freya

Freya Best Practices

Freya is a cross-platform, native, declarative GUI library for Rust.

General rules:

• Do not write unnecessary comments in code.
• Do not use em dashes.
• Be simple, elegant, and concise.

Start by asking the user what they would like to do:

• Lint and improve existing code
• Refactor existing code
• Add a new feature

Components

Struct Components (for stateful UI)

#[derive(PartialEq)]
struct Counter {
    initial: i32,
}

impl Component for Counter {
    fn render(&self) -> impl IntoElement {
        let mut count = use_state(|| self.initial);
        label()
            .on_mouse_up(move |_| *count.write() += 1)
            .text(format!("Count: {}", count.read()))
    }
}

• #[derive(PartialEq)] is required - Freya uses it to skip re-rendering unchanged subtrees.
• Implement KeyExt and ChildrenExt when the component can be keyed or accept children.

Function Components (app root or stateless helpers)

fn app() -> impl IntoElement {
    rect().child("Hello, World!")
}

Pass data from main via the App trait:

struct MyApp { number: u8 }

impl App for MyApp {
    fn render(&self) -> impl IntoElement {
        label().text(self.number.to_string())
    }
}

Utility Functions (stateless, no hooks needed)

fn colored_label(color: Color, text: &str) -> impl IntoElement {
    label().color(color).text(text.to_string())
}

Use plain functions when you only need to reuse a chunk of UI with no internal state. Use a Component when you need hooks or render optimization.

Element Builder Pattern

Elements use a fluent builder API. Never store an element in a variable to modify it later - chain all methods directly or use .when / .map.

// Good
rect()
    .background((255, 0, 0))
    .width(Size::fill())
    .height(Size::px(100.))
    .center()       // centers children both axes
    .expanded()     // fills available space in parent's main axis
    .maybe(is_active, |r| r.child("Active"))
    .map(some_value, |r, v| r.child(v.to_string()))

// Bad - storing to modify later
let mut element = rect();

Common layout shorthands: .center() centers children on both axes; .expanded() makes the element fill all remaining space along the parent's main axis (equivalent to flex: 1 in CSS).

Conditional and Dynamic Rendering

rect()
    .maybe(show_badge, |r| r.child("New"))          // bool condition
    .map(large_size, |r, size| r.height(size))       // Option<T>, passes value
    .maybe_child(optional_element)                   // Option<impl IntoElement>

• .maybe(bool, |el| el) - applies the callback when the condition is true
• .map(Option<T>, |el, val| el) - applies the callback when the Option is Some, passing the inner value
• .maybe_child(Option<impl IntoElement>) - appends a child only when Some

Labels from &str and String

&str and String implement Into<Label>, so prefer passing them directly instead of constructing a label():

rect().child("Hello")               // preferred
rect().child(label().text("Hello")) // unnecessary

Hooks

Hooks are prefixed with use_ (e.g. use_state, use_animation). Follow these rules:

1. Only call hooks at the top level of render - never inside conditionals, loops, or closures.
2. Hooks must be called in the same order on every render.
3. Never call hooks inside event handlers - call them at the top of render and capture the values in move closures instead.
4. Never call hooks inside loops - the number of hook calls must be constant across renders.
5. Never call hooks outside of components - hooks only work inside a render method or a function component.
6. Never call hooks inside async tasks - spawn callbacks are async and cannot call hooks; capture state before spawning. Some hooks have non-hook counterparts that are safe to call in async contexts (e.g. use_consume → consume_context()).

Capture hook values in move closures for event handlers:

let mut state = use_state(|| false);
let on_click = move |_| state.set(true); // capture, not call inside handler
rect().on_mouse_up(on_click)

State Management

Local State

let mut count = use_state(|| 0);
*count.write() += 1;    // write
let n = *count.read();  // read
count.set(5);           // convenience setter

use_state returns a Copy type (State<T>). No .clone() needed when passing it around.

Pass local state to child components:

#[derive(PartialEq)]
struct Child(State<i32>);

Global State - Freya Radio

Use Freya Radio for large or deeply nested app state where you need surgical, fine-grained updates - only the components subscribed to a specific channel re-render when that channel changes. This makes it well-suited for complex UIs (e.g. a tab system where each tab has independent state, or a big data model where different parts of the UI subscribe to different slices).

