Document James Shore's patterns for clean architecture: - A-Frame: Logic and Infrastructure as independent peers - Testing Without Mocks: state-based tests, Nullables, no mocking - Testing approach by layer (Logic, Infrastructure, Application) 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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25 KiB
Markdown
530 lines
No EOL
25 KiB
Markdown
This is a web application written using the Phoenix web framework.
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## Project setup
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- **Runtime versions**: Managed via asdf (see `.tool-versions`) - use latest released versions of Erlang and Elixir
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- **Phoenix version**: 1.8 with LiveView
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- **Database**: PostgreSQL (configured to use local user without password in dev)
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- **CSS**: Tailwind CSS v4 with daisyUI
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### Getting started
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```bash
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# Install dependencies
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mix deps.get
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# Create database
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mix ecto.create
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# Install git hooks
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mix hooks.install
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# Start the server
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mix phx.server
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```
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The app will be available at http://localhost:4000
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### Git hooks
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A pre-commit hook is provided that runs `mix format --check-formatted` and `mix test` before each commit. Install it with `mix hooks.install` or manually copy `scripts/pre-commit` to `.git/hooks/pre-commit`.
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## Project guidelines
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- **Prefer small, focused commits** - each commit should represent a single logical change
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- **Write tests first** - follow test-driven development (TDD) where practical; write failing tests before implementing features
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- Use `mix precommit` alias when you are done with all changes and fix any pending issues
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### Architecture: A-Frame Pattern
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This project follows [James Shore's A-Frame Architecture](https://www.jamesshore.com/v2/projects/nullables/testing-without-mocks) where Logic and Infrastructure are independent peers coordinated at the Application layer:
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```
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Application/UI Values
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/ \
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V V
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Logic Infrastructure
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```
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- **Logic** - Pure business logic with no external dependencies; easily testable with state-based tests
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- **Infrastructure** - Wrappers around external systems (database, APIs, file system); one wrapper per external system
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- **Application** - Coordinates Logic and Infrastructure; thin layer that wires things together
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- **Values** - Immutable data structures passed between layers
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### Testing: Without Mocks
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Follow the "Testing Without Mocks" pattern language. Key principles:
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- **Avoid mocks** - They test implementation details and break when refactoring
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- **State-based tests** - Check output/state, not function calls
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- **Narrow tests** - Focus on specific functions/behaviors, not system-wide functionality
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- **Overlapping sociable tests** - Execute real dependencies; dependencies have their own thorough tests
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#### Nullables Pattern
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For infrastructure code, implement **Nullables** - production code with an off-switch for external communication:
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- Create a factory method that returns a "null" version for testing (disables external calls but preserves behavior)
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- Nullables have legitimate production uses (dry-run modes, cache warming)
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- Test Nullables like any production code
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#### Infrastructure Wrappers
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- One wrapper module per external system (Repo for database, HTTP clients for APIs)
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- Expose clean interfaces matching application needs, not third-party APIs
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- These are the **only** places where external communication occurs
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- Test with narrow integration tests against real systems (test database, etc.)
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#### Testing Approach by Layer
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- **Logic** - Pure state-based tests; no infrastructure needed
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- **Infrastructure wrappers** - Narrow integration tests with real external systems
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- **Application code** - Sociable tests with Nullable dependencies
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- **LiveViews/Controllers** - Use Phoenix test helpers with test database
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### Dependencies
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- Use the already included and available `:req` (`Req`) library for HTTP requests, **avoid** `:httpoison`, `:tesla`, and `:httpc`. Req is included by default and is the preferred HTTP client for Phoenix apps
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### Phoenix v1.8 guidelines
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- **Always** begin your LiveView templates with `<Layouts.app flash={@flash} ...>` which wraps all inner content
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- The `MyAppWeb.Layouts` module is aliased in the `my_app_web.ex` file, so you can use it without needing to alias it again
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- Anytime you run into errors with no `current_scope` assign:
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- You failed to follow the Authenticated Routes guidelines, or you failed to pass `current_scope` to `<Layouts.app>`
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- **Always** fix the `current_scope` error by moving your routes to the proper `live_session` and ensure you pass `current_scope` as needed
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- Phoenix v1.8 moved the `<.flash_group>` component to the `Layouts` module. You are **forbidden** from calling `<.flash_group>` outside of the `layouts.ex` module
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- Out of the box, `core_components.ex` imports an `<.icon name="hero-x-mark" class="w-5 h-5"/>` component for for hero icons. **Always** use the `<.icon>` component for icons, **never** use `Heroicons` modules or similar
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- **Always** use the imported `<.input>` component for form inputs from `core_components.ex` when available. `<.input>` is imported and using it will save steps and prevent errors
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- If you override the default input classes (`<.input class="myclass px-2 py-1 rounded-lg">)`) class with your own values, no default classes are inherited, so your
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custom classes must fully style the input
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### JS and CSS guidelines
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- **Use Tailwind CSS classes and custom CSS rules** to create polished, responsive, and visually stunning interfaces.
