Converting a string to a data type in Typescript: A beginner's guide

I'm currently in the process of developing various web components, each capable of emitting custom events. To illustrate, here are a couple of straightforward examples:

//MyButton
emits 'myButtonPressed' with the following details:
interface ButtonDetailType {
  id: string;
}

//MySlider
emits 'mySliderChanging' with details including:
interface SliderChangingDetailType {
  id: string;
  value: number;
}
and also emits 'mySliderChanged' with the following details:
interface SliderChangedDetailType {
  id: string;
  oldValue: number;
  newValue: number;
}

When it comes to listening for these events, my code typically resembles the following:

buttonEl.addEventListener( 'myButtonPressed', ( event : CustomEvent ) => {
  const detail = event.detail as ButtonDetailType;
  //now I have access to detail.id
} );

sliderEl.addEventListener( 'mySliderChanging', ( event : CustomEvent ) => {
  const detail = event.detail as SliderChangingDetailType;
  //now I have access to both detail.id and detail.value
} );

With an increasing number of components being developed, I've found myself struggling to keep track of all the custom event names associated with each component, as well as their respective detail types.

To address this challenge, I've been contemplating the creation of an object containing all pertinent information, like so:

EVENTS = {
  button: {
    myButtonPressed: 'myButtonPressed',
    detailType: 'ButtonDetailType',
  },
  slider: {
    mySliderChanged': 'mySliderChanged',
    detailTypes: [
     'SliderChangedDetailType',
     'SliderChangingDetailType',
    ]
  }
};

This approach enables me to easily access all available event names for each component, with the added assistance of auto-complete functionality as I type:

buttonEl.addEventListener( EVENTS.button. //autocomplete provides a list of event names here! YAY!
sliderEl.addEventListener( EVENTS.slider. //similar autocomplete functionality here too!

However, an issue arises when attempting to convert a string into a type. Ideally, I'd be able to achieve something like this:

buttonEl.addEventListener( EVENTS.button.myButtonPressed, ( event : CustomEvent ) => {
  const detail = event.detail as EVENTS.button.detailType; // <- unfortunately invalid: EVENTS.button.detailType is a string rather than a type!
} );

Is there a way to convert strings into types within TypeScript?

Answer №1

To convert strings to types effectively, it is essential to establish a mapping. It is advisable to avoid relying solely on strings, except when passing the actual string into addEventListener() as the type parameter. Consider utilizing namespaces or modules for organizing your types.

An example using namespaces can help create a structure similar to the EVENTS object but with references to both string values and types:

namespace EVENTS {
  export namespace button {
    export const myButtonPressed = "myButtonPressed";
    export namespace detailType {
      export interface ButtonDetailType {
        id: string;
      }
    }
  }
  export namespace slider {
    export const mySliderChanged = "mySliderChanged";
    export namespace detailTypes {
      export interface SliderChangingDetailType {
        id: string;
        value: number;
      }
      export interface SliderChangedDetailType {
        id: string;
        oldValue: number;
        newValue: number;
      }
    }
  }
}

This setup allows for autocomplete functionality for both strings and types:

buttonEl.addEventListener(EVENTS.button.myButtonPressed, ((event: CustomEvent) => {
  const detail = event.detail as EVENTS.button.detailType.ButtonDetailType;
}) as EventListener);

sliderEl.addEventListener(EVENTS.slider.mySliderChanged, ((event: CustomEvent) => {
  const detail = event.detail as EVENTS.slider.detailTypes.SliderChangedDetailType;
}) as EventListener)

You have the flexibility to adjust the nesting level and naming conventions within namespaces according to your preference. The key concept here is the utilization of namespaces or modules for effective type management.

I hope this explanation proves helpful. Best of luck!

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