github / github/catalyst

Attrs initialization without `@attr` decorator

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#207 4 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
@attr
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Description

Hi there 😄

After upgrading from v1.1.4 to v1.3.2, I noticed that my attributes were no longer shadowed by `initializeAttrs()`. I started digging and stumbled upon this piece of logic introduced in #191:

https://github.com/github/catalyst/blob/a8fb3ba59a4ac258d0fe64a50ecd3b6997f5f016/src/attr.ts#L39

It prevents `initializeAttrs()` from doing anything the second time around, thus skipping the manual initialization of attributes. Also, it seems like this change was one of the main things addressed by the above-mentioned PR.

So, what would be the correct way now to initialize the attributes without the `@attr` decorator?

Thanks!

---

**Example**

```html

class InfoMessage extends HTMLElement {
open = true

connectedCallback() {
initializeAttrs(this, ['open'])
}
}

controller(InfoMessage)

```

1. `controller(InfoMessage)` wraps original `connectedCallback()` and calls:

https://github.com/github/catalyst/blob/a8fb3ba59a4ac258d0fe64a50ecd3b6997f5f016/src/core.ts#L14

2. `InfoMessage` is marked as `initialized` (`attrs.ts`):

https://github.com/github/catalyst/blob/a8fb3ba59a4ac258d0fe64a50ecd3b6997f5f016/src/attr.ts#L40

3. The original `connectedCallback()` is executed, but `initializeAttrs()` would hit that early-return condition.
4. `this.open` is stuck in its default state (`true`) 😔

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reading src/attr.ts around the initialized guard and src/core.ts where controller wraps connectedCallback(). Reproduce the InfoMessage example with initializeAttrs(this, ['open']) and data-open="false". Done means manual initialization without @attr applies the attribute value instead of leaving open at true.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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