

Returns whether the Holder is empty.

Holder#release

ts
release(): IDisposable | null;

Releases the held object without disposing it, emptying the holder.

IDisposable

ts
interface IDisposable {
  dispose(): void;
}

Anything with a .dispose() method is a disposable object, and implements the IDisposable interface.

IDisposableCtor

ts
interface IDisposableCtor<Derived, CtorArgs extends any[]> {
  new (...args: CtorArgs): Derived;
  create<T extends new (...args: any[]) => any>(this: T, owner: IDisposableOwnerT<InstanceType<T>> | null, ...args: ConstructorParameters<T>): InstanceType<T>;
}

The static portion of class Disposable.

IDisposableOwner

ts
interface IDisposableOwner {
  autoDispose(obj: IDisposable): void;
}

Type that can own an object of any disposable type.

IDisposableOwnerT

ts
interface IDisposableOwnerT<T extends IDisposable> {
  autoDispose(obj: T): void;
}

Anything with .autoDispose() can be the owner of a disposable object. This is a type-specific class that can only own a disposable object of type T.

MultiHolder

ts
class MultiHolder extends Disposable

MultiHolder keeps multiple disposable objects. It disposes all held object when the holder itself is disposed. It's actually nothing more than the Disposable base class itself, just exposed with a clearer name that describes its purpose.

Example

ts
this._mholder = MultiHolder.create(null);
Bar.create(this._mholder, 1);     // create new Bar(1)
Bar.create(this._mholder, 2);     // create new Bar(2)
this._mholder.dispose();          // disposes both objects

setDisposeOwner

ts
setDisposeOwner<T extends IDisposable>(owner: IDisposableOwnerT<T> | null, obj: T): T;

Sets owner of obj (i.e. calls owner.autoDispose(obj)) unless owner is null. Returns obj.

Observables reference

See Observables for background.

BaseObservable

ts
class BaseObservable<T>

Base class for several variants of observable values.

BaseObservable#addListener

ts
addListener(callback: (val: T, prev: T) => void, optContext?: object): Listener;

Adds a callback to listen to changes in the observable.

ParameterDescription
callbackFunction, called on changes with (newValue, oldValue) arguments.
optContextContext for the function.

Returns

Listener object. Its dispose() method removes the callback.

BaseObservable#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Disposes the observable.

BaseObservable#get

ts
get(): T;

Returns the value of the observable. It is fast and does not create a subscription. (It is similar to knockout's peek()).

Returns

The current value of the observable.

BaseObservable#hasListeners

ts
hasListeners(): boolean;

Returns whether this observable has any listeners.

BaseObservable#isDisposed

ts
isDisposed(): boolean;

Returns whether this observable is disposed.

BaseObservable#set

ts
set(value: T): void;

Sets the value of the observable. If the value differs from the previously set one, then listeners to this observable will get called with (newValue, oldValue) as arguments.

ParameterDescription
valueThe new value to set.

BaseObservable#setAndTrigger

ts
setAndTrigger(value: T): void;

Sets the value of the observable AND calls listeners even if the value is unchanged.

BaseObservable#setListenerChangeCB

ts
setListenerChangeCB(changeCB: (hasListeners: boolean) => void, optContext?: any): void;

Sets a single callback to be called when a listener is added or removed. It overwrites any previously-set such callback.

ParameterDescription
changeCBFunction to call after a listener is added or removed. It's called with a boolean indicating whether this observable has any listeners. Pass in null to unset the callback. Note that it can be called multiple times in a row with hasListeners true.

BindableValue

ts
type BindableValue<T> = BaseObservable<T> | ComputedCallback<T> | T | IKnockoutReadObservable<T>;

Any of the value types that DOM methods know how to subscribe to: a plain value (like a string); an Observable (including a Computed); a knockout observable; a function.

If a function, it's used to create a Computed, and will be called with a context function use, allowing it to depend on other observable values (see documentation for Computed).

Computed

ts
class Computed<T> extends Observable<T>

Computed implements a computed observable, whose value depends on other observables and gets recalculated automatically when they change.

