feat: @template_tag and refactor how template tags are defined

docs/concepts/advanced/authoring_component_libraries.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Authoring component libraries
-weight: 8
+weight: 9
 ---
 
 You can publish and share your components for others to use. Below you will find the steps to do so.

docs/concepts/advanced/tag_formatter.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Tag formatters
-weight: 7
+weight: 8
 ---
 
 ## Customizing component tags with TagFormatter

docs/concepts/advanced/template_tags.md

@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+---
+title: Custom template tags
+weight: 7
+---
+
+Template tags introduced by django-components, such as `{% component %}` and `{% slot %}`,
+offer additional features over the default Django template tags:
+
+<!-- # TODO - Update docs regarding literal lists and dictionaries
+- Using literal lists and dictionaries
+- Comments inside and tag with `{# ... #}`
+-->
+- [Self-closing tags `{% mytag / %}`](../../fundamentals/template_tag_syntax#self-closing-tags)
+- [Allowing the use of `:`, `-` (and more) in keys](../../fundamentals/template_tag_syntax#special-characters)
+- [Spread operator `...`](../../fundamentals/template_tag_syntax#spread-operator)
+- [Using template tags as inputs to other template tags](../../fundamentals/template_tag_syntax#use-template-tags-inside-component-inputs)
+- [Flat definition of dictionaries `attr:key=val`](../../fundamentals/template_tag_syntax#pass-dictonary-by-its-key-value-pairs)
+- Function-like input validation
+
+You too can easily create custom template tags that use the above features.
+
+## Defining template tags with `@template_tag`
+
+The simplest way to create a custom template tag is using
+the [`template_tag`](../../../reference/api#django_components.template_tag) decorator.
+This decorator allows you to define a template tag by just writing a function that returns the rendered content.
+
+```python
+from django.template import Context, Library
+from django_components import BaseNode, template_tag
+
+library = Library()
+
+@template_tag(
+    library,
+    tag="mytag",
+    end_tag="endmytag",
+    allowed_flags=["required"]
+)
+def mytag(node: BaseNode, context: Context, name: str, **kwargs) -> str:
+    return f"Hello, {name}!"
+```
+
+This will allow you to use the tag in your templates like this:
+
+```django
+{% mytag name="John" %}
+{% endmytag %}
+
+{# or with self-closing syntax #}
+{% mytag name="John" / %}
+
+{# or with flags #}
+{% mytag name="John" required %}
+{% endmytag %}
+```
+
+### Parameters
+
+The `@template_tag` decorator accepts the following parameters:
+
+- `library`: The Django template library to register the tag with
+- `tag`: The name of the template tag (e.g. `"mytag"` for `{% mytag %}`)
+- `end_tag`: Optional. The name of the end tag (e.g. `"endmytag"` for `{% endmytag %}`)
+- `allowed_flags`: Optional. List of flags that can be used with the tag (e.g. `["required"]` for `{% mytag required %}`)
+
+### Function signature
+
+The function decorated with `@template_tag` must accept at least two arguments:
+
+1. `node`: The node instance (we'll explain this in detail in the next section)
+2. `context`: The Django template context
+
+Any additional parameters in your function's signature define what inputs your template tag accepts. For example:
+
+```python
+@template_tag(library, tag="greet")
+def greet(
+    node: BaseNode,
+    context: Context,
+    name: str,                    # required positional argument
+    count: int = 1,              # optional positional argument
+    *,                           # keyword-only arguments marker
+    msg: str,                    # required keyword argument
+    mode: str = "default",       # optional keyword argument
+) -> str:
+    return f"{msg}, {name}!" * count
+```
+
+This allows the tag to be used like:
+
+```django
+{# All parameters #}
+{% greet "John" count=2 msg="Hello" mode="custom" %}
+
+{# Only required parameters #}
+{% greet "John" msg="Hello" %}
+
+{# Missing required parameter - will raise error #}
+{% greet "John" %}  {# Error: missing 'msg' #}
+```
+
+When you pass input to a template tag, it behaves the same way as if you passed the input to a function:
+
+- If required parameters are missing, an error is raised
+- If unexpected parameters are passed, an error is raised
+
+To accept keys that are not valid Python identifiers (e.g. `data-id`), or would conflict with Python keywords (e.g. `is`), you can use the `**kwargs` syntax:
+
+```python
+@template_tag(library, tag="greet")
+def greet(
+    node: BaseNode,
+    context: Context,
+    **kwargs,
+) -> str:
+    attrs = kwargs.copy()
+    is_var = attrs.pop("is", None)
+    attrs_str = " ".join(f'{k}="{v}"' for k, v in attrs.items())
+
+    return mark_safe(f"""
+        <div {attrs_str}>
+            Hello, {is_var}!
+        </div>
+    """)
+```
+
+This allows you to use the tag like this:
+
+```django
+{% greet is="John" data-id="123" %}
+```
+
+## Defining template tags with `BaseNode`
+
+For more control over your template tag, you can subclass [`BaseNode`](../../../reference/api#django_components.BaseNode) directly instead of using the decorator. This gives you access to additional features like the node's internal state and parsing details.
+
+```python
+from django_components import BaseNode
+
+class GreetNode(BaseNode):
+    tag = "greet"
+    end_tag = "endgreet"
+    allowed_flags = ["required"]
+
+    def render(self, context: Context, name: str, **kwargs) -> str:
+        # Access node properties
+        if self.flags["required"]:
+            return f"Required greeting: Hello, {name}!"
+        return f"Hello, {name}!"
+
+# Register the node
+GreetNode.register(library)
+```
+
+### Node properties
+
+When using `BaseNode`, you have access to several useful properties:
+
+- `node_id`: A unique identifier for this node instance
+- `flags`: Dictionary of flag values (e.g. `{"required": True}`)
+- `params`: List of raw parameters passed to the tag
+- `nodelist`: The template nodes between the start and end tags
+- `active_flags`: List of flags that are currently set to True
+
+This is what the `node` parameter in the `@template_tag` decorator gives you access to - it's the instance of the node class that was automatically created for your template tag.
+
+### Rendering content between tags
+
+When your tag has an end tag, you can access and render the content between the tags using `nodelist`:
+
+```python
+class WrapNode(BaseNode):
+    tag = "wrap"
+    end_tag = "endwrap"
+
+    def render(self, context: Context, tag: str = "div", **attrs) -> str:
+        # Render the content between tags
+        inner = self.nodelist.render(context)
+        attrs_str = " ".join(f'{k}="{v}"' for k, v in attrs.items())
+        return f"<{tag} {attrs_str}>{inner}</{tag}>"
+
+# Usage:
+{% wrap tag="section" class="content" %}
+    Hello, world!
+{% endwrap %}
+```
+
+### Unregistering nodes
+
+You can unregister a node from a library using the `unregister` method:
+
+```python
+GreetNode.unregister(library)
+```
+
+This is particularly useful in testing when you want to clean up after registering temporary tags.

