Flower React

Flower React is a front-end development library built on top of Flower Core, specifically designed for React applications. It seamlessly integrates Flower's powerful capabilities into React projects, providing a user-friendly interface for creating, modifying, and monitoring workflows.

For more info flowerjs.it/

Features

• Workflow Management: Comprehensive API for creating, updating, and managing workflows programmatically.
• Node and Connection Handling: Functions to manage nodes and connections, including adding, removing, and editing.
• State Management: Built-in state management to keep track of workflow changes and updates.
• Event System: Customizable event handling to respond to user interactions and changes within the workflow.
• Serialization: Convert workflows to JSON for easy storage and retrieval. (only server side flow)
• Validation: Ensure workflows follow predefined rules and constraints to maintain integrity.
• Form Validation: Built-in functionalities to validate form inputs within nodes, ensuring data integrity and correctness.
• History Management: Internal management of flow history, tracking node traversal and changes for debugging and visualization purposes.

Installation

Flower React can be installed via npm or yarn for use in any JavaScript project.

Using npm

1. Ensure you have Node.js and npm installed on your system.
2. Run the following command to install the library:

#NPM
npm install @flowerforce/flower-react

Using yarn

1. Ensure you have yarn installed on your system.
2. Run the following command to install the library:

#YARN
yarn add @flowerforce/flower-react

Configuration

The FlowerProvider component wraps the entire application, providing a global context for managing the application flow.

import React from 'react'
import { Flower, FlowerProvider } from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

function Root() {
  return (
    <FlowerProvider>
      <App />
    </FlowerProvider>
  )
}

You can pass the prop enableReduxDevtool to the FlowerProvider to show the Flower Store data inside the redux devtool of your browser.

How to use

Simple Example

The Flower component defines an application flow with a specific name, which serves as a unique identifier for the flow. It is the main component for defining the application flow, accepting a required "name" property and an initialData field for prepopulating values.

The FlowerNode component represents a UI state or a step within the application flow. Transitions between nodes can be specified using the to object.

import React from 'react'
import { Flower, FlowerNavigate, FlowerNode } from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step2" to={{ step3: null }}>
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="back">
          <button>click me to go back</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step3">
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="reset">
          <button>Reset</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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In addition you can pass the prop initialState to the <Flower> component

This prop allows you to configure the following fields:

1. startId: string
2. current: string
3. history: string[]

Navigate with routes

Additionally, it's possible to navigate between nodes by defining specific routes.

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      {/* autonext */}
      <FlowerRoute id="start" to={{ step1: null }} /> 
      <FlowerNode
        id="step1"
        to={{
          stepOK: 'onSuccess',
          stepKO: 'onError',
          default: null
        }}
      >
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next" route="onSuccess">
          <button>click me to go on "stepOK"</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
        <FlowerNavigate action="next" route="onError">
          <button>click me to go on "stepKO"</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go on "default" </button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>
      <FlowerNode id="stepOK">... </FlowerNode>
      <FlowerNode id="stepKO">... </FlowerNode>
      <FlowerNode id="default">... </FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Navigation State Rules

Flower has an internal state to control flow paths more advancedly, adding rules that determine one path over another. Below is an example of how a rule works.

In this example, we're passing the initialData object to the Flower component through the initialData prop. You can initialize this object with desired data, such as the value of skipStep2 that we set to true. When the Flower is initiated, it will use this initial data to establish the initial state of the flow.

The FlowerNode step1 connects to both step2 and step3. However, the rule states that if skipStep2 is true, it should go directly to step3.

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo" initialData={{ skipStep2: true }}>
      <FlowerRoute id="start" to={{ step1: null }} />

      <FlowerNode
        id="step1"
        to={{
          step3: {
            rules: { $and: [{ skipStep2: { $eq: true } }] }
          },
          step2: null
        }}
      >
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step2">...</FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step3">...</FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Basic WRITE | READ State

To modify the internal state of Flower, besides passing initialData as a prop, we can always modify and read the state through the components FlowerField and FlowerValue.

FlowerField pass two props, onChange and value, to properly modify and read the value from the state of Flower. FlowerValue pass value, to properly read the value from the state of Flower.

Here's an example of how it works:

import React from 'react'
import { 
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  FlowerField,
  FlowerValue
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      <FlowerNode
        id="step1"
        to={{
              step3: {
                rules: { $and: [{ skipStep2: { $eq: true } }] }
              },
              step2: null
            }}
        >
        ...

