mate.js

A lightweight JavaScript library for declarative DOM interactions. mate.js allows you to define behavior directly in your HTML using attributes, making it easy to handle events, make requests, and update the DOM without writing custom JavaScript for every interaction.

Installation

NPM

import mate from '@nsanta/mate/mate.js';

mate();

CDN

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/nsanta/mate/dist/bundle.js"></script>

Usage

mate.js uses custom attributes to define interactions. There are two syntaxes available:

mx-* syntax (recommended) - Event-centric shorthand with modifiers
mt-* syntax (legacy) - Original attribute-based syntax

mx-* Syntax (Recommended)

The mx-* syntax provides a concise, event-centric way to define behavior:

mx-{EVENT}[.modifiers]="{ACTION|CAPABILITY.method}[:{PRESENTATION}[:{TARGET}]]"

Basic Usage

<!-- Click → Request → Replace innerHTML -->
<button mx-click="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/data">
  Load Content
</button>

<!-- Click → Request → Update element by ID -->
<button mx-click="@request:@id:result-box" mx-path="/api/data">
  Load into #result-box
</button>

<!-- Auto-load on page load -->
<div mx-load="@request:@inner" mx-path="/initial-data">
  Loading...
</div>

Request Configuration

Attribute	Description
`mx-path`	URL path for the request
`mx-method`	HTTP method (`GET`, `POST`, etc.). Defaults to `GET`
`mx-data`	JSON string for request body

Meta Tag Headers

You can configure HTTP headers using meta tags. This is useful for setting authentication tokens, custom headers, or other HTTP headers that should apply to all requests.

Add meta tags in your HTML <head>:

<head>
  <meta mx-header name="Authorization" content="Bearer: TOKEN" />
  <meta mx-header name="X-API-Key" content="your-api-key" />
  <meta mx-header name="X-Custom-Header" content="custom-value" />
</head>

These headers will be automatically included in all @request and @stream actions.

Note: WebSocket (@ws) and Server-Sent Events (@sse) use different connection protocols and do not support custom headers through the standard browser APIs.

Presentation Options

Presentation	Description	Example
`@inner`	Replace innerHTML (default)	`mx-click="@request:@inner"`
`@outer`	Replace outerHTML	`mx-click="@request:@outer"`
`@id:elemId`	Update element by ID	`mx-click="@request:@id:my-div"`
`@class:className`	Update all elements with class	`mx-click="@request:@class:items"`
`@append`	Append to innerHTML	`mx-click="@request:@append"`
`@prepend`	Prepend to innerHTML	`mx-click="@request:@prepend"`
`@controller:method`	Call controller method	`mx-click="@event:@controller:handle"`

Available Actions

Action	Description	Protocol
`@request`	Makes an HTTP request (GET, POST, etc.)	HTTP
`@event`	Passes event through to controller	N/A
`@trigger`	Dispatches a new DOM event	N/A
`@stream`	Streams HTTP responses with real-time updates	HTTP
`@ws`	Establishes WebSocket connection for bidirectional communication	WebSocket
`@sse`	Establishes Server-Sent Events connection for real-time updates	SSE

All actions support the same presentation options (@inner, @append, @prepend, @id, etc.).

Note: @stream, @ws, and @sse require the mx-path attribute to specify the endpoint URL.

Modifiers

Modifiers are appended to the event name with dots:

<!-- Prevent default behavior -->
<a href="/link" mx-click.prevent="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/data">Click</a>

<!-- Stop propagation -->
<div mx-click.stop="@request:@inner">Click</div>

<!-- Chain multiple modifiers -->
<button mx-click.prevent.stop="@request:@inner">Click</button>

<!-- Debounce input (default 250ms) -->
<input mx-input.debounce="@request:@inner" mx-path="/search">

<!-- Debounce with custom timing -->
<input mx-input.debounce.500ms="@request:@inner" mx-path="/search">

<!-- Throttle (default 250ms) -->
<div mx-scroll.throttle="@request:@inner" mx-path="/more">Scroll</div>

<!-- Throttle with custom timing -->
<div mx-scroll.throttle.100ms="@request:@inner" mx-path="/more">Scroll</div>

<!-- Only trigger once -->
<button mx-click.once="@request:@inner">One-time action</button>

<!-- Only trigger if clicking the element itself (not children) -->
<div mx-click.self="@request:@inner">Click me only</div>

<!-- Listen on window -->
<div mx-keyup.window="@request:@inner">Press any key</div>

