Vue Components: Bootstrap Card, Github API

I’m dabbling with Vue version 3. Here’s Part 2 of 2 in generating a reusable component. This time with an API call attached.

Introduction

Let’s build this. A simple Vue app which accesses Github’s REST API and prints a user’s profile into a Bootstrap 4 card interface.

What’s the Goal?

Create a reusable component that displays a person’s Github profile.

What will we need?

  • Stackblitz – to quickly prototype a Vue project and its dependencies.
  • Bootstrap 4 – to grab some ready-made user interfaces (e.g. cards).
  • Axios – the promise based library we’ll use to communicate with Github’s API.
  • Github API – the data source we’ll need to access and display a user’s profile.

Step By Step

Step 1: Create Vue App

Visit Stackblitz.com and click the Vue icon to automatically generate a default HelloWorld project.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Enter additional dependencies such as axios and bootstrap (jquery and popper is optional but I added it anyway).

Step 3: Add Dependencies to main.js

const { createApp } = require("vue");
import App from "./App.vue";
import "bootstrap"; // Add this import.
import "bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.css"; // Add this import.

createApp(App).mount("#app");

Step 4: Create a Service for API Call

Create a new directory called services and add new file GithubAPI.js.

The Service Code

Debrief of the GithubAPI service code:

  • Line 1: Import axios library for promise based HTTP requests.
  • Line 5: Write a function called getGithubProfile() and pass in username as an argument.
  • Line 7: Leverage the get method and concatenate the username variable.
  • Line 9: Return the response object (component will consume this).

Step 5: Modify HelloWorld.vue Component

Out of box, Stackblitz generates a default Vue project paired with a component called HelloWorld.vue. Rename it.

We’ll repurpose most of this by first renaming it to GithubProfile.vue.

The Component Code

Debrief of the GithubProfile component code:

  • Lines 3-16: The Bootstrap card.
  • Line 20: Import the service made from Step 4.
  • Lines 23-28: The prop you’ll pass in (e.g. a profile name).
  • Lines 29-33: Setup Vue’s data object which will populate the card.
  • Lines 34-42: Setup the API call inside of the created lifecycle hook.

Debrief of the App component code:

  • Line 13: the prop passed in as a string (e.g. my profile name).

Key Takeaways

We’ve now created a reusable component which is dynamic enough to apply a Bootstrap card by passing in the Github profile as a prop. This will use Github’s API to make a call on their end which will print the profile data to the card.

Additional Resources