E.g. if we have some existing observables (which may themselves be instances of Computed), we can create a computed that subscribes to them explicitly:

ts
const obs1 = Observable.create(null, 5), obs2 = Observable.create(null, 12);
const computed1 = Computed.create(null, obs1, obs2, (use, v1, v2) => v1 + v2);

or implicitly by using use(obs) function:

ts
const computed2 = Computed.create(null, use => use(obs1) + use(obs2));

In either case, computed1.get() and computed2.get() will have the value 17. If obs1 or obs2 is changed, computed1 and computed2 will get recomputed automatically.

Creating a computed allows any number of dependencies to be specified explicitly, and their values will be passed to the read() callback. These may be combined with automatic dependencies detected using use(). Note that constructor dependencies have less overhead.

ts
const val = Computed.create(null, ...deps, ((use, ...depValues) => READ_CALLBACK));

You may specify a write callback by calling onWrite(WRITE_CALLBACK), which will be called whenever set() is called on the computed by its user. If a write bacllback is not specified, calling set on a computed observable will throw an exception.

Note that PureComputed offers a variation of Computed with the same interface, but which stays unsubscribed from dependencies while it itself has no subscribers.

A computed may be used with a disposable value using use.owner as the value's owner. E.g.

ts
const val = Computed.create(null, ((use) => Foo.create(use.owner, use(a), use(b)));

When the Computed is re-evaluated, and when it itself is disposed, it disposes the previously owned value. Note that only the pattern above works, i.e. use.owner may only be used to take ownership of the same disposable that the callback returns.

Computed.create

ts
static create<T>(owner: Owner<T>, cb: (use: UseCB) => T): Computed<T>;
static create<T, A>(owner: Owner<T>, a: Obs<A>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A) => T): Computed<T>;
static create<T, A, B>(owner: Owner<T>, a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B) => T): Computed<T>;
static create<T, A, B, C>(owner: Owner<T>, a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C) => T): Computed<T>;
static create<T, A, B, C, D>(owner: Owner<T>, a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D) => T): Computed<T>;
static create<T, A, B, C, D, E>(owner: Owner<T>, a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, e: Obs<E>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D, e: E) => T): Computed<T>;

Creates a new Computed, owned by the given owner.

ParameterDescription
ownerObject to own this Computed, or null to handle disposal manually.
observablesZero or more observables on which this computes depends. The callback will get called when any of these changes.
callbackRead callback that will be called with (use, ...values), i.e. the use function and values for all of the ...observables. The callback is called immediately and whenever any dependency changes.

Returns

The newly created Computed observable.

Computed#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Disposes the computed, unsubscribing it from all observables it depends on.

Computed#onWrite

ts
onWrite(writeFunc: (value: T) => void): Computed<T>;

Set callback to call when this.set(value) is called, to make it a writable computed. If not set, attempting to write to this computed will throw an exception.

Computed#set

ts
set(value: T): void;

"Sets" the value of the computed by calling the write() callback if one was provided in the constructor. Throws an error if there was no such callback (not a "writable" computed).

ParameterDescription
valueThe value to pass to the write() callback.

computed

ts
computed<T>(cb: (use: UseCB) => T): Computed<T>;
computed<T, A>(a: Obs<A>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A) => T): Computed<T>;
computed<T, A, B>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B) => T): Computed<T>;
computed<T, A, B, C>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C) => T): Computed<T>;
computed<T, A, B, C, D>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D) => T): Computed<T>;
computed<T, A, B, C, D, E>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, e: Obs<E>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D, e: E) => T): Computed<T>;

Creates a new Computed.

ParameterDescription
observablesThe initial params, of which there may be zero or more, are observables on which this computed depends. When any of them change, the read() callback will be called with the values of these observables as arguments.
readCallbackRead callback that will be called with (use, ...values), i.e. the use function and values for all of the ...observables. The callback is called immediately and whenever any dependency changes.

Returns

The newly created Computed observable.

