In a React component for a <select> menu, I need to set the selected attribute on the option that reflects the application state.
In render(), the optionState is passed from the state owner to the SortMenu component. The option values are passed in as props from JSON.
render: function() {
var options = [],
optionState = this.props.optionState;
this.props.options.forEach(function(option) {
var selected = (optionState === option.value) ? ' selected' : '';
options.push(
<option value={option.value}{selected}>{option.label}</option>
);
});
// pass {options} to the select menu jsx
However that triggers a syntax error on JSX compilation.
Doing this gets rid of the syntax error but obviously doesn't solve the problem:
var selected = (optionState === option.value) ? 'selected' : 'false';
<option value={option.value} selected={selected}>{option.label}</option>
I also tried this:
var selected = (optionState === option.value) ? true : false;
<option value={option.value} {selected ? 'selected' : ''}>{option.label}</option>
Is there a recommended way of solving this?
React makes this even easier for you. Instead of defining selected on each option, you can (and should) simply write value={optionsState} on the select tag itself:
<select value={optionsState}>
<option value="A">Apple</option>
<option value="B">Banana</option>
<option value="C">Cranberry</option>
</select>
For more info, see the React select tag doc.
Also, React automatically understands booleans for this purpose, so you can simply write (note: not recommended)
<option value={option.value} selected={optionsState == option.value}>{option.label}</option>
and it will output 'selected' appropriately.
You could do what React warns you when you try to set the "selected" property of the <option>:
Use the defaultValue or value props on <select> instead of setting selected on <option>.
So, you can use options.value on the defaultValue of your select
Here is a complete solution which incorporates the best answer and the comments below it (which might help someone struggling to piece it all together):
UPDATE FOR ES6 (2019) - using arrow functions and object destructuring
in main component:
class ReactMain extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = { fruit: props.item.fruit };
}
handleChange = (event) => {
this.setState({ [event.target.name]: event.target.value });
}
saveItem = () => {
const item = {};
item.fruit = this.state.fruit;
// do more with item object as required (e.g. save to database)
}
render() {
return (
<ReactExample name="fruit" value={this.state.fruit} handleChange={this.handleChange} />
)
}
}
included component (which is now a stateless functional):
export const ReactExample = ({ name, value, handleChange }) => (
<select name={name} value={value} onChange={handleChange}>
<option value="A">Apple</option>
<option value="B">Banana</option>
<option value="C">Cranberry</option>
</select>
)
PREVIOUS ANSWER (using bind):
in main component:
class ReactMain extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
// bind once here, better than multiple times in render
this.handleChange = this.handleChange.bind(this);
this.state = { fruit: props.item.fruit };
}
handleChange(event) {
this.setState({ [event.target.name]: event.target.value });
}
saveItem() {
const item = {};
item.fruit = this.state.fruit;
// do more with item object as required (e.g. save to database)
}
render() {
return (
<ReactExample name="fruit" value={this.state.fruit} handleChange={this.handleChange} />
)
}
}
included component (which is now a stateless functional):
export const ReactExample = (props) => (
<select name={props.name} value={props.value} onChange={props.handleChange}>
<option value="A">Apple</option>
<option value="B">Banana</option>
<option value="C">Cranberry</option>
</select>
)
the main component maintains the selected value for fruit (in state), the included component displays the select element and updates are passed back to the main component to update its state (which then loops back to the included component to change the selected value).
Note the use of a name prop which allows you to declare a single handleChange method for other fields on the same form regardless of their type.
I was making a drop-down menu for a language selector - but I needed the dropdown menu to display the current language upon page load. I would either be getting my initial language from a URL param example.com?user_language=fr, or detecting it from the user’s browser settings. Then when the user interacted with the dropdown, the selected language would be updated and the language selector dropdown would display the currently selected language.
Since this whole thread has been giving fruit examples, I got all sorts of fruit goodness for you.
First up, answering the initially asked question with a basic React functional component - two examples with and without props, then how to import the component elsewhere.
