What’s New with Angular v17?

Unveiling Angular 17: A Bold Leap Forward

The Angular community is abuzz with the latest unveiling of Angular version 17, marking a significant milestone in the framework’s evolution. The introduction of Angular v17 is not just about incremental improvements; it’s a holistic renaissance that brings forward a suite of enhancements and a fresh identity for Angular.

A Fresh Identity with a New Logo:

Angular’s transformation is immediately noticeable with its new visual identity. The updated logo is a breath of fresh air, incorporating modern design elements and vibrant gradients that reflect the dynamic and forward-thinking nature of Angular.

It was designed by Emma Twersky.

Introducing Angular.dev: A Hub for Innovation

The launch of Angular v17 is complemented by the debut of a new website, angular.dev. This platform is a testament to the framework’s commitment to openness and community engagement. Spearheaded by Emma Twersky, the initiative to open source the website’s repository is a bold step towards transparency and collaboration. Angular.dev, currently in its beta phase, is a showcase of Angular v17’s capabilities, built from the ground up using the latest version. The new dark mode website looks dope 🖤

Take a ride yourself: https://angular.dev/

Interactive Learning with Playground and Tutorials

Angular.dev is not just a showcase; it’s an interactive learning environment. The site features a playground and tutorials that developers can access directly in their browsers. This hands-on approach to learning is designed to lower the barrier to entry and provide a more engaging experience for developers of all skill levels. The playground is much easy to use and boots up pretty quick.

Optimized Performance and Data Usage

In an era where performance and efficiency are paramount, Angular v17 demonstrates its prowess. The tutorials highlight the framework’s optimized data usage, ensuring that applications are not just powerful, but also resource-conscious with the use of new control flows and deferred loading.

Embracing the Dark Mode Trend

Acknowledging the community’s preferences, Angular.dev supports dark mode, providing a comfortable viewing experience for those who favor this popular theme.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Reaches New Heights

A significant leap forward in Angular v17 is the production-ready status of hydration for server-side rendering (SSR). With a simple command (ng new city-app --ssr), developers can now set up SSR for their applications, streamlining the process and enhancing performance.

New Control Flow:

Goodbye *ngIf, *ngFor, *ngSwitch, etc. Welcome @if , @else , @for , @switch !

The latest Angular release enhances the framework’s templating engine with new control blocks that simplify the way developers write conditional and iterative UI logic. These blocks are part of Angular’s move towards a more declarative approach to managing UI state, offering a clear and concise syntax that aligns with modern JavaScript practices.

Simplifying Conditional Rendering

Angular’s new syntax allows for the creation of conditional blocks that render UI elements based on the state of the application. The @if and @else blocks provide a straightforward way to toggle between UI states.

Example:

Consider a user profile component that should display different content based on whether the user’s profile is complete.

<!-- Before: Using NgIf -->
<div *ngIf="isProfileComplete; else incompleteProfile">
  <complete-profile></complete-profile>
</div>
<ng-template #incompleteProfile>
  <incomplete-profile></incomplete-profile>
</ng-template>

<!-- After: Using @if and @else -->
<div>
  @if (isProfileComplete()) {
    <complete-profile></complete-profile>
  } @else {
    <incomplete-profile></incomplete-profile>
  }
</div>

Iterating with Elegance

The @for block introduces a more intuitive way to iterate over collections, providing built-in tracking and state management.

Example:

Displaying a list of notifications with the new @for block:

<!-- Before: Using NgFor -->
<ul>
  <li *ngFor="let notification of notifications; let i = index">
    {{ i + 1 }}: {{ notification.message }}
  </li>
</ul>

<!-- After: Using @for -->
<ul>
  @for (notification of notifications; track notification.id) {
    <li>{{ $index + 1 }}: {{ notification.message }}</li>
  }
</ul>

Handling Empty Collections Gracefully

The @empty block is a new addition that allows developers to provide fallback content when a collection is empty, enhancing the user experience.