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- Tailwindcss v4 **no longer needs a tailwind.config.js** and uses a new import syntax in `app.css`:
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@import "tailwindcss" source(none);
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@source "../css";
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@source "../js";
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@source "../../lib/my_app_web";
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- **Always use and maintain this import syntax** in the app.css file for projects generated with `phx.new`
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- **Never** use `@apply` when writing raw css
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- **Always** manually write your own tailwind-based components instead of using daisyUI for a unique, world-class design
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- Out of the box **only the app.js and app.css bundles are supported**
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- You cannot reference an external vendor'd script `src` or link `href` in the layouts
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- You must import the vendor deps into app.js and app.css to use them
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- **Never write inline <script>custom js</script> tags within templates**
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### UI/UX & design guidelines
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- **Produce world-class UI designs** with a focus on usability, aesthetics, and modern design principles
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- Implement **subtle micro-interactions** (e.g., button hover effects, and smooth transitions)
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- Ensure **clean typography, spacing, and layout balance** for a refined, premium look
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- Focus on **delightful details** like hover effects, loading states, and smooth page transitions
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<!-- usage-rules-start -->
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<!-- phoenix:elixir-start -->
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## Elixir guidelines
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- Elixir lists **do not support index based access via the access syntax**
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**Never do this (invalid)**:
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i = 0
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mylist = ["blue", "green"]
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mylist[i]
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Instead, **always** use `Enum.at`, pattern matching, or `List` for index based list access, ie:
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i = 0
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mylist = ["blue", "green"]
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Enum.at(mylist, i)
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- Elixir variables are immutable, but can be rebound, so for block expressions like `if`, `case`, `cond`, etc
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you *must* bind the result of the expression to a variable if you want to use it and you CANNOT rebind the result inside the expression, ie:
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# INVALID: we are rebinding inside the `if` and the result never gets assigned
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if connected?(socket) do
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socket = assign(socket, :val, val)
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end
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# VALID: we rebind the result of the `if` to a new variable
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socket =
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if connected?(socket) do
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assign(socket, :val, val)
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end
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- **Never** nest multiple modules in the same file as it can cause cyclic dependencies and compilation errors
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- **Never** use map access syntax (`changeset[:field]`) on structs as they do not implement the Access behaviour by default. For regular structs, you **must** access the fields directly, such as `my_struct.field` or use higher level APIs that are available on the struct if they exist, `Ecto.Changeset.get_field/2` for changesets
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- Elixir's standard library has everything necessary for date and time manipulation. Familiarize yourself with the common `Time`, `Date`, `DateTime`, and `Calendar` interfaces by accessing their documentation as necessary. **Never** install additional dependencies unless asked or for date/time parsing (which you can use the `date_time_parser` package)
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- Don't use `String.to_atom/1` on user input (memory leak risk)
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- Predicate function names should not start with `is_` and should end in a question mark. Names like `is_thing` should be reserved for guards
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- Elixir's builtin OTP primitives like `DynamicSupervisor` and `Registry`, require names in the child spec, such as `{DynamicSupervisor, name: MyApp.MyDynamicSup}`, then you can use `DynamicSupervisor.start_child(MyApp.MyDynamicSup, child_spec)`
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- Use `Task.async_stream(collection, callback, options)` for concurrent enumeration with back-pressure. The majority of times you will want to pass `timeout: :infinity` as option
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## Mix guidelines
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- Read the docs and options before using tasks (by using `mix help task_name`)
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- To debug test failures, run tests in a specific file with `mix test test/my_test.exs` or run all previously failed tests with `mix test --failed`
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- `mix deps.clean --all` is **almost never needed**. **Avoid** using it unless you have good reason
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## Test guidelines
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- **Always use `start_supervised!/1`** to start processes in tests as it guarantees cleanup between tests
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- **Avoid** `Process.sleep/1` and `Process.alive?/1` in tests
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- Instead of sleeping to wait for a process to finish, **always** use `Process.monitor/1` and assert on the DOWN message:
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ref = Process.monitor(pid)
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assert_receive {:DOWN, ^ref, :process, ^pid, :normal}
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- Instead of sleeping to synchronize before the next call, **always** use `_ = :sys.get_state/1` to ensure the process has handled prior messages
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<!-- phoenix:elixir-end -->
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<!-- phoenix:phoenix-start -->
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## Phoenix guidelines
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- Remember Phoenix router `scope` blocks include an optional alias which is prefixed for all routes within the scope. **Always** be mindful of this when creating routes within a scope to avoid duplicate module prefixes.
