Angular rich text editor component

Angular is a TypeScript-based, open-source, single-page web application framework. The CKEditor 5 component for Angular supports integrating different editor types.

# Quick start

# Setting up the project

This guide assumes you already have a Angular project. To create such a project, you can use Angular CLI. Refer to the Angular documentation to learn more.

# Installing from npm

First, install the CKEditor 5 packages:

• ckeditor5 – package with open-source plugins and features.
• ckeditor5-premium-features – package with premium plugins and features.

Depending on your configuration and chosen plugins, you may need to install the first or both packages.

npm install ckeditor5 ckeditor5-premium-features

Then, install the CKEditor 5 WYSIWYG editor component for Angular:

npm install @ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular

The following setup differs depending on the type of components you use.

# Standalone components

Standalone components provide a simplified way to build Angular applications. They are enabled in Angular 17 by default. Standalone components aim to simplify the setup and reduce the need for NGModules. That is why you do not need such a module in this case.

Instead, add the CKEditorModule to the imports in your app component. The component needs the standalone option set to true. The example below shows how to use the component with open-source and premium plugins.

// app.component.ts

import { Component, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
import { CKEditorModule } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular';
import { ClassicEditor, Bold, Essentials, Italic, Mention, Paragraph, Undo } from 'ckeditor5';
import { SlashCommand } from 'ckeditor5-premium-features';

@Component( {
    selector: 'app-root',
    templateUrl: './app.component.html',
    styleUrls: ['./app.component.css'],
    encapsulation: ViewEncapsulation.None,
    imports: [ CKEditorModule ],
    standalone: true
} )
export class AppComponent {
    title = 'angular';

    public Editor = ClassicEditor;
    public config = {
        toolbar: [ 'undo', 'redo', '|', 'bold', 'italic' ],
        plugins: [
            Bold, Essentials, Italic, Mention, Paragraph, SlashCommand, Undo
        ],
        licenseKey: '<YOUR_LICENSE_KEY>',
        // mention: {
        //     Mention configuration
        // }
    }
}

Depending on the plugins used (open source only or premium too), you may need to import the first or both CSS files. Angular, by default, scopes styles to a particular component. Because of that, the editor may not detect attached styles. You must set the encapsulation option to ViewEncapsulation.None to turn this scoping off.

/* app.component.css */

@import 'ckeditor5/ckeditor5.css';
@import 'ckeditor5-premium-features/ckeditor5-premium-features.css';

Then, use the <ckeditor> tag in the template to run the rich text editor:

<!-- app.component.html -->

<ckeditor [editor]="Editor" [config]="config" data="<p>Hello, world!</p>"></ckeditor>

# NGModule components

If you want to use NGModule components, add the CKEditorModule to the imports array. It will make the CKEditor 5 component available in your Angular application.

// app.module.ts

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { CKEditorModule } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular';

import { AppComponent } from './app.component';

@NgModule( {
    declarations: [
        AppComponent
    ],
    imports: [
        BrowserModule,
        CKEditorModule
    ],
    providers: [],
    bootstrap: [ AppComponent ]
} )
export class AppModule { }

Then, import the editor in your Angular component and assign it to a public property to make it accessible from the template. The below example shows how to use the component with open-source and premium plugins.

// app.component.ts

import { Component, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
import { ClassicEditor, Bold, Essentials, Italic, Mention, Paragraph, Undo } from 'ckeditor5';
import { SlashCommand } from 'ckeditor5-premium-features';

@Component( {
    selector: 'app-root',
    templateUrl: './app.component.html',
    styleUrls: [ './app.component.css' ],
    encapsulation: ViewEncapsulation.None
} )
export class AppComponent {
    title = 'angular';

    public Editor = ClassicEditor;
    public config = {
        toolbar: [ 'undo', 'redo', '|', 'bold', 'italic' ],
        plugins: [
            Bold, Essentials, Italic, Mention, Paragraph, SlashCommand, Undo
        ],
        licenseKey: '<YOUR_LICENSE_KEY>',
        // mention: {
        //     Mention configuration
        // }
    }
}

Depending on the plugins you used, you may need to import the first or both CSS files. Angular, by default, scope styles to a particular component. Because of that, the editor may not detect attached styles. You must set the encapsulation option to ViewEncapsulation.None to turn this scoping off.