Next up, the same example - but juiced up with Typescript.
Then a bonus finale - A language selector dropdown component using Typescript.
Basic React (16.13.1) Functional Component Example. Two examples of FruitSelectDropdown , one without props & one with accepting props fruitDetector
import React, { useState } from 'react'
export const FruitSelectDropdown = () => {
const [currentFruit, setCurrentFruit] = useState('oranges')
const changeFruit = (newFruit) => {
setCurrentFruit(newFruit)
}
return (
<form>
<select
onChange={(event) => changeFruit(event.target.value)}
value={currentFruit}
>
<option value="apples">Red Apples</option>
<option value="oranges">Outrageous Oranges</option>
<option value="tomatoes">Technically a Fruit Tomatoes</option>
<option value="bananas">Bodacious Bananas</option>
</select>
</form>
)
}
Or you can have FruitSelectDropdown accept props, maybe you have a function that outputs a string, you can pass it through using the fruitDetector prop
import React, { useState } from 'react'
export const FruitSelectDropdown = ({ fruitDetector }) => {
const [currentFruit, setCurrentFruit] = useState(fruitDetector)
const changeFruit = (newFruit) => {
setCurrentFruit(newFruit)
}
return (
<form>
<select
onChange={(event) => changeFruit(event.target.value)}
value={currentFruit}
>
<option value="apples">Red Apples</option>
<option value="oranges">Outrageous Oranges</option>
<option value="tomatoes">Technically a Fruit Tomatoes</option>
<option value="bananas">Bodacious Bananas</option>
</select>
</form>
)
}
Then import the FruitSelectDropdown elsewhere in your app
import React from 'react'
import { FruitSelectDropdown } from '../path/to/FruitSelectDropdown'
const App = () => {
return (
<div className="page-container">
<h1 className="header">A webpage about fruit</h1>
<div className="section-container">
<h2>Pick your favorite fruit</h2>
<FruitSelectDropdown fruitDetector='bananas' />
</div>
</div>
)
}
export default App
FruitSelectDropdown with Typescript
import React, { FC, useState } from 'react'
type FruitProps = {
fruitDetector: string;
}
export const FruitSelectDropdown: FC<FruitProps> = ({ fruitDetector }) => {
const [currentFruit, setCurrentFruit] = useState(fruitDetector)
const changeFruit = (newFruit: string): void => {
setCurrentFruit(newFruit)
}
return (
<form>
<select
onChange={(event) => changeFruit(event.target.value)}
value={currentFruit}
>
<option value="apples">Red Apples</option>
<option value="oranges">Outrageous Oranges</option>
<option value="tomatoes">Technically a Fruit Tomatoes</option>
<option value="bananas">Bodacious Bananas</option>
</select>
</form>
)
}
Then import the FruitSelectDropdown elsewhere in your app
import React, { FC } from 'react'
import { FruitSelectDropdown } from '../path/to/FruitSelectDropdown'
const App: FC = () => {
return (
<div className="page-container">
<h1 className="header">A webpage about fruit</h1>
<div className="section-container">
<h2>Pick your favorite fruit</h2>
<FruitSelectDropdown fruitDetector='bananas' />
</div>
</div>
)
}
export default App
Bonus Round: Translation Dropdown with selected current value:
import React, { FC, useState } from 'react'
import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
export const LanguageSelectDropdown: FC = () => {
const { i18n } = useTranslation()
const i18nLanguage = i18n.language
const [currentI18nLanguage, setCurrentI18nLanguage] = useState(i18nLanguage)
const changeLanguage = (language: string): void => {
i18n.changeLanguage(language)
setCurrentI18nLanguage(language)
}
return (
<form>
<select
onChange={(event) => changeLanguage(event.target.value)}
value={currentI18nLanguage}
>
<option value="en">English</option>
<option value="de">Deutsch</option>
<option value="es">Español</option>
<option value="fr">Français</option>
</select>
</form>
)
}
An invaluable resource for React/Typescript
Here is the latest example of how to do it. From react docs, plus auto-binding "fat-arrow" method syntax.
