@json-render/vue
Vue 3 renderer that converts JSON specs into Vue component trees with data binding, visibility, and actions.
Installation
bashnpm install @json-render/vue @json-render/core zod
Peer dependencies: vue ^3.5.0 and zod ^4.0.0.
Quick Start
Create a Catalog
typescriptimport { defineCatalog } from "@json-render/core"; import { schema } from "@json-render/vue/schema"; import { z } from "zod"; export const catalog = defineCatalog(schema, { components: { Card: { props: z.object({ title: z.string(), description: z.string().nullable() }), slots: ["default"], description: "A card container", }, Layout: { props: z.object({}), slots: ["default", "header", "footer"], description: "Layout with named content regions", }, Button: { props: z.object({ label: z.string(), action: z.string() }), description: "A clickable button", }, }, actions: {}, });
Define Registry with h() Render Functions
typescriptimport { h } from "vue"; import { defineRegistry } from "@json-render/vue"; import { catalog } from "./catalog"; export const { registry } = defineRegistry(catalog, { components: { Card: ({ props, children }) => h("div", { class: "card" }, [ h("h3", null, props.title), props.description ? h("p", null, props.description) : null, children, ]), Layout: ({ slots }) => h("div", null, [ h("header", null, slots.header?.()), h("main", null, slots.default?.()), h("footer", null, slots.footer?.()), ]), Button: ({ props, emit }) => h("button", { onClick: () => emit("press") }, props.label), }, });
Named Slots
Use children for the "default" slot. Use the element's top-level slots object for other slot names declared by the catalog:
json{ "type": "Layout", "props": {}, "children": ["main"], "slots": { "header": ["heading"], "footer": ["actions"] } }
Registry components receive Vue-native slot functions. Render them with slots.header?.(), slots.footer?.(), and so on. slots.default?.() renders the spec's children; the children context field is a convenience alias for that rendered result. In the JSON spec, keep default content in children rather than adding a default entry to slots.
Render Specs
vue<script setup lang="ts"> import { StateProvider, ActionProvider, Renderer } from "@json-render/vue"; import { registry } from "./registry"; const spec = { root: "card-1", elements: { /* ... */ } }; </script> <template> <StateProvider :initial-state="{ form: { name: '' } }"> <ActionProvider :handlers="{ submit: handleSubmit }"> <Renderer :spec="spec" :registry="registry" /> </ActionProvider> </StateProvider> </template>
Providers
| Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
StateProvider | Share state across components (JSON Pointer paths). Accepts initialState or store for controlled mode. |
ActionProvider | Handle actions dispatched via the event system |
VisibilityProvider | Enable conditional rendering based on state |
ValidationProvider | Form field validation |
Composables
| Composable | Purpose |
|---|---|
useStateStore() | Access state context (state as ShallowRef, get, set, update) |
useStateValue(path) | Get single value from state |
useIsVisible(condition) | Check if a visibility condition is met |
useActions() | Access action context |
useAction(binding) | Get a single action dispatch function |
useFieldValidation(path, config) | Field validation state |
useBoundProp(propValue, bindingPath) | Two-way binding for $bindState/$bindItem |
Note: useStateStore().state returns a ShallowRef<StateModel> — use state.value to access.
External Store (StateStore)
Nested lists can set repeat.statePath to { "$item": "field" } inside an enclosing repeat.
Pass a StateStore to StateProvider to wire json-render to Pinia, VueUse, or any state management:
typescriptimport { createStateStore, type StateStore } from "@json-render/vue"; const store = createStateStore({ count: 0 });
vue<StateProvider :store="store"> <Renderer :spec="spec" :registry="registry" /> </StateProvider>
Dynamic Prop Expressions
Props support $state, $bindState, $cond, $template, $computed. Use { "$bindState": "/path" } on the natural value prop for two-way binding.
Visibility Conditions
typescript{ "$state": "/user/isAdmin" } { "$state": "/status", "eq": "active" } { "$state": "/maintenance", "not": true } [ cond1, cond2 ] // implicit AND
Built-in Actions
setState, pushState, removeState, and validateForm are built into the Vue schema and handled by ActionProvider:
json{ "action": "setState", "params": { "statePath": "/activeTab", "value": "settings" } }
Event System
Components use emit(event) to fire events, or on(event) for metadata (shouldPreventDefault, bound).
Streaming
useUIStream and useChatUI return Vue Refs for streaming specs from an API.
BaseComponentProps
For catalog-agnostic reusable components:
typescriptimport type { BaseComponentProps } from "@json-render/vue"; const Card = ({ props, children }: BaseComponentProps<{ title?: string }>) => h("div", null, [props.title, children]);
Key Exports
| Export | Purpose |
|---|---|
defineRegistry | Create a type-safe component registry from a catalog |
Renderer | Render a spec using a registry |
schema | Element tree schema (from @json-render/vue/schema) |
StateProvider, ActionProvider, VisibilityProvider, ValidationProvider | Context providers |
useStateStore, useStateValue, useBoundProp | State composables |
useActions, useAction | Action composables |
useFieldValidation, useIsVisible | Validation and visibility |
useUIStream, useChatUI | Streaming composables |
createStateStore | Create in-memory StateStore |
BaseComponentProps | Catalog-agnostic component props type |