        <FlowerField id="skipStep2">
          {({ onChange, value }) => <input type="checkbox" checked={value} onChange={e => onChange(e.target.checked)} />}
        </FlowerField>

        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step2">...</FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step3">
        <FlowerValue id="enableFinal">
          {({ value }) => <span>skipStep2: {String(!!value)}</span>}
        </FlowerValue>
      </FlowerNode>

    </Flower>
  )
}

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Action Node

The FlowerAction component serves as an action entity within the application flow, enabling the definition of specific actions to execute during the progression of the flow.

The distinction between FlowerNode and FlowerAction lies in how they behave within the flow. In the context of a FlowerNode, if a "back" action is taken but the preceding step is a FlowerAction, that particular step is skipped.

import {
  Flower,
  FlowerAction,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  useFlower
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'
import { memo, useEffect } from 'react'

const ComponentAction = memo(() => {
  const { next } = useFlower()

  useEffect(() => {
    // * do your staff here - api call etc **

    next()
  }, [next])

  return <span className="loader"></span>
})

export default function App() {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      {/* step 1 */}
      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      {/* step 2 */}
      <FlowerAction id="step2" to={{ step3: null }}>
        ...
        <ComponentAction />
      </FlowerAction>

      {/* step 3 */}
      <FlowerNode id="success">
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="back">
          <button>click me to go back</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Another difference between FlowerNode and FlowerAction is that upon mounting a FlowerAction, if the preceding node of type FlowerNode has the retain property, this node will not be unmounted.

import {
  Flower,
  FlowerAction,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  useFlower
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'
import { memo, useEffect } from 'react'

const ComponentAction = memo(() => {
  const { next } = useFlower()

  useEffect(() => {
    // * do your staff here - api call etc **

    next()
  }, [next])

  return <span className="loader"></span>
})

export default function App() {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      {/* step 1 */}
      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }} retain>
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      {/* step 2 */}
      <FlowerAction id="step2" to={{ step3: null }}>
        ...
        <ComponentAction />
      </FlowerAction>

      {/* step 3 */}
      <FlowerNode id="success">
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="back">
          <button>click me to go back</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Hook - useFlower

Here, we are using the useFlower hook to obtain some essential functions for navigation and handling of the application flow.

useFlower as child ...

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  useFlower
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

const ButtonNext = () => {
  // useFlower get the context of the parent Flower
  const { next, back, jump } = useFlower()
  return <button onClick={() => next()}>click me to go next</button>
}

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      <FlowerRoute id="start" to={{ step1: null }} />

      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
        ...
        <ButtonNext />
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step2">...</FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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External use

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  useFlower
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  // useFlower in external usage need to know context passing flowName
  const { next, back, jump } = useFlower({ flowName: 'demo' })

  return (
    <>
      <button onClick={() => next()}>click me and go next</button>

      <Flower name="demo">
        <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
          ...
          <button onClick={() => next()}>click me and go next</button>
        </FlowerNode>

        <FlowerNode id="step2">...</FlowerNode>
      </Flower>
    </>
  )
}

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Utils Callback onEnter - onExit

onEnter (function): A callback function that is executed when entering the node state. It's useful for performing specific operations when the user transitions to this state.

onExit (function): A callback function that is executed when exiting the node state. It's useful for performing specific operations when the user leaves this state.

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      <FlowerRoute id="start" to={{ step1: null }} />

      <FlowerNode
        id="step1"
        to={{ step2: null }}
        // On mount component
        onEnter={() => console.log('enter on step1')}
        // On unmount component
        onExit={() => console.log('exit from step1')}
      >
        ...
        <FlowerNavigate action="next">
          <button>click me to go next</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>

      <FlowerNode id="step2">...</FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

Form

Flower enables the quick creation of forms.

It keeps track of the form's validity status. This status not only facilitates displaying error messages to the user but can also be leveraged for implementing flow rules.

Basic Usage

import {
  Flower,
  FlowerNavigate,
  FlowerNode,
  FlowerField,
  FlowerAction,
  useFlower,
  useFlowerForm
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'
import { useEffect } from 'react'
import './styles.css'

const ComponentAction = () => {
  const { next } = useFlower()
  const { getData } = useFlowerForm()

  useEffect(() => {
    // get form data
    const formData = getData()

    try {
      // * do your staff here - api call etc **
      // example setTimout to simulate delay api call
      setTimeout(() => {
        //  navigate to success step
        next('onSuccess')
      }, 500)
    } catch (error) {
      // navigate to error step
      next('onError')
    }
  }, [next, getData])

  return <span className="loader"></span>
}

export default function App() {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo">
      {/* step 1 */}
      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
        <div className="page step1">
          <span>1</span>

