Getting Started with the Vue File Manager Component in Vue 3

21 Jul 20268 minutes to read

This article provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Vite project with a JavaScript environment and integrating the Vue File Manager component using the Composition API / Options API.

The Composition API is a new feature introduced in Vue.js 3 that provides an alternative way to organize and reuse component logic. It allows developers to write components as functions that use smaller, reusable functions called composition functions to manage their properties and behavior.

The Options API is the traditional way of writing Vue.js components, where the component logic is organized into a series of options that define the component’s properties and behavior. These options include data, methods, computed properties, watchers, life cycle hooks, and more.

To get started quickly with Vue File Manager, you can check on this video:

Prerequisites

Requirement Version
Vue 2.6 or higher
Node.js 16.0.0 or above

Vue supported versions

Vue version Minimum Syncfusion Vue File Manager version
Vue v2.7 20.3.47 and above
Vue v3.0 19.2.44 and above

Browser Support

Browser Supported versions
Chrome Latest
Firefox Latest
Opera Latest
Edge 13+
Internet Explorer (IE) 11+
Safari 9+
iOS Safari 9+
Android Browser / Chrome for Android 4.4+
Windows Mobile IE 11+

Set up the Vite project

A recommended approach for beginning with Vue is to scaffold a project using Vite. To create a new Vite project, use one of the commands that are specific to either NPM or Yarn.

npm create vite@latest

or

yarn create vite

Using one of the above commands will lead you to set up additional configurations for the project as below:

1.Define the project name: We can specify the name of the project directly. Let’s specify the name of the project as my-project for this article.

? Project name: » my-project

2.Select Vue as the framework. It will create a Vue 3 project.

? Select a framework: » - Use arrow-keys. Return to submit.
Vanilla
> Vue
  React
  Preact
  Lit
  Svelte
  Others

3.Choose JavaScript as the framework variant to build this Vite project using JavaScript and Vue.

? Select a variant: » - Use arrow-keys. Return to submit.
> JavaScript
  TypeScript
  Customize with create-vue ↗
  Nuxt ↗

4.Install dependencies and start the dev server.

Install with npm and start now?: Yes

Since you selected Yes, the development server should start automatically. If you selected No, please follow these steps to set up and start the project manually:

cd my-project
npm install

or

cd my-project
yarn install

Now that my-project is ready to run with default settings, let’s add Vue components to the project.

Add Syncfusion® Vue packages

To install the Vue File Manager component, use the following command:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-vue-filemanager --save

or

yarn add @syncfusion/ej2-vue-filemanager

Import Syncfusion® CSS styles

Themes for Syncfusion® File Manager components can be applied using CSS files provided through npm theme packages. For available themes, refer to the Themes documentation.

Install the Material 3 theme package using the following command:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme --save

Then add the following CSS reference to the src/App.vue file:

<style>
    @import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme/styles/file-manager/index.css";
</style>

The order of CSS imports matters. Import base styles first, then component-specific styles. Missing CSS imports can result in misaligned layouts, buttons without styling, or missing visual elements in popups and dialogs.

Add Syncfusion® Vue component

Add the following code to the src/App.vue file. The Composition API and Options API variants are shown below; choose the one that matches your project style.

To enable file operation functionality in the File Manager, configure the url property within the ajaxSettings. This URL handles the file operation requests from the server.

<template>
    <div id="app">
        <ejs-filemanager id="file-manager" :ajaxSettings="ajaxSettings">
        </ejs-filemanager>
    </div>
</template>
<script setup>
import { FileManagerComponent as EjsFilemanager} from "@syncfusion/ej2-vue-filemanager";

const ajaxSettings = {
    url: "https://physical-service.syncfusion.com/api/FileManager/FileOperations"
}

</script>
<style>
    @import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme/styles/file-manager/index.css";
</style>
<template>
    <div id="app">
        <ejs-filemanager id="file-manager" :ajaxSettings="ajaxSettings">
        </ejs-filemanager>
    </div>
</template>
<script>
import { FileManagerComponent } from "@syncfusion/ej2-vue-filemanager";

export default {
    name: "App",
    components: {
        "ejs-filemanager":FileManagerComponent
    },
    data () {
        return {
           ajaxSettings:
            {
                url: "https://physical-service.syncfusion.com/api/FileManager/FileOperations"
            }
        }
    }
}
</script>
<style>
    @import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme/styles/file-manager/index.css";
</style>

Server-side setup

The sample uses https://physical-service.syncfusion.com/api/FileManager/FileOperations as the url endpoint in ajaxSettings.

To use your own files, host a File Manager service and replace the url value with your service endpoint. See the File System Provider documentation for setup details.

Registering Your Syncfusion License

Generate a license key from the Syncfusion License Dashboard and register it before rendering your Vue 3 application:

```javascript
import { registerLicense } from '@syncfusion/ej2-base';

registerLicense('YOUR_LICENSE_KEY');
```

Note: A valid Syncfusion license is required for production use. Without a valid license, a trial license warning message will be displayed.

Run the project

To run the project, use the following command:

npm run dev

or

yarn run dev

For migrating from Vue 2 to Vue 3, refer to the migration documentation.

Production build

To create an optimized production build:

npm run build

Preview the production build locally by serving the generated dist folder with a static server:

npx serve dist

Troubleshooting

  • File Manager not rendering styles: Ensure the theme CSS is imported in src/App.vue and that you removed any default Vue CLI starter styles that may override the File Manager styles.
  • Trial license warning banner: Register a license key via registerLicense() from @syncfusion/ej2-base.
  • Port 8080 already in use: Stop the conflicting process or run the Vue CLI dev server on a different port with npm run serve -- --port 3000.

See also