I have a query about how a controller communicates with a directive created within that same controller. I am specifically interested in determining the recommended or best approach for this scenario. There are three possible approaches that come to mind:
Using a watch in the directive
In this method, the directive establishes a watch on a variable passed through the isolate scope and responds to any changes:
directive('customDirective', function () {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
variable: '='
},
link: function (scope, elem, attrs) {
scope.$watch('variable', function (newValue) {
// Perform an action
});
}
};
});
Utilizing events
In the second option, the directive creates event handlers using the $on function on the scope so it can respond to events triggered by the $broadcast function:
directive('customDirective', function () {
return {
restrict: 'E',
link: function (scope, elem, attrs) {
scope.$on('customEvent', function () {
// Perform an action
});
}
};
});
Implementing a control object
The third possibility involves the directive populating a control object with the desired function that it wants to expose. The controller can then call this function from the object whenever necessary:
directive('customDirective', function () {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
controlObject: '='
},
link: function (scope, elem, attrs) {
scope.controlObject.fn = function () {
// Perform an action
};
}
};
});
controller('customController', function () {
this.controlObject = {};
this.performAction = function () {
this.controlObject.fn();
};
});
<custom-directive control-object="ctrl.controlObject"/>
Which of these methods is considered the best practice for this situation? Are there any other options that I may have overlooked? Thank you.