class FlavorForm extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {value: 'coconut'};
}
handleChange = (event) =>
this.setState({value: event.target.value});
handleSubmit = (event) => {
alert('Your favorite flavor is: ' + this.state.value);
event.preventDefault();
}
render() {
return (
<form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
<label>
Pick your favorite flavor:
<select value={this.state.value} onChange={this.handleChange}>
<option value="grapefruit">Grapefruit</option>
<option value="lime">Lime</option>
<option value="coconut">Coconut</option>
<option value="mango">Mango</option>
</select>
</label>
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>
);
}
}
Main Point - Controlled Component
You are looking to set up a "Controlled Component". This will require you to set the value on the element as well as handle the on change event to update the value.
https://reactjs.org/docs/forms.html#controlled-components
Examples
https://codepen.io/codyswartz/pen/QWqYNrY
Simple Functional Component Select Example
This also includes a default and grays it out.
const defaultSelectValue = "Select a fruit"
const SelectExample = () => {
const [selected, setSelected] = useState(defaultSelectValue)
return (
<>
<label htmlFor="fruits">Fruits</label>{' '}
<select
id="fruits"
name="fruits"
defaultValue={selected}
style={{ color: selected === defaultSelectValue ? "gray" : "black" }}
onChange={e => setSelected(e.target.value)}
>
<option>{defaultSelectValue}</option>
<option>Banana</option>
<option>Apple</option>
<option>Orange</option>
</select>
<h2>Selected: {selected}</h2>
</>
)
}
// Usage
<SelectExample />
Dynamic Reusable Example with Default
This would take a collection of strings using the first as a default.
const SelectExample = ({ name, items }) => {
const defaultSelectValue = items[0]
const [selected, setSelected] = useState(defaultSelectValue)
return (
<>
<label htmlFor={name}>{name}</label>{' '}
<select
id={name}
name={name}
defaultValue={selected}
style={{ color: selected === defaultSelectValue ? "gray" : "black" }}
onChange={e => setSelected(e.target.value)}
>
{items.map(item => (
<option key={item} value={item}>
{item}
</option>
))}
</select>
<h2>Selected: {selected}</h2>
</>
)
}
// Usage
<SelectExample
name="fruits"
items={['Select a fruit', 'Banana', 'Apple', 'Orange']}
/>
With React 16.8. We can do this with hooks like the following example
Codesandbox link
import React, { useState } from "react";
import "./styles.css";
export default function App() {
const options = [
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail",
"Monty Python's Life of Brian",
"Monty Python's The Meaning of Life"
];
const filmsByTati = [
{
id: 1,
title: "Jour de fête",
releasedYear: 1949
},
{
id: 2,
title: "Play time",
releasedYear: 1967
},
{
id: 3,
releasedYear: 1958,
title: "Mon Oncle"
}
];
const [selectedOption, setSelectedOption] = useState(options[0]);
const [selectedTatiFilm, setSelectedTatiFilm] = useState(filmsByTati[0]);
return (
<div className="App">
<h1>Select Example</h1>
<select
value={selectedOption}
onChange={(e) => setSelectedOption(e.target.value)}
>
{options.map((option) => (
<option key={option} value={option}>
{option}
</option>
))}
</select>
<span>Selected option: {selectedOption}</span>
<select
value={selectedTatiFilm}
onChange={(e) =>
setSelectedTatiFilm(
filmsByTati.find(film => (film.id == e.target.value))
)
}
>
{filmsByTati.map((film) => (
<option key={film.id} value={film.id}>
{film.title}
</option>
))}
</select>
<span>Selected option: {selectedTatiFilm.title}</span>
</div>
);
}
Simply add as first option of your select tag:
<option disabled hidden value=''></option>
This will become default and when you'll select a valid option will be setted on your state
***Html:***
<div id="divContainer"></div>
var colors = [{ Name: 'Red' }, { Name: 'Green' }, { Name: 'Blue' }];
var selectedColor = 'Green';
ReactDOM.render(<Container></Container>, document.getElementById("divContainer"));
var Container = React.createClass({
render: function () {
return (
<div>
