New features of Angular 14

Introduction

Angular is a popular TypeScript-based framework developed by Google, widely used in the corporate world for web application development. In this report, we will explore the new features of Angular 14, the latest released version.

CLI Auto Completion

One of the standout improvements in Angular 14 is the command-line interface (CLI) autocompletion. Developers can now take advantage of real-time autocompletion while using the Angular CLI. This streamlines the artifact generation process, such as modules, components, and directives, by providing intuitive commands and options.

• Example of CLI Auto Completion usage:

ng generate component my-component

Standalone Components

Angular 14 introduces standalone components, eliminating the need for Angular modules (NgModules). This reduces the amount of template code required to bootstrap a basic Angular application and simplifies the understanding of the framework, especially for newcomers to Angular and TypeScript.

• Example of Standalone Components usage:

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
  selector: 'app-my-component',
  template: `
    <h1>Welcome to My Component!</h1>
    <p>This is a standalone component in Angular 14.</p>
  `
})
export class MyComponent { }

Typed Reactive Forms

One of the highly requested features on GitHub for Angular is support for typed reactive forms. Angular 14 has implemented this enhancement, allowing for a safer, model-based approach to working with forms. An automatic migration has been included to ensure compatibility with existing applications.

• Example of Typed Reactive Forms usage:

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { FormGroup, FormControl } from '@angular/forms';


@Component({
  selector: 'app-my-form',
  template: `
    <form [formGroup]="myForm">
      <input formControlName="name" type="text" placeholder="Name">
    </form>
  `
})
export class MyFormComponent {
  myForm: FormGroup;


  constructor() {
    this.myForm = new FormGroup({
      name: new FormControl('')
    });
  }
}

Improved Template Diagnostics

Angular 14 introduces enhancements to template diagnostics, aiding developers in identifying and correcting common compile-time errors. The compiler now generates warnings and suggestions for fixing errors such as incorrect two-way binding syntax or the use of unnecessary operators. These improvements provide a higher level of safety and debugging ease.

• Example of Improved Template Diagnostics:

ADVERTENCIA: La directiva ‘ngFor’ debe usarse con una expresión iterable (por ejemplo, *ngFor=»let item of items»)

Steps on how to migrate from Angular 12 to 14:

Command prompt

1. Install the latest version of the Angular CLI:

npm install -g @angular/cli@latest

Run the ng update command to update your Angular dependencies:

ng update @angular/core@14 @angular/cli@14

3. Review the changes that were made and make any necessary adjustments to your code.

4. Once you are satisfied with the changes, you can deploy your updated application.

Here are some of the changes that you may need to make to your code when migrating to Angular 14:

• The initialValueIsDefault option for FormControl construction has been deprecated in favor of the nonNullable option.
• The ComponentFactory and NgModuleFactory APIs have been deprecated and replaced with new APIs that use component or NgModule classes directly.
• Reactive Forms types now support a generic parameter which allows for strict typing of the controls.

Criteria/considerations for migrating from previous versions of Angular

• Compatibility: Angular 14 is not backward compatible with previous versions of Angular, so you will need to update your code if you want to use it.
• Dependencies: Angular 14 depends on a number of other libraries, so you will need to update those libraries as well if you want to use Angular 14.
• Testing: You will need to update your tests if you want to ensure that your application continues to work after you upgrade to Angular 14.

Conclusions

Angular 14 is a significant release that brings forth several noteworthy improvements. CLI autocompletion, standalone components, typed reactive forms, and enhanced template diagnostics are just a few of the standout features in this version. These updates aim to make web application development with Angular more efficient, secure, and accessible for developers.

Bibliography

https://www.syncfusion.com/blogs/post/top-7-features-of-angular-14.aspx
https://www.freelancermap.com/blog/angular-14-new-features-and-updates-2022
https://blog.angular.io/angular-v14-is-now-available-391a6db736af