<!-- Listen on document -->
<div mx-keyup.document="@request:@inner">Press any key</div>

<!-- Trigger when clicking outside -->
<div mx-click.outside="@request:@inner">Click outside me</div>

Modifier	Description
`.prevent`	Calls `event.preventDefault()`
`.stop`	Calls `event.stopPropagation()`
`.once`	Handler runs only once
`.self`	Only triggers if event target is the element itself
`.debounce`	Debounces handler (250ms default)
`.debounce.Nms`	Debounces with N milliseconds
`.throttle`	Throttles handler (250ms default)
`.throttle.Nms`	Throttles with N milliseconds
`.capture`	Use capture mode
`.passive`	Passive event listener
`.window`	Attach listener to window
`.document`	Attach listener to document
`.outside`	Trigger when clicking outside element

Custom Capabilities

// Register a capability object with methods
mate.registerCapability('Analytics', {
  track(node, event, parsedEvent) {
    console.log('Tracking:', parsedEvent);
    return Promise.resolve({ tracked: true });
  },
  identify(node, event, parsedEvent) {
    console.log('Identifying user');
    return Promise.resolve({ identified: true });
  }
});

// Register a simple function capability
mate.registerCapability('Logger', (node, method, event, parsedEvent) => {
  console.log(`[${method}]`, event);
  return Promise.resolve({ logged: true });
});

Use in HTML:

<!-- Calls Analytics.track() -->
<button mx-click="Analytics.track:@inner">
  Track Event
</button>

<!-- Calls Logger with method "info" -->
<button mx-click="Logger.info:@inner">
  Log Info
</button>

Controllers

For complex stateful behavior, use controllers:

<div mx-controller="Counter">
  <span>Count: <span id="count">0</span></span>
  <button mx-click="@event:@controller:increment">+</button>
  <button mx-click="@event:@controller:decrement">-</button>
</div>

<script>
class Counter {
  constructor(element) {
    this.element = element;
    this.count = 0;
    this.display = element.querySelector('#count');
  }
  
  increment() {
    this.count++;
    this.display.textContent = this.count;
  }
  
  decrement() {
    this.count--;
    this.display.textContent = this.count;
  }
}
window.Counter = Counter;
</script>

Advanced Connectivity (`@stream`, `@ws`, `@sse`)

mate.js supports real-time data streaming and bidirectional communication through three special actions:

Action	Description	Protocol
`@stream`	HTTP streaming responses with real-time updates	HTTP
`@ws`	WebSocket for bidirectional communication	WebSocket
`@sse`	Server-Sent Events for unidirectional updates	SSE

@stream - HTTP Streams

Streams HTTP responses incrementally, updating the DOM as each chunk arrives. Perfect for streaming logs, chat feeds, or real-time data.

<!-- Basic stream -->
<button mx-click="@stream" mx-path="/stream">
  Start Stream
</button>

<!-- Append each chunk -->
<button mx-click="@stream:@append" mx-path="/stream">
  Stream and Append
</button>

<!-- Update another element by ID -->
<button mx-click="@stream:@id:log" mx-path="/stream">
  Stream to Log
</button>

<div id="stream-output">Waiting for stream...</div>

The server should send newline-delimited text:

Stream message 1
Stream message 2
Stream message 3

To stop a stream:

const node = document.querySelector('[mx-click="@stream"]');
if (node && node._streamAbortController) {
  node._streamAbortController.abort();
}

@ws - WebSocket

Establishes a WebSocket connection for bidirectional communication with automatic reconnection using exponential backoff.

<!-- Connect WebSocket -->
<button mx-click="@ws" mx-path="ws://localhost:3001/ws">
  Connect
</button>

<div id="ws-output">Waiting for WebSocket...</div>

To send messages to the WebSocket:

const node = document.querySelector('[mx-click="@ws"]');
if (node && node._wsClient) {
  node._wsClient.send({ type: 'client', message: 'Hello!' });
}

To disconnect:

const node = document.querySelector('[mx-click="@ws"]');
if (node && node._wsClient) {
  node._wsClient.close();
}

@sse - Server-Sent Events

Establishes a Server-Sent Events connection for unidirectional real-time updates from the server.

<!-- Connect to SSE -->
<button mx-click="@sse" mx-path="/sse">
  Connect SSE
</button>

<div id="sse-output">Waiting for SSE connection...</div>

To stop the SSE connection:

const node = document.querySelector('[mx-click="@sse"]');
if (node && node._sseClient) {
  node._sseClient.stop();
}

mt-* Syntax (Legacy)

The original syntax is still supported for backward compatibility.

