VUE / FOUNDATIONS
Templates, directives, and expression rules
Learn how templates, directives, and expression rules works in Vue, why the underlying model matters, and how to apply it in a small program without hiding important trade-offs.
What you will learn
- Explain templates in Vue using the correct mental model
- Trace a focused Vue example and predict its result before execution
- Recognize a boundary case involving directives and handle it deliberately
Understanding Templates, directives, and expression rules
Templates, directives, and expression rules belongs to the practical core of Vue. Start by identifying the values or state involved and the rule that connects the input to the result.
Trace the example one operation at a time. Keep templates visible in the code rather than hiding it behind an abstraction before the behavior is understood.
Test a normal case and a boundary case. The difference between the prediction and the observed result is the most useful signal for deciding what to review next.
Templates, directives, and expression rules is a defining part of practical Vue work. Start by identifying the data or state involved, then trace the operation that changes or interprets it. Pay attention to the rules Vue applies at this boundary, because those rules explain both the useful behavior and the common failure modes. This lesson keeps the example deliberately small, then connects it to props, refs, reactive state, and computed values so the ideas form a coherent progression rather than a list of isolated syntax facts.
Worked examples
Templates, directives, and expression rules example
A focused Vue example for templates.
<script setup>
const message = 'Hello from Vue'
</script>
<template><h1>{{ message }}</h1></template>
// Lesson 2: templates. Change one value and predict the result before running it.Example explained
Line 1Identify where templates appears in the Vue example and name the data it operates on.
Line 2Trace the relevant Vue rule one operation at a time, recording any state, type, or control-flow change.
Line 3Change one input or boundary condition, predict the result, and compare that prediction with the documented outcome.
Important notes
Keep the first templates example small enough to trace completely.
Use the normal Vue toolchain or browser workspace to compare the actual result with your prediction.
Common mistakes
Treating templates as punctuation to memorize instead of a Vue behavior to reason about.
Ignoring directives until it appears in production data or a larger program.
Try it yourself
Change, predict, then run
Create a small Vue example that demonstrates templates. Add a normal case and a boundary case, write down the expected result for each, then explain which Vue rule produces that result. Lesson 2 should remain small enough to trace without guessing.
Open Vue workspaceCheck your understanding
What is the best first step when working with templates?
- Identify the data and predict the result
- Add more abstraction immediately
- Ignore boundary cases
- Memorize punctuation only
Show answer
A clear input, operation, and predicted result create a testable mental model.