Define your state and a channel enum that maps to the parts of the state that can change independently:

#[derive(Default, Clone)]
struct AppState {
    count: i32,
    name: String,
}

#[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Clone, Debug, Copy, Hash)]
enum AppChannel {
    Count,
    Name,
}

impl RadioChannel<AppState> for AppChannel {}

Initialize once in the root component, then subscribe from any descendant:

// Root
use_init_radio_station::<AppState, AppChannel>(AppState::default);

// Any component - only re-renders when AppChannel::Count changes
let mut radio = use_radio(AppChannel::Count);
radio.read().count;
radio.write().count += 1;

For channels where a write to one should also notify subscribers of another, override derive_channel:

impl RadioChannel<AppState> for AppChannel {
    fn derive_channel(self, _state: &AppState) -> Vec<Self> {
        match self {
            // Writing to Count also notifies Name subscribers
            AppChannel::Count => vec![self, AppChannel::Name],
            AppChannel::Name => vec![self],
        }
    }
}

For complex state transitions, implement the reducer pattern with DataReducer:

impl DataReducer for AppState {
    type Channel = AppChannel;
    type Action = AppAction;

    fn reduce(&mut self, action: AppAction) -> ChannelSelection<AppChannel> {
        match action {
            AppAction::Increment => { self.count += 1; }
            AppAction::SetName(n) => { self.name = n; }
        }
        ChannelSelection::Current
    }
}

// Then in a component:
radio.apply(AppAction::Increment);

Readable / Writable (type-erased abstractions)

Use Readable<T> / Writable<T> as component props when the component should accept state from any source:

#[derive(PartialEq)]
struct NameInput { name: Writable<String> }

// Caller passes either local state or radio slice:
NameInput { name: local_name.into_writable() }
NameInput { name: name_slice.into_writable() }

Context API

Use context to make a value available to any descendant component without threading it through every prop. Prefer this over static variables, thread_local!, or global singletons - context is scoped to the component tree and plays well with Freya's reactivity.

// Provider: stores the value and makes it available to all descendants
fn app() -> impl IntoElement {
    use_provide_context(|| AppConfig { theme: Theme::Dark });
    rect().child(DeepChild {})
}

// Consumer: retrieve by type, walks up the tree until found
#[derive(PartialEq)]
struct DeepChild;
impl Component for DeepChild {
    fn render(&self) -> impl IntoElement {
        let config = use_consume::<AppConfig>();
        format!("Theme: {:?}", config.theme)
    }
}

Use use_try_consume::<T>() when the context may not be present. If context is not found, use_consume panics.

Context values are identified by type, so each distinct type gets its own slot. Providing the same type again in a deeper component shadows the ancestor's value for that subtree.

Context is the right tool for dependency injection (e.g. passing a DB client, config, or theme down the tree). For reactive shared state use Freya Radio; for passing state between a parent and immediate children, plain props or State<T> are simpler.

Choosing state type

• use_state - component-local state
• Context API - dependency injection and non-reactive shared values across the tree; prefer over statics
• Freya Radio - large/nested state, surgical per-channel updates, multi-window
• Readable/Writable - reusable components that don't care about backing storage

Derived State and Side Effects

For simple derived values, compute them directly in render - no hook needed:

let doubled = *count.read() * 2;

For expensive computations that should only re-run when their dependencies change, use use_memo. It subscribes to any State read inside the callback and caches the result:

let expensive = use_memo(move || {
    let n = *count.read(); // subscribed - reruns when count changes
    compute_something(n)
});
let value = expensive.read();

For side effects that should re-run when state changes (e.g. logging, triggering external systems), use use_side_effect. Do not use it to sync one state into another - derive values directly or use use_memo instead:

use_side_effect(move || {
    let value = *count.read(); // subscribed
    println!("count changed: {value}");
});

Async

Spawning tasks

Use Freya's spawn() (not tokio::spawn) for async work that updates the UI. Tasks spawned with spawn() are tied to Freya's reactivity system and can safely write to component state:

let mut data = use_state(|| None);

use_hook(move || {
    spawn(async move {
        let result = fetch_something().await;
        data.set(Some(result));
    });
});

use_hook runs once on mount, making it the right place for one-shot side effects. spawn returns a TaskHandle you can cancel if needed.