Triggers (`mt-on`)

The mt-on attribute defines the event that triggers an action. Syntax: mt-on="event:action"

Supported events:

click
submit (for forms)
load
mouseover
mouseenter
mouseleave

Supported actions:

@request: Makes an HTTP request.
@event: Passes the event through (for controller handling).
@stream: Streams HTTP responses with real-time updates.
@ws: Establishes a WebSocket connection.
@sse: Establishes a Server-Sent Events connection.

Request Configuration

Configure the HTTP request using the following attributes:

mt-method: The HTTP method to use (e.g., GET, POST). Defaults to GET.
mt-path: The URL path for the request.
mt-data: JSON string containing data to send with the request.

Presenters (`mt-pr`)

The mt-pr attribute defines how the response from the action should be handled and presented in the DOM. Syntax: mt-pr="action:target:option"

Supported presenter actions:

@inner: Replaces the innerHTML of the target element. (Default if mt-pr is missing)
@outer: Replaces the outerHTML of the target element.
@id: Updates an element by its ID. Syntax: @id:elementId.
@class: Updates elements by their class name. Syntax: @class:className.
@append: Appends content to the target.
@prepend: Prepends content to the target.
@controller: Calls a method on the element's controller.

Examples

Basic Click Request

<!-- mx-* syntax (recommended) -->
<button mx-click="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/content">
  Click me to load content
</button>

<!-- mt-* syntax (legacy) -->
<button mt-on="click:@request" mt-path="/api/content">
  Click me to load content
</button>

Update Another Element by ID

<!-- mx-* syntax (recommended) -->
<button mx-click="@request:@id:target-div" mx-path="/api/content">
  Load into Target
</button>

<!-- mt-* syntax (legacy) -->
<button mt-on="click:@request" mt-path="/api/content" mt-pr="@id:target-div">
  Load into Target
</button>

<div id="target-div">Content will appear here</div>

Form Submission

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<form mx-submit="@request:@inner" mx-method="POST" mx-path="/submit-form">
  <input type="text" name="username" />
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

<!-- mt-* syntax (legacy) -->
<form mt-on="submit:@request" mt-method="POST" mt-path="/submit-form">
  <input type="text" name="username" />
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

### Dispatching Events (`@trigger`)

Use the `@trigger` action to dispatch DOM events. The first parameter is the event name, and the second (optional) parameter is a CSS selector for the target element. If no target is specified, the event is dispatched on the element itself (and bubbles up by default).

```html
<!-- Trigger 'submit' on the parent form when input changes -->
<form mx-submit="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/save">
  <input name="search" 
         placeholder="Search..." 
         mx-input.debounce.500ms="@trigger:submit" />
</form>

<!-- Trigger a custom event on a specific element by ID -->
<button mx-click="@trigger:ping:#target-element">
  Ping Target
</button>

<div id="target-element" 
     mx-ping="@request:@inner" 
     mx-path="/pong">
  Waiting for ping...
</div>


### Authentication with Meta Headers

Configure authentication headers once in the `<head>` and they'll apply to all requests:

```html
<head>
  <meta mx-header name="Authorization" content="Bearer: eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs..." />
</head>

<body>
  <!-- All these requests will include the Authorization header -->
  <button mx-click="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/profile">
    Load Profile
  </button>

  <div mx-load="@request:@inner" mx-path="/api/dashboard">
    Loading dashboard...
  </div>

  <button mx-click="@stream:@append" mx-path="/api/events">
    Stream Events
  </button>
</body>

Load Event

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<div mx-load="@request:@inner" mx-path="/initial-data">
  Loading...
</div>

<!-- mt-* syntax (legacy) -->
<div mt-on="load:@request" mt-path="/initial-data">
  Loading...
</div>

Declarative Form Data Submission (`@form:<format>`)

The mx-data attribute can automatically extract data from the nearest ancestor form using the @form:<format> syntax. This is particularly useful for submitting forms via buttons that are not standard submit buttons, or when you need a specific payload format.

<form>
  <input name="username" value="john_doe" />
  <input name="email" value="john@example.com" />
  
  <button mx-click="@request:@inner" 
          mx-method="POST" 
          mx-path="/api/save" 
          mx-data="@form:json">
    Save via JSON
  </button>
</form>

Format	Description	Content-Type
`@form:json`	Serializes form data as a JSON object	`application/json`
`@form:form`	Serializes form data as URL-encoded	`application/x-www-form-urlencoded`
`@form:multipart`	Sends as `FormData`	`multipart/form-data`

Note: For @form:json, multiple inputs with the same name are automatically collected into an array.

