Angular 14, set to be released in June, will bring significant updates to the popular TypeScript-based web framework. One of the most anticipated features is the introduction of strictly typed reactive forms, aimed at improving type safety and the overall developer experience. In response to the most-requested improvement on GitHub, Angular 14 will offer better type-checking for reactive forms, which are commonly used to handle dynamic form inputs. The new feature intends to provide enhanced type safety without overwhelming developers with increased API complexity, ensuring compatibility with both typed and untyped forms.
Strictly Typed Reactive Forms: Improving Type Safety Without Breaking Compatibility
Angular’s reactive forms are a powerful tool for managing form inputs that change over time, but until now, they have lacked strong type enforcement. Angular 14 aims to solve this by making reactive forms strictly typed, ensuring that developers can catch type-related errors early in development. However, the team is committed to balancing this improvement with ease of use, allowing for gradual adoption of the new typing system. Importantly, the changes will not break existing applications, and untyped forms will continue to be supported, ensuring a smooth transition for developers upgrading to Angular 14.
Extended Template Diagnostics to Catch Common Errors
Another notable enhancement in Angular 14 is extended template diagnostics. Currently, Angular’s compiler only throws errors when fatal issues are detected, leaving developers without guidance on smaller mistakes. With Angular 14, the compiler will issue warnings for common errors, such as incorrect two-way binding syntax or unnecessary operators in expressions. This new feature aims to prevent minor bugs that can go unnoticed during development. Developers will be able to enable these warnings via a private flag in the compiler, allowing for more thorough checks and a better development experience.
Making NgModules Optional and Emphasizing Standalone Components
Angular 14 will also move towards reducing the reliance on NgModules, making them optional in certain cases. The goal is to shift Angular toward a more modular approach where pipes, directives, and components become more self-contained. This change aligns with the growing trend of simplifying Angular applications and improving scalability by giving developers more control over their code structure. With standalone components, Angular developers will be able to create more flexible and reusable components without the need to constantly rely on NgModules.
What’s Next for Angular 14?
Angular 14 is already available in pre-release form on GitHub, with additional features like tree-shakable error messages and support for TypeScript 4.7 currently in the pipeline. These updates will continue to refine the developer experience and make Angular applications more efficient. As the release date approaches, Angular 14 is shaping up to be a major step forward in making Angular more accessible and powerful, all while maintaining backward compatibility and improving key aspects of type safety, error diagnostics, and modular development.