29

How can I create a directive with a dynamic template?

'use strict';

app.directive('ngFormField', function($compile) {
return {
    transclude: true,
    scope: {
        label: '@'
    },
    template: '<label for="user_email">{{label}}</label>',
    // append
    replace: true,
    // attribute restriction
    restrict: 'E',
    // linking method
    link: function($scope, element, attrs) {
        switch (attrs['type']) {
            case "text":
                // append input field to "template"
            case "select":
                // append select dropdown to "template"
        }
    }
  }
});
<ng-form-field label="First Name" type="text"></ng-form-field>

This is what I have right now, and it is displaying the label correctly. However, I'm not sure on how to append additional HTML to the template. Or combining 2 templates into 1.

7 Answers 7

32

i've used the $templateCache to accomplish something similar. i put several ng-templates in a single html file, which i reference using the directive's templateUrl. that ensures the html is available to the template cache. then i can simply select by id to get the ng-template i want.

template.html:

<script type="text/ng-template" id=“foo”>
foo
</script>

<script type="text/ng-template" id=“bar”>
bar
</script>

directive:

myapp.directive(‘foobardirective’, ['$compile', '$templateCache', function ($compile, $templateCache) {

    var getTemplate = function(data) {
        // use data to determine which template to use
        var templateid = 'foo';
        var template = $templateCache.get(templateid);
        return template;
    }

    return {
        templateUrl: 'views/partials/template.html',
        scope: {data: '='},
        restrict: 'E',
        link: function(scope, element) {
            var template = getTemplate(scope.data);

            element.html(template);
            $compile(element.contents())(scope);
        }
    };
}]);
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7 Comments

Nice move, Zim! Just a slight simplification: $templateCache is available inside the link function so you don't really need the getTemplate function
@zim But how would you pass id dynamically?
+1 for $compile(element.contents()). Was going crazy because I didn't know about that .contents() ìn $compile. (infinite loop calling my directive, of course)
@JannieT, i have a separate getTemplate() function just to keep the link function clean. i could inline it, yes, but if it takes a lot of code to parse the data and determine which template to use, it can obscure the important last 2 lines of the link function. And i'm a fan of small, single function methods anyway.
And this might break if you have transcluded contents which you don't want to lose.
|
17

Had a similar need. $compile does the job. (Not completely sure if this is "THE" way to do it, still working my way through angular)

http://jsbin.com/ebuhuv/7/edit - my exploration test.

One thing to note (per my example), one of my requirements was that the template would change based on a type attribute once you clicked save, and the templates were very different. So though, you get the data binding, if need a new template in there, you will have to recompile.

4 Comments

It doesn't seem your example is working correctly. Could you follow up?
Edit: Got it working, looks like it was bootstrap. Updated link: jsbin.com/wikocaru/2/edit
Answers should include complete examples and code, not links which end up being broken links later on.
Would be nice see at little snippet of code in the accepted answer.
8

You should move your switch into the template by using the 'ng-switch' directive:

module.directive('testForm', function() {
    return {
        restrict: 'E',
        controllerAs: 'form',
        controller: function ($scope) {
            console.log("Form controller initialization");
            var self = this;
            this.fields = {};
            this.addField = function(field) {
                console.log("New field: ", field);
                self.fields[field.name] = field;
            };
        }
    }
});

module.directive('formField', function () {
    return {
        require: "^testForm",
        template:
            '<div ng-switch="field.fieldType">' +
            '    <span>{{title}}:</span>' +
            '    <input' +
            '        ng-switch-when="text"' +
            '        name="{{field.name}}"' +
            '        type="text"' +
            '        ng-model="field.value"' +
            '    />' +
            '    <select' +
            '        ng-switch-when="select"' +
            '        name="{{field.name}}"' +
            '        ng-model="field.value"' +
            '        ng-options="option for option in options">' +
            '        <option value=""></option>' +
            '    </select>' +
            '</div>',
        restrict: 'E',
        replace: true,
        scope: {
            fieldType: "@",
            title: "@",
            name: "@",
            value: "@",
            options: "=",
        },
        link: function($scope, $element, $attrs, form) {
            $scope.field = $scope;
            form.addField($scope);
        }
    };
});

It can be use like this:

<test-form>
    <div>
        User '{{!form.fields.email.value}}' will be a {{!form.fields.role.value}}
    </div>
    <form-field title="Email" name="email" field-type="text" value="[email protected]"></form-field>
    <form-field title="Role" name="role" field-type="select" options="['Cook', 'Eater']"></form-field>
    <form-field title="Sex" name="sex" field-type="select" options="['Awesome', 'So-so', 'awful']"></form-field>
</test-form>

Comments

5

One way is using a template function in your directive:

...
template: function(tElem, tAttrs){
    return '<div ng-include="' + tAttrs.template + '" />';
}
...

Comments

3

If you want to use AngularJs Directive with dynamic template, you can use those answers,But here is more professional and legal syntax of it.You can use templateUrl not only with single value.You can use it as a function,which returns a value as url.That function has some arguments,which you can use.

http://www.w3docs.com/snippets/angularjs/dynamically-change-template-url-in-angularjs-directives.html

1 Comment

This doesn't allow for dynamically changing the contents when some data changes. For example I was a data-type attribute to dictate the template to be used - then when the user switches type, I need a different template.
1

I managed to deal with this problem. Below is the link :

https://github.com/nakosung/ng-dynamic-template-example

with the specific file being:

https://github.com/nakosung/ng-dynamic-template-example/blob/master/src/main.coffee

dynamicTemplate directive hosts dynamic template which is passed within scope and hosted element acts like other native angular elements.

scope.template = '< div ng-controller="SomeUberCtrl">rocks< /div>'

Comments

0

I have been in the same situation, my complete solution has been posted here

Basically I load a template in the directive in this way

var tpl = '' + 
    <div ng-if="maxLength" 
        ng-include="\'length.tpl.html\'">
    </div>' +
    '<div ng-if="required" 
        ng-include="\'required.tpl.html\'">
    </div>';

then according to the value of maxLength and required I can dynamically load one of the 2 templates, only one of them at a time is shown if necessary.

I heope it helps.

Comments

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