How to globally import some module in Angular with standalone components?

To globally import a module in an Angular application that uses standalone components, you would typically do this by importing the module in your main application module or in a shared module that is imported by the other modules in your application. However, with the introduction of standalone components in Angular, the approach to sharing modules and functionalities across the application changes slightly, as standalone components aim to be more self-contained.

Here’s how you can globally import a module in an Angular application, especially considering the context of standalone components:

1. Creating a Shared Module

First, create a shared module that exports the functionalities (components, directives, pipes, or other modules) you want to be globally available. This is similar to traditional Angular module patterns.

SharedModule.ts:

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
import { SomeModule } from 'path-to-some-module'; // The module you want to share globally

@NgModule({
  declarations: [],
  imports: [
    CommonModule,
    SomeModule
  ],
  exports: [
    SomeModule // Make SomeModule available for import in other modules
  ]
})
export class SharedModule {}

2. Importing SharedModule in Standalone Components or Modules

For standalone components, the process is slightly different since they might not be declared in a traditional Angular module. With Angular’s newer versions supporting standalone components, you can directly import other modules or shared modules within the component using the imports property in the component decorator.

StandaloneComponent.ts:

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { SharedModule } from 'path-to-shared-module';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-standalone-component',
  templateUrl: './standalone-component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./standalone-component.css'],
  standalone: true,
  imports: [SharedModule] // Import SharedModule to use its exported functionalities
})
export class StandaloneComponent {
  // Component logic here
}

3. Using SharedModule in Traditional Angular Modules

If you have traditional Angular modules in your application alongside standalone components, you can import the SharedModule into those modules to make its functionalities available throughout the module.

AppModule.ts or AnotherModule.ts:

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { SharedModule } from 'path-to-shared-module';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [
    // other components
  ],
  imports: [
    BrowserModule,
    SharedModule // Import SharedModule here
  ],
  providers: [],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule {}

Conclusion

By creating a shared module and importing it wherever needed, either in standalone components or traditional modules, you can effectively make some functionalities globally available in your Angular application. This approach maintains modularity and reusability, aligning with Angular’s design principles, even as it evolves to support standalone components.