@molecule/app-drag-drop

Drag-and-drop core interface for molecule.dev.

Provides a framework-agnostic contract for sortable lists, draggable items, and droppable zones. Bond a provider (e.g. @molecule/app-drag-drop-dndkit) at startup, then use createSortable, createDraggable, or createDroppable anywhere.

Auto-generated, AI-first package reference for the molecule.dev ecosystem. It is written to be read by coding agents as much as by people, and is generated from this package's source — edit src/index.ts JSDoc, not this file.

Quick Start

import { setProvider, createSortable } from '@molecule/app-drag-drop'
import { provider } from '@molecule/app-drag-drop-dndkit'

setProvider(provider)

const sortable = createSortable({
  items: [{ id: '1' }, { id: '2' }, { id: '3' }],
  axis: 'vertical',
  onReorder: (items) => console.log('New order:', items),
})

Type

core

Installation

npm install @molecule/app-drag-drop @molecule/app-bond

API

Interfaces

DragStartEvent

Payload emitted when a drag operation starts.

interface DragStartEvent {
  /** Identifier of the dragged item. */
  id: string
  /** Arbitrary data attached to the dragged item. */
  data?: unknown
}

DragMoveEvent

Payload emitted while the user is dragging (move / over events).

interface DragMoveEvent {
  /** Identifier of the dragged item. */
  id: string
  /** Identifier of the item or zone currently hovered over, if any. */
  overId?: string
  /** Arbitrary data attached to the dragged item. */
  data?: unknown
}

DragEndEvent

Payload emitted when a drag operation ends (drop or cancel).

interface DragEndEvent {
  /** Identifier of the dragged item. */
  id: string
  /** Identifier of the item or zone the item was dropped onto, if any. */
  overId?: string
  /** Arbitrary data attached to the dragged item. */
  data?: unknown
}

DragOverEvent

Payload emitted when a draggable enters a droppable zone.

interface DragOverEvent {
  /** Identifier of the dragged item. */
  id: string
  /** Identifier of the droppable zone being hovered. */
  overId: string
  /** Arbitrary data attached to the dragged item. */
  data?: unknown
}

SortableOptions

Configuration for creating a sortable container.

interface SortableOptions<T extends { id: string }> {
  /** Ordered list of sortable items. Each must have a string `id` property. */
  items: T[]
  /** Sort axis. Defaults to `'vertical'`. */
  axis?: SortableAxis
  /**
   * Called when the user finishes reordering. Receives the new item order.
   *
   * @param items - The reordered items.
   */
  onReorder: (items: T[]) => void
  /** Whether dragging is restricted to a drag handle element. Defaults to `false`. */
  handle?: boolean
  /** Disable all drag interactions. Defaults to `false`. */
  disabled?: boolean
  /**
   * Strategy for detecting drop positions. If omitted the provider selects
   * a strategy based on the axis.
   */
  strategy?: SortableStrategy
}

SortableInstance

A live sortable container instance.

interface SortableInstance<T extends { id: string }> {
  /** Returns the items in their current order. */
  getItems(): T[]

  /**
   * Replaces the item list (e.g. after external data changes).
   *
   * @param items - The new item list.
   */
  setItems(items: T[]): void

  /** Returns the id of the item currently being dragged, or `null`. */
  getActiveId(): string | null

  /**
   * Enables or disables drag interactions.
   *
   * @param disabled - Whether to disable.
   */
  setDisabled(disabled: boolean): void

  /** Releases resources held by the sortable instance. */
  destroy(): void
}

DraggableOptions

Configuration for creating a draggable item.

interface DraggableOptions {
  /** Unique identifier for the draggable item. */
  id: string
  /** Arbitrary data payload carried with the drag. */
  data?: unknown
  /** Whether dragging is disabled for this item. Defaults to `false`. */
  disabled?: boolean
}

DraggableInstance

A live draggable instance bound to a single element.

interface DraggableInstance {
  /** Returns the identifier of this draggable. */
  getId(): string

  /** Returns `true` while this draggable is actively being dragged. */
  isDragging(): boolean

  /**
   * Enables or disables dragging for this item.
   *
   * @param disabled - Whether to disable.
   */
  setDisabled(disabled: boolean): void

  /**
   * Updates the data payload.
   *
   * @param data - New data payload.
   */
  setData(data: unknown): void

  /** Releases resources. */
  destroy(): void
}

DroppableOptions

Configuration for creating a droppable zone.

interface DroppableOptions {
  /** Unique identifier for the droppable zone. */
  id: string
  /** List of draggable type identifiers this zone accepts. `undefined` accepts all. */
  accept?: string[]
  /**
   * Called when a draggable is dropped onto this zone.
   *
   * @param data - The data payload from the dropped draggable.
   * @param draggableId - The identifier of the dropped draggable.
   */
  onDrop: (data: unknown, draggableId: string) => void
  /** Whether this droppable zone is disabled. Defaults to `false`. */
  disabled?: boolean
}

DroppableInstance

A live droppable zone instance.

interface DroppableInstance {
  /** Returns the identifier of this droppable zone. */
  getId(): string

  /** Returns `true` while a draggable is hovering over this zone. */
  isOver(): boolean

  /**
   * Enables or disables this droppable zone.
   *
   * @param disabled - Whether to disable.
   */
  setDisabled(disabled: boolean): void

