Angular Tutorial for Experienced Professionals and Beginners 

Welcome to our comprehensive Angular tutorial designed for beginners and experienced professionals alike. In the ever-changing world of web development, Angular has become an influential framework for creating dynamic and reliable web applications. Whether you are a beginner taking your first steps into front-end development or an experienced professional seeking to enhance your skill set, this blog will give you a strong foundation in Angular. 

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the essential concepts and techniques of Angular, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to create modern web applications. We will cover everything from the basics of Angular to advanced topics, ensuring that both beginners and experienced professionals can benefit from this resource. 

By the end of this tutorial by EZInterviews, you will have a solid understanding of Angular’s architecture, data binding, directives and pipes, routing and services. You will be equipped with the necessary skills to build your own Angular applications and contribute to the growing community of Angular developers. 

What is Angular? Learn About Its Architecture, Features, and Advantages 

Angular is a powerful open-source JavaScript framework developed by Google for building dynamic web applications. It provides developers with a robust set of tools and features to create scalable and maintainable applications. Angular follows a component-based architecture, dividing the application into reusable and modular components. It offers features like data binding, dependency injection, routing, and extensive testing support. Angular simplifies the development process and enhances the performance of web applications. 

The Architecture of an Angular Application 

An Angular application follows a modular architecture that consists of several key components. The architecture is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern but with some variations specific to Angular. 

Here are the main components and their roles in an Angular application: 

1. Components: Components are the building blocks of an Angular application. They consist of HTML templates, associated styles, and TypeScript code that define the behavior and appearance of a part of the user interface. 

2. Modules: Modules help organize the application into cohesive blocks of functionality. They group related components, services, directives, and other Angular artifacts. The root module, called the AppModule, is responsible for bootstrapping the application. 

3. Templates: Templates define the structure of the user interface using HTML markup along with Angular-specific syntax and directives. They can include bindings to component properties and handle events using event bindings. 

4. Services: Services are reusable code units that provide specific functionality and can be shared across components. They handle tasks such as data retrieval, manipulation, and communication with servers. Services promote code reusability and maintain a separation of concerns. 

5. Directives: Directives allow you to extend HTML with custom behaviors and manipulate the DOM (Document Object Model) dynamically. Angular comes with built-in directives like ngIf, ngFor, and ngModel. 

6. Dependency Injection: Angular’s dependency injection system manages the instantiation and injection of dependencies into components and services. It promotes code reusability, testability, and modular development. 

Key Features of Angular 

1. TypeScript: Angular is built with TypeScript, a statically typed superset of JavaScript. TypeScript enhances the development experience by adding features such as strong typing, object-oriented programming concepts, and improved tooling. 

2. Two-way Data Binding: Angular supports two-way data binding, which means changes in the model automatically update the view and vice versa. This simplifies the synchronization of data between the UI and the underlying data model. 

3. Component-based Architecture: Angular follows a component-based architecture, where the UI is built by composing reusable and self-contained components. This promotes code modularity, reusability, and maintainability. 

4. Routing: Angular’s routing module allows you to build single-page applications with multiple views and navigation. It provides a declarative way to define routes, map them to components, and handle navigation between different views within the application. 

5. Form Handling: Angular provides extensive support for building and validating forms. It includes features like two-way data binding for form inputs, form controls with built-in validation, and the ability to track and display form validation state. 

6. Testing: Angular offers comprehensive testing support with tools like Karma and Jasmine. It encourages writing unit tests and provides utilities for testing components, services, and other application artifacts. 

Advantages of Angular 

1. Productivity: Angular equips developers with powerful tools and features that enhance productivity. Its two-way data binding, dependency injection, and component-based architecture facilitate rapid development and code reuse. 

2. Improved Performance: Angular prioritizes application performance through techniques like lazy loading, ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, and tree shaking. These optimizations reduce the initial load time of the application and enhance runtime performance, resulting in a better user experience. 

3. Scalability: Angular’s modular architecture and dependency injection system makes it easier to scale applications. Large applications can be divided into smaller modules, and different teams can work on different modules independently. 

4. Strong Community and Ecosystem: Angular benefits from a large and active community of developers. This vibrant community ensures a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party libraries, making it easier for developers to find solutions and leverage existing tools. The Angular ecosystem is robust and constantly evolving, keeping up with the latest trends and best practices. 

5. Mobile Development Capabilities: Angular provides tools like the Angular Mobile Toolkit and NativeScript, enabling developers to build cross-platform mobile applications using web technologies. This allows for code reuse between web and mobile applications, reducing development time and effort. 

