🟣 Beyond UI5 Controls with the Rise of Web Components

Summary

In this session, the speaker delves into the evolution of UI5 controls, particularly with the integration of web components. They highlight the benefits of using web components for creating reusable UI5 controls, which can be shared across multiple frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue. The talk discusses the transition from traditional UI5 controls to UI5 web components, showcasing their ability to standardize UI and behavior across platforms. The session also covers practical steps for integrating web components into UI5, including creating proxy controls and deploying applications to SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). The speaker concludes with insights on the potential of web components for improving user experience and fostering cross-framework collaboration.

Takeaways

• 😀 UI5 controls are a crucial part of the UI5 framework, helping to build applications that align with the SAP Fiori look and feel.
• 😀 UI5 web components provide new possibilities for creating reusable controls across different frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.
• 😀 Creating UI5 controls using the traditional method still works fine for applications that are limited to UI5, but web components are better for broader reuse.
• 😀 Web components allow for integration with non-SAP technologies while maintaining consistent look and feel across applications.
• 😀 UI5's web component model extends vanilla web components with familiar features like i18n, theming, and lifecycle hooks, making them more suitable for UI5 environments.
• 😀 Native web components are an alternative to UI5 web components and can be used in a UI5 application to maintain company-specific branding and behavior.
• 😀 Web components are becoming increasingly popular in companies looking to standardize the user interface and behavior of their applications across different teams and platforms.
• 😀 Using web components in UI5 requires creating proxy controls, which serve as an interface between UI5 and the web component, allowing seamless integration.
• 😀 Companies are increasingly publishing their web components to public repositories like npm, which allows developers to leverage shared components for consistency across the company.
• 😀 While web components are promising, they are still in an early phase, and additional logic may be required to address issues such as binding problems and compatibility across different frameworks.

Q & A

What are UI5 controls and why are they important?

UI5 controls are fundamental elements like buttons, input fields, and other UI components used to build UI5 applications. They are important because they provide the building blocks for creating consistent, responsive, and visually appealing applications with the Fiori look and feel, without needing to manually handle CSS or theming.

How are web components transforming UI5 controls?

Web components are evolving UI5 controls by offering a way to create reusable components that can be integrated into different frameworks (like Angular, React, or Vue), not just UI5. UI5 controls are being developed as web components to make them more portable and flexible across different environments and technologies.

When should a developer choose to use a UI5 control versus a UI5 web component?

If the control is only intended for use within a UI5 application, a standard UI5 control may suffice. However, if the developer intends to reuse the control outside UI5 (in frameworks like Angular or React), or if there is a need for broader compatibility across technologies, then a UI5 web component is a better choice.

What advantages do UI5 web components provide over traditional UI5 controls?

UI5 web components offer better reusability across different frameworks and environments. They allow developers to integrate UI5 designs into non-UI5 frameworks while maintaining the Fiori look and feel. They also ensure consistent behavior of components, as web components encapsulate both style and functionality, reducing the need for custom CSS and behavior adjustments.

How does the integration of native web components differ from UI5 web components?

Native web components provide an opportunity to use a company's custom design system and behavior across all platforms and technologies. While UI5 web components are tailored to the Fiori design system, native web components can be more flexible in terms of integrating with different company-specific branding or UI guidelines.

What are the technical challenges developers might face when using web components in UI5?

Developers may encounter issues related to compatibility between different frameworks and the behavior of web components. For example, integrating Angular-specific web components into UI5 can cause issues. Additionally, some web components may require extra logic to handle events, bindings, or properties due to varying implementation methods (e.g., stencil, Angular).

What is the role of proxy controls in UI5 web components integration?

Proxy controls serve as intermediaries between UI5 and web components. They map UI5 controls to the corresponding web component, handling properties, events, and aggregations. This makes it possible to use non-UI5 components seamlessly within UI5 applications by providing the necessary interface and integration logic.

What are some practical examples of using web components in UI5 applications?

In the session, a simple To-Do application was demonstrated using web components from the Nova library. UI5 controls like input fields, buttons, and lists were replaced with corresponding Nova web components. This example showed how developers can leverage external web components to build UI5 applications with a consistent, company-wide look and feel.

How does the use of web components impact application deployment in SAP BTP?

Web components can be integrated into applications that are deployed on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). The session demonstrated how an application using Nova web components can be packaged, configured, and deployed to BTP, making it accessible for end-users while maintaining a consistent user interface and experience.

What are some lessons learned when working with web components in UI5?

Some key lessons include the realization that web components are still in the early phase of development, and not all components will work seamlessly in every framework. Extra logic might be necessary to handle certain behaviors like bindings or property changes. While web components can be used in production, they are best suited for experimental or non-critical applications for now, as the ecosystem continues to evolve.