Async functions in components

Components and hooks are synchronous - you cannot await inside render. Prefer use_future for typical async work (see below). Only reach for use_hook + spawn when you need fine-grained control over the task lifecycle:

// Only when you need manual control
use_hook(move || {
    spawn(async move {
        let s = some_async_fn().await;
        result.set(s);
    });
});

use_future

use_future wraps this pattern: it starts an async task on mount and exposes its state as FutureState<D> (Pending, Loading, Fulfilled(D)):

let task = use_future(|| async {
    fetch_user(42).await
});

match &*task.state() {
    FutureState::Pending | FutureState::Loading => "Loading...",
    FutureState::Fulfilled(user) => user.name.as_str(),
}

Call task.start() to restart and task.cancel() to stop it.

freya-query (cached async data)

For data that should be cached, deduplicated, and automatically refetched, use freya-query (features = ["query"]):

// Define the query
#[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Hash, Eq)]
struct FetchUser;

impl QueryCapability for FetchUser {
    type Ok = String;
    type Err = String;
    type Keys = u32;

    async fn run(&self, user_id: &u32) -> Result<String, String> {
        Ok(format!("User {user_id}"))
    }
}

// Use it in a component
impl Component for UserProfile {
    fn render(&self) -> impl IntoElement {
        let query = use_query(Query::new(self.0, FetchUser));

        match &*query.read().state() {
            QueryStateData::Pending => "Loading...",
            QueryStateData::Settled { res, .. } => res.as_deref().unwrap_or("Error"),
            QueryStateData::Loading { .. } => "Refreshing...",
        }
    }
}

Multiple components using the same (capability, keys) pair share one cache entry. Invalidate with query.invalidate() or QueriesStorage::<FetchUser>::invalidate_all().await.

For write operations, use use_mutation + MutationCapability. The on_settled callback is the right place to invalidate related queries after a mutation.

Prefer freya-query over manual use_future + state when you need caching, background refetch, or deduplication.

Tokio integration

Freya has its own async runtime. To use Tokio-ecosystem crates (reqwest, sqlx, etc.), enter a Tokio runtime context in main before launching:

fn main() {
    let rt = tokio::runtime::Builder::new_multi_thread().enable_all().build().unwrap();
    let _guard = rt.enter(); // keep alive for the whole program

    launch(LaunchConfig::new().with_window(WindowConfig::new(app)))
}

Use Freya's spawn() for UI updates. tokio::spawn runs on the Tokio runtime and cannot update component state.

Keying

Use .key(id) on elements in dynamic lists to ensure correct reconciliation on reorders:

VirtualScrollView::new(|i, _| {
    rect()
        .key(i)
        .child(format!("Item {i}"))
        .into()
})
.length(items.len())

Missing .key() in dynamic lists causes element misidentification during reorders.

Internationalization (freya-i18n)

Enable with features = ["i18n"]. Uses Fluent (.ftl files) for translations.

1. Define .ftl files:

# en-US.ftl
hello_world = Hello, World!
hello = Hello, { $name }!

2. Initialize once in the root component:

use freya::i18n::*;

let mut i18n = use_init_i18n(|| {
    I18nConfig::new(langid!("en-US"))
        .with_locale(Locale::new_static(langid!("en-US"), include_str!("../i18n/en-US.ftl")))
        .with_locale(Locale::new_static(langid!("es-ES"), include_str!("../i18n/es-ES.ftl")))
        .with_fallback(langid!("en-US"))
});

3. Translate in any descendant component:

// t! panics if key missing, te! returns Result, tid! falls back to the key string
t!("hello_world")                  // "Hello, World!"
t!("hello", name: {"Alice"})       // "Hello, Alice!"
te!("hello_world")                 // Ok("Hello, World!")
tid!("missing-key")                // "message-id: missing-key should be translated"

4. Switch language at runtime:

let mut i18n = I18n::get(); // retrieve from any descendant
i18n.set_language(langid!("es-ES"));

For multi-window apps, create with I18n::create_global in main and share with use_share_i18n.

Animations

Use use_animation for manual control and use_animation_transition to animate between two values reactively:

// Manual: call .start() / .reverse() yourself
let mut anim = use_animation(|_| AnimColor::new((240, 240, 240), (200, 80, 80)).time(400));
rect().background(&*anim.read()).on_press(move |_| anim.start())

// Transition: re-runs automatically when the tracked value changes
let color = use_animation_transition(is_active, |from, to| AnimColor::new(from, to).time(300));
rect().background(&*color.read())

Animate colors (AnimColor), sizes, positions, and other numeric properties. Easing functions and sequencing are supported.