ComputedArray

ts
class ComputedArray<T, U> extends ObsArray<U>

See computedArray() for documentation.

computedArray

ts
computedArray<T, U>(obsArr: BaseObservable<T[]> | Observable<BaseObservable<T[]>>, mapper: (item: T, index: number, arr: ComputedArray<T, U>) => U): ObsArray<U>;

Returns an ObsArray that maps all elements of the passed-in ObsArray through a mapper function. Also accepts an observable (e.g. a computed) whose value is an ObsArray.

ts
computedArray(obsArray, mapper)

The result is analogous to:

ts
computed((use) => use(obsArray).map(mapper))       // for ObsArray
computed((use) => use(use(obsArray)).map(mapper))  // for Observable<ObsArray>

The benefit of computedArray() is that a small change to the source array (e.g. one item added or removed), causes a small change to the mapped array, rather than a full rebuild.

This is useful with an ObsArray or with an observable whose value is an ObsArray, and also when the computed array's items are disposable and it owns them.

There is no need or benefit to using computedArray() if you have a computed() that returns a plain array. It is specifically for the case when you want to preserve the efficiency of ObsArray when you map its values.

Note that the mapper function is called with (item, index, array) as for a standard array.map(), but that the index is only accurate at the time of the call, and will stop reflecting the true index if more items are inserted into the array later.

As with ObsArray, a ComputedArray may be used with disposable elements as their owners. E.g.

ts
const values = obsArray<string>();
const compArr = computedArray<D>(values, (val, i, compArr) => D.create(compArr, val));
values.push("foo", "bar");      // D("foo") and D("bar") get created
values.pop();                   // D("bar") gets disposed.
compArr.dispose();              // D("foo") gets disposed.

Note that only the pattern above works: obsArray (or compArray) may only be used to take ownership of those disposables that are added to it as array elements.

IObsArraySplice

ts
interface IObsArraySplice<T> {
  deleted: T[];
  numAdded: number;
  start: number;
}

Info about a modification to ObsArray contents. It is included as a third argument to change listeners when available. When not available, listeners should assume that the array changed completely.

LiveIndex

ts
class LiveIndex extends Observable<number | null>

An Observable that represents an index into an ObsArray, clamped to be in the valid range.

LiveIndex#set

ts
set(index: number | null): void;

Set the index, clamping it to a valid value.

LiveIndex#setLive

ts
setLive(value: boolean): void;

Turn "liveness" on or off. While set to false, the observable will not be adjusted as the array changes, except to keep it valid.

makeLiveIndex

ts
makeLiveIndex<T>(owner: IDisposableOwnerT<LiveIndex> | null, obsArr: ObsArray<T>, initialIndex?: number): LiveIndex;

Returns a new observable representing an index into this array. It can be read and written, and its value is clamped to be a valid index. The index is only null if the array is empty.

As the array changes, the index is adjusted to continue pointing to the same element. If the pointed element is deleted, the index is adjusted to after the deletion point.

The returned observable has an additional .setLive(bool) method. While set to false, the observable will not be adjusted as the array changes, except to keep it valid.

MaybeObsArray

ts
type MaybeObsArray<T> = BaseObservable<T[]> | T[];

Either an observable or a plain array of T. This is useful for functions like dom.forEach() which are convenient to have available for both.

MutableObsArray

ts
class MutableObsArray<T> extends ObsArray<T>

MutableObsArray<T> adds array-like mutation methods which emit events with splice info, to allow more efficient processing of such changes. It is created with obsArray<T>().

MutableObsArray#pop

ts
pop(): T | undefined;

Removes and returns the last element (like Array#pop).

MutableObsArray#push

ts
push(...args: T[]): number;

Appends elements to the end and returns the new length (like Array#push).

MutableObsArray#shift

ts
shift(): T | undefined;

Removes and returns the first element (like Array#shift).

MutableObsArray#splice

ts
splice(start: number, deleteCount?: number, ...newValues: T[]): T[];

Removes and/or inserts elements at a given index and returns the removed elements (like Array#splice).

