NGRX-Playground/.agents/skills/angular-di/references/di-patterns.md

Angular Dependency Injection Patterns

Table of Contents

• Service Patterns
• Abstract Classes as Tokens
• Hierarchical Injection
• Dynamic Providers
• Testing with DI
• DestroyRef and Cleanup

Service Patterns

Facade Service

Combine multiple services into a single API:

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class ShopFacade {
    private productService = inject(Product);
    private cartService = inject(Cart);
    private orderService = inject(Order);

    // Expose combined state
    readonly products = this.productService.products;
    readonly cart = this.cartService.items;
    readonly cartTotal = this.cartService.total;

    // Unified actions
    addToCart(productId: string, quantity: number) {
        const product = this.productService.getById(productId);
        if (product) {
            this.cartService.add(product, quantity);
        }
    }

    async checkout() {
        const items = this.cartService.items();
        const order = await this.orderService.create(items);
        this.cartService.clear();
        return order;
    }
}

State Service Pattern

interface UserState {
    user: User | null;
    loading: boolean;
    error: string | null;
}

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class UserState {
    private state = signal<UserState>({
        user: null,
        loading: false,
        error: null,
    });

    // Selectors
    readonly user = computed(() => this.state().user);
    readonly loading = computed(() => this.state().loading);
    readonly error = computed(() => this.state().error);
    readonly isAuthenticated = computed(() => this.state().user !== null);

    // Actions
    setUser(user: User) {
        this.state.update((s) => ({ ...s, user, loading: false, error: null }));
    }

    setLoading() {
        this.state.update((s) => ({ ...s, loading: true, error: null }));
    }

    setError(error: string) {
        this.state.update((s) => ({ ...s, loading: false, error }));
    }

    clear() {
        this.state.set({ user: null, loading: false, error: null });
    }
}

Repository Pattern

// Generic repository interface
export abstract class Repository<T extends { id: string }> {
  abstract getAll(): Promise<T[]>;
  abstract getById(id: string): Promise<T | null>;
  abstract create(item: Omit<T, 'id'>): Promise<T>;
  abstract update(id: string, item: Partial<T>): Promise<T>;
  abstract delete(id: string): Promise<void>;
}

// HTTP implementation
@Injectable()
export class HttpUserRepo extends Repository<User> {
  private http = inject(HttpClient);
  private apiUrl = inject(API_URL);

  async getAll(): Promise<User[]> {
    return firstValueFrom(this.http.get<User[]>(`${this.apiUrl}/users`));
  }

  async getById(id: string): Promise<User | null> {
    return firstValueFrom(
      this.http.get<User>(`${this.apiUrl}/users/${id}`).pipe(
        catchError(() => of(null))
      )
    );
  }

  async create(user: Omit<User, 'id'>): Promise<User> {
    return firstValueFrom(this.http.post<User>(`${this.apiUrl}/users`, user));
  }

  async update(id: string, user: Partial<User>): Promise<User> {
    return firstValueFrom(this.http.patch<User>(`${this.apiUrl}/users/${id}`, user));
  }

  async delete(id: string): Promise<void> {
    await firstValueFrom(this.http.delete(`${this.apiUrl}/users/${id}`));
  }
}

// Provide implementation
{ provide: Repository, useClass: HttpUserRepo }

Abstract Classes as Tokens

Use abstract classes for better type safety:

// Abstract service definition
export abstract class Logger {
  abstract log(message: string): void;
  abstract error(message: string, error?: Error): void;
  abstract warn(message: string): void;
}

// Console implementation
@Injectable()
export class ConsoleLog extends Logger {
  log(message: string) {
    console.log(`[LOG] ${message}`);
  }

  error(message: string, error?: Error) {
    console.error(`[ERROR] ${message}`, error);
  }

  warn(message: string) {
    console.warn(`[WARN] ${message}`);
  }
}

// Remote implementation
@Injectable()
export class RemoteLog extends Logger {
  private http = inject(HttpClient);

  log(message: string) {
    this.send('log', message);
  }

  error(message: string, error?: Error) {
    this.send('error', message, error);
  }

  warn(message: string) {
    this.send('warn', message);
  }

  private send(level: string, message: string, error?: Error) {
    this.http.post('/api/logs', { level, message, error: error?.message }).subscribe();
  }
}

// Provide based on environment
{
  provide: Logger,
  useClass: environment.production ? RemoteLog : ConsoleLog,
}

// Inject using abstract class
@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class User {
  private logger = inject(Logger);

  createUser(user: UserData) {
    this.logger.log(`Creating user: ${user.email}`);
    // ...
  }
}

Hierarchical Injection

Component Tree Injection

// Parent provides service
@Component({
    selector: 'app-form-container',
    providers: [FormState],
    template: `
        <app-form-header />
        <app-form-body />
        <app-form-footer />
    `,
})
export class FormContainer {
    private formState = inject(FormState);
}

// Children share same instance
@Component({
    selector: 'app-form-body',
    template: `...`,
})
export class FormBody {
    // Gets same instance as parent
    private formState = inject(FormState);
}

// Grandchildren also share
@Component({
    selector: 'app-form-field',
    template: `...`,
})
export class FormField {
    // Gets same instance from ancestor
    private formState = inject(FormState);
}

viewProviders vs providers

@Component({
    selector: 'app-tabs',
    // providers: Available to component AND content children
    providers: [TabsSvc],

