Let's say I have this React component:
class SomeComponent extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
topObject: {
childObject1: {
grandChildObj1: {
attr1: this.props.val1,
attr2: this.props.val2
}
},
childProp: 1
},
topProp: 2
};
}
render() {
return (
<div>
<span>{this.state.topObject.childObject.grandChildObject.attr1}
</span>
</div>
// ...
)
}
changeDeepNestedStateValue(val) {
// need code here to change the state
// set topObj.childObject.grandChildObject.attr1
// to the 'val' argument
}
}
What code would I need inside the function 'changeDeepNestedStateValue' so that it changes the state immutably so that React detects the change and re-renders?
Are deep-nested state values a bad practice or anti-pattern? If so, is there an optimal structure to a state, a flat one maybe?
Deep nesting is not necessarily an anti-pattern but just makes your code harder to maintain and reason about. In order to trigger a re-render and update component state, all you have to do in the changeDeepNestedStateValue function is call this.setState({ topObject: {...} }) with whatever new state you want to update. Optionally, this.setState also takes a function that exposes the previous state of the component as seen below.
this.setState((prevState) => {
if (prevState.topProp === val) {
doSomething();
}
});
I'd recommend having a look at immer
https://github.com/mweststrate/immer
It provides a super easy way to work with nested objects in terms of immutablilty
But yes, flatter state with out of the box react state management is better practice
Related
class Myclass extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.onLoad();
}
onLoad() {
this.state.temp = 'Some value';
}
}
the state cannot be set in the constructor itself as it need to be set based on some conditions when onLoad() is called multiple times. And when the value is assigned component re rendering is also not required.
is assigning a value to state with out using setState good practice? if not, What would be cons?
this.state.x = 'something' is definitely not the right way to set the state. Also, even though you can do it, it is not recommended to perform side-effects in the constructor what so ever as it slows down the mounting times. Refer to: https://reactjs.org/docs/react-component.html#constructor
So I would recommend you to perform your side-effects in componentDidMount. You could do something as follows:
class Myclass extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.onLoad = this.onLoad.bind(this);
}
componentDidMount() {
this.onLoad();
}
onLoad() {
this.setState({ temp: 'Some value'});
}
}
Again, you can't use this.state.temp = 'some val' to change states in React because it doesn't re-render the component. You will always need to use setState to make sure your component re-renders. Refer to this link for more information.
Let me know if this has helped, and if not, I will happily answer your queries in comments below. :)
I don't know why you have to set in another function.
what's for?
you have to use setState to change states in not constructor.
anyway, you can use callback function of setState if you need to response right away after changing state.
setState(
{
temp: 'Some value'
},
() => console.log(this.state)
)
or just use variables inside the class.
Why is it good practice to assign state variables to React's state? I'm a react beginner. I'm trying to understand the purpose of a separate state object. Naively, it seems just as good (and a little shorter), to write in a component:
this.foo = 3;
instead of:
this.state.foo = 3;
I understand that setState triggers a rerender, but it seems you could just easily set the state you want and then trigger a rerender directly. I've been using this.setState({}).
In all other cases, React appears to adhere to principles of simplicity. React tends to favor native JavaScript functionality over additional React-defined functionality except where additional functionality is absolutely required. Why did the creators of React go out of their way to give React state?
In-Depth Example
As a longer example, I can define a component Counter that increases its count every second. The first way uses react's state property. The second attaches its state directly to the instance.
Using state:
class Counter extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {count: 0};
setInterval((() => {
this.setState(previousState => ({
count: previousState.count + 1 }));
}), 1000);
}
render() {
return <h1>{this.state.count}</h1>;
}
}
Attaching properties directly to the instance:
class Counter extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.count = 0;
setInterval((() => {
this.count += 1;
this.setState({})
}), 1000);
}
render() {
return <h1>{this.count}</h1>;
}
}
I'm trying to set the state of my PlayerKey component here however the state won't update on a onClick action:
class PlayerKey extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
activeKeys:[]
}
}
activateKey = (e) => {
this.setState({
activeKeys:["2","3"]
})
}
render() {
return (
<div className="key" data-row-number={this.props.rowKey} data-key-number={this.props.dataKeyNumber} onClick={this.activateKey}></div>
)
}
}
I've tried console logging this.state in activateKey and it gives me the state of the component no problem (the blank array) so not sure why I can't update it?
setState method in react is asynchronous and doesn't reflect the updated state value immediately.
React may batch multiple setState() calls into a single update for performance.
So accessing the recently set state value might return the older value. To see whether the state has really been set or not, You can actually pass a function as callback in setState and see the updated state value. React Docs
As in your case, you can pass a function as callback as follows.
activateKey = (e) => {
this.setState({
activeKeys:["2","3"]
}, () => {
console.log(this.state.activeKeys); // This is guaranteed to return the updated state.
