# Tutorial 2 Reactive Properties
This second **TestDrive-UI** tutorial extends your previous `hello-world` component by introducing **reactive properties** (i.e., component inputs) and **dynamic rendering**, all under **TDD** control.
We’ll end up with a `` component that greets a given name — and can change dynamically when the property updates.
---
## 🧭 1. Goal
> The component should display “Hello, [name]!”
> and automatically update when the `name` property changes.
If no `name` is given, it should default to “World”.
---
## 🧪 2. Step 1 — Write the failing test first
Create `src/components/hello-world/hello-world.props.test.js`:
```javascript
import "./hello-world.js";
describe(" (with name property)", () => {
it("renders default greeting when no name is set", () => {
const el = document.createElement("hello-world");
document.body.appendChild(el);
const text = el.shadowRoot.textContent.trim();
expect(text).to.equal("Hello, World!");
});
it("renders custom greeting when name is set", async () => {
const el = document.createElement("hello-world");
document.body.appendChild(el);
el.name = "Kale";
// Wait for Lit’s update cycle
await el.updateComplete;
const text = el.shadowRoot.textContent.trim();
expect(text).to.equal("Hello, Kale!");
});
it("reacts to property change after initial render", async () => {
const el = document.createElement("hello-world");
document.body.appendChild(el);
el.name = "Aria";
await el.updateComplete;
let text = el.shadowRoot.textContent.trim();
expect(text).to.equal("Hello, Aria!");
el.name = "Nova";
await el.updateComplete;
text = el.shadowRoot.textContent.trim();
expect(text).to.equal("Hello, Nova!");
});
});
```
Run:
```bash
npm test
```
All tests should fail — we haven’t implemented anything yet.
---
## 🧩 3. Step 2 — Implement the feature
Open your existing `src/components/hello-world/hello-world.js`
and replace the class with this improved version:
```javascript
import { LitElement, html, css } from "lit";
export class HelloWorld extends LitElement {
static properties = {
name: { type: String }
};
constructor() {
super();
this.name = "World";
}
static styles = css`
div {
font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
font-size: 1.5rem;
color: #007acc;
padding: 1rem;
text-align: center;
cursor: pointer;
user-select: none;
}
div:hover {
color: #005fa3;
}
`;
render() {
return html`
Hello, ${this.name}!
`;
}
_onClick() {
alert(`Hello, ${this.name}!`);
}
}
customElements.define("hello-world", HelloWorld);
```
Run the tests again:
```bash
npm test
```
✅ All should now pass.
---
## ⚡ 4. Step 3 — Try it live
Edit `src/index.html` to demonstrate both variants:
```html
```
Then:
```bash
npm run dev
```
In the browser you’ll see:
```
Hello, World!
Hello, Coulomb!
```
and both are clickable.
---
## 🔄 5. Step 4 — Live updates (optional exploration)
Open the browser console and type:
```javascript
document.querySelector("hello-world").name = "Agent";
```
The first greeting should **update instantly** to:
```
Hello, Agent!
```
That’s Lit’s reactive update mechanism at work.
---
## 🧭 6. Step 5 — Visual story (optional)
`src/components/hello-world/hello-world.stories.js`
```javascript
import "./hello-world.js";
export default {
title: "UI/Hello World (Reactive)"
};
export const Default = () => ``;
export const CustomName = () => ``;
```
If Storybook is later installed, these stories will become live demos.
---
## 🧩 7. Key Takeaways
| Concept | Explanation |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reactive property** | Declared via `static properties = { ... }` in Lit |
| **Default values** | Set in the constructor |
| **Automatic updates** | Changing the property triggers re-render |
| **Testing updates** | Use `await el.updateComplete` before asserting |
---
## 🧪 8. What you learned
* How to **declare reactive component properties**
* How to **test reactivity** with Mocha + jsdom
* How to **update and verify UI behavior** in a TDD loop
---
Next, we can take it one level further:
> Add a **text input** inside `` that updates the `name` property live when the user types.
xxx