  /** Releases resources. */
  destroy(): void
}

DragDropContextOptions

Configuration for the top-level drag-and-drop context.

interface DragDropContextOptions {
  /** Called when a drag operation starts. */
  onDragStart?: (event: DragStartEvent) => void
  /** Called while dragging — when the item moves over a new target. */
  onDragOver?: (event: DragOverEvent) => void
  /** Called when the drag operation ends (drop or cancel). */
  onDragEnd?: (event: DragEndEvent) => void
  /** Called on every move tick during a drag (optional, high-frequency). */
  onDragMove?: (event: DragMoveEvent) => void
}

DragDropProvider

Contract that bond packages must implement to provide drag-and-drop functionality.

interface DragDropProvider {
  /**
   * Creates a sortable container from the given options.
   *
   * @template T - The item type.
   * @param options - Sortable configuration.
   * @returns A sortable container instance.
   */
  createSortable<T extends { id: string }>(options: SortableOptions<T>): SortableInstance<T>

  /**
   * Creates a draggable item from the given options.
   *
   * @param options - Draggable configuration.
   * @returns A draggable instance.
   */
  createDraggable(options: DraggableOptions): DraggableInstance

  /**
   * Creates a droppable zone from the given options.
   *
   * @param options - Droppable configuration.
   * @returns A droppable instance.
   */
  createDroppable(options: DroppableOptions): DroppableInstance
}

Types

SortableAxis

Allowed sort axes for sortable containers.

type SortableAxis = 'vertical' | 'horizontal' | 'both'

SortableStrategy

Strategy used to detect drop position within a sortable container.

type SortableStrategy = 'vertical' | 'horizontal' | 'grid'

Functions

setProvider(provider)

Registers a drag-drop provider as the active singleton. Called by bond packages (e.g. @molecule/app-drag-drop-dndkit) during app startup.

function setProvider(provider: DragDropProvider): void

• provider — The drag-drop provider implementation to bond.

getProvider()

Retrieves the bonded drag-drop provider, throwing if none is configured.

function getProvider(): DragDropProvider

Returns: The bonded drag-drop provider.

hasProvider()

Checks whether a drag-drop provider is currently bonded.

function hasProvider(): boolean

Returns: true if a drag-drop provider is bonded.

createSortable(options)

Creates a sortable container using the bonded provider.

function createSortable(options: SortableOptions<T>): SortableInstance<T>

• options — Sortable configuration.

Returns: A sortable container instance.

createDraggable(options)

Creates a draggable item using the bonded provider.

function createDraggable(options: DraggableOptions): DraggableInstance

• options — Draggable configuration.

Returns: A draggable instance.

createDroppable(options)

Creates a droppable zone using the bonded provider.

function createDroppable(options: DroppableOptions): DroppableInstance

• options — Droppable configuration.

Returns: A droppable instance.

Available Providers

Provider	Package
Drag Drop	@molecule/app-drag-drop-dndkit

Injection Notes

Requirements

Peer dependencies:

• @molecule/app-bond ^1.0.1

Runtime Dependencies

• @molecule/app-bond

• The instance is a headless order store — no DOM listeners are attached. Your UI owns the drag interaction: render the list (via getClassMap()/cm.*), wire your framework's drag events (HTML5 DnD / pointer events / a drag library binding), and drive the instance from them; onReorder fires with the new item array when a reorder completes. Provider bonds may expose framework-binding hooks (see the bond's own docs) for this wiring.

• Every item MUST have a stable string id — index-based keys break reordering.

• Persist the new order from onReorder (e.g. send the ordered ids to your API through the app's HTTP client); on failure, restore the previous order with setItems() so the UI never lies about saved state.

• After external data changes, push fresh data with setItems() — the instance does not observe your store.

E2E Tests

Integration checklist — drive the real UI (live preview, no mocks), adapt each item to this app's actual sortable lists / drop zones, and check every box off one by one. A box you can't check is an integration bug to fix — not a skip:

• Dragging an item to a new position REORDERS the list: the item lands in the drop slot, the surrounding items shift, and the rendered order now matches getItems() — reordering along the configured axis (a horizontal or grid list moves left/right, not just top/bottom). The instance is a headless order store, so a drag that visibly "does nothing" means the wiring is missing, not that the feature works.
• The reorder fires onReorder with the NEW item array and the app SAVES it: after a full reload the list keeps the new order (proving onReorder persisted it, not just shuffled local state). If the save fails, the UI restores the previous order via setItems() instead of lying about it.
• Dragging an item BETWEEN two containers moves it: it leaves the source list and appears in the target, BOTH lists update, and the target's onDrop fires identifying the item that moved (data + draggableId say which item went where) — the move survives a reload if the app persists it.
• A drop zone with accept set takes only the draggable types it lists and rejects the rest — a disallowed item does not land there and no onDrop fires for it.
• A disabled item can't be dragged: with disabled: true (on the item or the whole sortable) a drag attempt does nothing, the order is unchanged, and no reorder/drop callback fires.
• When handle: true, only the drag-handle element starts a drag — grabbing the item body anywhere else does not move it.
• Dropping outside any valid zone CANCELS: the item snaps back to its origin, the order is unchanged, and no callback claims a move — the item is never lost or left in limbo.