6. Official Support: Angular is developed and maintained by Google, a renowned technology company. This ensures regular updates, bug fixes, and long-term support for the framework. Having official support from Google instills confidence in the stability and reliability of Angular, making it an attractive choice for enterprise-level applications. 

The Latest Version of Angular 

On May 3, 2023, Google’s Angular team unveiled Angular 16, the latest version of the renowned front-end framework. Boasting several notable improvements, this release marks a significant milestone in Angular’s evolution. Minko Gechev deems Angular v16 as the most substantial and expansive update since its inception, solidifying its position as a leading choice for developers worldwide. 

Prerequisites  

To work with Angular, you should have a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Knowledge of TypeScript, a statically typed superset of JavaScript, is essential as Angular is built using TypeScript. Familiarity with concepts like components, modules, and services will also be beneficial in understanding and developing Angular applications. 

Everything to Know About Data Binding in Angular 

Data binding is a powerful technique that allows developers to establish a seamless connection between the application’s data and its user interface, enabling dynamic and responsive web applications. In this guide, we will explore the various types of data binding in Angular, including property binding, event binding, and two-way binding. Whether you are a fresher seeking a solid foundation or an experienced Angular developer looking to sharpen your skills, this article will equip you with the knowledge to master data binding in Angular. 

Types of Data Binding  

1. One-Way Data Binding  

The concept of one-way data binding allows you to associate data between the component and the view or template. This ensures that modifications made in the component will be visible in the view, but any changes in the view will not affect the component. Angular offers support for four diverse types of one-way data binding to cater to various requirements. They are: 

• Interpolation: Interpolation is the most common and straightforward way of binding data in Angular. It allows you to embed expressions within double curly braces {{ }} directly in the HTML template. The expression is evaluated, and its value is inserted into the template. For example: <h1>{{ title }}</h1>. 
• Property binding: Property binding is another form of one-way data binding in Angular that allows you to bind the value of a property from the component class to a property of an HTML element or a directive. It uses square brackets []. For example: <img [src]=”imageUrl”>. 

• Attribute Binding: Attribute binding is similar to property binding but works with HTML attributes instead. It is also denoted by square brackets [] and is particularly useful when dealing with non-standard attributes or when dynamically setting attribute values. 
• Class Binding: Class binding allows you to conditionally apply CSS classes to an element based on a component property’s value. It is denoted by square brackets [] and the prefix ‘class.’ With class binding, you can dynamically control the appearance and styling of your elements. 

2. Two-Way Data Binding  

Two-way data binding provides a way to establish a bidirectional connection between the component and the view. It allows changes in the view to propagate back to the component, keeping both in sync. Angular achieves two-way binding using the ngModel directive, which combines property binding and event binding into a single syntax. 

• ngModel: ngModel is used in conjunction with input, select, and textarea elements to bind the element’s value to a component property. Any changes made in the element’s value will automatically update the component and vice versa. 

3. Event Binding  

Event binding allows you to listen for and respond to user events, such as clicks, key presses, or mouse movements. It establishes a connection from the view to the component by invoking a method or updating a component property when an event occurs. Event binding is denoted by parentheses (). 

For example, you are allowed to bind a button’s click event to a component method like this: (click)=”onButtonClick()”. When the button is clicked, the specified method will be invoked in the component. 

With these techniques, you can effortlessly synchronize and update data between your components and templates, ensuring a seamless user experience. Go ahead, explore the world of data binding in Angular, and unlock the full potential of your web development projects. 

Directives and Pipes in Angular 

Angular relies on directives and pipes as crucial elements that enhance the functionality and versatility of your application. These components serve to extend HTML and deliver supplementary features and data transformations for the presented information on the user interface. 

Directives in Angular 

Directives in Angular offer a means to dynamically manipulate and modify elements within the Document Object Model (DOM). They empower developers to attach custom behaviors to elements or build reusable components. Angular encompasses three types of directives: 

1. Component Directives: Components are the most commonly used type of directive in Angular. They are self-contained, reusable building blocks that encapsulate the HTML template, styles, and behavior. Components have their own logic, data, and lifecycle hooks, making them powerful for creating complex user interfaces. 

2. Attribute Directives: Attribute directives modify the behavior or appearance of an existing element. They are used as attributes on HTML elements to enhance their functionality. Attribute directives can be used to add or remove classes, manipulate styles, show or hide elements, and perform other operations. 

3. Structural Directives: Structural directives modify the structure of the DOM by adding, removing, or manipulating elements. They are responsible for creating or destroying elements based on conditions. Structural directives are denoted by an asterisk (*) preceding their attribute name. Examples of structural directives in Angular are ngIf, ngFor, and ngSwitch. 