docs/scripts/reference.py

@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@
 
 from django_components import ComponentVars, TagFormatterABC
 from django_components.component import Component
+from django_components.node import BaseNode
 from django_components.util.misc import get_import_path
-from django_components.util.template_tag import TagSpec
 
 # NOTE: This file is an entrypoint for the `gen-files` plugin in `mkdocs.yml`.
 #       However, `gen-files` plugin runs this file as a script, NOT as a module.
@@ -504,17 +504,18 @@ def gen_reference_templatetags():
                 f"Import as\n```django\n{{% load {mod_name} %}}\n```\n\n"
             )
 
-            for name, obj in inspect.getmembers(tags_module):
+            for _, obj in inspect.getmembers(tags_module):
                 if not _is_template_tag(obj):
                     continue
 
-                tag_spec: TagSpec = obj._tag_spec
-                tag_signature = _format_tag_signature(tag_spec)
-                obj_lineno = inspect.findsource(obj)[1]
+                node_cls: BaseNode = obj
+                name = node_cls.tag
+                tag_signature = _format_tag_signature(node_cls)
+                obj_lineno = inspect.findsource(node_cls)[1]
                 source_code_link = _format_source_code_html(module_rel_path, obj_lineno)
 
                 # Use the tag's function's docstring
-                docstring = dedent(obj.__doc__ or "").strip()
+                docstring = dedent(node_cls.__doc__ or "").strip()
 
                 # Rebuild (almost) the same documentation than as if we used
                 # mkdocstrings' `::: path.to.module` syntax.
@@ -585,29 +586,29 @@ def _list_urls(urlpatterns: Sequence[Union[URLPattern, URLResolver]], prefix="")
     return urls
 
 
-def _format_tag_signature(tag_spec: TagSpec) -> str:
+def _format_tag_signature(node_cls: BaseNode) -> str:
     """
-    Given the TagSpec instance, format the tag's function signature like:
+    Given the Node class, format the tag's function signature like:
     ```django
-    {% component [arg, ...] **kwargs [only] %}
+    {% component arg1: int, arg2: str, *args, **kwargs: Any [only] %}
     {% endcomponent %}
     ```
     """
     # The signature returns a string like:
     # `(arg: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> None`
-    params_str = str(tag_spec.signature)
+    params_str = str(node_cls.signature)
     # Remove the return type annotation, the `-> None` part
     params_str = params_str.rsplit("->", 1)[0]
     # Remove brackets around the params, to end up only with `arg: Any, **kwargs: Any`
     params_str = params_str.strip()[1:-1]
 
-    if tag_spec.flags:
-        params_str += " " + " ".join([f"[{name}]" for name in tag_spec.flags])
+    if node_cls.allowed_flags:
+        params_str += " " + " ".join([f"[{name}]" for name in node_cls.allowed_flags])
 
     # Create the function signature
-    full_tag = "{% " + tag_spec.tag + " " + params_str + " %}"
-    if tag_spec.end_tag:
-        full_tag += f"\n{{% {tag_spec.end_tag} %}}"
+    full_tag = "{% " + node_cls.tag + " " + params_str + " %}"
+    if node_cls.end_tag:
+        full_tag += f"\n{{% {node_cls.end_tag} %}}"
 
     return full_tag
 
@@ -722,7 +723,7 @@ def _is_tag_formatter_instance(obj: Any) -> bool:
 
 
 def _is_template_tag(obj: Any) -> bool:
-    return callable(obj) and hasattr(obj, "_tag_spec")
+    return inspect.isclass(obj) and issubclass(obj, BaseNode)
 
 
 def gen_reference():

src/django_components/__init__.py

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from django_components.components import DynamicComponent
 from django_components.dependencies import render_dependencies
 from django_components.library import TagProtectedError
+from django_components.node import BaseNode, template_tag
 from django_components.slots import SlotContent, Slot, SlotFunc, SlotRef, SlotResult
 from django_components.tag_formatter import (
     ComponentFormatter,
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@
     "AlreadyRegistered",
     "autodiscover",
     "cached_template",
+    "BaseNode",
     "ContextBehavior",
     "ComponentsSettings",
     "Component",
@@ -72,5 +74,6 @@
     "TagFormatterABC",
     "TagProtectedError",
     "TagResult",
+    "template_tag",
     "types",
 ]