Lightning Components Developer Guide

What is the Lightning Component Framework?
Quick Start
Creating Components
Using Components
Communicating with Events
Creating Apps
App Overview
Designing App UI
Creating App Templates
Developing Secure Code
Styling Apps
Using JavaScript
Using External JavaScript Libraries
Working with Attribute Values in JavaScript
Working with a Component Body in JavaScript
Sharing JavaScript Code in a Component Bundle
Modifying the DOM
Client-Side Rendering to the DOM
Invoking Actions on Component Initialization
Modifying Components Outside the Framework Lifecycle
Validating Fields
Throwing and Handling Errors
Calling Component Methods
Making API Calls
JavaScript Cookbook
Using Apex
Controlling Access
Using Object-Oriented Development
Caching with Storage Service
Using the AppCache
Distributing Applications and Components
Debugging
Reference
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Calling Component Methods

Use <aura:method> to define a method as part of a component's API. This enables you to directly call a method in a component’s client-side controller instead of firing and handling a component event. Using <aura:method> simplifies the code needed for a parent component to call a method on a child component that it contains.

Use this syntax to call a method in JavaScript code.

cmp is a reference to the component. arg1, … argN is an optional comma-separated list of arguments passed to the method.

Let’s look at an example of a component containing a button. The handler for the button calls a component method instead of firing and handling its own component event.

Here is the component source.

Here is the client-side controller.

This simple example just logs the parameter passed to the method.

The <aura:method> tag set name="sampleMethod" and action="{!c.doAction}" so the method is called by cmp.sampleMethod() and handled by doAction() in the controller.

If you don’t specify an action value, the controller action defaults to the value of the method name. If we omitted action="{!c.doAction}" from the earlier example, the method would be called by cmp.sampleMethod() and handled by sampleMethod() instead of doAction() in the controller.

Note

Using Inherited Methods

A sub component that extends a super component has access to any methods defined in the super component.

An interface can also include an <aura:method> tag. A component that implements the interface can access the method.