Map SPA components to AEM components map-components
- The Universal Editor for visually editing headless content.
- The Content Fragment Editor for form-based editing of headless content.
Learn how to map Angular components to 51黑料不打烊 Experience Manager (AEM) components with the AEM SPA Editor JS SDK. Component mapping enables users to make dynamic updates to SPA components within the AEM SPA Editor, similar to traditional AEM authoring.
This chapter takes a deeper-dive into the AEM JSON model API and how the JSON content exposed by an AEM component can be automatically injected into a Angular component as props.
Objective
- Learn how to map AEM components to SPA Components.
- Understand the difference between Container components and Content components.
- Create a new Angular component that maps to an existing AEM component.
What you will build
This chapter will inspect how the provided Text SPA component is mapped to the AEM Textcomponent. A new Image SPA component is created that can be used in the SPA and authored in AEM. Out of the box features of the Layout Container and Template Editor policies will also be used to create a view that is a little more varied in appearance.
Prerequisites
Review the required tooling and instructions for setting up a local development environment.
Get the code
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Download the starting point for this tutorial via Git:
code language-shell $ git clone git@github.com:adobe/aem-guides-wknd-spa.git $ cd aem-guides-wknd-spa $ git checkout Angular/map-components-start -
Deploy the code base to a local AEM instance using Maven:
code language-shell $ mvn clean install -PautoInstallSinglePackageIf using AEM 6.x add the
classicprofile:code language-shell $ mvn clean install -PautoInstallSinglePackage -Pclassic
You can always view the finished code on or check the code out locally by switching to the branch Angular/map-components-solution.
Mapping Approach
The basic concept is to map a SPA Component to an AEM Component. AEM components, run server-side, export content as part of the JSON model API. The JSON content is consumed by the SPA, running client-side in the browser. A 1:1 mapping between SPA components and an AEM component is created.
High-level overview of mapping an AEM Component to a Angular Component
Inspect the Text Component
The provides a Text component that is mapped to the AEM Text component. This is an example of a content component, in that it renders content from AEM.
Let鈥檚 see how the component works.
Inspect the JSON model
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Before jumping into the SPA code, it is important to understand the JSON model that AEM provides. Navigate to the and view the page for the Text component. The Core Component Library provides examples of all the AEM Core Components.
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Select the JSON tab for one of the examples:
You should see three properties:
text,richText, and:type.:typeis a reserved property that lists thesling:resourceType(or path) of the AEM Component. The value of:typeis what is used to map the AEM component to the SPA component.textandrichTextare additional properties that are exposed to the SPA component.
Inspect the Text component
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Open a new terminal and navigate to the
ui.frontendfolder inside the project. Runnpm installand thennpm startto start the webpack dev server:code language-shell $ cd ui.frontend $ npm run start:mockThe
ui.frontendmodule is currently set up to use the mock JSON model. -
You should see a new browser window open to
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In the IDE of your choice open up the AEM Project for the WKND SPA. Expand the
ui.frontendmodule and open the file text.component.ts underui.frontend/src/app/components/text/text.component.ts:
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The first area to inspect is the
class TextComponentat ~line 35:code language-js export class TextComponent { @Input() richText: boolean; @Input() text: string; @Input() itemName: string; @HostBinding('innerHtml') get content() { return this.richText ? this.sanitizer.bypassSecurityTrustHtml(this.text) : this.text; } @HostBinding('attr.data-rte-editelement') editAttribute = true; constructor(private sanitizer: DomSanitizer) {} }decorator is used to declare fields who鈥檚 values are set via the mapped JSON object, reviewed earlier.