<DropDown data={colors} Selected={selectedColor}></DropDown>
</div>);
}
});
***Option 1:***
var DropDown = React.createClass(
{
render: function () {
var items = this.props.data;
return (
<select value={this.props.Selected}>
{
items.map(function (item) {
return <option value={item.Name }>{item.Name}</option>;
})
}
</select>);
}
});
***Option 2:***
var DropDown = React.createClass(
{
render: function () {
var items = this.props.data;
return (
<select>
{
items.map(function (item) {
return <option value={item.Name} selected={selectedItem == item.Name}>{item.Name}</option>;
})
}
</select>);
}
});
***Option 3:***
var DropDown = React.createClass(
{
render: function () {
var items = this.props.data;
return (
<select>
{
items.map(function (item) {
if (selectedItem == item.Name)
return <option value={item.Name } selected>{item.Name}</option>;
else
return <option value={item.Name }>{item.Name}</option>;
})
}
</select>);
}
});
Use defaultValue to preselect the values for Select.
<Select defaultValue={[{ value: category.published, label: 'Publish' }]} options={statusOptions} onChange={handleStatusChange} />
if you store objects in a state.
class Studentinformation extends Component
{
constructor(props)
{
super(props);
this.handlechange=this.handlechange.bind(this);
this.handleSubmit=this.handleSubmit.bind(this);
this.state={Studentinfo:{
Name:'',
Skill:'Java',
Address:''
}};
}
handlechange(event)
{
const name=event.target.name;
const value=event.target.value;
this.setState({ Studentinfo:
{
...this.state.Studentinfo,
[name]:[value]
}});
}
handleSubmit(event)
{
event.preventDefault();
}
render(){
return (
<div>
<form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
<label>Name: <input type="text" name="Name" value={this.state.Studentinfo.Name} onChange={this.handlechange}></input></label>
<br/>
<label>Skills:
<select value={this.state.Studentinfo.Skill} name="Skill" onChange={this.handlechange}>
<option value="C++" >C++</option>
<option value="C#">C#</option>
<option value="Java">Java</option>
</select>
</label>
<br/>
<textarea value={this.state.Studentinfo.Address} onChange={this.handlechange}/>
<br/>
<input type="submit" value="Submit"></input>
</form>
</div>
);
}
}
I've had a problem with <select> tags not updating to the correct <option> when the state changes. My problem seemed to be that if you render twice in quick succession, the first time with no pre-selected <option> but the second time with one, then the <select> tag doesn't update on the second render, but stays on the default first .
I found a solution to this using refs. You need to get a reference to your <select> tag node (which might be nested in some component), and then manually update the value property on it, in the componentDidUpdate hook.
componentDidUpdate(){
let selectNode = React.findDOMNode(this.refs.selectingComponent.refs.selectTag);
selectNode.value = this.state.someValue;
}
Posting a similar answer for MULTISELECT / optgroups:
render() {
return(
<div>
<select defaultValue="1" onChange={(e) => this.props.changeHandler(e.target.value) }>
<option disabled="disabled" value="1" hidden="hidden">-- Select --</option>
<optgroup label="Group 1">
{options1}
</optgroup>
<optgroup label="Group 2">
{options2}
</optgroup>
</select>
</div>
)
}
I have a simple solution is following the HTML basic.
<input
type="select"
defaultValue=""
>
<option value="" disabled className="text-hide">Please select</option>
<option>value1</option>
<option>value1</option>
</input>
.text-hide is a bootstrap's class, if you not using bootstrap, here you are:
.text-hide {
font: 0/0 a;
color: transparent;
text-shadow: none;
background-color: transparent;
border: 0;
}
if you use Stateless then
const IndexPage =({states, selectedState}) => {
return(
<select id="states" defaultValue={selectedState} name="state">
{states.map(state=> (
<option value={state.id} key={state.id}>{state.name}</option>
))
}
</select>
)
}
I got around a similar issue by setting defaultProps:
ComponentName.defaultProps = {
propName: ''
}
<select value="this.props.propName" ...
