Magic Helpers

A collection of magic properties and helper functions for use with Alpine.js version 2

⚠️ Notice: This collection of helpers will be tied to version 2 of Alpine and will only receive bug fixes and minor updates as needed.

→ New features and plugins for V3 that will be found in the toolkit repo.

About

Adds the following magic helpers to use with Alpine JS.

Magic Helpers	Description
`$component/$parent`	Natively access and update data from other components or the parent component.
`$fetch/$get/$post`	Using Axios, fetch JSON from an external source.
`$interval`	Run a function every n milliseconds. Optionally start and stop the timer.
`$range`	Iterate over a range of values.
`$refresh`	Manually refresh a component.
`$screen`	Detect if the current browser width is equal or greater than a given breakpoint.
`$scroll`	Scroll the page vertically to a specific position.
`$truncate`	Limit a text string to a specific number of characters or words.
`$undo`	Track and undo state changes inside your component.

Adds the following custom directives to use with Alpine JS.

Custom Directives	Description
`x-unsafe-html`	like x-html but allowing new javascript scripts to run.

More to come!

🚀 If you have ideas for more magic helpers or custom directives, please open a discussion or join us on the AlpineJS Discord

Known issues

Using $component/$parent in x-init
Using Magic Helpers with Livewire

Installation

Include the following <script> tag in the <head> of your document before Alpine:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/index.min.js" defer></script>

Or you can use the specific magic helpers you need:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/component.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/fetch.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/interval.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/range.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/refresh.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/screen.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/scroll.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/truncate.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/undo.min.js" defer></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/alpine-collective/alpine-magic-helpers@1.2.x/dist/unsafeHTML.min.js" defer></script>

Manual

If you wish to create your own bundle:

npm install alpine-magic-helpers --save

Then add the following to your script:

import 'alpine-magic-helpers'
import 'alpinejs'

Or you can import the specific magic helpers you need like so:

import 'alpine-magic-helpers/dist/component'
import 'alpine-magic-helpers/dist/fetch'
import 'alpinejs'

⚠️ Using Magic Helpers with Livewire

When using magic helpers along with Laravel Livewire, you need to make sure that the library is registered after Livewire to prevent Livewire from overriding the magic helper startup callbacks. This can be done either using the defer attribute on the magic helper script or including the magic helper script at the bottom of your body after @livewireScripts without the defer attribute.

`$component`

Example:

Arguably more useful, this also adds a $parent magic helper to access parent data

<div x-data="{ color: 'blue' }">
    <p x-data x-text="$parent.color"></p>
    <!-- The text will say blue -->
</div>

Demo

You may watch other components, but you must give them each an id using the 'id' attribute or x-id if you need more flexibility:

<div x-data="{ color: 'blue' }">
    <p
        x-data
        x-text="$component('yellowSquare').color"
        :class="`text-${$parent.color}-700`">
        <!-- This text will have blue background color and the text will say yellow -->
    </p>
</div>

<div x-id="yellowSquare" x-data="{ color: 'yellow' }"></div>

⚠️ Using `$component`/`$parent` in `x-init`

 <!-- This won't populate baz correctly -->
 <div x-data="{ foo: 'bar' }">
   <div x-data="{ baz: null }" x-init="() => baz = $parent.foo">
     <span x-text='baz'></span>
   </div>
 </div>
 <!-- use this instead -->
 <div x-data="{ foo: 'bar' }">
   <div x-data="{ baz: null }" x-init="$nextTick(() => baz = $parent.foo)">
     <span x-text='baz'></span>
   </div>
 </div>
 <!-- or -->
 <div x-data="{ foo: 'bar' }">
   <div x-data="{ baz: null }" x-init="setTimeout(() => baz = $parent.foo)">
     <span x-text='baz'></span>
   </div>
 </div>

When a component is initialised, the observed component may not be ready yet due to the way Alpine starts up. This is always true for $parent and it occurs for $component when the observer is placed before the observed component in the page structure. Previous versions were using a hack to evaluate the missing x-data on the fly but that strategy wasn't allowing to use nested magic properties and it was not syncronising properly in some edge cases. The magic helper since version 1.0 defers the resolution of those properties (resolving temporary to empty strings/noop functions) until the observed component is ready and then refreshes the component: this happens in a few milliseconds and it's not noticable by the final users but refreshing a component won't rerun x-init with the correct values. If developers need to use the magic property inside x-init, they'll need to manually postpone the execution of x-init for one tick either using the Alpine native $nextTick or a setTimeout with no duration (See examples above).