MutableObsArray#unshift

ts
unshift(...args: T[]): number;

Prepends elements to the start and returns the new length (like Array#unshift).

ObsArray

ts
class ObsArray<T> extends BaseObservable<T[]>

ObsArray<T> is essentially an array-valued observable. It extends a plain Observable to allow for more efficient observation of array changes. It also may be used as an owner for disposable array elements.

As for any array-valued Observable, when the contents of the observed array changes, the listeners get called with new and previous values which are the same array. For simple changes, such as those made with .push() and .splice() methods, ObsArray allows for more efficient handling of the change by calling listeners with splice info in the third argument.

ObsArray may be used with disposable elements as their owner. E.g.

ts
const arr = obsArray<D>();
arr.push(D.create(arr, "x"), D.create(arr, "y"));
arr.pop();      // Element "y" gets disposed.
arr.dispose();  // Element "x" gets disposed.

Note that only the pattern above works: obsArray may only be used to take ownership of those disposables that are added to it as array elements.

ObsArray#addListener

ts
addListener(callback: ISpliceListener<T, void>): Listener;
addListener<C>(callback: ISpliceListener<T, C>, context: C): Listener;

Adds a callback to listen to changes in the observable. In case of ObsArray, the listener gets additional information.

ObsArray#autoDispose

ts
autoDispose(value: T & IDisposable): T & IDisposable;

Take ownership of an item added to this array. This should only be used for array elements, not any unrelated items.

obsArray

ts
obsArray<T>(value?: T[]): MutableObsArray<T>;

Creates a new MutableObsArray with an optional initial value, defaulting to the empty array. It is essentially the same as observable<T[]>, but with array-like mutation methods.

Observable

ts
class Observable<T> extends BaseObservable<T> implements IDisposableOwnerT<T & IDisposable>

An Observable holds a value and allows subscribing to changes.

Observable.create

ts
static create<T>(owner: IDisposableOwnerT<Observable<T>> | null, value: T): Observable<T>;

Creates a new Observable with the given initial value, and owned by owner.

Observable#autoDispose

ts
autoDispose(value: T & IDisposable): T & IDisposable;

The use an observable for a disposable object, use it a DisposableOwner:

D.create(obs, ...args) // Preferred obs.autoDispose(D.create(null, ...args)) // Equivalent

Either of these usages will set the observable to the newly created value. The observable will dispose the owned value when it's set to another value, or when it itself is disposed.

observable

ts
observable<T>(value: T): Observable<T>;

Creates a new Observable with the initial value of optValue if given or undefined if omitted.

ParameterDescription
optValueThe initial value to set.

Returns

The newly created observable.

obsHolder

ts
obsHolder<T>(value: T & IDisposable): Observable<T>;

Creates a new Observable with an initial disposable value owned by this observable, e.g.

   const obs = obsHolder<D>(D.create(null, ...args));

This is needed because using simply observable<D>(value) would not cause the observable to take ownership of value (i.e. to dispose it later). This function is a less hacky equivalent to:

   const obs = observable<D>(null as any);
   D.create(obs, ...args);

To allow nulls, use observable<D|null>(null); then the obsHolder() constructor is not needed.

PureComputed

ts
class PureComputed<T> extends Observable<T>

PureComputed is a variant of Computed suitable for use with a pure read function (free of side-effects). A PureComputed is only subscribed to its dependencies when something is subscribed to it. At other times, it is not subscribed to anything, and calls to get() will recompute its value each time by calling its read() function.

Its syntax and usage are otherwise exactly as for a Computed.

In addition to being cheaper when unused, a PureComputed also avoids leaking memory when unused (since it's not registered with dependencies), so it is not necessary to dispose it.

PureComputed#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Disposes the pureComputed, unsubscribing it from all observables it depends on.

PureComputed#onWrite

ts
onWrite(writeFunc: (value: T) => void): PureComputed<T>;

Set callback to call when this.set(value) is called, to make it a writable computed. If not set, attempting to write to this computed will throw an exception.

