Call a Vue.js component method from outside the component

Let's say I have a main Vue instance that has child components. Is there a way of calling a method belonging to one of these components from outside the Vue instance entirely?

Here is an example:

var vm = new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  components: {
    'my-component': { 
      template: '#my-template',
      data: function() {
        return {
          count: 1,
        };
      },
      methods: {
        increaseCount: function() {
          this.count++;
        }
      }
    },
  }
});

$('#external-button').click(function()
{
  vm['my-component'].increaseCount(); // This doesn't work
});

<script src="http://vuejs.org/js/vue.js"></script>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="app">
  
  <my-component></my-component>
  <br>
  <button id="external-button">External Button</button>
</div>
  
<template id="my-template">
  <div style="border: 1px solid; padding: 5px;">
  <p>A counter: {{ count }}</p>
  <button @click="increaseCount">Internal Button</button>
    </div>
</template>

So when I click the internal button, the increaseCount() method is bound to its click event so it gets called. There is no way to bind the event to the external button, whose click event I am listening for with jQuery, so I'll need some other way to call increaseCount.

EDIT

It seems this works:

vm.$children[0].increaseCount();

However, this is not a good solution because I am referencing the component by its index in the children array, and with many components this is unlikely to stay constant and the code is less readable.

In the end I opted for using Vue's ref directive. This allows a component to be referenced from the parent for direct access.

E.g.

Have a compenent registered on my parent instance:

var vm = new Vue({
    el: '#app',
    components: { 'my-component': myComponent }
});

Render the component in template/html with a reference:

<my-component ref="foo"></my-component>

Now, elsewhere I can access the component externally

<script>
vm.$refs.foo.doSomething(); //assuming my component has a doSomething() method
</script>

See this fiddle for an example: https://jsfiddle.net/xmqgnbu3/1/

(old example using Vue 1: https://jsfiddle.net/6v7y6msr/)

Edit for Vue3 - Composition API

The child-component has to return the function in setup you want to use in the parent-component otherwise the function is not available to the parent.

> Note: <sript setup> doc is not affacted, because it provides all the functions and variables to the template by default.

You can set ref for child components then in parent can call via $refs:

Add ref to child component:

<my-component ref="childref"></my-component>

Add click event to parent:

<button id="external-button" @click="$refs.childref.increaseCount()">External Button</button>

var vm = new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  components: {
    'my-component': { 
      template: '#my-template',
      data: function() {
        return {
          count: 1,
        };
      },
      methods: {
        increaseCount: function() {
          this.count++;
        }
      }
    },
  }
});

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/vue/2.5.17/vue.js"></script>
<div id="app">
  
  <my-component ref="childref"></my-component>
  <button id="external-button" @click="$refs.childref.increaseCount()">External Button</button>
</div>
  
<template id="my-template">
  <div style="border: 1px solid; padding: 2px;" ref="childref">
    <p>A counter: {{ count }}</p>
    <button @click="increaseCount">Internal Button</button>
  </div>
</template>

For Vue2 this applies:

var bus = new Vue()

// in component A's method

bus.$emit('id-selected', 1)

// in component B's created hook

bus.$on('id-selected', function (id) {

  // ...
})

See here for the Vue docs. And here is more detail on how to set up this event bus exactly.

If you'd like more info on when to use properties, events and/ or centralized state management see this article.

See below comment of Thomas regarding Vue 3.

You can use Vue event system

vm.$broadcast('event-name', args)

and

 vm.$on('event-name', function())

Here is the fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/hfalucas/wc1gg5v4/59/

A slightly different (simpler) version of the accepted answer:

Have a component registered on the parent instance:

export default {
    components: { 'my-component': myComponent }
}

Render the component in template/html with a reference:

<my-component ref="foo"></my-component>

Access the component method:

<script>
    this.$refs.foo.doSomething();
</script>

Say you have a child_method() in the child component:

export default {
    methods: {
        child_method () {
            console.log('I got clicked')
        }
    }
}

Now you want to execute the child_method from parent component:

<template>
    <div>
        <button @click="exec">Execute child component</button>
        <child-cmp ref="child"></child_cmp> <!-- note the ref="child" here -->
    </div>
</template>

export default {
    methods: {
        exec () { //accessing the child component instance through $refs
            this.$refs.child.child_method() //execute the method belongs to the child component
        }
    }
}

If you want to execute a parent component method from child component:

this.$parent.name_of_method()

NOTE: It is not recommended to access the child and parent component like this.

Instead as best practice use Props & Events for parent-child communication.

If you want communication between components surely use vuex or event bus

Please read this very helpful article

---

This is a simple way to access a component's methods from other component

// This is external shared (reusable) component, so you can call its methods from other components

export default {
   name: 'SharedBase',
   methods: {
      fetchLocalData: function(module, page){
          // .....fetches some data
          return { jsonData }
      }
   }
}

// This is your component where you can call SharedBased component's method(s)
import SharedBase from '[your path to component]';
var sections = [];

export default {
   name: 'History',
   created: function(){
       this.sections = SharedBase.methods['fetchLocalData']('intro', 'history');
   }
}

Here is a simple one

this.$children[indexOfComponent].childsMethodName();

Using Vue 3:

const app = createApp({})

// register an options object
app.component('my-component', {
  /* ... */
})

....

// retrieve a registered component
const MyComponent = app.component('my-component')

MyComponent.methods.greet();

https://v3.vuejs.org/api/application-api.html#component

I am not sure is it the right way but this one works for me.
First import the component which contains the method you want to call in your component

import myComponent from './MyComponent'

and then call any method of MyCompenent

myComponent.methods.doSomething()

Declare your function in a component like this:

export default {
  mounted () {
    this.$root.$on('component1', () => {
      // do your logic here :D
    });
  }
};

and call it from any page like this:

this.$root.$emit("component1");

Sometimes you want to keep these things contained within your component. Depending on DOM state (the elements you're listening on must exist in DOM when your Vue component is instantiated), you can listen to events on elements outside of your component from within your Vue component. Let's say there is an element outside of your component, and when the user clicks it, you want your component to respond.

In html you have:

<a href="#" id="outsideLink">Launch the component</a>
...
<my-component></my-component>

In your Vue component:

    methods() {
      doSomething() {
        // do something
      }
    },
    created() {
       document.getElementById('outsideLink').addEventListener('click', evt => 
       {
          this.doSomething();
       });
    }
    

I have used a very simple solution. I have included a HTML element, that calls the method, in my Vue Component that I select, using Vanilla JS, and I trigger click!

In the Vue Component, I have included something like the following:

<span data-id="btnReload" @click="fetchTaskList()"><i class="fa fa-refresh"></i></span>

That I use using Vanilla JS:

const btnReload = document.querySelector('[data-id="btnReload"]');
btnReload.click();