Angular Component Lifecycle Hooks Explained

Angular Component Lifecycle Hooks: An Overview

Hello there! Have you ever wondered how Angular handles the magic that happens behind the scenes in your web apps? Let us now dive into an insightful Angular tutorial and discuss Angular Component Lifecycle Hooks! These amazing occurrences occur at various phases, causing your components to do wonderful things. It's like getting a backstage pass to see what's going on in your app, all made clearer through comprehensive Angular certification training!

What is Angular Component Lifecycle Hooks?

Lifecycle hooks are Angular methods that are executed at certain points during a component's lifecycle. These methods allow you to tap into the Angular component lifecycle and apply custom logic or operations at specified points in time.

Eight Lifecycle Hooks in Angular

Angular has many lifecycle hooks that allow you to inject code at precise times in a component's or directive's life cycle. These hooks function similarly to checkpoints, allowing you to conduct specified tasks based on the current state of the component. In Angular, there are eight lifecycle hooks:

1. ngOnChanges
2. ngOnInit
3. ngDoCheck
4. ngAfterContentInit
5. ngAfterContentChecked
6. ngAfterViewInit
7. ngAfterViewChecked
8. ngOnDestroy

1. ngOnChanges

When the value of an input binding to the component changes, this hook is called.

Example of ngOnChanges

ngOnChanges(changes: SimpleChanges) {
 if (changes['data']) {
  this.processData(changes['data'].currentValue);
 }
}

This example determines whether or not the data input binding has changed. If it has, it uses the new data value to run the processData method.

2. ngOnInit

Once the component has been initialized and its input bindings have been handled, this hook is invoked.

Example of ngOnInit

ngOnInit() {
 this.initialData = this.getData();
}

After the component has been properly initialized, this example retrieves initial data from the getData function and stores it in the initialData property.

3. ngDoCheck

Every change detection cycle ends with a call to this hook. Because of the performance ramifications, it is frequently regarded as an anti-pattern.

Example of ngDoCheck

ngDoCheck() { if (this.element.clientWidth !== this.lastWidth) {  this.adjustLayout();  this.lastWidth = this.element.clientWidth; }}

This example checks to see if the width of the element has changed. If so, the layout is adjusted and the lastWidth attribute is updated. This is not advised due to potential performance difficulties.

4. ngAfterContentInit

After the projected content (content projected into the component with <ng-content>) has been initialized, this hook is invoked.

Example of ngAfterContentInit

ngAfterContentInit() { this.content = this.contentElement.nativeElement.textContent;}

This example uses contentElement to retrieve the content projected into the component and store it in its content property.

5. ngAfterContentChecked

This hook is invoked at the end of each change detection cycle for the projected content.

Example of ngAfterContentChecked

ngAfterContentChecked() { if (this.content) {  this.analyzeContent(this.content); }}

This example checks whether or not planned content exists as well as if so, analyses it.

6. ngAfterViewInit

After the component's view (including its children) has been fully initialized, this hook is called.

Example of ngAfterViewInit

ngAfterViewInit() { this.canvas = this.canvasElement.nativeElement; this.drawChart(this.data);}

This example retrieves the canvas element & utilizes it to create a chart using the data provided.

7. ngAfterViewChecked

This hook is invoked at the end of each change detection cycle for the component's view.

Example of ngAfterViewChecked

ngAfterViewChecked() { if (this.isScrolling) {  this.updateScrollPosition(); }}

This example determines whether the component is actively scrolling and, if so, adjusts the scroll position.

8. ngOnDestroy

When the component is destroyed, this hook is called.

Example of ngOnDestroy

ngOnDestroy() { this.unsubscribeFromEvents();}

To prevent memory leaks, this example unsubscribes from any event subscriptions.

Summary

Component creation, update, & destruction all involve angular magic. Lifecycle hooks enable checkpoints for injecting code at certain stages in the app's lifecycle, improving app functionality and speed. Make good use of these hooks for a smooth and efficient Angular experience!