PureComputed#set

ts
set(value: T): void;

"Sets" the value of the pure computed by calling the write() callback if one was provided in the constructor. Throws an error if there was no such callback (not a "writable" computed).

ParameterDescription
valueThe value to pass to the write() callback.

pureComputed

ts
pureComputed<T>(cb: (use: UseCB) => T): PureComputed<T>;
pureComputed<A, T>(a: Observable<A>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A) => T): PureComputed<T>;
pureComputed<A, B, T>(a: Observable<A>, b: Observable<B>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B) => T): PureComputed<T>;
pureComputed<A, B, C, T>(a: Observable<A>, b: Observable<B>, c: Observable<C>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C) => T): PureComputed<T>;
pureComputed<A, B, C, D, T>(a: Observable<A>, b: Observable<B>, c: Observable<C>, d: Observable<D>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D) => T): PureComputed<T>;
pureComputed<A, B, C, D, E, T>(a: Observable<A>, b: Observable<B>, c: Observable<C>, d: Observable<D>, e: Observable<E>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D, e: E) => T): PureComputed<T>;

Creates and returns a new PureComputed. The interface is identical to that of a Computed.

subscribe

ts
subscribe(cb: (use: UseCB) => void): Subscription;
subscribe<A>(a: Obs<A>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A) => void): Subscription;
subscribe<A, B>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B) => void): Subscription;
subscribe<A, B, C>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C) => void): Subscription;
subscribe<A, B, C, D>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D) => void): Subscription;
subscribe<A, B, C, D, E>(a: Obs<A>, b: Obs<B>, c: Obs<C>, d: Obs<D>, e: Obs<E>, cb: (use: UseCB, a: A, b: B, c: C, d: D, e: E) => void): Subscription;

Creates a new Subscription.

ParameterDescription
observablesThe initial params, of which there may be zero or more, are observables on which this computed depends. When any of them change, the callback will be called with the values of these observables as arguments.
callbackwill be called with arguments (use, ...values), i.e. the use function and values for all of the ...observables that precede this argument. This callback is called immediately, and whenever any dependency changes.

Returns

The new Subscription which may be disposed to unsubscribe.

subscribeBindable

ts
subscribeBindable<KObs extends IKnockoutReadObservable<any>>(valueObs: KObs, callback: (val: InferKoType<KObs>) => void): IDisposable | null;
subscribeBindable<T>(valueObs: BindableValue<T>, callback: (val: T) => void): IDisposable | null;

Subscribes a callback to valueObs, which may be one a plain value, an observable, a knockout observable, or a function. If a function, it's used to create a computed() and will be called with a context function use, allowing it to depend on other observable values (see documentation for computed).

In all cases, callback(newValue, oldValue) is called immediately and whenever the value changes. On the initial call, oldValue is undefined.

Returns an object which should be disposed to remove the created subscriptions, or null.

subscribeElem

ts
subscribeElem<T>(elem: Node, valueObs: BindableValue<T>, callback: (newVal: T, oldVal?: T) => void): void;

Subscribes a callback to valueObs (which may be a value, observable, or function) using subscribeBindable(), and ties the disposal of this subscription to the passed-in element.

Subscription

ts
class Subscription

Subscription allows subscribing to several observables at once. It's the foundation for a Computed, but may also be used directly.

E.g. if we have some existing observables (which may be instances of Computed), we can subscribe to them explicitly:

ts
const obs1 = observable(5), obs2 = observable(12);
subscribe(obs1, obs2, (use, v1, v2) => console.log(v1, v2));

or implicitly by using use(obs) function, which allows dynamic subscriptions:

ts
subscribe(use => console.log(use(obs1), use(obs2)));

In either case, if obs1 or obs2 is changed, the callbacks will get called automatically.

