Angular v17 New Features for Modern Front-End Development Software Development
The month of October 2023 marked the 13th anniversary of Angular’s red shield. AngularJS was the opening point for a new trend of JavaScript contexts evolving to maintain the growing need for rich web experiences. And now, with advanced-thinking features and a new look, Angular 17 provides everyone with a bright future by setting new principles for performance and developer experience.
V17’s new prominent incorporation is the in-built control flow syntax, allowing it to be a more expressive and well-organized template syntax. One of the key features included in the new version of Angular 17 is the introduction of deferrable views. Templates can now load their reliance slowly while enhancing performance by complying with the interpreting and executing definitive elements until they are required. This feature is predominantly valuable for large templates or dynamic views optimization, allowing a seamless user experience.
These Angular 17 updates are an outcome of the Angular team’s endless efforts to address the feedback and desires of the developer community. With each foremost version, Angular endures to strengthen developers with robust features and an intuitive syntax.
This blog will discuss everything related to the release of Angular 17 and determine how its new features can promote your Angular applications to the next level of efficacy and functionality. If you are looking for insights from a top software development company in Dallas, you’ll find valuable perspectives here.
Overview
Angular 17 proposes a better Angular Renaissance involving new syntax for control flow, page part’s lazy loading, and improved SSR support. Additionally, the CLI now depends on ESBuild and thus improves the build considerably.
Angular 17 New Features
The Angular 17 update was the extremely anticipated release scheduled for November, carrying with it a set of new thrilling features and developments. Let’s dive to know what to expect from this update!
1. Support for TypeScript 5.2
It includes the newest TypeScript edition, presenting a collection of great functionalities that assist Angular.js performance optimization. The following are numerous ways Typescript 5.2 support can profit you!
- Faster Recursive Type Checking
If you use code or libraries utilizing recursive types, you can anticipate experiencing performance improvements with TypeScript 5.2, displaying a substantial boost of 33% in performance based on tests.
- New Declarative Control Flow Syntax
Angular 17’s novel built-in control flow syntax will assist in writing and organizing codes smoothly. Its syntax is comparable to those in programming languages like Javascript and Python based on the @syntax.
For using the new declarative control flow syntax, the below-given steps must be followed:
- First, import the @angular/core module.
- Include @ prefix to name control flow directive. For example, you can use @if in place of ngIf.
- You can use the @ directive to wrap the desired content that is kept for display temporarily.
- Assess the condition by progressing an expression to the @ directive. The content can only be exhibited if the expression is estimated as true.
- Writing and retaining intricate logic has become much easier with the new declarative control flow syntax.
- Say Bye to Memory Leaks
During programming, it is significantly essential to ensure that the memory utilized by your application is cleaned and maintained. Memory leaks can end from not correctly closing resources after they are of no use, leading to unnecessary use of system memory and possibly causing crashing.
Using the keyword ‘new’ allows the control of these problem zones and eventually ensures the use of new references that will automatically be released after the declared scope is completed.
Additionally, various other classes are also accessible for well-organized resource handling.
- Decorator Programming with Metadata is Now Supported
Decorators are denoted as a programming notion utilized to add metadata or conduct to methods, functions, or classes in a more structured and recyclable manner. This update advocates that the language or framework now completely supports and integrates decorators for the management of metadata within code, making it more robust and proficient for developers.
In the above example, the @Serialize decorator is utilized to mark a few elements of the class. This instruction allows us to check metadata stored somewhere else and lets us know which parts of the class can be serialized. It’s like placing sticky notes on items to say what can be filled up in a box later.
- Typescript 5.2 Understands Unions of Arrays
Former TypeScript versions did not understand the union of arrays. Below are the code snippets, for example!
Since the union doesn’t have a well-defined filter method and had never functioned earlier, with Typescript 5.2, it will work just as well.
- No Unintentional Mutations
Sometimes, when you adjust an array, the app would go to Nether. But it’s modifying four new functions with Typescript 5.2, as shown in the image below.
So, as an alternative to using classical methods to alter or adjust the array, you can now utilize these clearly to specify if you want a copy of the array.
- No Missing Commas Anymore
It might seem like an ordinary update, but it can relatively prove to be beneficial for coders. Typescript 5.2 can help you if you forget to add commas during the defining object properties list.
- Improved Code Navigation
The capability of quickly finding where things are defined and how they’re utilized is critical for effective development. However, generally, in TypeScript and web projects, it doesn’t always work as smoothly as predicted.
Occasionally, you turn out to be within a file that only outlines things, or the language service is unable to locate where things are defined or their use cases for several reasons. TypeScript 5.2 is employed on a solution using inlays to aid you in navigating to the definitions. Presently, this feature is accessible in VSCode Insiders.
2. Automatic Removal of CSS
One of the Angular 17 features involves the automatic removal of CSS from the DOM while demolishing the component. It assists with the seamless operation of your application without facing concerns like RAM overheating.
3. Some Router Properties Moved to ProvideRouter and RouterModule.forRoot
- paramsInheritanceStrategy
- urlUpdateStrategy
- canceledNavigationResolution
- malformedUriErrorHandler ( moved to UrlSerializer.parse)
- title strategy
- urlHandlingStrategy
4. Errors When Lazy Loaded Images Slow Down Page Render
In development mode, a tool called NgOptimizedImages (dealing with web app’s images) can now tell when certain images are crucial for the initial app loading because if you don’t specify these images as a top priority, they are loaded leisurely, allowing the first app load takes a long time.
The tool will send an error message in the console if you don’t set them as vital to help you declare these images as a priority and expand your app’s speed. This error message is supportive as it prompts you to take action and improve your app’s performance.
5. Opt-in Support for View Transitions API
If you want to alter the DOM element content like div and animate it, the new browser API supports it. Numerous browsers maintain this View Transition API, including Chrome, Edge, Opera, Samsung Internet, Chrome Android, and WebView Android.
Normally, you will need to combine CSS and JS to organize everything. But with the announcement of Android 17, you get novel opt-in-based support.
6. StyleURL Files Will be in the Definition
This modification in language service is obliging with direction-finding, as you can access the CSS file defined in StyleURL from the Definition section.
7. Set up Routes for Testing Differently
Now, it allows you to use RouterModule.forRoot and provideRouter for setting up routes for testing instead of setupTestingRouter.
8. Must Upgrade to Node.js 18.13.0
The Angular preview displays that you must update your Node.js version to 18.13.0 or higher. That’s the least supported Node version for Angular 17.
That’s a wrap on the most anticipated features of Angular 17!
Want to influence the wide-ranging competencies of Angular and renovate your web application for the better? Or do you need to promote to the latest Angular version from your current version? Our Angular developers can assist you with it!
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