Example:

<!-- After: Using @for with @empty -->
<ul>
  @for (item of items; track item.id) {
    <li>{{ item.name }}</li>
  }
  @empty {
    <li>No items to display.</li>
  }
</ul>

Switching with Clarity

The @switch, @case, and @default blocks provide a clear structure for creating switch-case logic within templates.

Example:

<!-- After: Using @switch with @case and @default -->
<div>
  @switch (userStatus()) {
    @case ('active') {
      <span>User is active</span>
    }
    @case ('inactive') {
      <span>User is inactive</span>
    }
    @default {
      <span>Status unknown</span>
    }
  }
</div>

This innovative control flow isn’t just about aesthetics; it elevates performance by avoiding the exhaustive API checks for components traditionally required, thereby conserving memory — a boon for any developer mindful of optimization. In the realm of looping, the mandatory ‘track by’ stands out. Its role is crucial, eliminating common issues associated with ‘for loops’ and ensuring smoother data handling.

Adoption of this control flow is refreshingly non-imperative. Teams can transition at their convenience, with the support of an experimental migration path I’ve outlined in the aforementioned article. Moreover, this new control flow graciously accommodates pipes, a staple in the Angular framework, enhancing its utility.

Deferred Loading:

The ‘Defer’ feature in Angular is a new template syntax that allows developers to specify conditions under which certain elements or components should be loaded. This goes beyond the traditional lazy loading techniques, which typically load components based on route changes. With ‘Defer’, you can now delay the loading of components based on user interactions, such as clicks or hovers, or even in response to certain conditions being met within your application logic.

Example Usage:

In previous Angular versions, achieving lazy loading required additional code and often complex configurations. Now, with ‘Defer’, the process becomes much more elegant and intuitive.

Without ‘Defer’, you might have written something like this:

// Old way: manually handling lazy loading
@Component({
  selector: 'my-component',
  template: `
    <ng-container *ngIf="shouldLoad">
      <expensive-component></expensive-component>
    </ng-container>
  `
})
export class MyComponent {
  shouldLoad = false;

  constructor() {
    setTimeout(() => this.shouldLoad = true, 2000); // Load after 2 seconds
  }
}

With ‘Defer’, the same result is achieved with less code and more readability:

// New way with 'Defer'
@Component({
  selector: 'my-component',
  template: `
    @defer {
      <expensive-component *ngIf="hasFetchedData"></expensive-component>
    }
    @loading (after 100ms; minimum 1s) {
      <spinner-component></spinner-component>
    }typ
  `
})
export class MyComponent {
  hasFetchedData = false;

  constructor(dataService: DataService) {
    dataService.fetchData().then(() => this.hasFetchedData = true);
  }
}

Key Features of ‘Defer’:

1. Conditional Loading: ‘Defer’ allows you to specify conditions for when dependencies should load. This means that components can wait to load until they are actually needed, reducing initial load times and conserving resources.
2. Standalone Dependencies: For a dependency to be deferred, it must be standalone. If a dependency is not standalone or is referenced outside of the @defer block, it will load immediately.
3. Integration with Loading Blocks: The ‘Defer’ feature can be used in conjunction with loading blocks. These blocks let you specify what should be displayed while the deferred dependencies are loading, such as a spinner or a placeholder.

Conclusion:

Note: will be adding the left out new features later with this article or with a new one. Stay tuned!

In conclusion, as we embrace the new horizons that Angular 17 brings, I’d like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for taking the time to read through this article. Your engagement and interest are what fuel the continuous evolution and sharing of knowledge within our community.

Should there be any oversights or errors within this piece, I humbly request your pardon. The tech world is ever-evolving, and so is our learning. I welcome your feedback and corrections with open arms, as they contribute to the collective growth and understanding of technologies like Angular.

Thank you once again for joining me on this exploration of Angular’s latest advancements. Here’s to many more discoveries and innovations that keep us inspired and connected.

Happy coding!

Stackademic

Thank you for reading until the end. Before you go:

• Please consider clapping and following the writer! 👏
• Follow us on Twitter(X), LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Visit Stackademic.com to find out more about how we are democratizing free programming education around the world.