Creating a subscription allows any number of dependencies to be specified explicitly, and their values will be passed to the callback. These may be combined with automatic dependencies detected using use(). Note that constructor dependencies have less overhead.

ts
subscribe(...deps, ((use, ...depValues) => READ_CALLBACK));

Subscription#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Disposes the computed, unsubscribing it from all observables it depends on.

Other

bindB

ts
bindB<R>(func: (...args: any[]) => R, b: any[]): () => R;

Returns f such that f() calls func(...boundArgs), i.e. optimizes () => func(...boundArgs). It is faster on node6 by 57-92%.

bindBU

ts
bindBU<R>(func: (...args: any[]) => R, b: any[]): (arg: any) => R;

Returns f such that f(unboundArg) calls func(...boundArgs, unboundArg). I.e. optimizes (arg) => func(...boundArgs, arg). It is faster on node6 by 0-92%.

bindUB

ts
bindUB<U, R>(func: (arg: U, ...args: any[]) => R, b: any[]): (arg: U) => R;

Returns f such that f(unboundArg) calls func(unboundArg, ...boundArgs). I.e. optimizes (arg) => func(arg, ...boundArgs). It is faster on node6 by 0-92%.

bundleChanges

ts
bundleChanges<T>(func: () => T): T;

Defer recomputations of all computed observables and subscriptions until func() returns. This is useful to avoid unnecessary recomputation if you are making several changes to observables together. This function is exposed as observable.bundleChanges().

Note that this intentionally does not wait for promises to be resolved, since that would block all updates to all computeds while waiting.

ChangeCB

ts
type ChangeCB = (hasListeners: boolean) => void;

A callback that listens to changes in the Emitter listeners. This is mainly used for internal purposes.

Emitter

ts
class Emitter extends LLink

An Emitter emits events to a list of listeners. Listeners are simply functions to call, and "emitting an event" just calls those functions.

This is similar to Backbone events, with more focus on efficiency. Both inserting and removing listeners is constant time.

To create an emitter:

ts
const emitter = new Emitter();

To add a listener:

ts
const listener = fooEmitter.addListener(callback);

To remove a listener:

ts
listener.dispose();

The only way to remove a listener is to dispose the Listener object returned by addListener(). You can often use autoDispose to do this automatically when subscribing in a constructor:

ts
this.autoDispose(fooEmitter.addListener(this.onFoo, this));

To emit an event, call emit() with any number of arguments:

ts
emitter.emit("hello", "world");

Emitter#addListener

ts
addListener<T>(callback: ListenerCB<T>, optContext?: T): Listener;

Adds a listening callback to the list of functions to call on emit().

ParameterDescription
callbackFunction to call.
optContextContext for the function.

Returns

Listener object. Its dispose() method removes the callback from the list.

Emitter#dispose

ts
dispose(): void;

Disposes the Emitter. It breaks references between the emitter and all the items, allowing for better garbage collection. It effectively disposes all current listeners.

Emitter#emit

ts
emit(...args: any[]): void;

Calls all listener callbacks, passing all arguments to each of them.

Emitter#hasListeners

ts
hasListeners(): boolean;

Returns whether this Emitter has any listeners.

Emitter#setChangeCB

ts
setChangeCB(changeCB: ChangeCB, optContext?: any): void;

Sets the single callback that would get called when a listener is added or removed.

ParameterDescription
changeCBFunction to call after a listener is added or removed. It's called with a boolean indicating whether this Emitter has any listeners. Pass in null to unset the callback. Note that it can be called multiple times in a row with hasListeners true.

fromKo

ts
fromKo<KObs extends IKnockoutObservable<any>>(koObs: KObs): Observable<InferKoType<KObs>>;

Returns a Grain.js observable which mirrors a Knockout observable.

Do not dispose this wrapper, as it is shared by all code using koObs, and its lifetime is tied to the lifetime of koObs. If unused, it consumes minimal resources, and should get garbage collected along with koObs.

input

ts
input(obs: Observable<string>, options: IInputOptions, ...args: IDomArgs<HTMLInputElement>): HTMLInputElement;

Creates a input element tied to the given observable. The required options argument allows controlling the behavior, see IInputOptions for details.

