Life-cycle

States can implement life-cycle events.

ngxsOnChanges

If a state implements the NgxsOnChanges interface, its ngxsOnChanges method responds when the state is (re)set.

The ngxsOnChanges methods of states are invoked in a topologically sorted order, going from parent to child states. Within these methods, the first parameter is the NgxsSimpleChange object containing the current and previous states.

export interface ZooStateModel {
  animals: string[];
}

@State<ZooStateModel>({
  name: 'zoo',
  defaults: {
    animals: []
  }
})
@Injectable()
export class ZooState implements NgxsOnChanges {
  ngxsOnChanges(change: NgxsSimpleChange) {
    console.log('prev state', change.previousValue);
    console.log('next state', change.currentValue);
  }
}

ngxsOnInit

If a state implements the NgxsOnInit interface, its ngxsOnInit method is invoked after the InitState or UpdateState action has been handled, depending on where the state is registered (root or feature). If your state is provided at the root level, its ngxsOnInit may be called immediately once the ENVIRONMENT_INITIALIZER token is resolved. However, it may also be called asynchronously if you handle the InitState action and have some asynchronous logic.

The ngxsOnInit methods of states are invoked in a topologically sorted order, going from parent to child states. Within these methods, the first parameter is the StateContext, which allows you to access the current state and dispatch actions as usual.

export interface ZooStateModel {
  animals: string[];
}

@State<ZooStateModel>({
  name: 'zoo',
  defaults: {
    animals: []
  }
})
@Injectable()
export class ZooState implements NgxsOnInit {
  ngxsOnInit(ctx: StateContext<ZooStateModel>) {
    console.log('State initialized, now getting animals');
    ctx.dispatch(new GetAnimals());
  }
}

ngxsAfterBootstrap

If a state implements the NgxsAfterBootstrap interface, its ngxsAfterBootstrap method will be bound to the APP_BOOTSTRAP_LISTENER, which is resolved after the app has been bootstrapped.

export interface ZooStateModel {
  animals: string[];
}

@State<ZooStateModel>({
  name: 'zoo',
  defaults: {
    animals: []
  }
})
@Injectable()
export class ZooState implements NgxsAfterBootstrap {
  ngxsAfterBootstrap(ctx: StateContext<ZooStateModel>) {
    console.log('The application has been fully rendered');
    ctx.dispatch(new GetAnimals());
  }
}

Lifecycle sequence

After creating the state by calling its constructor, NGXS calls the lifecycle hook methods in the following sequence at specific moments:

Hook	Purpose and Timing
ngxsOnChanges()	Called before ngxsOnInit() and whenever state changes.
ngxsOnInit()	Called once, after the first ngxsOnChanges() and before the APP_INITIALIZER token is resolved.
ngxsAfterBootstrap()	Called once, after the root view and all its children have been rendered.

Feature States Order of Providers

If you have feature states they need to be registered after the root provideStore has been called:

// some-data-access-library/index.ts
export function provideDataAccessInvoiceLines() {
  return provideStates([InvoiceLinesState]);
}

// app.config.ts
export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
  providers: [provideStore(), provideDataAccessInvoiceLines()]
};

If you are still using modules

If you have feature modules they need to be imported after the root module:

// feature.module.ts
@NgModule({
  imports: [NgxsModule.forFeature([FeatureState])]
})
export class FeatureModule {}

// app.module.ts
@NgModule({
  imports: [NgxsModule.forRoot([]), FeatureModule]
})
export class AppModule {}

APP_INITIALIZER Stage

Theoretical Introduction

The APP_INITIALIZER is just a token that references Promise factories. If you've ever used the APP_INITIALIZER token, then you are already familiar with its syntax:

export function appInitializerFactory() {
  return () => Promise.resolve();
}

export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
  providers: [
    {
      provide: APP_INITIALIZER,
      useFactory: appInitializerFactory,
      multi: true
    }
  ]
};

Please refer to this guide to familiarize yourself with its functionality.

APP_INITIALIZER and NGXS

The APP_INITIALIZER token is resolved after NGXS states are registered. This is because they are registered during the resolution of the ENVIRONMENT_INITIALIZER token. Additionally, the ngxsOnInit method on states is invoked before the APP_INITIALIZER token is resolved. Given the following code:

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class ConfigService {
  private version: string | null = null;

  private http = inject(HttpClient);

  loadVersion(): Observable<string> {
    return this.http.get<string>('/api/version').pipe(
      tap(version => {
        this.version = version;
      })
    );
  }

  getVersion(): never | string {
    if (this.version === null) {
      throw new Error('"version" is not available yet!');
    }

    return this.version;
  }
}

@State<string | null>({
  name: 'version',
  defaults: null
})
@Injectable()
export class VersionState implements NgxsOnInit {
  private configService = inject(ConfigService);

  ngxsOnInit(ctx: StateContext<string | null>) {
    ctx.setState(this.configService.getVersion());
  }
}

export function appInitializerFactory() {
  const configService = inject(ConfigService);
  return () => configService.loadVersion();
}

export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
  providers: [
    provideStore([VersionState]),

    {
      provide: APP_INITIALIZER,
      useFactory: appInitializerFactory,
      multi: true
    }
  ]
};

The example provided is for demonstration purposes and will throw an error because the version is not set yet. This occurs because getVersion is called before the version is loaded.

Solution

There are different solutions. Let's look at the simplest. The first solution would be to use the ngxsAfterBootstrap method:

@State<string | null>({
  name: 'version',
  defaults: null
})
@Injectable()
export class VersionState implements NgxsAfterBootstrap {
  private configService = inject(ConfigService);

  ngxsAfterBootstrap(ctx: StateContext<string | null>) {
    ctx.setState(this.configService.getVersion());
  }
}

The second solution would be dispatching some SetVersion action right after the version is fetched:

export class SetVersion {
  static readonly type = '[Version] Set version';

  constructor(public version: string) {}
}

@State<string | null>({
  name: 'version',
  defaults: null
})
@Injectable()
export class VersionState {
  @Action(SetVersion)
  setVersion(ctx: StateContext<string | null>, action: SetVersion): void {
    ctx.setState(action.version);
  }
}

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class ConfigService {
  private http = inject(HttpClient);
  private store = inject(Store);

  loadVersion() {
    return this.http.get<string>('/api/version').pipe(
      tap(version => {
        this.store.dispatch(new SetVersion(version));
      })
    );
  }
}

Summary

In conclusion, the ngxsOnInit method is useful when you need to set some calculated values on the state with access to dependency injection within the state class, but before the app is bootstrapped. This allows components to pick up available data.