diff --git a/documentation/docs/07-misc/01-best-practices.md b/documentation/docs/07-misc/01-best-practices.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..f3864f6d2b --- /dev/null +++ b/documentation/docs/07-misc/01-best-practices.md @@ -0,0 +1,166 @@ +--- +title: Best practices +--- + +This document outlines some best practices that will help you write fast, robust Svelte apps. It is also available as a `svelte-best-practices` skill for your agents. + +## `$state` + +Only use the `$state` rune for variables that should be _reactive_ — in other words, variables that cause an `$effect`, `$derived` or template expression to update. Everything else can be a normal variable. + +Objects and arrays (`$state({...})` or `$state([...])`) are made deeply reactive, meaning mutation will trigger updates. This has a trade-off: in exchange for fine-grained reactivity, the objects must be proxied, which has performance overhead. In cases where you're dealing with large objects that are only ever reassigned (rather than mutated), use `$state.raw` instead. This is often the case with API responses, for example. + +## `$derived` + +To compute something from state, use `$derived` rather than `$effect`: + +```js +// @errors: 2451 +let num = 0; +// ---cut--- +// do this +let square = $derived(num * num); + +// don't do this +let square; + +$effect(() => { + square = num * num; +}); +``` + +> [!NOTE] `$derived` is given an expression, _not_ a function. If you need to use a function (because the expression is complex, for example) use `$derived.by`. + +Deriveds are writable — you can assign to them, just like `$state`, except that they will re-evaluate when their expression changes. + +If the derived expression is an object or array, it will be returned as-is — it is _not_ made deeply reactive. You can, however, use `$state` inside `$derived.by` in the rare cases that you need this. + +## `$effect` + +Effects are an escape hatch and should mostly be avoided. In particular, avoid updating state inside effects. + +- If you need to sync state to an external library such as D3, it is often neater to use [`{@attach ...}`](@attach) +- If you need to run some code in response to user interaction, put the code directly in an event handler or use a [function binding](bind#Function-bindings) as appropriate +- If you need to log values for debugging purposes, use [`$inspect`]($inspect) +- If you need to observe something external to Svelte, use [`createSubscriber`](svelte-reactivity#createSubscriber) + +Never wrap the contents of an effect in `if (browser) {...}` or similar — effects do not run on the server. + +## `$props` + +Treat props as though they will change. For example, values that depend on props should usually use `$derived`: + +```js +// @errors: 2451 +let { type } = $props(); + +// do this +let color = $derived(type === 'danger' ? 'red' : 'green'); + +// don't do this — `color` will not update if `type` changes +let color = type === 'danger' ? 'red' : 'green'; +``` + +## `$inspect.trace` + +`$inspect.trace` is a debugging tool for reactivity. If something is not updating properly or running more than it should you can add `$inspect.trace(label)` as the first line of an `$effect` or `$derived.by` (or any function they call) to trace their dependencies and discover which one triggered an update. + +## Events + +Any element attribute starting with `on` is treated as an event listener: + +```svelte + + + + + + + +``` + +If you need to attach listeners to `window` or `document` you can use `` and ``: + +```svelte + + +``` + +Avoid using `onMount` or `$effect` for this. + +## Each blocks + +Prefer to use [keyed each blocks](/docs/svelte/each#Keyed-each-blocks) — this improves performance by allowing Svelte to surgically insert or remove items rather than updating the DOM belonging to existing items. + +> [!NOTE] The key _must_ uniquely identify the object. Do not use the index as a key. + +Avoid destructuring if you need to mutate the item (with something like `bind:value={item.count}`, for example). + +## Using JavaScript variables in CSS + +If you have a JS variable that you want to use inside CSS you can set a CSS custom property with the `style:` directive. + +```svelte +
...
+``` + +You can then reference `var(--columns)` inside the component's ` +``` + +If this impossible (for example, the child component comes from a library) you can use `:global` to override styles: + +```svelte +
+ +
+ + +``` + +## Context + +Consider using context instead of declaring state in a shared module. This will scope the state to the part of the app that needs it, and eliminate the possibility of it leaking between users when server-side rendering. + +Use `createContext` rather than `setContext` and `getContext`, as it provides type safety. + +## Async Svelte + +If using version 5.36 or higher, you can use [await expressions](/docs/svelte/await-expressions) and [hydratable](/docs/svelte/hydratable) to use promises directly inside components. Note that these require the `experimental.async` option to be enabled in `svelte.config.js` as they are not yet considered fully stable. + +## Avoid legacy features + +Always use runes mode for new code, and avoid features that have more modern replacements: + +- use `$state` instead of implicit reactivity (e.g. `let count = 0; count += 1`) +- use `$derived` and `$effect` instead of `$:` assignments and statements (but only use effects when there is no better solution) +- use `$props` instead of `export let`, `$$props` and `$$restProps` +- use `onclick={...}` instead of `on:click={...}` +- use `{#snippet ...}` and `{@render ...}` instead of `` and `$$slots` and `` +- use `` instead of `` +- use `import Self from './ThisComponent.svelte'` and `` instead of `` +- use classes with `$state` fields to share reactivity between components, instead of using stores +- use `{@attach ...}` instead of `use:action` +- use clsx-style arrays and objects in `class` attributes, instead of the `class:` directive