This is intended for string input elements, with "type" such as text, email, url, password, number, tel.

Note that every change to the observable will affect the input element, but not every change to the input element will affect the observable. Specifically, unless {onInput: true} is set, the visible content may differ from the observable until the element loses focus or Enter is hit.

Example usage:

   input(obs, {}, {type: 'text', placeholder: 'Your name...'});
   input(obs, {isValid: isValidObs}, {type: 'email', placeholder: 'Your email...'});
   input(obs, {onInput: true}, {type: 'text'});

KoWrapObs

ts
class KoWrapObs<T> extends Observable<T>

An Observable that wraps a Knockout observable, created via fromKo(). It keeps minimal overhead when unused by only subscribing to the wrapped observable while it itself has subscriptions.

This way, when unused, the only reference is from the wrapper to the wrapped object. KoWrapObs should not be disposed; its lifetime is tied to that of the wrapped object.

Listener

ts
class Listener extends LLink

The Listener object wraps a callback added to an Emitter, allowing for O(1) removal when the listener is disposed. It implements IDisposable.

select

ts
select<T>(obs: Observable<T>, optionArray: MaybeObsArray<IOption<T>>, options?: {
    defLabel?: string;
}): HTMLSelectElement;

Creates a select dropdown widget. The observable obs reflects the value of the selected option, and optionArray is an array (regular or observable) of option values and labels. These may be either strings, or {label, value, disabled} objects.

The type of value may be any type at all; it is opaque to this widget.

If obs is set to an invalid or disabled value, then defLabel option is used to determine the label that the select box will show, blank by default.

Usage:

   const fruit = observable("apple");
   select(fruit, ["apple", "banana", "mango"]);

   const employee = observable(17);
   const employees = obsArray<IOption<number>>([
     {value: 12, label: "Bob", disabled: true},
     {value: 17, label: "Alice"},
     {value: 21, label: "Eve"},
   ]);
   select(employee, employees, {defLabel: "Select employee:"});

setupKoDisposal

ts
setupKoDisposal(ko: IKnockoutModule): void;

Set up integration between grainjs and knockout disposal. Knockout does cleanup using ko.removeNode / ko.cleanNode (it also takes care of JQuery cleanup if needed). GrainJS does cleanup using dom.domDispose(). By default these don't know about each other.

If you mix the two libraries, however, disposing an element may need to trigger disposers registered by either library.

This method ensures that this happens.

Note: grainjs disposes text nodes too, but nothing relies on it. When disposal is triggered via knockout, we are forced to rely on knockout's node traversal which ignores text nodes.

toKo

ts
toKo<T>(knockout: IKnockoutModule, grainObs: Observable<T>): IKnockoutObservable<T>;

Returns a Knockout observable which mirrors a Grain.js observable.

Misc types

ComputedCallback

ts
type ComputedCallback<T> = (use: UseCBOwner, ...args: any[]) => T;

DomArg

ts
type DomArg<T = Node> = Node | string | void | null | undefined | IDomArgs<T> | DomMethod<T> | (T extends Element ? IAttrObj : never);

DomComponentReturn

ts
type DomComponentReturn = DomContents | IDomComponent;

DomComputed

ts
type DomComputed = [Node, Node, DomMethod];

DomContents

ts
type DomContents = Node | string | DomComputed | void | null | undefined | IDomContentsArray;

DomCreateFunc

ts
type DomCreateFunc<R, Args extends IDomArgs<R> = IDomArgs<R>> = (...args: Args) => R;

DomCreatorArgs

ts
type DomCreatorArgs<T> = T extends (owner: MultiHolder, ...args: infer P) => any ? P : (T extends new (...args: infer P) => any ? P : never);

DomElementArg

ts
type DomElementArg = DomArg<HTMLElement>;

DomElementMethod

ts
type DomElementMethod = DomMethod<HTMLElement>;

DomMethod

ts
type DomMethod<T = Node> = (elem: T) => DomArg<T> | void;

