LiveVue - seamless integration of Vue with Phoenix LiveView

News Announcing
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LiveVue v0.6.0 was released!

live_vue_logo_rounded

Hey everyone! :waving_hand:

I’m excited to announce the release of LiveVue v0.6.0 - this is by far the biggest update since the initial release, with many months of development packed into it. If you’ve been waiting for LiveVue to mature, this is the release that takes it to the next level! :rocket:

What’s New?

:high_speed_train: Massive Performance Boost with JSON Patch Diffs

LiveVue now uses JSON Patch operations to send only the minimal differences when props change. Instead of sending entire prop objects over the WebSocket, only the specific fields that changed are transmitted. This dramatically reduces payload sizes (in many cases over 90%), especially for complex nested structures and lists. Performance of diffing is carefully optimized to be a non-issue.

It works seamlessly with custom structs through the LiveVue.Encoder protocol, designed to be compatible with Jason.Encoder. You can easily implement custom encoders for your own types - for example, here’s how we hide sensitive fields from User struct:

defimpl LiveVue.Encoder, for: MyApp.Accounts.User do
  def encode(%MyApp.Accounts.User{} = user, _opts) do
    user 
    |> Map.take([:first_name, :last_name]) 
    |> LiveVue.Encoder.encode(opts)
  end
end

Pulling it of required changes to LiveView and multiple PRs to Jsonpatch library.

:books: Complete Documentation Overhaul

The docs have been completely rewritten with comprehensive guides, API reference, and examples. Much easier to get started and go deeper!

:toolbox: Client-side utilities

  • useLiveNavigation - programmatic navigation with live_patch and live_redirect
  • useLiveEvent - simplified server-pushed event handling with automatic lifecycle management
  • <Link> component - Vue component for LiveView navigation
  • $live available globally in Vue templates - you can now write @click="$live.pushEvent('click')"

:blue_heart: TypeScript by Default

The client-side setup is now TypeScript out of the box, with full type safety and autocompletion. The $live property is now automatically available in all Vue templates and fully typed.

:test_tube: Testing Utilities

New LiveVue.Test module provides helpers to inspect Vue component configuration within your LiveView tests.

Migration

If you have an existing setup, there’s a small migration to move from assets/vue/index.js to assets/vue/index.ts and use the new TypeScript setup. The migration guide in the changelog has all the details - it’s straightforward!

What’s Next?

This release really solidifies LiveVue as a mature solution for Vue + LiveView integration. The performance improvements and developer experience enhancements should make it even more enjoyable to work with.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback and experiences with the new release! And if you find LiveVue useful, a :star: on the GitHub repo would be much appreciated :blush:

Full Release Notes

Click to expand

:sparkles: Features and Improvements

  • JSON Patch Diffs for Props: LiveVue now uses JSON Patch operations to send only the minimal differences when props change, dramatically reducing WebSocket payload sizes. Instead of sending entire prop objects, only the specific fields that changed are transmitted using RFC 6902 JSON Patch format. This optimization works seamlessly with complex nested structures, lists, and custom structs through the LiveVue.Encoder protocol. It’s possible to skip diffs by setting v-diff to false on the component or by setting config :live_vue, enable_props_diff: false in your config. (#60)
  • New useLiveNavigation Composable: A new useLiveNavigation composable has been added for programmatic navigation, mirroring the functionality of live_patch and live_redirect. (#59).
  • New useLiveEvent Composable: A new useLiveEvent composable has been added to simplify listening to server-pushed events. It automatically manages event listener lifecycle, reducing boilerplate and preventing memory leaks (#58).
  • New Link Component: A new <Link> Vue component has been added to simplify live_patch and live_redirect navigation within your Vue components. (#47).
  • TypeScript by Default: The client-side entrypoint at assets/vue/index.ts is now a TypeScript file by default, improving type safety and the development experience out of the box.
  • $live Template Property: The LiveView hook instance is now automatically available in all Vue templates as the $live property, providing a convenient alternative to useLiveVue(). The property is now also fully typed, providing autocompletion and type checking in your editor. (#56).
  • Documentation Overhaul: The documentation has been completely rewritten and expanded. It now includes comprehensive guides on architecture, basic and advanced usage, a full client-side API reference, a component reference, and much more. (#49)
  • Testing Utilities: The new LiveVue.Test module provides helpers to inspect Vue component configuration (props, slots, event handlers) within your LiveView tests, making it easier to write assertions. (#46)
  • GitHub CI: A new GitHub Actions workflow has been added to run tests automatically.

:up_arrow: Migration Guide

This version transitions the default client-side setup to TypeScript and renames ~V sigil to ~VUE. If you have an existing assets/vue/index.js, follow these steps to upgrade:

  1. Rename and replace index.js:

    • Delete your existing assets/vue/index.js.
    • Create a new file at assets/vue/index.ts with the following content:
    // polyfill recommended by Vite https://vitejs.dev/config/build-options#build-modulepreload
import "vite/modulepreload-polyfill"
import { Component, h } from "vue"
import { createLiveVue, findComponent, type LiveHook, type ComponentMap } from "live_vue"

// needed to make $live available in the Vue component
declare module "vue" {
  interface ComponentCustomProperties {
    $live: LiveHook
  }
}

export default createLiveVue({
  // name will be passed as-is in v-component of the .vue HEEX component
  resolve: name => {
    // we're importing from ../../lib to allow collocating Vue files with LiveView files
    // eager: true disables lazy loading - all these components will be part of the app.js bundle
    // more: https://vite.dev/guide/features.html#glob-import
    const components = {
      ...import.meta.glob("./**/*.vue", { eager: true }),
      ...import.meta.glob("../../lib/**/*.vue", { eager: true }),
    } as ComponentMap

    // finds component by name or path suffix and gives a nice error message.
    // `path/to/component/index.vue` can be found as `path/to/component` or simply `component`
    // `path/to/Component.vue` can be found as `path/to/Component` or simply `Component`
    return findComponent(components as ComponentMap, name)
  },
  // it's a default implementation of creating and mounting vue app, you can easily extend it to add your own plugins, directives etc.
  setup: ({ createApp, component, props, slots, plugin, el }) => {
    const app = createApp({ render: () => h(component as Component, props, slots) })
    app.use(plugin)
    // add your own plugins here
    // app.use(pinia)
    app.mount(el)
    return app
  },
})

  2. Update tsconfig.json:
    Add vue/index.ts to the include array in your assets/tsconfig.json file.

:bug: Bug Fixes

  • SSR Attribute Rendering: Fixed a bug where the data-ssr attribute was not being rendered correctly as a boolean true or false in the final HTML.

Housekeeping

  • Optional Floki Dependency: floki is now an optional dependency, only required if you use the new testing utilities.
  • Dependency Updates: NPM dependencies have been updated to address security vulnerabilities.
  • Dropped Elixir 1.12 Support: Support for Elixir 1.12 has been removed to align with Phoenix LiveView’s supported versions.
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