What does the 'render' method control in an LWC?

The 'render' method in a Lightning Web Component (LWC) is crucial for managing when and how the component is displayed. When the render method is invoked, it processes the HTML template associated with the component and generates the required DOM elements that make up the visual representation of the component. This method gets called every time there is a change in the data that the component is tracking, ensuring that the view stays up-to-date with the component's state.

Essentially, it acts as a control point for rendering the component's UI, ensuring that the displayed output reflects the underlying application state accurately. The 'render' method allows conditional rendering, enabling different templates to be displayed based on certain conditions, thereby giving developers the flexibility to create dynamic user interfaces. Therefore, understanding the role of the render method is key to mastering how to create responsive and interactive components in Salesforce Lightning.

Other aspects, such as styles, data fetching, and lifecycle events, are handled through different means in LWC. For example, styles are applied through CSS or scoped CSS in the component, while data fetching is typically managed through services like wire or imperative calls. Lifecycle events are harnessed through the use of lifecycle hooks in the component, which are separate from the rendering process.