Push-Based Widget Module Pattern

Use this pattern when a UI sidebar or widget component needs to be updated by its caller (push-based) rather than fetching data itself. Instead of a class or framework component, implement the widget as a plain module with singleton state, a factory function to create the DOM, and an update function to efficiently patch it.

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When to Use

• A sidebar, panel, or widget is rendered once but updated frequently with new data.
• The data source lives outside the component (e.g., a parent controller, event bus, or store).
• You want lightweight partial re-renders without rebuilding the entire DOM tree.
• You prefer a simple module interface over a class-based or framework-based component.

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Core Structure

widgets/
  MyWidget.ts          # The module (singleton state + exports)
  MyWidget.types.ts    # (Optional) Exported data interface

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Define the Data Interface

Export a typed interface so callers know exactly what data to push.

// MyWidget.types.ts  (or inline at top of MyWidget.ts)
export interface MyWidgetData {
  title: string;
  items: string[];
  status: "idle" | "active" | "error";
  // ... all fields the widget needs to render
}

2. Declare Module-Level Singleton Refs

At module scope, keep references to the container and any frequently updated child nodes. This avoids querying the DOM on every update.

// MyWidget.ts
import type { MyWidgetData } from "./MyWidget.types";

// Singleton DOM refs
let containerEl: HTMLElement | null = null;
let titleEl: HTMLElement | null = null;
let itemListEl: HTMLElement | null = null;
let statusEl: HTMLElement | null = null;

// Current state snapshot (optional — useful for diffing)
let currentData: MyWidgetData | null = null;

3. Export a Factory Function (createMyWidget)

The factory builds the full DOM tree once, stores refs to mutable nodes, and returns the root element to be mounted by the caller.

export function createMyWidget(): HTMLElement {
  // Build the container
  containerEl = document.createElement("aside");
  containerEl.className = "my-widget";

  // Build static structure; keep refs to dynamic parts
  titleEl = document.createElement("h2");
  titleEl.className = "my-widget__title";

  itemListEl = document.createElement("ul");
  itemListEl.className = "my-widget__list";

  statusEl = document.createElement("span");
  statusEl.className = "my-widget__status";

  // Compose the tree
  const header = document.createElement("header");
  header.appendChild(titleEl);
  header.appendChild(statusEl);

  containerEl.appendChild(header);
  containerEl.appendChild(itemListEl);

  return containerEl;
}

Rule: createMyWidget should be callable only once per page. If called again, consider returning the existing containerEl (idempotent factory).

4. Export an Update Function (updateMyWidget)

The update function receives the new data object and performs surgical DOM mutations on the stored refs. It does NOT rebuild the whole tree.

export function updateMyWidget(data: MyWidgetData): void {
  if (!containerEl) {
    console.warn("updateMyWidget called before createMyWidget");
    return;
  }

  currentData = data;

  // Update only what changed
  if (titleEl) titleEl.textContent = data.title;
  if (statusEl) {
    statusEl.textContent = data.status;
    statusEl.dataset.status = data.status; // for CSS hooks
  }

  // Rebuild only dynamic list items
  if (itemListEl) {
    itemListEl.innerHTML = ""; // clear previous items
    data.items.forEach((item) => {
      const li = document.createElement("li");
      li.textContent = item;
      itemListEl!.appendChild(li);
    });
  }
}

Optimization tip: For large lists, compare currentData to data before clearing and rebuilding, or use a keyed reconciliation approach.

5. Caller Usage Pattern

The caller mounts the widget once and pushes updates whenever its data changes.

import { createMyWidget, updateMyWidget } from "./widgets/MyWidget";
import type { MyWidgetData } from "./widgets/MyWidget.types";

// Mount once
const sidebar = document.getElementById("sidebar")!;
sidebar.appendChild(createMyWidget());

// Push updates (e.g., from a store subscription, WebSocket, timer)
function onDataChange(newData: MyWidgetData) {
  updateMyWidget(newData);
}

// Example: push an initial state immediately
onDataChange({
  title: "Today's Focus",
  items: ["Task A", "Task B"],
  status: "active",
});

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Full Module Template

// widgets/MyWidget.ts

export interface MyWidgetData {
  // Define all fields here
}

// --- Singleton state ---
let containerEl: HTMLElement | null = null;
// Add more refs as needed per section of the widget

// --- Factory ---
export function createMyWidget(): HTMLElement {
  if (containerEl) return containerEl; // idempotent

  containerEl = document.createElement("aside");
  // ... build DOM, store refs ...
  return containerEl;
}

// --- Update ---
export function updateMyWidget(data: MyWidgetData): void {
  if (!containerEl) return;
  // ... patch DOM refs with new data ...
}

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Guidelines & Best Practices

Concern	Recommendation
Idempotent factory	Return existing containerEl if called twice to avoid duplicate mounts.
Null guards	Always check refs before mutating — the update fn may be called before mount in some flows.
Granular refs	Store refs for every section that updates independently. Avoid querySelector in the update path.
Interface exports	Always export the data interface so callers can type their push calls.
No internal fetching	The module must never fetch or subscribe to external data — that is the caller's responsibility.
CSS hooks	Use data-* attributes or CSS classes on refs to let stylesheets react to state changes.
Cleanup	Optionally export a destroyMyWidget() that nulls all refs for SPA teardown scenarios.

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Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• ❌ Class with constructor — adds instantiation overhead and prevents the clean factory/update split.
• ❌ Querying the DOM in the update function (document.querySelector(...)) — slow and fragile.
• ❌ Rebuilding the entire tree on every update — defeats the purpose of the module-level refs.
• ❌ Mixing data-fetching into the widget module — breaks the push-based contract.