@HostBinding('innerHtml') get content()is a method that exposes the authored text content from the value ofthis.text. In the case that the content is rich text (determined by thethis.richTextflag) Angular鈥檚 built-in security is bypassed. Angular鈥檚 is used to 鈥渟crub鈥 the raw HTML and prevent Cross Site Scripting vulnerabilities. The method is bound to theinnerHtmlproperty using the decorator. -
Next inspect the
TextEditConfigat ~line 24:code language-js const TextEditConfig = { emptyLabel: 'Text', isEmpty: cqModel => !cqModel || !cqModel.text || cqModel.text.trim().length < 1 };The above code is responsible for determining when to render the placeholder in the AEM author environment. If the
isEmptymethod returns true then the placeholder is rendered. -
Finally take a look at the
MapTocall at ~line 53:code language-js MapTo('wknd-spa-angular/components/text')(TextComponent, TextEditConfig );MapTo is provided by the AEM SPA Editor JS SDK (
@adobe/cq-angular-editable-components). The pathwknd-spa-angular/components/textrepresents thesling:resourceTypeof the AEM component. This path gets matched with the:typeexposed by the JSON model observed earlier. MapTo parses the JSON model response and passes the correct values to the@Input()variables of the SPA component.You can find the AEM
Textcomponent definition atui.apps/src/main/content/jcr_root/apps/wknd-spa-angular/components/text. -
Experiment by modifying the en.model.json file at
ui.frontend/src/mocks/json/en.model.json.At ~line 62 update the first
Textvalue to use anH1andutags:code language-json "text": { "text": "<h1><u>Hello World!</u></h1>", "richText": true, ":type": "wknd-spa-angular/components/text" }Return to the browser to see the effects served by the webpack dev server:
Try toggling the
richTextproperty between true / false to see the render logic in action. -
Inspect text.component.html at
ui.frontend/src/app/components/text/text.component.html.This file is empty since the entire contents of the component is set by the
innerHTMLproperty. -
Inspect the app.module.ts at
ui.frontend/src/app/app.module.ts.code language-js @NgModule({ imports: [ BrowserModule, SpaAngularEditableComponentsModule, AppRoutingModule ], providers: [ModelManagerService, { provide: APP_BASE_href, useValue: '/' }], declarations: [AppComponent, TextComponent, PageComponent, HeaderComponent], entryComponents: [TextComponent, PageComponent], bootstrap: [AppComponent] }) export class AppModule {}The TextComponent is not explicitly included, but rather dynamically via AEMResponsiveGridComponent provided by the AEM SPA Editor JS SDK. Therefore must be listed in the app.module.ts鈥 array.
Create the Image Component
Next, create an Image Angular component that is mapped to the AEM Image component. The Image component is another example of a content component.
Inspect the JSON
Before jumping into the SPA code, inspect the JSON model provided by AEM.
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Navigate to the .
Properties of
src,alt, andtitleare used to populate the SPAImagecomponent.note note NOTE There are other Image properties exposed ( lazyEnabled,widths) that allow a developer to create an adaptive and lazy-loading component. The component built in this tutorial is simple and does not use these advanced properties. -
Return to your IDE and open up the
en.model.jsonatui.frontend/src/mocks/json/en.model.json. Since this is a net-new component for our project we need to 鈥渕ock鈥 the Image JSON.At ~line 70 add a JSON entry for the
imagemodel (don鈥檛 forget about the trailing comma,after the secondtext_386303036) and update the:itemsOrderarray.code language-json ... ":items": { ... "text_386303036": { "text": "<p>A new text component.</p>\r\n", "richText": true, ":type": "wknd-spa-angular/components/text" }, "image": { "alt": "Rock Climber in New Zealand", "title": "Rock Climber in New Zealand", "src": "/mocks/images/adobestock-140634652.jpeg", ":type": "wknd-spa-angular/components/image" } }, ":itemsOrder": [ "text", "text_386303036", "image" ],The project includes a sample image at
/mock-content/adobestock-140634652.jpegthat is used with the webpack dev server.You can view the full .
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Add a stock photo to be displayed by the component.
Create a new folder named images beneath
ui.frontend/src/mocks. Download adobestock-140634652.jpeg and place it in the newly created images folder. Feel free to use your own image, if desired.
