Update 24.05.2018: Example code runs on Angular 5 now. When you write a custom component in Angular (≥ 2.x) that updates its content whenever input changes you can add all necessary computations to the ngOnChanges lifecycle hook. @Component({ selector: 'greeter', inputs: ['name'], template: `<div>{{ greeting }}</div>`, }) export class Greeter implements OnChanges { @Input() name: string; greeting: