# lighterhtml
**Repository Path**: mirrors_WebReflection/lighterhtml
## Basic Information
- **Project Name**: lighterhtml
- **Description**: The hyperHTML strength & experience without its complexity 🎉
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: ISC
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No
## Statistics
- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-08-19
- **Last Updated**: 2026-01-03
## Categories & Tags
**Categories**: Uncategorized
**Tags**: None
## README
# lighterhtml
**Social Media Photo by [Kristine Weilert](https://unsplash.com/@kristineweilert) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)**
 [](https://opensource.org/licenses/ISC) [](https://greenkeeper.io/) 
### 📣 Community Announcement
Please ask questions in the [dedicated discussions repository](https://github.com/WebReflection/discussions), to help the community around this project grow ♥
---
The _hyperHTML_ strength & experience without its complexity 🎉
* **faster** than [hyperHTML](https://github.com/WebReflection/hyperHTML) ⚡️
* **simpler** than [lit-html](https://github.com/polymer/lit-html) 💡
* **fueling** both [neverland](https://github.com/WebReflection/neverland/#readme) and [heresy](https://github.com/WebReflection/heresy/#readme) 🔥
#### Looking for something even smaller?
If you want 90% of functionalities offered by *lightetrhtml* for 2/3rd of its size, check **[µhtml](https://github.com/WebReflection/uhtml#readme)**, which is also used in "*micro custom elements*" **[µce](https://github.com/WebReflection/uce#readme)** library, hence **[µce-template](https://github.com/WebReflection/uce-template#readme)** too, plus "*micro land*" **[µland](https://github.com/WebReflection/uland#readme)** 🦄
---
### 4.2 Highlights
* the new `?boolean=${value}` syntax from [µhtml](https://github.com/WebReflection/uhtml#readme) has landed in *lighterhtml* too. Feel free to [read this long discussion](https://github.com/WebReflection/discussions/discussions/13) to better understand *why* this syntax is better, or necessary.
---
### faster than hyperHTML
Even if sharing 90% of _hyperHTML_'s code, this utility removed all the not strictly necessary parts from it, including:
* no `Component`, no `define` and/or intents, no `connect` or `disconnect`, and no promises (possibly in later on), everything these days can be easily handled by hooks, as example using the [dom-augmentor](https://github.com/WebReflection/dom-augmentor) utility
* html content is never implicit, since all you have to do is to write `html` before any template when you need it. However, the `{html: string}` is still accepted for extreme cases.
Removing these parts made the output smaller in size (less than 6K) but it also simplified some underlying logic.
Accordingly, _lighterhtml_ delivers raw [domdiff](https://github.com/WebReflection/domdiff#domdiff) and [domtagger](https://github.com/WebReflection/domtagger#domtagger) performance in an optimized way.
If you don't believe it, check the [DBMonster](https://webreflection.github.io/lighterhtml/test/dbmonster.html) benchmark 😉
### simpler than lit-html
In _lit-html_, the `html` function tag is worthless, if used without its `render`.
In _lighterhtml_ though, the `html.node` or `svg.node` tag, can be used in the wild to create any, one-off, real DOM, [as shown in this pen](https://codepen.io/WebReflection/pen/jXdJBR?editors=0010).
```js
// lighterhtml: import the `html` tag and use it right away
import {html} from '//unpkg.com/lighterhtml?module';
// a one off, safe, runtime list 👍
const list = ['some', 'nasty', 'list'];
document.body.appendChild(html.node`
${list.map(text => html.node`
${text}
`)}
`);
```
Strawberry on top, when the `html` or `svg` tag is used through _lighterhtml_ `render`, it automatically creates all the keyed performance you'd expect from _hyperHTML_ wires, without needing to manually address any reference: pain point? defeated! 🍾
### Available as lighterhtml-plus too!
If you are looking for Custom Elements like events out of the box, [lighterhtml-plus](https://github.com/WebReflection/lighterhtml-plus#readme) is your next stop 👍
### How to import lighterhtml/-plus
Following, the usual multi import pattern behind every project of mine:
* via global `lighterhtml` CDN utility: ``, and `const {render, html, svg} = lighterhtml`
* via ESM CDN module: `import {render, html, svg} from 'https://unpkg.com/lighterhtml?module'`
* via ESM bundler: `import {render, html, svg} from 'lighterhtml'`
* via CJS module: `const {render, html, svg} = require('lighterhtml')`
### What's the API ? What's in the export ?
The module exports the following:
* `html` tag function to create any sort of HTML content when used within a `render` call. It carries two extra utilities, `html.for(ref[, id])`, to hard-reference a specific node, and `html.node` to create one-off dom nodes in the wild without using the `render`.
* `svg` tag function to create any sort of SVG content when used within a `render` call. It carries two extra utilities, `svg.for(ref[, id])`, to hard-reference a specific node, and `svg.node` to create one-off dom nodes in the wild without using the `render`.
* `render(node, fn|Hole)` to pollute a `node` with whatever is returned from the `fn` parameters, including `html` or `svg` tagged layout
* `Hole` class for 3rd parts (internal use)
You can test live a `hook` example in [this Code Pen](https://codepen.io/WebReflection/pen/maQXwq?editors=0010).
### What's different from hyperHTML ?
* the wired content is not strongly referenced as it is for `hyperHTML.wire(ref[, type:id])` **unless** you explicitly ask for it via `html.for(ref[, id])` or `svg.for(ref[, id])`, where in both cases, the `id` doesn't need any colon to be unique. This creates content hard wired whenever it's needed.
* the `ref=${object}` attribute works same as React, you pass an object via `const obj = useRef(null)` and you'll have `obj.current` on any effect. If a callback is passed instead, the callback will receive the node right away, same way [React ref](https://reactjs.org/docs/refs-and-the-dom.html) does.
