2. Naming conventions for ViewComponents

Date: 2021/07/13

Status

Withdrawn. We decided to stick with the -Component suffix, as it enforces conventions in line with what Rails developers expect and prevents naming collisions.

Context

The Component suffix has been questioned a few times. Based on our ViewComponents at GitHub and those shared on the ViewComponent repo, it looks like the namespaces used are unique even when the Component suffix is removed. This is due to following the naming convention of views, which is to use the plural paths in the namespace. for example users/index.html.erb -> Users::IndexComponent/Users::Index.

Decision

We will recommend that ViewComponents are named without the -Component suffix, for the User Interface elements they render, namespaced like views and controllers.

Alternatives considered

We’ve used the -Component suffix for some time, so it’s a valid option to continue with our existing practice.

Consequences

• Pro: Less boilerplate and better readability. No more render Primer::LinkComponent.new, we can now call render Primer::Link.new. Once you learn that components are objects that can be rendered, the Component suffix loses a lot of its value.
• Pro: Component names now completely align with the views naming conventions. This will make it easier to put components in the views directory if we go down that path.
• Con: It’s no longer immediately clear that your class/object is a component. However, ViewComponents are often the only objects present in Rails view code, so the potential confusion is likely minimal.
• Con: It will take time to migrate existing code to the new convention.