Examples

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<div mx-controller="Tooltip" mx-mouseover="@event:@controller:show" mx-mouseleave="@event:@controller:hide">
  Hover me
</div>

<!-- mt-* syntax (legacy) -->
<div mt-on="mouseover:@event" mt-controller="Tooltip" mt-pr="@controller:show">
  Hover me
</div>

HTTP Stream for Real-Time Updates

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<button mx-click="@stream" mx-path="/stream">
  Start Stream
</button>
<div id="stream-output">Waiting...</div>

<!-- Stream and append each chunk -->
<button mx-click="@stream:@append" mx-path="/stream">
  Stream to Log
</button>
<div id="log">Messages will appear here</div>

WebSocket Connection

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<button mx-click="@ws" mx-path="ws://localhost:3001/ws">
  Connect WebSocket
</button>
<div id="ws-output">Waiting for connection...</div>

<!-- Send message from JavaScript -->
<button onclick="sendWSMessage()">Send Hello</button>

<script>
  function sendWSMessage() {
    const node = document.querySelector('[mx-click="@ws"]');
    if (node && node._wsClient) {
      node._wsClient.send({ message: 'Hello from client!' });
    }
  }
</script>

Server-Sent Events

<!-- mx-* syntax -->
<button mx-click="@sse" mx-path="/sse">
  Connect SSE
</button>
<div id="sse-output">Waiting for connection...</div>

API Reference

`mate()`

Initializes mate.js and starts observing the DOM.

import mate from '@nsanta/mate';
mate();

`mate.registerCapability(name, handler)`

// Object with methods
mate.registerCapability('MyCap', {
  method1(node, event, parsedEvent) { ... },
  method2(node, event, parsedEvent) { ... }
});

// Simple function
mate.registerCapability('MyCap', (node, method, event, parsedEvent) => { ... });

`mate.registerPresenter(name, handler)`

mate.registerPresenter('@custom', async (node, response, target, option) => {
  const text = await response.text();
  node.textContent = text.toUpperCase();
});

GitHub Pages Demo

A live demo of mate.js is hosted via GitHub Pages. You can view the examples and documentation here

The site is automatically built from the docs/ folder using a GitHub Actions workflow.

Feel free to explore the interactive examples and adapt them for your own projects.

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mate.js

Installation

NPM

CDN

Usage

mx-* Syntax (Recommended)

Basic Usage

Request Configuration

Meta Tag Headers

Presentation Options

Available Actions

Modifiers

Custom Capabilities

Controllers

Advanced Connectivity (`@stream`, `@ws`, `@sse`)

@stream - HTTP Streams

@ws - WebSocket

@sse - Server-Sent Events

mt-* Syntax (Legacy)

Triggers (`mt-on`)

Request Configuration

Presenters (`mt-pr`)

Examples

Basic Click Request

Update Another Element by ID

Form Submission

Load Event

Declarative Form Data Submission (`@form:<format>`)

Examples

HTTP Stream for Real-Time Updates

WebSocket Connection

Server-Sent Events

API Reference

`mate()`

`mate.registerCapability(name, handler)`

`mate.registerPresenter(name, handler)`

GitHub Pages Demo

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README.md

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README.md

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mate.js

Installation

NPM

CDN

Usage

mx-* Syntax (Recommended)

Basic Usage

Request Configuration

Meta Tag Headers

Presentation Options

Available Actions

Modifiers

Custom Capabilities

Controllers

Advanced Connectivity (@stream, @ws, @sse)

@stream - HTTP Streams

@ws - WebSocket

@sse - Server-Sent Events

mt-* Syntax (Legacy)

Triggers (mt-on)

Request Configuration

Presenters (mt-pr)

Examples

Basic Click Request

Update Another Element by ID

Form Submission

Load Event

Declarative Form Data Submission (@form:<format>)

Examples

HTTP Stream for Real-Time Updates

WebSocket Connection

Server-Sent Events

API Reference

mate()

mate.registerCapability(name, handler)

mate.registerPresenter(name, handler)

GitHub Pages Demo

Advanced Connectivity (`@stream`, `@ws`, `@sse`)

Triggers (`mt-on`)

Presenters (`mt-pr`)

Declarative Form Data Submission (`@form:<format>`)

`mate()`

`mate.registerCapability(name, handler)`

`mate.registerPresenter(name, handler)`