          <div className="field">
            <label htmlFor="username">Username *</label>
            <FlowerField
              id="username"
              validate={[
                {
                  rules: { $and: [{ username: { $exists: true } }] },
                  message: 'Field is required'
                },
                {
                  rules: { $and: [{ username: { $strGte: '6' } }] },
                  message: 'Field length must be greater than or equal to 6.'
                }
              ]}
            >
              {({ onChange, value, errors }) => (
                <div className="input-container">
                  <input
                    id="username"
                    type="text"
                    value={value}
                    placeholder="Username"
                    onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
                  />
                  {errors && <div className="error">{errors.join(', ')}</div>}
                </div>
              )}
            </FlowerField>
          </div>

          <div className="field">
            <label htmlFor="password">Password *</label>
            <FlowerField
              id="password"
              validate={[
                {
                  rules: { $and: [{ password: { $exists: true } }] },
                  message: 'Field is required'
                }
              ]}
            >
              {({ onChange, value, errors }) => (
                <>
                  <input
                    id="password"
                    type="password"
                    value={value}
                    placeholder="Password"
                    onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
                  />
                  {errors && <div className="error">{errors.join(', ')}</div>}
                </>
              )}
            </FlowerField>
          </div>

          <FlowerNavigate
            action="next"
            rules={{ $and: [{ '$form.isValid': { $eq: true } }] }}
            alwaysDisplay
          >
            {({ onClick, hidden }) => (
              <button disabled={hidden} onClick={onClick}>
                Submit &#8594;
              </button>
            )}
          </FlowerNavigate>
        </div>
      </FlowerNode>

      {/* step 2 */}
      <FlowerAction id="step2" to={{ success: 'onSuccess', error: 'onError' }}>
        <div className="page step2">
          <ComponentAction />
        </div>
      </FlowerAction>

      {/* step 3 */}
      <FlowerNode id="success">
        <div className="page step3">
          <span>Success</span>

          <FlowerNavigate action="reset">
            <button>Reset</button>
          </FlowerNavigate>
        </div>
      </FlowerNode>

      {/* step 4 */}
      <FlowerNode id="error">
        <div className="page step4">
          <span>Error</span>
          <FlowerNavigate action="reset">
            <button>Reset</button>
          </FlowerNavigate>
        </div>
      </FlowerNode>
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Operators Rules

The "rules" in Flower are used to define conditions and conditional behaviors within the workflow. These rules allow for dynamically changing the display or behavior of certain fields or components based on specific conditions.

The rules schema follows the MongoDB style, below is the list of available operators:

• $exists: Checks if a value exists or not.
• $eq: Checks if two values are equal.
• $ne: Checks if two values are not equal.
• $gt: Checks if the first value is greater than the second.
• $gte: Checks if the first value is greater than or equal to the second.
• $lt: Checks if the first value is less than the second.
• $lte: Checks if the first value is less than or equal to the second.
• $strGt: Checks if the length of a string is greater than the specified value.
• $strGte: Checks if the length of a string is greater than or equal to the specified value.
• $strLt: Checks if the length of a string is less than the specified value.
• $strLte: Checks if the length of a string is less than or equal to the specified value.
• $in: Checks if a value is present in a given array.
• $nin: Checks if a value is not present in a given array.
• $all: Checks if all values are present in a given array.
• $regex: Checks if a string matches a regular expression.

Examples

Rules in $and | $or

<FlowerNode id="node"
  to={{
    node2: {
      rules: { $and: [
        { myValue: { $exists: true } },
        { myValue: { $strGt: 6 } }

      ]}
    }
    }}>
        ...
</Flower>

<FlowerNode id="node"
  to={{
    node2: {
      rules: { $or: [
        { myValue: { $exists: false } },
        { myValue: { $strGt: 6 } }

      ]}
    }
    }}>
        ...
</Flower>

Compare state value, use '$ref:'

<Flower name="demo" initialData={{ myValue1: 'test', myValue2: 'test2' }}>
<FlowerNode id="node"
  to={{
    node2: {
      rules: [
        { myValue1: { $eq: '$ref:myValue2' } }
      ]}
    }}>
        ...
</Flower>

Display Rules

Showing or Hiding Fields: You can use rules to show or hide specific fields based on user choices. For example, hiding a "Buttons" unless the user selects a certain option.

We can use the FlowerRule component to hide a part of the UI according to certain rules.

If the "alwaysDisplay" property is passed, however, the component will not be automatically hidden, but a "hidden" property will be provided when the rules are not met.