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- You **never** need to create your own `alias` for route definitions! The `scope` provides the alias, ie:
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scope "/admin", AppWeb.Admin do
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pipe_through :browser
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live "/users", UserLive, :index
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end
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the UserLive route would point to the `AppWeb.Admin.UserLive` module
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- `Phoenix.View` no longer is needed or included with Phoenix, don't use it
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<!-- phoenix:phoenix-end -->
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<!-- phoenix:ecto-start -->
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## Ecto Guidelines
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- **Always** preload Ecto associations in queries when they'll be accessed in templates, ie a message that needs to reference the `message.user.email`
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- Remember `import Ecto.Query` and other supporting modules when you write `seeds.exs`
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- `Ecto.Schema` fields always use the `:string` type, even for `:text`, columns, ie: `field :name, :string`
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- `Ecto.Changeset.validate_number/2` **DOES NOT SUPPORT the `:allow_nil` option**. By default, Ecto validations only run if a change for the given field exists and the change value is not nil, so such as option is never needed
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- You **must** use `Ecto.Changeset.get_field(changeset, :field)` to access changeset fields
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- Fields which are set programatically, such as `user_id`, must not be listed in `cast` calls or similar for security purposes. Instead they must be explicitly set when creating the struct
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- **Always** invoke `mix ecto.gen.migration migration_name_using_underscores` when generating migration files, so the correct timestamp and conventions are applied
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<!-- phoenix:ecto-end -->
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<!-- phoenix:html-start -->
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## Phoenix HTML guidelines
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- Phoenix templates **always** use `~H` or .html.heex files (known as HEEx), **never** use `~E`
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- **Always** use the imported `Phoenix.Component.form/1` and `Phoenix.Component.inputs_for/1` function to build forms. **Never** use `Phoenix.HTML.form_for` or `Phoenix.HTML.inputs_for` as they are outdated
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- When building forms **always** use the already imported `Phoenix.Component.to_form/2` (`assign(socket, form: to_form(...))` and `<.form for={@form} id="msg-form">`), then access those forms in the template via `@form[:field]`
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- **Always** add unique DOM IDs to key elements (like forms, buttons, etc) when writing templates, these IDs can later be used in tests (`<.form for={@form} id="product-form">`)
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- For "app wide" template imports, you can import/alias into the `my_app_web.ex`'s `html_helpers` block, so they will be available to all LiveViews, LiveComponent's, and all modules that do `use MyAppWeb, :html` (replace "my_app" by the actual app name)
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- Elixir supports `if/else` but **does NOT support `if/else if` or `if/elsif`. **Never use `else if` or `elseif` in Elixir**, **always** use `cond` or `case` for multiple conditionals.
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**Never do this (invalid)**:
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<%= if condition do %>
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...
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<% else if other_condition %>
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...
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<% end %>
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Instead **always** do this:
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<%= cond do %>
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<% condition -> %>
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...
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<% condition2 -> %>
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...
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<% true -> %>
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...
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<% end %>
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- HEEx require special tag annotation if you want to insert literal curly's like `{` or `}`. If you want to show a textual code snippet on the page in a `<pre>` or `<code>` block you *must* annotate the parent tag with `phx-no-curly-interpolation`:
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<code phx-no-curly-interpolation>
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let obj = {key: "val"}
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</code>
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Within `phx-no-curly-interpolation` annotated tags, you can use `{` and `}` without escaping them, and dynamic Elixir expressions can still be used with `<%= ... %>` syntax
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- HEEx class attrs support lists, but you must **always** use list `[...]` syntax. You can use the class list syntax to conditionally add classes, **always do this for multiple class values**:
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<a class={[
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"px-2 text-white",
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@some_flag && "py-5",
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if(@other_condition, do: "border-red-500", else: "border-blue-100"),
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...