});
}
See this fiddle: JSFiddle
I'm attempting to make a nice ApiWrapper component to populate data in various child components. From everything I've read, this should work: https://jsfiddle.net/vinniejames/m1mesp6z/1/
class ApiWrapper extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
response: {
"title": 'nothing fetched yet'
}
};
}
componentDidMount() {
this._makeApiCall(this.props.endpoint);
}
_makeApiCall(endpoint) {
fetch(endpoint).then(function(response) {
this.setState({
response: response
});
}.bind(this))
}
render() {
return <Child data = {
this.state.response
}
/>;
}
}
class Child extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
data: props.data
};
}
render() {
console.log(this.state.data, 'new data');
return ( < span > {
this.state.data.title
} < /span>);
};
}
var element = < ApiWrapper endpoint = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1" / > ;
ReactDOM.render(
element,
document.getElementById('container')
);
But for some reason, it seems the child component is not updating when the parent state changes.
Am I missing something here?
There are two issues with your code.
Your child component's initial state is set from props.
this.state = {
data: props.data
};
Quoting from this SO Answer:
Passing the intial state to a component as a prop is an anti-pattern
because the getInitialState (in our case the constuctor) method is only called the first time the
component renders. Never more. Meaning that, if you re-render that
component passing a different value as a prop, the component
will not react accordingly, because the component will keep the state
from the first time it was rendered. It's very error prone.
So if you can't avoid such a situation the ideal solution is to use the method componentWillReceiveProps to listen for new props.
Adding the below code to your child component will solve your problem with Child component re-rendering.
componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
this.setState({ data: nextProps.data });
}
The second issue is with the fetch.
_makeApiCall(endpoint) {
fetch(endpoint)
.then((response) => response.json()) // ----> you missed this part
.then((response) => this.setState({ response }));
}
And here is a working fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/o8b04mLy/
If the above solution has still not solved your problem I'll suggest you see once how you're changing the state, if you're not returning a new object then sometimes react sees no difference in the new previous and the changed state, it's a good practice to always pass a new object when changing the state, seeing the new object react will definitely re-render all the components needing that have access to that changed state.
For example: -
Here I'll change one property of an array of objects in my state, look at how I spread all the data in a new object. Also, the code below might look a bit alien to you, it's a redux reducer function BUT don't worry it's just a method to change the state.
export const addItemToCart = (cartItems,cartItemToBeAdded) => {
return cartItems.map(item => {
if(item.id===existingItem.id){
++item.quantity;
}
// I can simply return item but instead I spread the item and return a new object
return {...item}
})
}
Just make sure you're changing the state with a new object, even if you make a minor change in the state just spread it in a new object and then return, this will trigger rendering in all the appropriate places.
Hope this helped. Let me know if I'm wrong somewhere :)
There are some things you need to change.
When fetch get the response, it is not a json.
I was looking for how can I get this json and I discovered this link.
By the other side, you need to think that constructor function is called only once.
So, you need to change the way that you retrieve the data in <Child> component.
Here, I left an example code: https://jsfiddle.net/emq1ztqj/
I hope that helps.
Accepted answer and componentWillReceiveProps
The componentWillReceiveProps call in accepted answer is deprecated and will be removed from React with version 17 React Docs: UNSAFE_componentWillReceiveProps()
Using derived state logic in React
As the React docs is pointing, using derived state (meaning: a component reflecting a change that is happened in its props) can make your components harder to think, and could be an anti-pattern. React Docs: You Probably Don't Need Derived State
Current solution: getDerivedStateFromProps
If you choose to use derived state, current solution is using getDerivedStateFromProps call as #DiogoSanto said.
getDerivedStateFromProps is invoked right before calling the render method, both on the initial mount and on subsequent updates. It should return an object to update the state, or null to update nothing. React Docs: static getDerivedStateFromProps()
How to use componentWillReceiveProps
This method can not access instance properties. All it does describing React how to compute new state from a given props. Whenever props are changed, React will call this method and will use the object returned by this method as the new state.
class Child extends React.Component {
constructor() {
super(props);
// nothing changed, assign the state for the
// first time to teach its initial shape.
// (it will work without this, but will throw
// a warning)
this.state = {
data: props.data
};
}
componentWillReceiveProps(props) {
// return the new state as object, do not call .setState()
return {
data: props.data
};
}
render() {
// nothing changed, will be called after
// componentWillReceiveProps returned the new state,
// each time props are updated.
return (
<span>{this.state.data.title}</span>
);
}
}
Caution
Re-rendering a component according to a change happened in parent component can be annoying for user because of losing the user input on that component.
Derived state logic can make components harder to understand, think on. Use wisely.
I'm trying to separate a presentational component from a container component. I have a SitesTable and a SitesTableContainer. The container is responsible for triggering redux actions to fetch the appropriate sites based on the current user.
