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Tips to create Web components using Vue 3, TS, Vite.

Nurlan TL on December 10, 2022

Recently I had a task to create a Web Component. My favorite framework is Vue 3 and I had no intentions to use another. At first glance there are a...
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Rick Gregg • • Edited

Excellent, well written post. You're ability to provide a simple, well thought out example with step by step explanations leaving no detail out AND especially covering the elusive build and deployment process for Vue3 Web Components lacking in all other hard to find posts on this subject is to be commended. Thank you.

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Eric Uldall •

Not sure why you've decided to use:

define: {
    'process.env': process.env
  }
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but I would highly recommend against that as it will result in your users entire env output being placed into the resulting .js files created at build time. This could expose private information.

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Nurlan TL •

Yes you are right in case one have sensitive info in the env file more granular approach is needed. Nice comment.

I put it like that because usually env files of js projects contain no sensitive info contrary to env files of backend applications.

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enrichit profile image
Richard Vanbergen •

One important thing to note. The SFC component you want to export needs to have either:

<script>
export default {}
</script>
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Or

<script setup>
</script>
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Otherwise it wont be able to find the output TS file and will fail to build.

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nurlan_tl profile image
Nurlan TL •

Right you are.

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Kcko •

Nice approach, but what a final size of our new web builded component?
It includes compiled Vue and final size is too huge (my vue hello-world component has about 1kB) and after build a and convert to web component has about 100kBs (because vue is included).

How to solve it?

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R.Ruthrapathy •

in vite.config.js file under rollupOptions add "external: ["vue"]" this will not include vue in your build file.

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Pat •

I know im suuuuper late to the party but i figured i'd ask a quick question in the event anyone is still paying attention to this.

(also thanks for writing this, its great)

  • my application builds and runs properly. everything looks good when testing locally
  • ive imported the component into a simple html file. it doesnt 404 and following the link shows what was generated in dist/web-component.js during build
  • however, the <web-component></web-component> DOM object is empty and has no functionality

i added some more info to stack overflow as it seemed appropriate

thanks!

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Nurlan TL •

Your configs are fine.

Folder dist is usually used for build. Normally you put components to public/js. Check another js files to test your path is working. And also use your component in another project not in the one you building it.

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herpster •

Thanks for this article however how do I build multiple components?

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Nurlan TL •

What do you mean?

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herpster • • Edited

I have a folder ./src/web-components with multiple components inside i.e. prefix-component-a.vue, prefix-component-b.vue and I want to build both, running "npm run build". How do I nee to modify my vite.config file etc. in order to build multiple components at the same time?

vite.config.mjs

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    vue({
      template: {
        compilerOptions: {
          isCustomElement: (tag) => tag.includes('prefix-'),
        },
      },
    }),
  ],
  build: {
    lib: {
      entry: './src/component-a.ce.ts',
      name: 'prefix-component-a',
      fileName: 'prefix-component-a',
      formats: ['es'],
    },
  },
  define: {
    'process.env': process.env,
  },
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      vue: 'vue/dist/vue.esm-bundler.js',
      '@': resolve(__dirname, 'src'),
      composables: resolve(__dirname, 'composables'),
    },
  },
})
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component-a.ce.ts

import { defineCustomElement } from 'vue'
import prefixComponentA from './components/ds-web-components/prefix-component-a.ce.vue'

const componentA = defineCustomElement(prefixComponentA)

customElements.define('prefix-component-a', componentA)

// register global typings
declare module 'vue' {
  export interface GlobalComponents {
    'prefix-component-a': typeof componentA
  }
}
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I tried the following:
vite.config.mjs

[...]
  build: {
    emptyOutDir: true,
    outDir: 'dist',
    lib: {
      entry: {
        componentA: './src/componentA.ce.ts',
        componentB: './src/componentB.ce.ts',
      },
      formats: ['es'],
    },
}
[...]
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However this is generating a "_plugin-vue_export-helper-DQzczt30.js"
which is then imported in the generated .js files which is not what I need.

So any advice on that?

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nurlan_tl profile image
Nurlan TL •

My guess is that is impossible. I would simply create multiple projects with one component in each. But who knows, maybe you will succeed. Anyway you have now better expertise in that matter than me.

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Amirhosein •

is it possible to use vuetify library inside the webcomponent? I tried , but vuetify instance could not be found!

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Nurlan TL •

I can't help. Never used Vuetify.