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]}>Text</a>
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and **always** wrap `if`'s inside `{...}` expressions with parens, like done above (`if(@other_condition, do: "...", else: "...")`)
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and **never** do this, since it's invalid (note the missing `[` and `]`):
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<a class={
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"px-2 text-white",
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@some_flag && "py-5"
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}> ...
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=> Raises compile syntax error on invalid HEEx attr syntax
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- **Never** use `<% Enum.each %>` or non-for comprehensions for generating template content, instead **always** use `<%= for item <- @collection do %>`
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- HEEx HTML comments use `<%!-- comment --%>`. **Always** use the HEEx HTML comment syntax for template comments (`<%!-- comment --%>`)
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- HEEx allows interpolation via `{...}` and `<%= ... %>`, but the `<%= %>` **only** works within tag bodies. **Always** use the `{...}` syntax for interpolation within tag attributes, and for interpolation of values within tag bodies. **Always** interpolate block constructs (if, cond, case, for) within tag bodies using `<%= ... %>`.
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**Always** do this:
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<div id={@id}>
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{@my_assign}
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<%= if @some_block_condition do %>
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{@another_assign}
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<% end %>
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</div>
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and **Never** do this – the program will terminate with a syntax error:
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<%!-- THIS IS INVALID NEVER EVER DO THIS --%>
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<div id="<%= @invalid_interpolation %>">
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{if @invalid_block_construct do}
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{end}
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</div>
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<!-- phoenix:html-end -->
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<!-- phoenix:liveview-start -->
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## Phoenix LiveView guidelines
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- **Never** use the deprecated `live_redirect` and `live_patch` functions, instead **always** use the `<.link navigate={href}>` and `<.link patch={href}>` in templates, and `push_navigate` and `push_patch` functions LiveViews
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- **Avoid LiveComponent's** unless you have a strong, specific need for them
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- LiveViews should be named like `AppWeb.WeatherLive`, with a `Live` suffix. When you go to add LiveView routes to the router, the default `:browser` scope is **already aliased** with the `AppWeb` module, so you can just do `live "/weather", WeatherLive`
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### LiveView streams
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- **Always** use LiveView streams for collections for assigning regular lists to avoid memory ballooning and runtime termination with the following operations:
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- basic append of N items - `stream(socket, :messages, [new_msg])`
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- resetting stream with new items - `stream(socket, :messages, [new_msg], reset: true)` (e.g. for filtering items)
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- prepend to stream - `stream(socket, :messages, [new_msg], at: -1)`
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- deleting items - `stream_delete(socket, :messages, msg)`
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- When using the `stream/3` interfaces in the LiveView, the LiveView template must 1) always set `phx-update="stream"` on the parent element, with a DOM id on the parent element like `id="messages"` and 2) consume the `@streams.stream_name` collection and use the id as the DOM id for each child. For a call like `stream(socket, :messages, [new_msg])` in the LiveView, the template would be:
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<div id="messages" phx-update="stream">
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<div :for={{id, msg} <- @streams.messages} id={id}>
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{msg.text}
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</div>
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</div>
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- LiveView streams are *not* enumerable, so you cannot use `Enum.filter/2` or `Enum.reject/2` on them. Instead, if you want to filter, prune, or refresh a list of items on the UI, you **must refetch the data and re-stream the entire stream collection, passing reset: true**:
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def handle_event("filter", %{"filter" => filter}, socket) do
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# re-fetch the messages based on the filter
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messages = list_messages(filter)
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{:noreply,
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socket
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|> assign(:messages_empty?, messages == [])
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# reset the stream with the new messages
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|> stream(:messages, messages, reset: true)}
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end
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- LiveView streams *do not support counting or empty states*. If you need to display a count, you must track it using a separate assign. For empty states, you can use Tailwind classes:
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<div id="tasks" phx-update="stream">
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<div class="hidden only:block">No tasks yet</div>
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<div :for={{id, task} <- @stream.tasks} id={id}>
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{task.name}
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</div>
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</div>
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The above only works if the empty state is the only HTML block alongside the stream for-comprehension.