/* app.component.css */

@import 'ckeditor5/ckeditor5.css';
@import 'ckeditor5-premium-features/ckeditor5-premium-features.css';

Finally, use the <ckeditor> tag in the template to run the rich text editor:

<!-- app.component.html -->

<ckeditor [editor]="Editor" [config]="config" data="<p>Hello, world!</p>"></ckeditor>

# Supported @Input properties

The following @Input properties are supported by the CKEditor 5 rich text editor component for Angular:

# editor (required)

The Editor which provides the static create() method to create an instance of the editor:

<ckeditor [editor]="Editor"></ckeditor>

# config

The configuration of the editor:

<ckeditor [config]="{ toolbar: [ 'heading', '|', 'bold', 'italic' ] }"></ckeditor>

# data

The initial data of the editor. It can be a static value:

<ckeditor data="<p>Hello, world!</p>"></ckeditor>

or a shared parent component’s property

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public editorData = '<p>Hello, world!</p>';
    // ...
}

<ckeditor [data]="editorData"></ckeditor>

# tagName

The tag name of the HTML element on which the rich text editor will be created.

The default tag is <div>.

<ckeditor tagName="textarea"></ckeditor>

# disabled

Controls the editor’s read–only state:

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public isDisabled = false;
    // ...
    toggleDisabled() {
        this.isDisabled = !this.isDisabled
    }
}

<ckeditor [disabled]="isDisabled"></ckeditor>

<button (click)="toggleDisabled()">
    {{ isDisabled ? 'Enable editor' : 'Disable editor' }}
</button>

# watchdog

An instance of the ContextWatchdog class that is responsible for providing the same context to multiple editor instances and restarting the whole structure in case of crashes.

import CKSource from 'path/to/custom/build';

const Context = CKSource.Context;
const Editor = CKSource.Editor;
const ContextWatchdog = CKSource.ContextWatchdog;

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public editor = Editor;
    public watchdog: any;
    public ready = false;

    ngOnInit() {
        const contextConfig = {};

        this.watchdog = new ContextWatchdog( Context );

        this.watchdog.create( contextConfig )
            .then( () => {
                this.ready = true;
            } );
    }
}

<div *ngIf="ready">
    <ckeditor [watchdog]="watchdog"></ckeditor>
    <ckeditor [watchdog]="watchdog"></ckeditor>
    <ckeditor [watchdog]="watchdog"></ckeditor>
</div>

# editorWatchdogConfig

If the watchdog property is not used, EditorWatchdog will be used by default. editorWatchdogConfig property allows for passing a config to that watchdog.

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public myWatchdogConfig = {
        crashNumberLimit: 5,
        // ...
    };
    // ...
}

<ckeditor [editorWatchdogConfig]="myWatchdogConfig"></ckeditor>

# disableTwoWayDataBinding

Allows disabling the two-way data binding mechanism. The default value is false.

The reason for the introduction of this option are performance issues in large documents. By default, while using the ngModel directive, whenever the editor’s data is changed, the component must synchronize the data between the editor instance and the connected property. This results in calling the editor.getData() function, which causes a massive slowdown while typing in large documents.

This option allows the integrator to disable the default behavior and only call the editor.getData() method on demand, which prevents the slowdowns. You can read more in the relevant issue.

# Supported @Output properties

The following @Output properties are supported by the CKEditor 5 rich text editor component for Angular:

# ready

Fired when the editor is ready. It corresponds with the editor#ready event.
It is fired with the editor instance.

Note that this method might be called multiple times. Apart from initialization, it is also called whenever the editor is restarted after a crash. Do not keep the reference to the editor instance internally, because it will change in case of restart. Instead, you should use watchdog.editor property.

# change

Fired when the content of the editor has changed. It corresponds with the editor.model.document#change:data event.
It is fired with an object containing the editor and the CKEditor 5 change:data event object.

<ckeditor [editor]="Editor" (change)="onChange($event)"></ckeditor>

import { ClassicEditor } from 'ckeditor5';
import { ChangeEvent } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular/ckeditor.component';

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public Editor = ClassicEditor;

    public onChange( { editor }: ChangeEvent ) {
        const data = editor.getData();

        console.log( data );
    }
    // ...
}

# blur

Fired when the editing view of the editor is blurred. It corresponds with the editor.editing.view.document#blur event.
It is fired with an object containing the editor and the CKEditor 5 blur event data.

# focus

Fired when the editing view of the editor is focused. It corresponds with the editor.editing.view.document#focus event.
It is fired with an object containing the editor and the CKEditor 5 focus event data.

# error

Fired when the editor crashes. Once the editor is crashed, the internal watchdog mechanism restarts the editor and fires the ready event.

