useExternalStore

Subscribe to external state and read its current snapshot. Think of useExternalStore as the bridge between Lit^sx render logic and state that already lives somewhere else.

• Kind: Hook

Reference

import { useExternalStore } from "litsx";

useExternalStore<T>(subscribe: (listener: () => void) => () => void, getSnapshot: () => T, getServerSnapshot?: () => T): T

Usage

Use useExternalStore when state is owned outside the component tree and the host should re-render when that store changes.

Prefer this over ad-hoc subscriptions when you want a consistent render-time snapshot model.

Keep getSnapshot cheap and synchronous, because Lit^sx calls it during render to decide what the component should show.

Reach for useExternalStore when the source of truth already lives outside Lit^sx, such as a shared store, browser API, or external cache.

Behavior

• Lit^sx subscribes during the host lifecycle and requests updates when the snapshot changes.
• The value returned during render is always the latest snapshot from getSnapshot().
• subscribe should register the listener and return an unsubscribe function. Avoid performing asynchronous reads inside getSnapshot.
• A store update only affects hosts that currently subscribe to that store through useExternalStore.

Mental Model

The external store remains the source of truth. Lit^sx only asks for the current snapshot and schedules a render when that snapshot changes.

Examples

const online = useExternalStore(
  subscribeToConnectivity,
  getConnectivitySnapshot
);

Pitfalls

• Keep getSnapshot synchronous and cheap. If it performs asynchronous work or expensive derivations, render performance will suffer.
• Avoid shaping the store contract around a single component. Stable store APIs are easier to reuse across several hosts.

Parameters

subscribe

Type: (listener: () => void) => () => void

Function that subscribes a listener and returns an unsubscribe function.

getSnapshot

Type: () => T

Function that returns the current store snapshot during render.

getServerSnapshot

Type: () => T

Optional snapshot getter for server rendering scenarios.

Returns

Type: T

The latest snapshot currently exposed by the external store.

Related

• useMemoValue
• useState