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- When updating an assign that should change content inside any streamed item(s), you MUST re-stream the items
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along with the updated assign:
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def handle_event("edit_message", %{"message_id" => message_id}, socket) do
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message = Chat.get_message!(message_id)
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edit_form = to_form(Chat.change_message(message, %{content: message.content}))
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# re-insert message so @editing_message_id toggle logic takes effect for that stream item
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{:noreply,
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socket
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|> stream_insert(:messages, message)
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|> assign(:editing_message_id, String.to_integer(message_id))
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|> assign(:edit_form, edit_form)}
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end
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And in the template:
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<div id="messages" phx-update="stream">
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<div :for={{id, message} <- @streams.messages} id={id} class="flex group">
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{message.username}
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<%= if @editing_message_id == message.id do %>
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<%!-- Edit mode --%>
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<.form for={@edit_form} id="edit-form-#{message.id}" phx-submit="save_edit">
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...
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</.form>
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<% end %>
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</div>
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</div>
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- **Never** use the deprecated `phx-update="append"` or `phx-update="prepend"` for collections
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### LiveView JavaScript interop
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- Remember anytime you use `phx-hook="MyHook"` and that JS hook manages its own DOM, you **must** also set the `phx-update="ignore"` attribute
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- **Always** provide an unique DOM id alongside `phx-hook` otherwise a compiler error will be raised
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LiveView hooks come in two flavors, 1) colocated js hooks for "inline" scripts defined inside HEEx,
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and 2) external `phx-hook` annotations where JavaScript object literals are defined and passed to the `LiveSocket` constructor.
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#### Inline colocated js hooks
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**Never** write raw embedded `<script>` tags in heex as they are incompatible with LiveView.
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Instead, **always use a colocated js hook script tag (`:type={Phoenix.LiveView.ColocatedHook}`)
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when writing scripts inside the template**:
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<input type="text" name="user[phone_number]" id="user-phone-number" phx-hook=".PhoneNumber" />
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<script :type={Phoenix.LiveView.ColocatedHook} name=".PhoneNumber">
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export default {
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mounted() {
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this.el.addEventListener("input", e => {
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let match = this.el.value.replace(/\D/g, "").match(/^(\d{3})(\d{3})(\d{4})$/)
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if(match) {
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||
this.el.value = `${match[1]}-${match[2]}-${match[3]}`
|
||
}
|
||
})
|
||
}
|
||
}
|
||
</script>
|
||
|
||
- colocated hooks are automatically integrated into the app.js bundle
|
||
- colocated hooks names **MUST ALWAYS** start with a `.` prefix, i.e. `.PhoneNumber`
|
||
|
||
#### External phx-hook
|
||
|
||
External JS hooks (`<div id="myhook" phx-hook="MyHook">`) must be placed in `assets/js/` and passed to the
|
||
LiveSocket constructor:
|
||
|
||
const MyHook = {
|
||
mounted() { ... }
|
||
}
|
||
let liveSocket = new LiveSocket("/live", Socket, {
|
||
hooks: { MyHook }
|
||
});
|
||
|
||
#### Pushing events between client and server
|
||
|
||
Use LiveView's `push_event/3` when you need to push events/data to the client for a phx-hook to handle.