`$fetch`

Example:

<div x-data="{ url: 'https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1' }"
    x-init="$fetch(url).then(data => console.log(data))">
    <!-- After init, data will be logged to the console -->
</div>

Demo

As a shortcut, you can optionally use $get(url, params) or $post(url, data) to conveniently send a GET or POST request with params or data as the second argument.

Optionally pass in an Axios options object

If you need more control, you may pass in an object to customize the request See all options.

Example:

<div x-data="{ url: 'https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1' }"
    x-init="$fetch({ url: url, method: 'post' }).then(({ data }) => console.log(data))">
</div>

Note that this will return the entire response object, whereas by default $fetch will only return the data

`$interval`

Example:

<div
    x-data="{
        timer: 500,
        functionToRun: function() {
            console.log('Hello console')
        }
    }"
    x-init="$interval(functionToRun, timer)">
</div>

Demo

Optionally pass in options

By default, $interval will run your function every nth millisecond when browser provides an animation frame (via requestAnimationFrame). This means that the function will not run if the browser tab is not visible. Optionally, you may pass in the following options as the second parameter:

Property	Description
`timer`	Timer in milliseconds.
`delay`	Delay the first run. N.B. The first run is also delayed by the timer time.
`forceInterval`	Ignore the browser animation request mechanism. Default is false

⚠️ We also add a hidden property autoIntervalTest that will clear/stop the timer if set to false, and start the timer if then set to true.

Example:

<div
    x-data="{
        timer: 500,
        autoIntervalTest: true, // optional to start/stop the timer
        funtionToRun: function() {
            console.log('Hi again!')
        }
    }"
    x-init="$interval(funtionToRun, { timer: 1000, delay: 5000, forceInterval: true })">
    <button
        @click="autoIntervalTest = !autoIntervalTest"
        x-text="autoIntervalTest ? 'pause' : 'play'"></button>
</div>

Demo

`$range`

Example:

The $range helper mostly mimics implementations found in other languages $range(start, stop, step = 1)

<div x-data>
    <template x-for="item in $range(1, 5)">
        ...
    </template>
</div>
<!-- This will output 5 iterations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], modelled after PHP's implimentation of range() -->

Demo

N.B: You may use $range(10) which will compute to [1...10]

`$refresh`

Example:

<div x-data>
    <button @click="$refresh()">Refresh <code>Date.now()</code></button>
    <span x-text="Date.now()"></span>
</div>

Demo

`$screen`

Example:

The $screen helper detects if the current browser width is equal or greater than a given breakpoint and returns true or false based on the result.

<div x-data>
    <span x-show="$screen('lg')">This will be visible if the window width is equal or greater than 1024px.</span>
</div>

By default the $screen helper uses the following endpoint borrowed by Tailwind CSS:

xs: 0px
sm: 640px
md: 768px
lg: 1024px
xl: 1280px
2xl: 1536px

⚠️ NOTE: A single breakpoint is only going to tell you if the browser width is equal or greater than the given breakpoint. If you want to restrict the check to a specific range, you will need to negate the next endpoint as:

<div x-data>
    <span x-show="$screen('md') && !$screen('lg')">This will be visible if screen width is equal or greater than 768px but smaller then 1024px.</span>
</div>

Custom breakpoints

You can pass a numeric value to use an ad-hoc breakpoint.

<div x-data>
    <span x-show="$screen(999)">This will be visible if screen width is equal or greater than 999px.</span>
</div>

You can also override the default breakpoints including the following <script> tag in the <head> of your document

<!-- this example uses Bulma's breakpoints. -->
<script>
    window.AlpineMagicHelpersConfig = {
        breakpoints: {
            mobile: 0,
            tablet: 769,
            desktop: 1024,
            widescreen: 1216,
            fullhd: 1408
        }
    }
</script>

And using those breakpoints in your page.

<div x-data>
    <span x-show="$screen('tablet')">This will be visible if screen width is equal or greater than 769px.</span>
</div>

Demo

`$scroll`

Example:

<div x-data>
    <div x-ref="foo">
        ...
    </div>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll($refs.foo)">Scroll to foo</button>
</div>

Demo

Alternatively, you can pass a css selector to scroll to an element at any position.

<div id="foo">
</div>
<div x-data>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll('#foo')">Scroll to #foo</button>
</div>

$scroll also supports integers to scroll to a specific point of the page.