Example

import React from 'react'
import {
  Flower,
  FlowerRoute,
  FlowerNode,
  FlowerRule,
  FlowerNavigate
} from '@flowerforce/flower-react'

export const Page = () => {
  return (
    <Flower name="demo" initialData={{ enableNav: true }}>
      <FlowerNode id="step1" to={{ step2: null }}>
        ...
        {/* show / hidden based on rule */}
        <FlowerRule rules={{ enableNav: { $eq: true } }}>
          <p>Buttons nav are enabled</p>
        </FlowerRule>
        {/* always visible component, hidden prop is true when rule is not matched */}
        <FlowerNavigate
          action="next"
          rules={{ enableNav: { $eq: true } }}
          alwaysDisplay
        >
          {({ onClick, hidden }) => (
            <button disabled={hidden} onClick={onClick}>
              Next &#8594;
            </button>
          )}
        </FlowerNavigate>
        {/* visible only when rule is matched */}
        <FlowerNavigate action="reset" rules={{ enableNav: { $eq: true } }}>
          <button>Reset</button>
        </FlowerNavigate>
      </FlowerNode>
      ...
    </Flower>
  )
}

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Debugging Your Flower Application with @flowerforce/devtool

To enhance the debugging process of your Flower application, we offer a specialized library named @flowerforce/devtool. This tool is designed to provide a more convenient and powerful debugging experience.

Installation

You can install @flowerforce/devtool using either npm or Yarn. Choose your preferred package manager and follow the instructions below

Using npm

1. Ensure you have Node.js and npm installed on your system.
2. Run the following command to install the library:

#NPM
npm install @flowerforce/devtool

Using yarn

1. Ensure you have yarn installed on your system.
2. Run the following command to install the library:

#YARN
yarn add @flowerforce/devtool

Example

import React from 'react'
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client'
import './index.css'
import App from './App'
import { FlowerProvider } from '@flowerforce/flower-react'
import { Devtool } from '@flowerforce/devtool'

const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root') as HTMLElement)

root.render(
  <FlowerProvider>
    <App />
  </FlowerProvider>
)

Devtool({
  port: 8774
})

Devtool remote

Devtool({
  sessionId: 'RANDOM SESSION ID',
  sourceMap: require('./.flower.sourcemap.json')
})

To generate the source maps, add the command flower-sourcemap to your package.

  "scripts": {
    "build-sourcemap": "flower generate-sourcemap"
  },

  flower generate-sourcemap --help

  -p, --pattern <type>  Add glob for search <Flower/> files (default: "src/**/*.{js,ts,tsx,jsx}")
  -d, --dirsave <type>  The directory where to save the sourcemap (default: "src")
  -h, --help            Quick overview of usage options
  -w, --watch           Watch for files changes

When you execute this command, you will receive the secretKey, which must be inserted into the remote field within the Devtool function.

Using React components with the VS Code extension

With Flower, you can configure and use your components through a graphical interface. After creating the component in code, you need to associate it with a JSON configuration file. This file will be used by Flower to provide users the ability to configure each component's props via a graphical interface, without writing code.

For example, let's configure a Text component so that it can be used through Flower's graphical interface.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create the JSON File

First, create the JSON file at the same level as the component file.

src
│  
│
└───components
│   │
│   └───Text
│       │   index.tsx
│       │   text.flower.json
│       │   ...
...

2. Insert the Basic Structure

Once the file is created, insert the basic structure of the JSON file, which will be common to any component:

{
    "type": "component",
    "name": "Text",
    "category": "UI",
    "description": "This is the Text component",
    "editing": []
}

The keys in the JSON file have the following purposes:

• type: indicates what is being described with this JSON file, in this case, a component
• name: the name of the component being configured
• category: components are grouped into categories in Flower's graphical interface, so you can choose a category to which the component belongs
• description: a brief description of the component that will be displayed in the graphical interface. This is particularly useful for understanding the functionality of a specific component without reading the code
• editing: in this key, we will insert the options that will allow us to configure the component's behavior directly from the graphical interface

Once you have completed these two steps, you will be able to use your Text component through the graphical interface.

Configuring the editing Field

Within the editing field, you can insert a series of entries that will allow us to choose the values of the props to pass to the component.

The editing field is an array of objects, one for each prop we want to configure, which contain the following keys:

1. type: Represents the type of field that will be used within the graphical interface. Possible basic values are Input, Select, Switch, ButtonGroup. In addition to these basic types, you can choose the Rules type, which allows you to insert rules directly from the graphical interface, and the SelectNode type, which allows you to have a Select populated with the nodes present in the flow.
2. id: Represents the name of the prop being configured
3. label: The label that will be displayed above the field in the graphical interface
4. default: Specifies a default value for that prop in case no value is configured on the graphical interface
5. options: An array of objects with keys label and value for the Select type, and name and value for the ButtonGroup type

In any case, there is a JSON schema that will guide you in writing the file associated with each component.

Documentation

The Flower React docs are published at flowerjs.it/