|
||
**Always** return or rebind the socket on `push_event/3` when pushing events:
|
||
|
||
# re-bind socket so we maintain event state to be pushed
|
||
socket = push_event(socket, "my_event", %{...})
|
||
|
||
# or return the modified socket directly:
|
||
def handle_event("some_event", _, socket) do
|
||
{:noreply, push_event(socket, "my_event", %{...})}
|
||
end
|
||
|
||
Pushed events can then be picked up in a JS hook with `this.handleEvent`:
|
||
|
||
mounted() {
|
||
this.handleEvent("my_event", data => console.log("from server:", data));
|
||
}
|
||
|
||
Clients can also push an event to the server and receive a reply with `this.pushEvent`:
|
||
|
||
mounted() {
|
||
this.el.addEventListener("click", e => {
|
||
this.pushEvent("my_event", { one: 1 }, reply => console.log("got reply from server:", reply));
|
||
})
|
||
}
|
||
|
||
Where the server handled it via:
|
||
|
||
def handle_event("my_event", %{"one" => 1}, socket) do
|
||
{:reply, %{two: 2}, socket}
|
||
end
|
||
|
||
### LiveView tests
|
||
|
||
- `Phoenix.LiveViewTest` module and `LazyHTML` (included) for making your assertions
|
||
- Form tests are driven by `Phoenix.LiveViewTest`'s `render_submit/2` and `render_change/2` functions
|
||
- Come up with a step-by-step test plan that splits major test cases into small, isolated files. You may start with simpler tests that verify content exists, gradually add interaction tests
|
||
- **Always reference the key element IDs you added in the LiveView templates in your tests** for `Phoenix.LiveViewTest` functions like `element/2`, `has_element/2`, selectors, etc
|
||
- **Never** tests again raw HTML, **always** use `element/2`, `has_element/2`, and similar: `assert has_element?(view, "#my-form")`
|
||
- Instead of relying on testing text content, which can change, favor testing for the presence of key elements
|
||
- Focus on testing outcomes rather than implementation details
|
||
- Be aware that `Phoenix.Component` functions like `<.form>` might produce different HTML than expected. Test against the output HTML structure, not your mental model of what you expect it to be
|
||
- When facing test failures with element selectors, add debug statements to print the actual HTML, but use `LazyHTML` selectors to limit the output, ie:
|
||
|
||
html = render(view)
|
||
document = LazyHTML.from_fragment(html)
|
||
matches = LazyHTML.filter(document, "your-complex-selector")
|
||
IO.inspect(matches, label: "Matches")
|
||
|
||
### Form handling
|
||
|
||
#### Creating a form from params
|
||
|
||
If you want to create a form based on `handle_event` params:
|
||
|
||
def handle_event("submitted", params, socket) do
|
||
{:noreply, assign(socket, form: to_form(params))}
|
||
end
|
||
|
||
When you pass a map to `to_form/1`, it assumes said map contains the form params, which are expected to have string keys.
|
||
|
||
You can also specify a name to nest the params:
|
||
|
||
def handle_event("submitted", %{"user" => user_params}, socket) do
|
||
{:noreply, assign(socket, form: to_form(user_params, as: :user))}
|
||
end
|
||
|
||
#### Creating a form from changesets
|
||
|
||
When using changesets, the underlying data, form params, and errors are retrieved from it. The `:as` option is automatically computed too. E.g. if you have a user schema:
|
||
|
||
defmodule MyApp.Users.User do
|
||
use Ecto.Schema
|
||
...
|
||
end
|
||
|
||
And then you create a changeset that you pass to `to_form`:
|
||
|
||
%MyApp.Users.User{}
|
||
|> Ecto.Changeset.change()
|
||
|> to_form()
|
||
|
||
Once the form is submitted, the params will be available under `%{"user" => user_params}`.
|
||
|
||
In the template, the form form assign can be passed to the `<.form>` function component:
|
||
|
||
<.form for={@form} id="todo-form" phx-change="validate" phx-submit="save">
|
||
<.input field={@form[:field]} type="text" />
|
||
</.form>
|
||
|
||
Always give the form an explicit, unique DOM ID, like `id="todo-form"`.
|
||
|
||
#### Avoiding form errors
|
||
|
||
**Always** use a form assigned via `to_form/2` in the LiveView, and the `<.input>` component in the template. In the template **always access forms this**:
|
||
|
||
<%!-- ALWAYS do this (valid) --%>
|
||
<.form for={@form} id="my-form">
|
||
<.input field={@form[:field]} type="text" />
|
||
</.form>
|
||
|
||
And **never** do this:
|
||
|
||
<%!-- NEVER do this (invalid) --%>
|
||
<.form for={@changeset} id="my-form">
|
||
<.input field={@changeset[:field]} type="text" />
|
||
</.form>
|
||
|
||
- You are FORBIDDEN from accessing the changeset in the template as it will cause errors
|
||
- **Never** use `<.form let={f} ...>` in the template, instead **always use `<.form for={@form} ...>`**, then drive all form references from the form assign as in `@form[:field]`. The UI should **always** be driven by a `to_form/2` assigned in the LiveView module that is derived from a changeset
|
||
<!-- phoenix:liveview-end -->
|
||
|
||
<!-- usage-rules-end --> |