Implementing Dynamic Code Splitting in an Angular Application

Code splitting is a crucial optimization technique for modern web applications, particularly those built with Angular. It involves breaking down your application's code into smaller chunks that are loaded on demand, improving initial load time and overall performance. This challenge will guide you through implementing dynamic code splitting in an Angular application using Angular's RouterModule and lazy loading modules.

Problem Description

You are tasked with creating an Angular application with a main module and a separate, lazily loaded feature module. The feature module contains a component that displays a list of products. The application should initially load only the main module. When the user navigates to the "Products" route, the feature module (and its associated code) should be dynamically loaded. This demonstrates code splitting, where only the necessary code is fetched when it's needed.

What needs to be achieved:

• Create an Angular application with a main module (AppModule).
• Create a feature module (ProductsModule) containing a ProductsComponent.
• Configure the AppRoutingModule to lazily load the ProductsModule when the user navigates to the /products route.
• Ensure the ProductsComponent displays a list of products (you can use dummy data for this).

Key Requirements:

• The application must be functional and navigateable.
• The ProductsModule must be loaded only when the /products route is accessed.
• The application should demonstrate the principles of lazy loading and code splitting.

Expected Behavior:

1. Upon initial load, only the AppModule should be loaded.
2. Navigating to /products should trigger the loading of the ProductsModule.
3. The ProductsComponent should display a list of products after the module is loaded.
4. Subsequent navigations to /products should not re-load the module (Angular's caching mechanism should handle this).

Edge Cases to Consider:

• Handling potential errors during module loading. (While not explicitly required for this challenge, consider how you might handle such scenarios in a real-world application.)
• Ensuring the application remains responsive during module loading. (Angular's lazy loading is generally efficient, but be mindful of potential performance bottlenecks with very large modules.)

Examples

Example 1:

Input: User navigates to the root route ('/')
Output: The application loads and displays the main component (e.g., a home page). The ProductsModule is NOT loaded.
Explanation: The root route is defined in AppModule and is loaded initially.

Example 2:

Input: User navigates to the '/products' route.
Output: The application loads the ProductsModule and displays the ProductsComponent with a list of products.
Explanation: The ProductsModule is lazily loaded when the '/products' route is accessed.

Example 3:

Input: User navigates back to '/' and then again to '/products'.
Output: The first navigation to '/products' loads the ProductsModule. Subsequent navigations to '/products' do not re-load the module.
Explanation: Angular's router caches the loaded module, preventing redundant loading.

Constraints

• The application must be built using Angular 16 or later.
• Use Angular's built-in RouterModule for routing and lazy loading.
• The ProductsComponent should display at least 3 dummy product items (e.g., name, price).
• The solution should be well-structured and follow Angular best practices.
• Focus on demonstrating the core concept of code splitting; complex error handling or advanced features are not required.

Notes

• Consider using the loadChildren property in your routing configuration to specify the lazy loading path.
• The lazy loading path should point to a module that exports the necessary components and services.
• Remember to generate the feature module and component using Angular CLI (ng generate module Products and ng generate component Products).
• Think about how Angular's router handles caching of lazy-loaded modules to optimize performance.