Implement the Image component
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Stop the webpack dev server if started.
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Create a new Image component by running the Angular CLI
ng generate componentcommand from withinui.frontendfolder:code language-shell $ ng generate component components/image -
In the IDE, open image.component.ts at
ui.frontend/src/app/components/image/image.component.tsand update as follows:code language-js import {Component, Input, OnInit} from '@angular/core'; import {MapTo} from '@adobe/cq-angular-editable-components'; const ImageEditConfig = { emptyLabel: 'Image', isEmpty: cqModel => !cqModel || !cqModel.src || cqModel.src.trim().length < 1 }; @Component({ selector: 'app-image', templateUrl: './image.component.html', styleUrls: ['./image.component.scss'] }) export class ImageComponent implements OnInit { @Input() src: string; @Input() alt: string; @Input() title: string; constructor() { } get hasImage() { return this.src && this.src.trim().length > 0; } ngOnInit() { } } MapTo('wknd-spa-angular/components/image')(ImageComponent, ImageEditConfig);ImageEditConfigis the configuration to determine whether to render the author placeholder in AEM, based on if thesrcproperty is populated.@Input()ofsrc,alt, andtitleare the properties mapped from the JSON API.hasImage()is a method that will determine if the image should be rendered.MapTomaps the SPA component to the AEM component located atui.apps/src/main/content/jcr_root/apps/wknd-spa-angular/components/image. -
Open image.component.html and update it as follows:
code language-html <ng-container *ngIf="hasImage"> <img class="image" [src]="src" [alt]="alt" [title]="title"/> </ng-container>This will render the
<img>element ifhasImagereturns true. -
Open image.component.scss and update it as follows:
code language-scss :host-context { display: block; } .image { margin: 1rem 0; width: 100%; border: 0; }note note NOTE The :host-contextrule is critical for the AEM SPA editor placeholder to function correctly. All SPA components that are intended to be authored in the AEM page editor will need this rule at a minimum. -
Open
app.module.tsand add theImageComponentto theentryComponentsarray:code language-js entryComponents: [TextComponent, PageComponent, ImageComponent],Like the
TextComponent, theImageComponentis dynamically loaded, and must be included in theentryComponentsarray. -
Start the webpack dev server to see the
ImageComponentrender.code language-shell $ npm run start:mock
Image added to the SPA
note note NOTE Bonus challenge: Implement a new method to display the value of titleas a caption beneath the image.
Update Policies in AEM
The ImageComponent component is only visible in the webpack dev server. Next, deploy the updated SPA to AEM and update the template policies.
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Stop the webpack dev server and from the root of the project, deploy the changes to AEM using your Maven skills:
code language-shell $ cd aem-guides-wknd-spa $ mvn clean install -PautoInstallSinglePackage -
From the AEM Start screen navigate to Tools > Templates > .
Select and edit the SPA Page:
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Select the Layout Container and click it鈥檚 policy icon to edit the policy:
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Under Allowed Components > WKND SPA Angular - Content > check the Image component:
Under Default Components > Add mapping and choose the Image - WKND SPA Angular - Content component:
Enter a mime type of
image/*.Click Done to save the policy updates.
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In the Layout Container click the policy icon for the Text component:
Create a new policy named WKND SPA Text. Under Plugins > Formatting > check all the boxes to enable additional formatting options:
Under Plugins > Paragraph Styles > check the box to Enable paragraph styles:
Click Done to save the policy update.
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Navigate to the Homepage .
You should also be able to edit the
Textcomponent and add additional paragraph styles in full-screen mode.
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You should also be able to drag+drop an image from the Asset finder:
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Add your own images via or install the finished code base for the standard . The includes many images that can be re-used on the WKND SPA. The package can be installed using .
Inspect the Layout Container
Support for the Layout Container is automatically provided by the AEM SPA Editor SDK. The Layout Container, as indicated by the name, is a container component. Container components are components that accept JSON structures which represent other components and dynamically instantiate them.
