Extra topics for Angular projects

Configuring storybook and build-storybook targets

If you are on Nx version >=14.1.8, the Nx Storybook plugin for Angular projects uses the original Storybook executors for Angular ("@storybook/angular:start-storybook" and "@storybook/angular:build-storybook") to serve and build Storybook. That means that you can use the official Storybook for Angular documentation (expand the "Troubleshooting" section) to configure the options for serving and building Storybook. Below are two common scenarios that can come up in Storybook for Angular projects.

The browserTarget for Angular

Setting up browserTarget

If you're using Storybook in your Angular project, you will notice that browserTarget is specified for the storybook and build-storybook targets, much like it is done for serve or other targets. Angular needs the browserTarget for Storybook in order to know which configuration to use for the build. If your project is buildable (it has a build target, and uses the main Angular builder - @angular-devkit/build-angular:browser) the browserTarget for Storybook will use the build target, if it's not buildable it will use the build-storybook target. You do not have to do anything manually. Nx will create the configuration for you. Even if you are migrating from an older version of Nx, Nx will make sure to change your package.json Storybook targets to match the new schema.

You can read more about the browserTarget in the official Angular documentation.

Your Storybook targets in your project.json will look like this:

1    "storybook": {
2      "executor": "@storybook/angular:start-storybook",
3      "options": {
4         ...
5        "browserTarget": "my-project:build"
6      },
7      ...
8    },
9    "build-storybook": {
10      "executor": "@storybook/angular:build-storybook",
11       ...
12      "options": {
13         ...
14        "browserTarget": "my-project:build"
15      },
16     ...
17    }

This setup instructs Nx to use the configuration under the build target of my-project when using the storybook and build-storybook executors.

Setting up projectBuildConfig for Nx versions <14.1.8

Careful: This is for older versions of Nx - for the latest version please look at the section above, about browserTarget

If you are on Nx version <14.1.8, you're still using our custom executor, which means that you have to comply by the Nx Storybook schema. This means that the contents of browserTarget should be placed in the projectBuildConfig property. This is telling Storybook where to get the build configuration from. To know more about the purpose of browserTarget (and projectBuildConfig) read the section above.

If you're using Nx version >=13.4.6 either in a new Nx workspace, or you migrated your older Nx workspace to Nx version >=13.4.6, Nx will automatically add the projectBuildConfig property in your projects project.json files, for projects that are using Storybook.

Your Storybook targets in your project.json will look like this:

1    "storybook": {
2      "executor": "@nrwl/storybook:storybook",
3      "options": {
4         ...
5        "projectBuildConfig": "my-project:build-storybook"
6      },
7      ...
8    },
9    "build-storybook": {
10      "executor": "@nrwl/storybook:build",
11       ...
12      "options": {
13         ...
14        "projectBuildConfig": "my-project:build-storybook"
15      },
16     ...
17    }

This setup instructs Nx to use the configuration under the build-storybook target of my-project when using the storybook and build-storybook executors.

Note: Storybook for Angular needs a default project specified in order to run. The reason is that it uses that default project to read the build configuration from (paths to files to include in the build, and other configurations/settings). In a pure Angular/Storybook setup (not an Nx workspace), the Angular application/project would have an angular.json file. That file would have a property called defaultProject. In an Nx workspace the defaultProject property would be specified in the nx.json file. Previously, Nx would try to resolve the defaultProject of the workspace, and use the build configuration of that project. In most cases, the defaultProject's build configuration would not work for some other project set up with Storybook, since there would most probably be mismatches in paths or other project-specific options.

Configuring styles and preprocessor options

Angular supports including extra entry-point files for styles. Also, in case you use Sass, you can add extra base paths that will be checked for imports. In your project's project.json file you can use the styles and stylePreprocessorOptions properties in your storybook and build-storybook target options, as you would in your Storybook or your Angular configurations. If your project is an application, you can add these extra options in your build target. Your storybook and build-storybook browserTarget are going to be pointing to the build target, so they will pick up these styles from there. Check out the Angular Workspace Configuration documentation for more information. You can also check the official Storybook for Angular documentation on working with styles and CSS.

Your Storybook targets in your project.json will look like this:

1    "storybook": {
2      "executor": "@storybook/angular:start-storybook",
3      "options": {
4         ...
5        "styles": ["some-styles.css"],
6        "stylePreprocessorOptions": {
7          "includePaths": ["some-style-paths"]
8        }
9      },
10      ...
11    },
12    "build-storybook": {
13      "executor": "@storybook/angular:build-storybook",
14       ...
15      "options": {
16         ...
17        "styles": ["some-styles.css"],
18        "stylePreprocessorOptions": {
19          "includePaths": ["some-style-paths"]
20        }
21      },
22     ...
23    }

Note: Chances are, you will most probably need the same styles and stylePreprocessorOptions for your storybook and your build-storybook targets. Since you're using browserTarget, that means that Storybook will use the options of build or build-storybook when executing the storybook task (when compiling your Storybook). In that case, as explained, you only need to add the styles or stylePreprocessorOptions to the corresponding target (build or build-storybook) that the browserTarget is pointing to. In that case, for example, the configuration shown above would look like this:

1    "storybook": {
2      "executor": "@storybook/angular:start-storybook",
3      "options": {
4         ...
5         "browserTarget": "my-project:build-storybook"
6      },
7      ...
8    },
9    "build-storybook": {
10      "executor": "@storybook/angular:build-storybook",
11       ...
12      "options": {
13         ...
14        "browserTarget": "my-project:build-storybook",
15        "styles": ["some-styles.css"],
16        "stylePreprocessorOptions": {
17          "includePaths": ["some-style-paths"]
18        }
19      },
20     ...
21    }

Moving your project targets to the new (native Storybook) schema

If you are on Nx version <14.1.8 and you want to move to the latest version (or any version >=14.1.8) you can use the nx migrate command, which will take care of migrating your Storybook targets across all your Angular projects using Storybook to use the new schema, the original Storybook executors for Angular. The configuration changes that you need to make will be handled automatically by Nx, so you will not have to do any manual work.

If you have already moved on a version of Nx >=14.1.8 without using nx migrate and now you are having trouble with with your Angular projects using Storybook (eg. Property 'uiFramework' does not match the schema. '@storybook/angular' should be one of ...), that means that your targets are still using the old schema and they should change. For that, you can use the change-storybook-targets generator which will take care of changing your storybook and build-storybook targets across your workspace for your Angular projects using Storybook.