How to create UI component in Magento 2
In Magento 2, a UI Component is a reusable building block designed to create complex user interface elements within the admin and front-end areas. UI Components provide a standardized way to develop, organize, and manage the presentation layer of Magento, reducing the need for writing large amounts of custom HTML, JavaScript, and PHP code.
Here are the key points about UI Components in Magento 2:
1. Declarative UI (XML-based)
UI Components are mostly defined using XML configuration files (.xml), which means they are declarative. This allows developers to define components and their interactions without needing to write complex procedural code. The XML files can define layouts, templates, data sources, and component interactions.
2. Data Binding
UI Components are tightly integrated with Knockout.js, which enables two-way data binding between the data source and the UI elements. This allows for real-time updating of the user interface when data changes.
3. Modular Structure
Magento 2 UI Components are modular, meaning you can reuse them across different areas of your site. They are broken into individual parts like fields, grids, forms, buttons, etc., making it easy to build or extend any component.
4. Integration with JavaScript Frameworks
UI Components are often linked with JavaScript for interactive features. Magento 2 uses RequireJS for modular JavaScript loading and Knockout.js for the model-view binding, making UI Components dynamic and responsive.
5. Examples of UI Components
- Form: Defines a form with various fields.
- Grid: Used for displaying data in tabular format (used extensively in the Magento admin panel).
- Button: A simple UI component for creating buttons with defined actions.
6. Common XML Files for UI Components
- ui_component.xml: Main configuration file for defining the structure and behavior of UI components.
- data_source.xml: Defines the data source for a UI component (like for a grid or form).
7. Customization and Extensibility
You can easily customize or extend Magento’s default UI components by modifying the respective XML files or creating new ones. This is highly beneficial when building custom admin interfaces or enhancing existing front-end features.
Example:
A grid UI Component in the Magento admin panel (like the order or product grid) would use a combination of XML, JavaScript, and PHP, where XML defines the structure, Knockout.js handles data binding, and RequireJS handles loading JavaScript dependencies.
How to Create a Simple Custom UI Component
The fastest and most straightforward way of creating a new UI Component includes the following steps:
- Create the module directory.
- Create the required registration.php file
- Create the module.xml configuration file
- Create the default.xml layout configuration file
- Add a new block declaration under the “content” container in the default.xml file
- Create a new
script.phtmlfile - Add HTML markup with the data-bind attribute and scope name for the UI Component
- Add UI component configuration via text/x-magento-init script
- Create a new JavaScript part of the UI Component in the component.js file
- Enable the module by running bin/magento module:enable command
- Install the module by running bin/magento setup:upgrade command
Here is the step-by-step tutorial on how to create a Simple UI Component in Magento 2
Conclusion
In summary, Magento 2 UI Components provide a highly flexible, modular way to build and extend user interfaces using XML configurations and JavaScript for interactive functionality.
In case you are looking for ways to learn and practice UI Component creation in Magento 2 I’ve created an online course with step-by-step video lessons. The Magento 2: From Basics to Advanced Development online course is designed for developers who aspire to specialize in creating extensions for Adobe Commerce (Magento). Throughout the course, you will learn to build both frontend and backend functionality, equipping you with the skills needed to become a Fullstack Magento 2 Developer.