So now I avoid errors on compilation if my prop does not exist until mounting.
My home page has a drop down, I want to pass the selected value to the app.js file which has a header and a menu, I want that selected value to appear in the header which is on the app.js file, is that possible?
my home.js code:
const Home = () => {
const [ environment, setEvironment ] = useState([]);
const ddOnChange = async (e) => {
setEnvironment(e.target.value);
}
return (
<select className="dropdown main" onChange={ ddOnChange }>
<option value="0"></option>
<option value="NW">Northwest</option>
<option value="SE">South East</option
</select>
)
}
export default Home;
Is there a way to pass that environment value to the app.js file so it appears in the menu header on that page?
In your app.js define a state and pass it's setter to your home:
const [activeHeader, setActiveHeader] = React.useState();
return (
......
<Home setActiveHeader={setActiveHeader} />
......
)
Then in your Home.js, update the state using the setter:
const Home = ({setActiveHeader}) => {
const ddOnChange = async (e) => {
setActiveHeader(e.target.value);
}
return (
<select className="dropdown main" onChange={ ddOnChange }>
<option value="0"></option>
<option value="NW">Northwest</option>
<option value="SE">South East</option
</select>
)
}
export default Home;
Basically, I'm trying to test a component that have a select.
When trying to test the component, the test fails by returning the default value instead of the changed value.
But when I take the HTML of the rendered component (from screen.debug()) it works.
The component:
export function SelectFile({
fileList,
handleChange,
selected,
}) {
return (
<select
className="bg-slate-600 rounded w-auto"
onChange={onChange}
value={selected}
>
<option value="">Select an option</option>
<TodayOptions />
<AllOptions />
</select>
);
function AllOptions() {
return (
<>
{Object.entries(groups).map(([key, value]) => {
return (
<optgroup key={key} label={key.toLocaleUpperCase()}>
{[...value].sort(sortByDateFromLogs).map((item) => (
<option key={item} value={item}>
{item}
</option>
))}
</optgroup>
);
})}
</>
);
}
function TodayOptions() {
const todayFiles = Object.values(groups)
.map((group) => {
const today = new Date().toLocaleDateString().replace(/\//g, '-');
return group.filter((file) => file.includes(today));
})
.flat();
if (todayFiles.length === 0) {
return null;
}
return (
<optgroup label="Today">
{todayFiles.map((item) => (
<option key={item}>{item}</option>
))}
</optgroup>
);
}
}
The original test:
it('should change option', () => {
render(
<SelectFile
fileList={fileList}
handleChange={handleChange}
selected=""
/>,
);
const selectElement = screen.getByDisplayValue('Select an option');
const allOptions = screen.getAllByRole('option');
const optionSelected = fileList.adonis[1];
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue('');
act(() => {
userEvent.selectOptions(selectElement, optionSelected);
});
expect(handleChange).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue(optionSelected); // returns "" (default value)
expect((allOptions[0] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[1] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(true);
expect((allOptions[2] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[3] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[4] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
});
And the modified test with the rendered html:
it('should change option', () => {
render(
<div>
<div className="flex mr-10">
<h3 className="text-lg font-bold mr-4">Select a file</h3>
<select className="bg-slate-600 rounded w-auto">
<option value="">Select an option</option>
<optgroup label="ADONIS">
<option value="adonis-03-02-2022.json">
adonis-03-02-2022.json
</option>
<option value="adonis-02-02-2022.json">
adonis-02-02-2022.json
</option>
</optgroup>
<optgroup label="ERRORS">
<option value="http_errors-03-03-2022.log">
http_errors-03-03-2022.log
</option>
<option value="http_errors-04-02-2022.log">
http_errors-04-02-2022.log
</option>
</optgroup>
</select>
</div>
</div>,
);
const selectElement = screen.getByDisplayValue('Select an option');
const allOptions = screen.getAllByRole('option');
const optionSelected = fileList.adonis[1];
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue('');
act(() => {
userEvent.selectOptions(selectElement, optionSelected);
});
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue(optionSelected); // this returns the optionSelected value
expect((allOptions[0] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[1] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(true);
expect((allOptions[2] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[3] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
expect((allOptions[4] as HTMLOptionElement).selected).toBe(false);
});
Considering it works with the modified test, I can't make it why it doesn't on the original.