Let鈥檚 inspect the Layout Container further.
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In the IDE open responsive-grid.component.ts at
ui.frontend/src/app/components/responsive-grid:code language-js import { AEMResponsiveGridComponent,MapTo } from '@adobe/cq-angular-editable-components'; MapTo('wcm/foundation/components/responsivegrid')(AEMResponsiveGridComponent);The
AEMResponsiveGridComponentis implemented as part of the AEM SPA Editor SDK and is included in the project viaimport-components. -
In a browser navigate to
The Layout Container component has a
sling:resourceTypeofwcm/foundation/components/responsivegridand is recognized by the SPA Editor using the:typeproperty, just like theTextandImagecomponents.The same capabilities of re-sizing a component using Layout Mode are available with the SPA Editor.
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Return to . Add additional Image components and try re-sizing them using the Layout option:
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Re-open the JSON model and observe the
columnClassNamesas part of the JSON:
The class name
aem-GridColumn--default--4indicates the component should be 4 columns wide based on a 12 column grid. More details about the . -
Return to the IDE and in the
ui.appsmodule there is a client-side library defined atui.apps/src/main/content/jcr_root/apps/wknd-spa-angular/clientlibs/clientlib-grid. Open the fileless/grid.less.This file determines the breakpoints (
default,tablet, andphone) used by the Layout Container. This file is intended to be customized per project specifications. Currently the breakpoints are set to1200pxand650px. -
You should be able to use the responsive capabilities and the updated rich text policies of the
Textcomponent to author a view like the following:
Congratulations! congratulations
Congratulations, you learned how to map SPA components to AEM Components and you implemented a new Image component. You also got a chance to explore the responsive capabilities of the Layout Container.
You can always view the finished code on or check the code out locally by switching to the branch Angular/map-components-solution.
Next Steps next-steps
Navigation and Routing - Learn how multiple views in the SPA can be supported by mapping to AEM Pages with the SPA Editor SDK. Dynamic navigation is implemented using Angular Router and added to an existing Header component.
Bonus - Persist configurations to source control bonus
In many cases, especially at the beginning of an AEM project it is valuable to persist configurations, like templates and related content policies, to source control. This ensures that all developers are working against the same set of content and configurations and can ensure additional consistency between environments. Once a project reaches a certain level of maturity, the practice of managing templates can be turned over to a special group of power users.
The next few steps will take place using the Visual Studio Code IDE and but could be doing using any tool and any IDE that you have configured to pull or import content from a local instance of AEM.
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In the Visual Studio Code IDE, ensure that you have VSCode AEM Sync installed via the Marketplace extension:
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Expand the ui.content module in the Project explorer and navigate to
/conf/wknd-spa-angular/settings/wcm/templates. -
Right+Click the
templatesfolder and select Import from AEM Server:
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Repeat the steps to import content but select the policies folder located at
/conf/wknd-spa-angular/settings/wcm/policies. -
Inspect the
filter.xmlfile located atui.content/src/main/content/META-INF/vault/filter.xml.code language-xml <!--ui.content filter.xml--> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <workspaceFilter version="1.0"> <filter root="/conf/wknd-spa-angular" mode="merge"/> <filter root="/content/wknd-spa-angular" mode="merge"/> <filter root="/content/dam/wknd-spa-angular" mode="merge"/> <filter root="/content/experience-fragments/wknd-spa-angular" mode="merge"/> </workspaceFilter>The
filter.xmlfile is responsible for identifying the paths of nodes that are installed with the package. Notice themode="merge"on each of the filters which indicates that existing content will not be modified, only new content is added. Since content authors may be updating these paths, it is important that a code deployment does not overwrite content. See the for more details on working with filter elements.Compare
ui.content/src/main/content/META-INF/vault/filter.xmlandui.apps/src/main/content/META-INF/vault/filter.xmlto understand the different nodes managed by each module.