EventCB

ts
type EventCB<E extends Event = Event, T extends EventTarget = EventTarget> = (this: void, event: E, elem: T) => void;

EventName

ts
type EventName = keyof HTMLElementEventMap;

EventType

ts
type EventType<E extends EventName | string> = E extends EventName ? HTMLElementEventMap[E] : Event;

IClsName

ts
interface IClsName {
  className: string;
  cls: typeof cls;
}

IDomArgs

ts
interface IDomArgs<T = Node> extends Array<DomArg<T>> {}

IDomComponent

ts
interface IDomComponent {
  buildDom(): DomContents;
}

IDomContentsArray

ts
interface IDomContentsArray extends Array<DomContents> {}

IDomCreateClass

ts
interface IDomCreateClass<Args extends any[]> {
  new (...args: Args): DomComponentReturn;
  create: IDomCreateFunc<Args>;
}

IDomCreateFunc

ts
type IDomCreateFunc<Args extends any[]> = (owner: MultiHolder, ...args: Args) => DomComponentReturn;

IDomCreator

ts
type IDomCreator<Args extends any[]> = IDomCreateFunc<Args> | IDomCreateClass<Args>;

IDomDisposeHooks

ts
interface IDomDisposeHooks {
  disposeNode: (node: Node) => void;
  disposeRecursive: (node: Node) => void;
}

IInputOptions

ts
interface IInputOptions {
  isValid?: Observable<boolean>;
  onInput?: boolean;
}

IKeyHandlers

ts
interface IKeyHandlers<T extends HTMLElement = HTMLElement> {
  [key: string]: (this: void, ev: KeyboardEvent, elem: T) => void;
}

IKnockoutModule

ts
interface IKnockoutModule {
  cleanNode(node: Node): void;
  observable<T>(value: T): IKnockoutObservable<T>;
}

IKnockoutObservable

ts
interface IKnockoutObservable<T> extends IKnockoutReadObservable<T> {
  (val: T): void;
}

IKnockoutReadObservable

ts
interface IKnockoutReadObservable<T> {
  (): T;
  getSubscriptionsCount(): number;
  peek(): T;
  subscribe(callback: (newValue: T) => void, target?: any, event?: "change"): any;
}

InferKoType

ts
type InferKoType<KObs extends IKnockoutReadObservable<any>> = KObs extends {
    peek(): infer T;
} ? T : never;

InferUseType

ts
type InferUseType<TObs extends Obs<any> | IKnockoutReadObservable<any>> = TObs extends Obs<infer T> ? T : TObs extends {
    peek(): infer U;
} ? U : never;

INodeFunc

ts
type INodeFunc = (node: Node) => void;

IOption

ts
type IOption<T> = (T & string) | IOptionFull<T>;

IOptionFull

ts
interface IOptionFull<T> {
  disabled?: boolean;
  label: string;
  value: T;
}

ISpliceListener

ts
type ISpliceListener<T, C> = (this: C, val: T[], prev: T[], change?: IObsArraySplice<T>) => void;

ISubscribable

ts
type ISubscribable = ISubscribableObs | IKnockoutReadObservable<any>;

ISubscribableObs

ts
interface ISubscribableObs {
  addListener(callback: (val: any, prev: any) => void, optContext?: object): Listener;
  get(): any;
}

KeyEventType

ts
type KeyEventType = 'keypress' | 'keyup' | 'keydown';

ListenerCB

ts
type ListenerCB<T> = (this: T, ...args: any[]) => void;

TagElem

ts
type TagElem<T extends TagName> = T extends keyof HTMLElementTagNameMap ? HTMLElementTagNameMap[T] : HTMLElement;

TagName

ts
type TagName = keyof HTMLElementTagNameMap | string;

UseCB

ts
type UseCB = <TObs extends Obs<any> | IKnockoutReadObservable<any>>(obs: TObs) => InferUseType<TObs>;

UseCBOwner

ts
interface UseCBOwner extends UseCB {
  owner: IDisposableOwner;
}