To develop a custom directive in Angular, the @Directive decorator is at your disposal. This decorator permits you to define the selector, events, and properties relevant to the directive. Depending on the selector you provide, the directive can be applied to elements, attributes, classes, or other directives. 

Pipes in Angular 

Pipes are used to transform data before displaying it in the template. They take input values and apply various transformations to format, filter, sort, or modify the data. Pipes can be chained together to perform multiple transformations on the same data. 

Angular provides several built-in pipes, such as DatePipe, UpperCasePipe, LowerCasePipe, DecimalPipe, CurrencyPipe, and many more. These pipes cover common formatting and transformation needs. 

To handle transformations that are not supported by the default pipes, you can create custom pipes. Custom pipes are constructed using the @Pipe decorator and implementing the PipeTransform interface. Within the PipeTransform interface, you must define the transform method, which takes input values and produces the transformed output according to your requirements. 

Pipes can be used in interpolation ({{ }}), property binding ([ ]), or within other directives and components. To apply a pipe, you use the pipe operator (|) followed by the pipe name and any additional parameters required by the pipe.  

In the examples provided, the currentDate variable is converted into a date string using the date pipe, while the text variable is subjected to a custom transformation using the customPipe.

Both directives and pipes play crucial roles in Angular applications. Directives allow you to modify the structure and behavior of the DOM elements, while pipes enable you to transform data in a flexible and reusable manner, enhancing the user experience and code maintainability. 

Angular Routing & Services  

Angular is a widely used JavaScript framework utilized for constructing web applications. A notable aspect of Angular is its capability to develop Single-Page Applications (SPAs), which operate within a single HTML page and seamlessly update the content as users engage with it. Angular Routing and Services are integral elements within Angular that empower developers to craft dynamic and interactive web applications. 

Angular Routing 

In Angular, routing allows you to establish separate routes for various views or components within your application. It facilitates easy navigation between different sections or pages without the need to reload the entire page. Angular’s integrated routing module offers a robust solution for handling navigation and dynamically displaying the relevant components based on the current URL. 

1. Setting up Routes  

In order to begin utilizing Angular routing, the first step is to configure the routes for your application. This process entails defining the routes and linking them to specific components. Routes can be established in a separate module file by utilizing the RouterModule and Route classes offered by Angular. 

2. Route Configuration  

In the route configuration, you define the paths and corresponding components that should be loaded when a specific URL is accessed. Angular allows you to define both static and dynamic routes. Static routes match a fixed URL path, while dynamic routes can have parameters that can be extracted and used within the component. 

3. Navigating between Routes  

Angular provides a router outlet directive that acts as a placeholder for dynamically loaded components based on the current route. To navigate between routes, you can use the routerLink directive, which creates links that trigger route changes when clicked. Programmatically, you can use the Router service provided by Angular to navigate to specific routes using functions such as navigate() or navigateByUrl(). 

Angular Services 

Angular services are blocks of reusable code designed to offer specific functionalities that can be utilized across various components. They promote modular and organized coding by separating concerns. Services are commonly employed for tasks like retrieving data, facilitating data sharing between components, managing business logic, and interacting with external APIs. 

1. Creating a Service  

When it comes to creating a service in Angular, there are two approaches you can take. The first one involves using the Angular CLI command, while the second option requires manually creating a TypeScript class. In the latter case, you decorate the class with the @Injectable() decorator, which designates it as a service and enables its injection into other components or services. 

2. Dependency Injection  

Angular’s dependency injection mechanism plays a crucial role in the usage of services. When a component requires a service, it declares a dependency on that service in its constructor. Angular’s injector then provides an instance of the service to the component when it is created. This approach promotes loose coupling and makes testing and reusing services easier. 

3. Service Implementation  

The way a service is implemented can differ based on its intended purpose. Services encompass a range of functionalities such as interacting with APIs, carrying out data conversions, managing application state, or offering utility functions. Furthermore, services can be designed to incorporate their own injected dependencies, allowing them to leverage other services or external libraries. 

4. Sharing Data between Components  

Sharing data between components is one of the main purposes of services. Services allow for the storage of data or state, which can then be accessed and modified by multiple components without the need for direct communication between them. This capability promotes effective communication and coordination within an Angular application. 

Routing allows developers to create navigation flows and load different components based on the current URL, while services facilitate code modularity, data sharing, and business logic implementation. Mastering these concepts empowers developers to create dynamic and scalable Angular applications with seamless navigation and efficient code organization. 

To further enhance your knowledge and prepare for Angular interviews, it is highly recommended to visit the EZInterviews Interview Q&A portal. We provide comprehensive interview questions and answers related to Angular, helping you gain confidence and excel in your job search.