Storybook with AEM

[aanchal-sikka]

Hello,

We have a requirement to use Storybook for quick AEM UI updates.

Could someone please guide on how:

•  to use Storybook with ui.frontend modules? the documentation doesn't give details on how to do it
• How would it impact the existing components? What customizations would be needed?
• Any guidelines on how to implement it.

[kautuk_sahni · Accepted solution]

My 2 Cents:

How to use Storybook with AEM ui.frontend modules:

1. Install Storybook:

   Install Storybook and its dependencies within your AEM project's ui.frontend module. Follow the standard Storybook installation instructions.

2. Configure Storybook:

   Create a Storybook configuration file to define the component loading, addon registration, and storybook settings. This file typically resides in the src directory of the ui.frontend module.

3. Load AEM Components:

   Specify the location of your AEM components within the Storybook configuration. This allows Storybook to discover and load your components for development and documentation.

4. Register Addons:

   Register any desired Storybook addons to enhance the component development experience. Common addons include @storybook/addon-docs for documentation generation and @storybook/addon-controls for interactive controls.

5. Customize Storybook:

   Customize Storybook's appearance and behavior to suit your project's needs and preferences. You can modify themes, configure storybook settings, and add custom scripts or styles.

Impact on Existing AEM Components:

Integrating Storybook with AEM doesn't directly impact existing components. However, it encourages a more organized and documented approach to component development. Storybook promotes component isolation, reusability, and consistent styling, which can improve the overall quality and maintainability of your AEM UI.

• Storybook doesn't directly modify existing components. It serves as a development environment for isolating, documenting, and testing UI components.
• Components remain as they are, with Storybook providing a visual representation and interactive playground for development and testing.

Customizations for AEM Integration:

• AEM Component Integration: Develop a custom Storybook addon or utilize existing addons like @storybook/aem to integrate seamlessly with AEM components and their AEM-specific properties.

• AEM Component Rendering: Configure Storybook to render AEM components within the context of an AEM-like environment, ensuring accurate rendering and behavior when integrated into AEM.

• AEM-Specific Storybook Configuration: Create AEM-specific storybook configuration options to handle AEM-specific requirements, such as component data binding and integration with AEM's templating engine.

Implementation Guidelines for AEM:

1. Start Gradually: Begin by incorporating Storybook for newly developed components rather than attempting to retrofit an entire existing codebase.

2. Adopt Storybook Practices: Encourage developers to write comprehensive stories, utilize addons like documentation and controls, and leverage Storybook for component testing.

3. Integrate with AEM Build Process: Integrate Storybook into your AEM build process to ensure that storybook artifacts are generated and deployed along with your AEM modules.

4. Maintain Consistency: Maintain consistent naming conventions, styling, and documentation practices for both components and stories.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively integrate Storybook with your AEM ui.frontend modules, enhancing your UI development process and creating a well-documented component library within the AEM ecosystem.

Important Link: https://github.com/storybookjs/aem 

[Alekhya_Surabat]

@kautuk_sahni  If I updated any policies in AEM is there any way that storybook can also update with that policy?

[kautuk_sahni]

@Alekhya_Surabat 

No, there is no way for Storybook to automatically update with policy changes in AEM. Storybook is a separate application that is not integrated with AEM. However, there are a few ways to keep Storybook in sync with AEM policy changes.

Option 1: Manually update Storybook

You can manually update Storybook by exporting the AEM policies and importing them into Storybook. This is a good option if you only need to update Storybook occasionally.

Option 2: Use a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline

You can use a CI/CD pipeline to automatically update Storybook whenever there are changes to AEM policies. This is a good option if you need to update Storybook frequently.

[SurenCap]

As the only reference implementation https://github.com/storybookjs/aem is in Public Archive and not updated for over 4 years, are there any options to create storybook js stories for components built using classic Core components and HTL?   

[kautuk_sahni]

@aanchal-sikka Is the information shared with you helpful? Of you have found out the solution yourself, please share it with the community.

[kharman]

Hello Kautuk,

Do we know if this works for AEM SPA Editor React components?

Can this be used non-intrusively to test the components in the AEM SPA Editor setup?

Regards,

Manish