I've considered it was due to the optgroup, but it doesn't seems the case, so now I'm at a loss as to why.
Edit: the final version of the test:
it('should change option', () => {
const mockHandleChange = handleChange.mockImplementation(
(cb) => (e) => cb(e.target.value),
);
render(
<SelectWrapper fileList={fileList} handleChange={mockHandleChange} />,
);
const selectElement = screen.getByDisplayValue('Select an option');
const optionSelected = fileList.adonis[1];
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue('');
act(() => {
userEvent.selectOptions(selectElement, optionSelected);
});
expect(handleChange).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2); // 1 for cb wrapper, 1 for select
expect(selectElement).toHaveValue(optionSelected);
});
});
const SelectWrapper = ({ handleChange, fileList }) => {
const [selected, setSelected] = useState('');
const mockHandleChange = handleChange(setSelected);
return (
<SelectFile
fileList={fileList}
handleChange={mockHandleChange}
selected={selected}
/>
);
};
I've created a wrapper to make it like you would use in another component, wrapped the mock function and now it changes the value and you have access to the mock.
Since in your test you are rendering only the Select (which is a controlled component : it receives from its parent the current value and a onChange callback), with a fixed selected props, you cannot expect the selected option to change when you trigger a change event on the select. You can only expect that the onChange callback has been called (like you do).
For this kind of component, you need to test that the selected props is respected (the selected option is the good one), and that the provided callback is called when the user chooses a new option (you ahve done this part).
You need to add a test with an existing option as selected props (not empty string), then check that the selected option is the right one. I suggest you use https://github.com/testing-library/jest-dom#tohavevalue from https://github.com/testing-library/jest-dom.
I've been working on this project for the last couple of hours and I was pretty sure that this final hour would be my last. No errors are appearing. My thinking is that when I pick a hero from the drop down, the page will update depending on my choice. I may have something that isn't firing that I'm not picking up on.
import React, {useEffect, useState} from 'react'
import axios from 'axios'
require("regenerator-runtime/runtime");
const App = () => {
const [hero, selectedHero] = useState(
'Select a Hero'
);
const handleChange = event => selectedHero(event.target.value);
return(
<HeroSelect heroSelect={hero} onChangeHeadline={handleChange} />
);
};
const HeroSelect = ({heroSelect, onChangeHeadline}) => {
const [data, setData] = useState({heroes: []});
useEffect(() => {
const fetchData = async () => {
const result = await axios(
'https://api.opendota.com/api/heroStats',
);
setData({...data, heroes: result.data});
};
fetchData();
}, []);
return (
<div>
<h1>{heroSelect}</h1>
<select>
{data.heroes.map(item => (
<option key={item.id} value={heroSelect} onChange={onChangeHeadline} >
{item.localized_name}
</option>
))}
</select>
</div>
)
};
export default App
Define your onChange={onChangeHeadline} on Select tag not on option tag
<select onChange={onChangeHeadline}>
{data.heroes.map(item => (
<option key={item.id} value={item.localized_name}>
{item.localized_name}
</option>
))}
</select>
You should be firing your onChange event on the select tag itself.
<select onChange={onChangeHeadline} >
.....
.....
</select>
I reckon you didn't declare an onChange on the select.
Using This method:
<select id="lang" onChange={this.change} value={this.state.value}>
<option value="select">Select</option>
<option value="Java">Java</option>
<option value="C++">C++</option>
</select>