The problem is the current user is fetched asynchronously, after the container component gets rendered initially. This means that the container component doesn't know that it needs to re-execute the code in its componentDidMount function which would update the data to send to the SitesTable. I think I need to re-render the container component when one of its props(user) changes. How do I do this correctly?
class SitesTableContainer extends React.Component {
static get propTypes() {
return {
sites: React.PropTypes.object,
user: React.PropTypes.object,
isManager: React.PropTypes.boolean
}
}
componentDidMount() {
if (this.props.isManager) {
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchAllSites())
} else {
const currentUserId = this.props.user.get('id')
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchUsersSites(currentUserId))
}
}
render() {
return <SitesTable sites={this.props.sites}/>
}
}
function mapStateToProps(state) {
const user = userUtils.getCurrentUser(state)
return {
sites: state.get('sites'),
user,
isManager: userUtils.isManager(user)
}
}
export default connect(mapStateToProps)(SitesTableContainer);
You have to add a condition in your componentDidUpdate method.
The example is using fast-deep-equal to compare the objects.
import equal from 'fast-deep-equal'
...
constructor(){
this.updateUser = this.updateUser.bind(this);
}
componentDidMount() {
this.updateUser();
}
componentDidUpdate(prevProps) {
if(!equal(this.props.user, prevProps.user)) // Check if it's a new user, you can also use some unique property, like the ID (this.props.user.id !== prevProps.user.id)
{
this.updateUser();
}
}
updateUser() {
if (this.props.isManager) {
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchAllSites())
} else {
const currentUserId = this.props.user.get('id')
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchUsersSites(currentUserId))
}
}
Using Hooks (React 16.8.0+)
import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
const SitesTableContainer = ({
user,
isManager,
dispatch,
sites,
}) => {
useEffect(() => {
if(isManager) {
dispatch(actions.fetchAllSites())
} else {
const currentUserId = user.get('id')
dispatch(actions.fetchUsersSites(currentUserId))
}
}, [user]);
return (
return <SitesTable sites={sites}/>
)
}
If the prop you are comparing is an object or an array, you should use useDeepCompareEffect instead of useEffect.
componentWillReceiveProps() is going to be deprecated in the future due to bugs and inconsistencies. An alternative solution for re-rendering a component on props change is to use componentDidUpdate() and shouldComponentUpdate().
componentDidUpdate() is called whenever the component updates AND if shouldComponentUpdate() returns true (If shouldComponentUpdate() is not defined it returns true by default).
shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps){
return nextProps.changedProp !== this.state.changedProp;
}
componentDidUpdate(props){
// Desired operations: ex setting state
}
This same behavior can be accomplished using only the componentDidUpdate() method by including the conditional statement inside of it.
componentDidUpdate(prevProps){
if(prevProps.changedProp !== this.props.changedProp){
this.setState({
changedProp: this.props.changedProp
});
}
}
If one attempts to set the state without a conditional or without defining shouldComponentUpdate() the component will infinitely re-render
You could use KEY unique key (combination of the data) that changes with props, and that component will be rerendered with updated props.
componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) { // your code here}
I think that is the event you need. componentWillReceiveProps triggers whenever your component receive something through props. From there you can have your checking then do whatever you want to do.
I would recommend having a look at this answer of mine, and see if it is relevant to what you are doing. If I understand your real problem, it's that your just not using your async action correctly and updating the redux "store", which will automatically update your component with it's new props.
This section of your code:
componentDidMount() {
if (this.props.isManager) {
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchAllSites())
} else {
const currentUserId = this.props.user.get('id')
this.props.dispatch(actions.fetchUsersSites(currentUserId))
}
}
Should not be triggering in a component, it should be handled after executing your first request.
Have a look at this example from redux-thunk:
function makeASandwichWithSecretSauce(forPerson) {
// Invert control!
// Return a function that accepts `dispatch` so we can dispatch later.
// Thunk middleware knows how to turn thunk async actions into actions.
return function (dispatch) {
return fetchSecretSauce().then(
sauce => dispatch(makeASandwich(forPerson, sauce)),
error => dispatch(apologize('The Sandwich Shop', forPerson, error))
);
};
}
You don't necessarily have to use redux-thunk, but it will help you reason about scenarios like this and write code to match.
A friendly method to use is the following, once prop updates it will automatically rerender component:
render {
let textWhenComponentUpdate = this.props.text
return (
<View>
<Text>{textWhenComponentUpdate}</Text>
</View>
)
}
You could use the getDerivedStateFromProps() lifecyle method in the component that you want to be re-rendered, to set it's state based on an incoming change to the props passed to the component. Updating the state will cause a re-render. It works like this:
static getDerivedStateFromProps(nextProps, prevState) {
return { myStateProperty: nextProps.myProp};
}
This will set the value for myStateProperty in the component state to the value of myProp, and the component will re-render.
Make sure you understand potential implications of using this approach. In particular, you need to avoid overwriting the state of your component unintentionally because the props were updated in the parent component unexpectedly. You can perform checking logic if required by comparing the existing state (represented by prevState), to any incoming props value(s).
Only use an updated prop to update the state in cases where the value from props is the source of truth for the state value. If that's the case, there may also be a simpler way to achieve what you need. See - You Probably Don't Need Derived State – React Blog.