* if the attribute name is `aria`, as in `aria=${object}`, aria attributes are applied to the node, including the `role` one.
* _deprecated_: if the attribute name is `data`, as in `data=${object}`, the `node.dataset` gets populated with all values.
* if the attribute name is `.dataset`, as in `.dataset=${object}`, the `node.dataset` gets populated with all values.
* intents, hence `define`, are not implemented. Most tasks can be achieved via hooks.
* promises are not in neither. You can update asynchronously anything via hooks or via custom element forced updates.
* the `onconnected` and `ondisconnected` special events are available only in _lighterhtml-plus_. These might come back in the future but right now _dom-augmentor_ replaces these via `useEffect(callback, [])`. Please note the empty array as second argument.
* an array of functions will be called automatically, like functions are already called when found in the wild
* the `Component` can be easily replaced with hooks or automatic keyed renders
* if a listener is an `Array` such as `[listener, {once: true}]`, the second entry of the array will be used as option.
```js
const {render, html} = lighterhtml;
// all it takes to have components with lighterhtml
const Comp = name => html`
Hello ${name}!
`;
// for demo purpose, check in console keyed updates
// meaning you won't see a single change per second
setInterval(
greetings,
1000,
[
'Arianna',
'Luca',
'Isa'
]
);
function greetings(users) {
render(document.body, html`${users.map(Comp)}`);
}
```
### Documentation
Excluding the already mentioned removed parts, everything else within the template literal works as described in [hyperHTML documentation](https://viperhtml.js.org/hyperhtml/documentation/#essentials-3-1).
### A basic example
Live on [Code Pen](https://codepen.io/WebReflection/pen/jXdBLV?editors=0010).
```js
import {render, html} from '//unpkg.com/lighterhtml?module';
document.body.appendChild(
// as unkeyed one-off content, right away 🎉
html.node`any one-off content!`
);
// as automatically rendered wired content 🤯
todo(document.body.lastChild);
function todo(node, items = []) {
render(node, html`
${
items.map((what, i) => html`
${what}
`)
}
`);
function add() {
items.push(prompt('do'));
todo(node, items);
}
function remove(e) {
items.splice(e.currentTarget.dataset.i, 1);
todo(node, items);
}
}
```
### What about Custom Elements ?
**[You got 'em](https://codepen.io/WebReflection/pen/MZxYVm?editors=0010)**, just bind `render` arguments once and update the element content whenever you feel like.
Compatible with the node itself, or its shadow root, either opened or closed.
```js
const {render, html} = lighterhtml;
customElements.define('my-ce', class extends HTMLElement {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {yup: 0, nope: 0};
this.render = render.bind(
null,
// used as target node
// it could either be the node itself
// or its shadow root, even a closed one
this.attachShadow({mode: 'closed'}),
// the update callback
this.render.bind(this)
);
// first render
this.render();
}
render() {
const {yup, nope} = this.state;
return html`
Isn't this awesome?
`;
}
handleEvent(event) {
this[`on${event.type}`](event);
}
onclick(event) {
event.preventDefault();
const {key} = event.currentTarget.dataset;
this.state[key]++;
this.render();
}
});
```
### Should I ditch hyperHTML ?
Born [at the beginning of 2017](https://medium.com/@WebReflection/hyperhtml-a-virtual-dom-alternative-279db455ee0e), _hyperHTML_ matured so much that no crucial bugs have appeared for a very long time.
It has also been used in production to deliver [HyperHTMLElement](https://github.com/WebReflection/hyperHTML-Element#hyperhtml-element) components to ~100M users, or to show [W3C specifications](https://github.com/w3c/respec), so that in case of bugs, _hyperHTML_ will most likely be on the fast lane for bug fixes, and _lighterhtml_ will eventually follow, whenever it's needed.
On top of this, most modules used in _lighterhtml_ are also part of _hyperHTML_ core, and the [./tagger.js](https://github.com/WebReflection/lighterhtml/blob/master/esm/tagger.js) file is mostly a copy and paste of the _hyperHTML_ [./objects/Update.js](https://github.com/WebReflection/hyperHTML/blob/master/esm/objects/Updates.js) one.
However, as tech and software evolve, I wanted to see if squashing together everything I know about template literals, thanks to _hyperHTML_ development, and everything I've recently learned about hooks, could've been merged together to deliver the easiest way ever to declare any non-virtual DOM view on the Web.
And this is what _lighterhtml_ is about, an attempt to simplify to the extreme the `.bind(...)` and `.wire(...)` concept of _hyperHTML_, through a package that requires pretty much zero knowledge about those internals.
_lighterhtml_ is also relatively new, so that some disabled functionality might come back, or slightly change, but if you like the idea, and you have tested it works for your project, feel free to ditch _hyperHTML_ in favor of _lighterhtml_, so that you can help maturing this project too.
### Should I use micro html instead ?
_[µhtml](https://github.com/WebReflection/uhtml#readme)_ is a great way to start playing around with most _lighterhtml_ features. As it's simply a subset, you can eventually switch to lighterhtml later on, whenever you miss, or need, some extra feature.
For a complete comparison of features and libraries around my repositories, please [have a look at this gist](https://gist.github.com/WebReflection/761052d6dae7c8207d2fcba7cdede295).
- - -
## History and changes
This session covers all major breaking changes and added features.
### V4 Breaking Changes
I am afraid this major was necessary due recent bugs/discoveries that made me rethink some practice and patch.
* the recently introduced `data` helper [could conflict](https://github.com/WebReflection/uhtml/issues/14) with some node such as `