# Integration with ngModel

The component implements the ControlValueAccessor interface and works with the ngModel. Here is how to use it:

Create some model in your component to share with the editor:

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public model = {
        editorData: '<p>Hello, world!</p>'
    };
    // ...
}

Use the model in the template to enable a two–way data binding:

<ckeditor [(ngModel)]="model.editorData" [editor]="Editor"></ckeditor>

# Styling

The CKEditor 5 rich text editor component for Angular can be styled using the component style sheet or using a global style sheet. See how to set the CKEditor 5 component’s height using these two approaches.

# Setting the height via the component style sheet

First, create a (S)CSS file in the parent component’s directory and style the given editor’s part preceded by the :host and ::ng-deep pseudo selectors:

/* src/app/app.component.css */

:host ::ng-deep .ck-editor__editable_inline {
    min-height: 500px;
}

Then in the parent component add the relative path to the above style sheet:

/* src/app/app.component.ts */

@Component( {
    // ...
    styleUrls: [ './app.component.css' ]
} )

# Setting the height via a global style sheet

To style the component using a global style sheet, first, create it:

/* src/styles.css */

.ck-editor__editable_inline {
    min-height: 500px;
}

Then, add it in the angular.json configuration file:

"architect": {
    "build": {
        "options": {
            "styles": [
                { "input": "src/styles.css" }
            ]
        }
    }
}

# Setting the placeholder

To display the placeholder in the main editable element, set the placeholder field in the CKEditor 5 rich text editor component configuration:

@Component( {
    // ...
} )
export class MyComponent {
    public config = {
        placeholder: 'Type the content here!'
    }
}

# Accessing the editor instance

The CKEditor 5 rich text editor component provides all the functionality needed for most use cases. When access to the full CKEditor 5 API is needed you can get the editor instance with an additional step.

To do this, create a template reference variable #editor pointing to the <ckeditor> component:

<ckeditor #editor [editor]="Editor"></ckeditor>

Then get the <ckeditor> component using a property decorated by @ViewChild( 'editor' ) and access the editor instance when needed:

@Component()
export class MyComponent {
    @ViewChild( 'editor' ) editorComponent: CKEditorComponent;

    public getEditor() {
        // Warning: This may return "undefined" if the editor is hidden behind the `*ngIf` directive or
        // if the editor is not fully initialised yet.
        return this.editorComponent.editorInstance;
    }
}

# How to?

# Using the Document editor type

If you want to use the document (decoupled) editor, you need to add the toolbar to the DOM manually:

// app.component.ts

import { Component, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
import { CKEditorModule } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular';
import { DecoupledEditor, Essentials, Italic, Paragraph, Bold, Undo } from 'ckeditor5';

@Component( {
    selector: 'app-root',
    templateUrl: './app.component.html',
    styleUrls: [ './app.component.css' ],
    encapsulation: ViewEncapsulation.None
    imports: [ CKEditorModule ],
    standalone: true
} )
export class AppComponent {
    title = 'angular';

    public Editor = DecoupledEditor;
    public config = {
        plugins: [ Bold, Essentials, Italic, Paragraph, Undo ],
        toolbar: [ 'undo', 'redo', '|', 'bold', 'italic' ]
    }
    public onReady( editor: DecoupledEditor ): void {
        const element = editor.ui.getEditableElement()!;
        const parent = element.parentElement!;

        parent.insertBefore(
            editor.ui.view.toolbar.element!,
            element
        );
    }
}

Import the needed CSS style sheet:

/* app.component.css */

@import 'ckeditor5/ckeditor5.css';

And then, link the method in the template:

<!-- app.component.html -->

<ckeditor [editor]="Editor" data="<p>Hello, world!</p>" (ready)="onReady($event)"></ckeditor>

# Using the editor with collaboration plugins

We provide a few ready-to-use integrations featuring collaborative editing in Angular applications:

• CKEditor 5 with real-time collaboration features
• CKEditor 5 with real-time collaboration and revision history features
• CKEditor 5 with the revision history feature
• CKEditor 5 with the track changes feature

It is not mandatory to build applications on top of the above samples, however, they should help you get started.

# Localization

CKEditor 5 supports multiple UI languages, and so does the official Angular component. Follow the instructions below to translate CKEditor 5 in your Angular application.

Similarly to CSS style sheets, both packages have separate translations. Import them as shown in the example below. Then, pass them to the translations array of the config property.

