Beginner's Guide to Vue 3: Build a Basic App

Vue.js has been a favorite among web developers for its simplicity and flexible design—the introduction of Vue 3 has brought even more reasons to prefer it for both large and small scale applications. In this guide, designed for beginners, you will dive into the world of Vue 3 to initiate your journey into building your own basic app.

Why Choose Vue 3?link

Vue 3 is built with performance enhancements, new API features, and improved accessibility in mind. The Composition API is one of Vue 3’s stand-out features, allowing you to organize your code much more efficiently. Vue 3 also makes it significantly easier to build web applications with a smaller bundle size and enhanced TypeScript support.

Setting Up Your Vue Environmentlink

Begin by ensuring you have Node.js installed on your machine because Vue CLI relies on Node.js. You can download it from the official Node.js website. With Node.js ready, install Vue CLI globally with:

npm install -g @vue/cli

Create a new Vue application with Vue CLI:

vue create your-vue-app

Follow the prompts to choose your desired configuration. For a starting point, you can use the default settings.

Understanding Vue 3 Core Conceptslink

The Composition API

The Composition API is a new addition in Vue 3, which simplifies code management and organization. The setup function is at the heart of this API, allowing you to use features like ref, reactive, computed, and watch, which were part of the Options API.

Example setup function:

import { ref } from 'vue';

export default {
  setup() {
    const message = ref('Hello Vue 3!');

    return { message };
  },
};

Reactive Data Binding

Vue 3 simplifies reactive data management. Use ref for reactive plain variables and reactive for objects.

import { reactive } from 'vue';

export default {
  setup() {
    const state = reactive({
      count: 0,
    });

    function increment() {
      state.count++;
    }

    return { state, increment };
  },
};

Building Your First Vue 3 Applink

Let's put theory into practice by creating a basic to-do app. This will introduce you to components, data binding, and event handling.

Creating Components

Vue components can be created in single-file components which encapsulate HTML, JavaScript, and CSS for parts of the UI.

<template>
  <div>
    <h1>Todo List</h1>
    <input v-model="newTodo" placeholder="Enter a task"/>
    <button @click="addTodo">Add</button>
    <ul>
      <li v-for="todo in todos" :key="todo.id">
        {{ todo.text }}
      </li>
    </ul>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import { ref } from 'vue';

export default {
  setup() {
    const newTodo = ref('');
    const todos = ref([]);

    function addTodo() {
      if (newTodo.value.trim()) {
        todos.value.push({ id: Date.now(), text: newTodo.value });
        newTodo.value = '';
      }
    }

    return { newTodo, todos, addTodo };
  },
};
</script>

<style scoped>
input {
  margin-bottom: 10px;
}
</style>

Handling Forms and Events

Vue 3's binding capabilities allow forms to respond dynamically to user input. We use v-model for two-way data binding, which syncs input and data instantly.

State Management with Vuex

For managing global state across components, consider using Vuex, which is a state management pattern + library for Vue applications. Vuex offers centralized storage where all the components can share data.

Installation:

npm install vuex@next --save

Bonus: Using Vue Routerlink

To turn this basic app into a full-fledged multi-page app, utilize Vue Router. Vue Router provides the ability to navigate between components seamlessly.

Install Vue Router:

npm install vue-router@next

With Vue Router set up, create routes for different components and enjoy navigation capabilities in your Vue app.

Conclusionlink

The versatility of Vue 3 allows web developers to explore a plethora of functionalities smoothly. For more advanced features and tutorials, check out the official Vue documentation. As you continue to delve deeper, consider experimenting with the Composition API, Vuex, and Vue Router to streamline your app development process.

Web development is an ever-changing field, and staying updated with the latest advancements like Vue 3 can greatly impact how you build and manage projects. This guide should serve as a valuable stepping stone in your journey of learning Vue 3 and crafting efficient, hands-on applications.