Angular Creating Components Using Cli Complete Guide

Creating Components using Angular CLI

Angular CLI (Command Line Interface) is a powerful tool that helps developers generate and manage various parts of an Angular application, from components to services to modules. One of the most common tasks when building an Angular application is creating components. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to create components using Angular CLI, with important tips and considerations along the way.

Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Component

1. Install Angular CLI: Before you proceed, ensure that Angular CLI is installed globally on your system. If not, you can install it using npm (Node Package Manager):

   npm install -g @angular/cli
   

2. Navigate to Your Project: Change your directory to the root folder of your Angular project where the angular.json file is located:

   cd path/to/your/angular/project
   

3. Generate a New Component: Use the Angular CLI to generate a new component. Run the following command:

   ng generate component my-component
   # or
   ng g c my-component
   

   Here, my-component is the name of the new component you want to create. Angular CLI will generate several files:

   • my-component.component.ts: TypeScript file for the component class.
   • my-component.component.html: HTML file for the component's template.
   • my-component.component.css: CSS file for component-specific styling.
   • my-component.component.spec.ts: Unit test file for the component.

4. Directory Structure: By default, Angular CLI creates a new folder named my-component inside the src/app directory, and places all the component files inside it. However, you can specify a different path if needed.

Important Information and Tips

1. Specifying a Path: If you want to create the component in a specific directory, you can include the path in the command:

   ng g c path/to/component/my-component
   

2. Skipping Test Files: If you do not need test files, you can skip them by using the --skip-tests flag:

   ng g c my-component --skip-tests
   

   Alternatively, you can configure Angular CLI to skip test files by default in the angular.json file.

3. Changing File Naming Strategy: Angular CLI uses kebab-case (e.g., my-component) by default for file names. You can change this by modifying the schematics section in your angular.json file to use different naming strategies:

   "schematics": {
     "@schematics/angular:component": {
       "style": "scss",
       "flat": true,
       "name": "classify"
     }
   }
   

4. Adding to a Different Module: By default, the new component is registered with the AppModule. If you want to add the component to a different module, use the --module flag:

   ng g c my-component --module=custom-module
   

5. Including Stylesheets: While generating a component, you can specify the type of stylesheet (CSS, SCSS, SASS, LESS) you want to use via the --style flag:

   ng g c my-component --style=scss
   

   Angular will create the corresponding stylesheet file with the specified format.

6. Custom Scaffolding: You can customize the Angular CLI component scaffolding to fit your project’s requirements by updating the schematics section in angular.json or by using ng config to set individual preferences.

7. Flat Structure: Sometimes, you might prefer a flat structure (no folder for each component). You can enable this by using the --flat flag:

   ng g c my-component --flat
   

   This will create all component files in the specified directory without creating a subfolder.

8. Template and Style Content: You can override the default template and style content that is generated by Angular CLI by creating a custom schematic or by manually editing the files after they are created.

Conclusion

Creating components in Angular using Angular CLI is a straightforward process, thanks to the command line tool’s robustness and flexibility. By following the above steps and utilizing the important tips, you can efficiently generate and manage components within your Angular application.