// app.component.ts

import { Component, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
import { CKEditorModule } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular';
import { ClassicEditor } from 'ckeditor5';
// More imports...

import coreTranslations from 'ckeditor5/translations/es.js';
import premiumFeaturesTranslations from 'ckeditor5-premium-features/translations/es.js';

@Component( {
    selector: 'app-root',
    templateUrl: './app.component.html',
    styleUrls: [ './app.component.css' ],
    encapsulation: ViewEncapsulation.None
    imports: [ CKEditorModule ],
    standalone: true
} )
export class AppComponent {
    title = 'angular';
    public Editor = ClassicEditor;
    public config = {
        translations: [ coreTranslations, premiumFeaturesTranslations ],
        // More configuration options...
    }
}

For advanced usage see the Setting the UI language guide.

# Known issues

# Module resolution

The moduleResolution option of the TypeScript configuration determines the algorithm for finding and resolving modules from node_modules. In Angular 17, the option is set to node by default. This option prevents type declaration for editor translations from being correctly loaded. To fix it, you have several options:

• You can set the moduleResolution option to bundler. It is the recommended setting in TypeScript 5.0+ for applications that use a bundler. And it is a recommended way of fixing this problem. You can check other solutions below for lower TypeScript versions.
• You can tell the TypeScript compiler to suppress the problem using the // @ts-expect-error comment above the imported translations.
• You can update Angular to version 18, where the moduleResolution option is set to bundler by default.
• You can import translations directly from our CDN, like: import ‘https://cdn.ckeditor.com/ckeditor5/43.3.1/translations/es.umd.js’;. This way, the editor will load the translations automatically, so you do not need to pass them manually into the configuration.

# Jest testing

You can use Jest as a test runner in Angular apps. Unfortunately, Jest does not use a real browser. Instead, it runs tests in Node.js that uses JSDOM. JSDOM is not a complete DOM implementation, and while it is sufficient for standard apps, it cannot polyfill all the DOM APIs that CKEditor 5 requires.

For testing CKEditor 5, it is recommended to use testing frameworks that utilize a real browser and provide a complete DOM implementation. Some popular options include:

• Vitest
• Playwright
• Cypress

These frameworks offer better support for testing CKEditor 5 and provide a more accurate representation of how the editor behaves in a real browser environment.

If this is not possible and you still want to use Jest, you can mock some of the required APIs. Below is an example of how to mock some of the APIs used by CKEditor 5:

beforeAll( () => {
    window.scrollTo = jest.fn();

    window.ResizeObserver = class ResizeObserver {
        observe() {}
        unobserve() {}
        disconnect() {}
    };

    for ( const key of [ 'InputEvent', 'KeyboardEvent' ] ) {
        window[ key ].prototype.getTargetRanges = () => {
            const range = new StaticRange( {
                startContainer: document.body.querySelector( '.ck-editor__editable p' ),
                startOffset: 0,
                endContainer: document.body.querySelector( '.ck-editor__editable p' ),
                endOffset: 0
            } );

            return [ range ];
        };
    }

    Range.prototype.getClientRects = () => ( {
        item: () => null,
        length: 0,
        [ Symbol.iterator ]: function* () {}
    } );
} );

These mocks should be placed before the tests that use CKEditor 5. They are imperfect and may not cover all the cases, but they should be sufficient for basic initialization and rendering editor. Keep in mind that they are not a replacement for proper browser testing.

# Supported Angular versions

Because of the breaking changes in the Angular library output format, the @ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular package is released in the following versions to support various Angular ecosystems:

CKEditor 5  Angular component version	Angular version	Details
Actively supported versions
^9	16+	Migration to TypeScript 5. Declaration files are not backward compatible. Requires CKEditor 5 in version 43 or higher.
Past releases (no longer maintained)
^8	13+	Requires CKEditor 5 in version 42 or higher.
^7	13+	Changes in peer dependencies (issue). Requires CKEditor 5 in version 37 or higher.
^6	13+	Requires CKEditor 5 in version 37 or higher.
^5	13+	Requires Angular in version 13+ or higher. Lower versions are no longer maintained.
^5	13+	Requires Angular in version 13+ or higher. Lower versions are no longer maintained.
^4	9.1+	Requires CKEditor 5 in version 34 or higher.
^3	9.1+	Requires Node.js in version 14 or higher.
^2	9.1+	Migration to TypeScript 4. Declaration files are not backward compatible.
^1	5.x - 8.x	Angular versions no longer maintained.

All available Angular versions are listed on npm, where they can be pulled from.

# Contributing and reporting issues

The source code of the CKEditor 5 rich text editor component for Angular is available on GitHub in https://github.com/ckeditor/ckeditor5-angular.