<button x-data x-on:click="$scroll(0)">Scroll to top</button>

Demo (same as above)

$scroll optionally supports a second parameter where it's possible to define the behavior mode, auto|smooth (default smooth):

<div x-data>
    <div x-ref="foo">
        ...
    </div>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll($refs.foo, {behavior: 'auto'})">Jump to foo</button>
</div>
...
<div id="foo">
</div>
<div x-data>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll('#foo', {behavior: 'auto'})">Jump to #foo</button>
</div>
...
<button x-data x-on:click="$scroll(0, {behavior: 'auto'})">Jump to top</button>

With offset:

<div x-data>
    <div x-ref="foo">
        ...
    </div>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll($refs.foo, {offset: 50})">Scroll to 50px before foo</button>
</div>
...
<div id="foo">
</div>
<div x-data>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll('#foo', {offset: 50})">Scroll to 50px before #foo</button>
</div>
...
<button x-data x-on:click="$scroll(0, {offset: 50})">Jump to 50px before top (a bit daft but supported)</button>

With both:

<div x-data>
    <div x-ref="foo">
        ...
    </div>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll($refs.foo, {behavior: 'auto', offset: 50})">Jump to 50px before foo</button>
</div>
...
<div id="foo">
</div>
<div x-data>
    <button x-on:click="$scroll('#foo', {behavior: 'auto', offset: 50})">Jump to 50px before #foo</button>
</div>
...
<button x-data x-on:click="$scroll(0, {behavior: 'auto', offset: 50})">Jump to 50px before top</button>

Demo (same as above)

`$truncate`

Example:

<div
    x-data="{ characters: 50, string: 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.'}"
    x-text="$truncate(string, characters)"
    @click="characters = undefined">
    <!-- Text will show 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing…' and will reveal all when clicked-->
</div>

You may also pass a third argument to change the string that will be appended to the end:

<div
    x-data="{ characters: 50, string: 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.'}"
    x-text="$truncate(string, characters, ' (...)')">
    <!-- Text will show 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing (...)' -->
</div>

Demo

Optionally pass in options

By default, $truncate will return take characters as a parameter. Instead you can pass in an object and trim by words. You may also update the ellipsis.

Example:

<div
    x-data="{ count: 5, string: 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.'}"
    x-text="$truncate(string, { words: words, ellipsis: ' ...read more' })"
    @click="count = 0">
    <!-- Will start with 5 words, then increase to unlimited when clicked -->
</div>

Demo (same as above)

Behind the scenes, for words, this uses sentence.split(" ").splice(0, words).join(" ") which does not define a word in all languages.

`$undo`

Example:

<div x-data="{ number: 0 }" x-init="$track()">
    <button @click="number = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10)" x-text="number"></button>
    <button x-show="$history.length" @click="$undo()">undo</button>
</div>

Demo

The $undo helper actually involves three helpers in one. First, add the $track() helper to the x-init directive to start tracking the component state. Next, add a button to $undo() changes as needed. And finally, you can access whether changes have occurred by using $history.length.

Optionally pass in options

By default, $undo will track all properties. Optionally you may limit the properties by passing in a string with the property name, or an array of property names.

Example:

<div x-data="{ number: 0; another: 0 }" x-init="$track('number')">
    <button @click="number = number + 1" x-text="number"></button>
    <button @click="another = another + 1" x-text="another"></button>
    <button x-show="$history.length" @click="$undo()">undo number only</button>
</div>

Use $track(['prop1', 'prop2']) to track multiple properties

Demo

`x-unsafe-html`

Example:

<div x-data="{ foo: bar }">
    <div x-unsafe-html="foo"></div>
    <button @click="foo = '<p>bar</p><script>alert(1)</script>'">test</button>
</div>

⚠️ Only use on trusted content. ⚠️

Dynamically rendering HTML from third parties can easily lead to XSS vulnerabilities.

Demo

License

Licensed under the MIT license, see LICENSE.md for details.

alpine-collective / alpine-magic-helpers

Magic Helpers

About

Installation

Manual

⚠️ Using Magic Helpers with Livewire

`$component`

⚠️ Using `$component`/`$parent` in `x-init`

`$fetch`

`$interval`

`$range`

`$refresh`

`$screen`

`$scroll`

`$truncate`

`$undo`

`x-unsafe-html`

License

About

Languages

Magic Helpers

About

Installation

Manual

⚠️ Using Magic Helpers with Livewire

$component

⚠️ Using $component/$parent in x-init

$fetch

$interval

$range

$refresh

$screen

$scroll

$truncate

$undo

x-unsafe-html

License

About

Languages

`$component`

⚠️ Using `$component`/`$parent` in `x-init`

`$fetch`

`$interval`

`$range`

`$refresh`

`$screen`

`$scroll`

`$truncate`

`$undo`

`x-unsafe-html`