    // viewProviders: Available to component AND view children only
    // NOT available to content children (<ng-content>)
    viewProviders: [InternalTabs],

    template: `
        <div class="tabs">
            <ng-content />
            <!-- Content children can't access viewProviders -->
        </div>
    `,
})
export class Tabs {}

Dynamic Providers

Feature Flags

export const FEATURE_FLAGS = new InjectionToken<FeatureFlags>('FeatureFlags');

interface FeatureFlags {
  newDashboard: boolean;
  betaFeatures: boolean;
  experimentalApi: boolean;
}

// Load from API
{
  provide: FEATURE_FLAGS,
  useFactory: async () => {
    const response = await fetch('/api/features');
    return response.json();
  },
}

// Use in components
@Component({...})
export class Dashboard {
  private features = inject(FEATURE_FLAGS);

  showNewDashboard = this.features.newDashboard;
}

Platform-Specific Services

export abstract class Storage {
  abstract get(key: string): string | null;
  abstract set(key: string, value: string): void;
  abstract remove(key: string): void;
}

@Injectable()
export class BrowserStorage extends Storage {
  get(key: string) { return localStorage.getItem(key); }
  set(key: string, value: string) { localStorage.setItem(key, value); }
  remove(key: string) { localStorage.removeItem(key); }
}

@Injectable()
export class ServerStorage extends Storage {
  private store = new Map<string, string>();

  get(key: string) { return this.store.get(key) ?? null; }
  set(key: string, value: string) { this.store.set(key, value); }
  remove(key: string) { this.store.delete(key); }
}

// Provide based on platform
import { PLATFORM_ID, isPlatformBrowser } from '@angular/common';

{
  provide: Storage,
  useFactory: (platformId: object) => {
    return isPlatformBrowser(platformId)
      ? new BrowserStorage()
      : new ServerStorage();
  },
  deps: [PLATFORM_ID],
}

Testing with DI

Mocking Services

describe('UserCmpt', () => {
    let userServiceSpy: jasmine.SpyObj<User>;

    beforeEach(async () => {
        userServiceSpy = jasmine.createSpyObj('User', ['getUser', 'updateUser']);
        userServiceSpy.getUser.and.returnValue(of({ id: '1', name: 'Test' }));

        await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
            imports: [UserCmpt],
            providers: [{ provide: User, useValue: userServiceSpy }],
        }).compileComponents();
    });

    it('should load user', () => {
        const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(UserCmpt);
        fixture.detectChanges();

        expect(userServiceSpy.getUser).toHaveBeenCalled();
    });
});

Overriding Providers

describe('with different config', () => {
    beforeEach(async () => {
        await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
            imports: [App],
        })
            .overrideProvider(APP_CONFIG, {
                useValue: { apiUrl: 'http://test-api.com' },
            })
            .compileComponents();
    });
});

Testing Injection Tokens

describe('API_URL token', () => {
    it('should provide correct URL', () => {
        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
            providers: [{ provide: API_URL, useValue: 'https://api.test.com' }],
        });

        const apiUrl = TestBed.inject(API_URL);
        expect(apiUrl).toBe('https://api.test.com');
    });
});

DestroyRef and Cleanup

Automatic Cleanup

import { DestroyRef, inject } from '@angular/core';
import { takeUntilDestroyed } from '@angular/core/rxjs-interop';

@Component({...})
export class Data {
  private destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);
  private dataService = inject(DataSvc);

  constructor() {
    // Auto-unsubscribe when component destroys
    this.dataService.data$
      .pipe(takeUntilDestroyed())
      .subscribe(data => {
        console.log(data);
      });
  }

  // Or use DestroyRef directly
  ngOnInit() {
    const subscription = this.dataService.updates$.subscribe();

    this.destroyRef.onDestroy(() => {
      subscription.unsubscribe();
      console.log('Cleaned up!');
    });
  }
}

In Services

@Injectable()
export class WebSocket {
    private destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);
    private socket: WebSocket | null = null;

    constructor() {
        this.destroyRef.onDestroy(() => {
            this.socket?.close();
        });
    }

    connect(url: string) {
        this.socket = new WebSocket(url);
    }
}

takeUntilDestroyed Outside Constructor

@Component({...})
export class My {
  private destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);

  loadData() {
    // Pass destroyRef when using outside constructor
    this.http.get('/api/data')
      .pipe(takeUntilDestroyed(this.destroyRef))
      .subscribe();
  }
}

Injection Context Utilities

assertInInjectionContext

import { assertInInjectionContext, inject } from '@angular/core';

export function injectLogger(): Logger {
  assertInInjectionContext(injectLogger);
  return inject(Logger);
}

// Usage - must be called in injection context
@Component({...})
export class My2 {
  private logger = injectLogger(); // OK

  someMethod() {
    // injectLogger(); // ERROR - not in injection context
  }
}

Custom inject Functions

// Create reusable injection utilities
export function injectRouteParam(param: string): Signal<string | null> {
  assertInInjectionContext(injectRouteParam);

  const route = inject(ActivatedRoute);
  return toSignal(
    route.paramMap.pipe(map(params => params.get(param))),
    { initialValue: null }
  );
}

export function injectQueryParam(param: string): Signal<string | null> {
  assertInInjectionContext(injectQueryParam);

  const route = inject(ActivatedRoute);
  return toSignal(
    route.queryParamMap.pipe(map(params => params.get(param))),
    { initialValue: null }
  );
}

// Usage
@Component({...})
export class UserCmpt {
  userId = injectRouteParam('id');
  tab = injectQueryParam('tab');
}