Using Vue.js Template Syntax

Tutorial 3 of 5

1. Introduction

This tutorial aims to guide you through the template syntax of Vue.js, an increasingly popular JavaScript framework. Vue's template syntax provides a simple and intuitive way to tie data and methods to the HTML of your application.

By the end of this tutorial, you will:

  • Understand the basics of Vue.js template syntax
  • Learn how to bind data and methods to HTML using Vue's syntax
  • Gain practical knowledge via examples and exercises

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of JavaScript and HTML.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Vue.js uses a template syntax that allows you to declaratively render dynamic data to the DOM. You can use Vue's familiar HTML-based syntax to declare your application's components and efficiently update them when your data changes.

Interpolation

The most basic form of data binding is text interpolation using the "Mustache" syntax (double curly braces):

<!-- This is a Vue.js template -->
<span>Message: {{ msg }}</span>

The msg inside the double curly braces is a property of the Vue instance. Vue will replace this placeholder with the actual value of msg when rendering the template.

v-bind Directive

To bind elements' attributes, you can use the v-bind directive. This is particularly useful for dynamic attributes:

<!-- Bind the 'href' attribute -->
<a v-bind:href="url">Link</a>

In this case, url is a property of the Vue instance.

v-if Directive

v-if is used to conditionally render a block:

<!-- This paragraph will only be rendered if 'seen' is truthy -->
<p v-if="seen">Now you see me</p>

v-for Directive

v-for allows you to render a list of items based on an array:

<!-- Render a list of items -->
<li v-for="item in items">
  {{ item.text }}
</li>

3. Code Examples

Let's see some practical examples:

Example 1: Text Interpolation

<!-- Vue template -->
<span>{{ message }}</span>

<!-- Vue instance -->
<script>
new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  data: {
    message: 'Hello Vue!'
  }
})
</script>

Here, message is a property of our Vue instance. Vue will replace {{ message }} with the text 'Hello Vue!' when rendering.

Example 2: v-bind Directive

<!-- Vue template -->
<a v-bind:href="url">Link</a>

<!-- Vue instance -->
<script>
new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  data: {
    url: 'https://vuejs.org/'
  }
})
</script>

In this example, the href attribute of the anchor tag is bound to the url property of the Vue instance.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we covered the basics of Vue.js template syntax, including interpolation, v-bind, v-if, and v-for directives. As next steps, you might want to explore other directives like v-on for event handling and v-model for two-way data binding.

Additional Resources:
- Vue.js Guide
- Vue.js API

5. Practice Exercises

  1. Create a Vue instance with a data property that includes an array of objects. Use v-for to display the objects in a list.
  2. Create a Vue instance with a data property that includes a boolean value. Use v-if to conditionally render a message based on the boolean’s value.

Solutions:
1. Vue.js List Rendering
2. Vue.js Conditional Rendering

To further practice, try to combine the directives you've learned in a single application. For example, you could create a to-do list where each item is only visible if it's not marked as completed.