Routing

Enable with features = ["router"]. Define routes with #[derive(Routable)], render them with router::<Route>(), place the current page with outlet::<Route>(), and navigate with Link or RouterContext::get().replace(...):

#[derive(Routable, Clone, PartialEq)]
enum Route {
    #[route("/")]
    Home,
    #[route("/settings")]
    Settings,
}

fn app() -> impl IntoElement {
    router::<Route>(|| RouterConfig::default())
}

Headless Testing

freya-testing lets you test components without a window. Use TestingRunner to mount a component, simulate interactions, and assert on state:

use freya_testing::prelude::*;

let (mut runner, state) = TestingRunner::new(app, (300., 300.).into(), |r| {
    r.provide_root_context(|| State::create(0))
}, 1.);

runner.sync_and_update();
runner.click_cursor((15., 15.));
assert_eq!(*state.peek(), 1);

Call runner.render_to_file("out.png") to snapshot the current UI.

Icons

Enable with features = ["icons"]. Uses Lucide icons rendered as SVGs:

use freya::icons;

svg(icons::lucide::antenna()).color((120, 50, 255)).expanded()

Rich Text Editing

Use use_editable to manage a text editor with cursor, selection, keyboard shortcuts, and virtualization. Wire it to a paragraph() element's event handlers and feed EditableEvents from mouse/keyboard events. See examples/ for full wiring.

Code Editor

Enable with features = ["code-editor"]. CodeEditorData holds a Rope-backed buffer with tree-sitter syntax highlighting. Pass it to the CodeEditor component:

let editor = use_state(|| {
    let mut e = CodeEditorData::new(Rope::from_str(src), LanguageId::Rust);
    e.parse();
    e.measure(14., "Jetbrains Mono");
    e
});
CodeEditor::new(editor, focus.a11y_id())

Plotting

Enable with features = ["plot"]. Use the plot() element with a RenderCallback and draw into it using the Plotters API via PlotSkiaBackend:

plot(RenderCallback::new(|ctx| {
    let backend = PlotSkiaBackend::new(ctx.canvas, ctx.font_collection, size).into_drawing_area();
    // ... Plotters drawing code
})).expanded()

Material Design

Enable with features = ["material-design"]. Adds style modifiers like .ripple() to built-in components:

use freya::material_design::*;
Button::new().ripple().child("Click me")

WebView

Enable with features = ["webview"]. Embeds a browser view into your UI:

use freya::webview::*;
WebView::new("https://example.com").expanded()

Terminal

Enable with features = ["terminal"]. Spawns a PTY process and renders it as a terminal:

use freya::terminal::*;
let mut cmd = CommandBuilder::new("bash");
cmd.env("TERM", "xterm-256color");
let handle = TerminalHandle::new(TerminalId::new(), cmd, None).ok();
// Render with Terminal::new(handle) and forward keyboard events via handle.write_key()

Developer Tools

Enable with features = ["devtools"]. Adds a real-time component tree inspector. Run the devtools app alongside your app to examine layout, props, and state.

Crate Features

Add to your Cargo.toml as needed:

freya = { version = "...", features = ["router", "radio"] }

Feature	What it enables
router	Page routing (freya-router)
i18n	Internationalization via Fluent (freya-i18n)
remote-asset	Load images/assets from remote URLs
radio	Global state management (freya-radio)
query	Async data fetching with caching (freya-query)
sdk	Generic utility APIs (freya-sdk)
plot	Chart/plotting via Plotters (freya-plotters-backend)
gif	Animated GIF support in GifViewer
calendar	Calendar date-picker component
markdown	Markdown renderer component
icons	SVG icon library via Lucide (freya-icons)
material-design	Material Design theme (freya-material-design)
webview	Embed a WebView (freya-webview)
terminal	Terminal emulator (freya-terminal)
code-editor	Code editing APIs (freya-code-editor)
tray	System tray support
titlebar	Custom window titlebar component
devtools	Developer tools overlay
performance	Performance monitoring plugin
hotpath	Hot-path optimization
all	All of the above (except devtools/performance/hotpath)

Further Reference

• AGENTS.md (also symlinked as CLAUDE.md) in the repo root - authoritative dev workflow and Rust conventions for working on Freya itself.
• crates/freya/src/_docs/ - in-source documentation for hooks, state management, components, routing, animations, and more.
• examples/ - 150+ working examples covering every feature.