Concepts & Vocabulary
structpages has its own canonical terms for its recurring patterns. Where a React / Next.js / React Router concept maps cleanly, it's noted as a cross-reference for knowledge transfer — but the structpages term is primary. Two guardrails: Go wins where Go owns the concept (ServeHTTP is a handler method, not a "server action"), and pure composition isn't named (a layout is just a component that takes children — there's no "layout route").
Core nouns
| Term | What it is | Cross-ref |
|---|---|---|
| page | a route-tagged struct — a node in the route tree | Next/RR route/page |
| page group | a page with no render of its own (no Page or ServeHTTP), only child pages; served through its /{$} page | — (not a "layout route") |
| component | a standalone templ Foo() block — reusable, mount-independent, package-prefixed id | React component |
| page component | a templ (p Page) Foo() method — mount-aware, receiver in scope (incl. Page, Content). Used two ways: composition (called inside another page component) and re-rendering (returned alone as a partial) | React component (bound) |
| children | templ { children... } composition | React children |
| partial | a page component returned on its own as an HTMX response to re-render just that region — a role a page component plays, not a distinct kind | HTMX |
The props cluster
| Term | What it is | Cross-ref |
|---|---|---|
| Props method | the Props(...) method that loads data via DI | like RR loader / Next getServerSideProps |
| props struct | the named struct type the Props method returns and page components accept | like a React props type |
| props | a value of the props struct, in flight into a page component | React props (the value) |
The chain reads: the Props method returns a props struct; that props value is handed to a page component.
Methods on a page
| Term | Method | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Page method | Page(props) | the main render entry — a page component that composes the full page (layout + content) |
| Props method | Props(...) | loads data via DI → returns the props struct |
| handler method | ServeHTTP(...) | imperative entry: mutate / redirect / serve JSON, or render a partial via RenderComponent — the Go http.Handler shape |
| Middlewares method | Middlewares() | declares middleware for the page + descendants |
(Content is not a framework concept — just a conventional page component name for a layout's main region; the matcher treats it like any other page component.)
The two render entries differ in flavor: the Page method renders declaratively (compose page components); the handler method renders imperatively (write the response, or hand a page component to RenderComponent). Both ultimately render through page components.
Request lifecycle
For a rendering page: route match → Props method (with RenderTarget injected to pick the region) → page component render — Page for full loads, a partial for HTMX requests targeting that region's id. A handler method (ServeHTTP) bypasses this pipeline: it responds imperatively, optionally handing a page component to RenderComponent.
API helpers (literal — these are the public API)
RenderComponent, RenderTarget, URLFor, ID / IDTarget, Ref, WithArgs (dependency injection / args).
Loose comparisons (analogies, not structpages terms)
For readers arriving from React/Next — transfer aids, not structpages vocabulary.
| structpages | React/Next analogy | note |
|---|---|---|
/{$} route of a page group | RR index route | nothing special — just the group's own page |
| Page method vs handler method | declarative page vs imperative Route Handler / API route | two ways to respond within one router — not "Page Router vs App Router" |
| component composition | Server Component composition | both render on the server |