I would like to have a component, which get the property from parent component and make an AJAX request, based on this propery. The parent component can change this property and my child component must get another one AJAX request.
Here is my code, but I am not sure it is optimal and even correct:
<News source={this.state.currentSource} />
Component:
var News = React.createClass({
propTypes: {
source: React.PropTypes.string
},
getInitialState: function() {
return {
entities: []
};
},
componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
var url = 'http://localhost:3000/api/sources/' + nextProps.source + '/news';
this.serverRequest = $.get(url, function(result) {
this.setState({
entities: result
});
}.bind(this));
},
componentWillUnmount: function() {
this.serverRequest.abort();
},
render: function() {
// ...
}});
module.exports = News;
Does componentWillReceiveProps is a good place for this code?
componentWillReceiveProps will work just fine, one thing I would do differently is if <News/> is getting its props from a parent component then a good pattern to follow is to have the parent component actually handle the api calls and pass down the results as props. This way your News component really only has to deal with rendering content based on its props vs rendering and managing state.
I can only see limited portion of your App so that might not fit your use case but here is a great article on doing that type of differentiation between smart and dumb components.
http://jaketrent.com/post/smart-dumb-components-react/
Related
I am fairly new to React so I don't know the best ways to get data. I have a page URL like /country/japan and this is my component:
var Country = React.createClass({
componentDidMount: function() {
var _this = this,
country = _this.props.params.country;
Axios.get('http://URL/?search=' + country)
.then(function(result) {
_this.setState({
country: result.data[0]
});
});
},
componentWillUnmount: function() {
this.serverRequest.abort();
},
render: function() {
var country = this.state.country;
return (
<div>
<h1>{country.name}</h1>
</div>
);
}
});
I cannot seem to access the country data. What's the proper way to do this? Also how would you trigger a 404?
I would say first understand the difference between presentational and container components.
Presentational components:
Are concerned with how things look.
May contain both presentational and container components inside, and usually have some DOM markup and styles of their own. Often allow containment via this.props.children.
Have no dependencies on the rest of the app, such as Flux actions or stores.
Don’t specify how the data is loaded or mutated.
Receive data and callbacks exclusively via props.
Rarely have their own state (when they do, it’s UI state rather than
data).
Are written as functional components unless they need state,
lifecycle hooks, or performance optimizations.
Examples: Page, Sidebar, Story, UserInfo, List.
Container components:
Are concerned with how things work.
May contain both presentational and container components** inside but
usually don’t have any DOM markup of their own except for some
wrapping divs, and never have any styles.
Provide the data and behavior to presentational or other container
components.
Call Flux actions and provide these as callbacks to the
presentational components.
Are often stateful, as they tend to serve as data sources.
Are usually generated using higher order components such as connect()
from React Redux, createContainer() from Relay, or Container.create()
from Flux Utils, rather than written by hand.
Examples: UserPage, FollowersSidebar, StoryContainer,
FollowedUserList.
You can check more here. This would help you understand how to trigger an api call(it should be in containers).
So now coming to your code. I would say move your api code to the container and call your component inside the container.
var CountryContainer = React.createClass({
componentDidMount: function() {
var _this = this,
country = _this.props.params.country;
axios.get('http://URL/?search=' + country)
.then(function(result) {
//200-300 response codes
//update you state here with say variable data
.catch(function(error){
//400+ response codes
}
});
componentWillUnmount: function() {
this.serverRequest.abort();
},
render: function() {
return (
<Country data={this.state.data} />
);
}
});
I would suggest you go to over axios documentation. They have clearly mention when the API call fails and how to handle it :)
Looking at Facebook's react example here, I found this code showing how to use mixins to set intervals. I am confused as to what is happening with this.intervals. I understand that state holds render-altering data, and props handle data handed down from a parent component, ideally. I would have used this.props.intervals instead, but what is the difference between the two?
var SetIntervalMixin = {
componentWillMount: function() {
this.intervals = [];
},
setInterval: function() {
this.intervals.push(setInterval.apply(null, arguments));
},
componentWillUnmount: function() {
this.intervals.forEach(clearInterval);
}
};
var TickTock = React.createClass({
mixins: [SetIntervalMixin], // Use the mixin
getInitialState: function() {
return {seconds: 0};
},
componentDidMount: function() {
this.setInterval(this.tick, 1000); // Call a method on the mixin
},
tick: function() {
this.setState({seconds: this.state.seconds + 1});
},
render: function() {
return (
<p>
React has been running for {this.state.seconds} seconds.
</p>
);
}
});
ReactDOM.render(
<TickTock />,
document.getElementById('example')
);
When you use props, you know for 100% certainty the value should will be coming from it's immediate parent component (as a property).
When you see state, you know the value is being born/created within that component it's self.
The key, when state changes, every child below will render if any of their received props change.
Your Mixin is not a normal React class. It is simply an object, so this in the case of this.interval, is a reference to the scope of the object in which the method is being executed - TickTock.
-I have a Component (let's call it StorageComponent) that get a data(JSON) from a restful api (the request is made in componentDidMount)
-StorageComponent then passes the data to a child component and it will do stuff with other components to display the data and interact with user.
-Now there is another hierarchy of components independent of the above.
-This handle some form inputs by users, there is one component for each form input (radio button, checkbox, text, etc). And because every re-render will get rid of any state of the child, I had to use an object literal (call it ModelObject) to store each form input. So whenever a user enter something in a form it will make a call to Modelobject and store it there, the component will also ask for data from ModelObject.
-After The user entered all input he will eventually hit a submit button component in this hierarchy, where it will make a call to ModelObject to do ajax POST to the RestAPI. My problem is here, I would like for ModelComponent to get the data from the RestAPI again, so user will see the updated data. I thought forceUpdate() would work, I thought it would re-trigger rendering and thus componentDidMount in StorageComponent.
So what is the best way to do this. Moreover is there any bad practice mentioned above? Is this enough information?
edit:
the storageComponent hierarchy
var StorageComponent= React.createClass({
getInitialState: function(){
return {
data: []
};
},
componentDidMount: function(){
this.serverRequest = $.get(this.props.source, function(result){
result = JSON.parse(result);
this.setState({
data: result
});
}.bind(this));
},
render: function() {
return (
<div>
<Nav dataList={this.state.data} /> //whole bunch of other child component below this one
</div>
);
}
});
app.storageComponent= React.render(
<HabitModel source = "/api/listing/user"/>,
document.getElementById('myDiv')
);
the ModelObject that I've mentioned:
var formModel = {
newInfo: {
inputBox: "",
frequency: "",
date: "",
days: []
},
addDescription: function(description){
this.newHabitInfo.description = description;
},
addFrequency: function(selection){
this.newHabitInfo.frequency = selection;
},
addDay: function(startDay){
this.newHabitInfo.startDay = startDay;
},
getFrequency: function(){
return this.newHabitInfo.frequency;
},
//this is the function I want the second hierarchy of components to
//use to force the storageComponent to do the re-trigger the ajax
updateHabitListing: function(){
if(this.validate()){
app.habitListing.forceUpdate();
}else{
console.log("form not finish");
}
}
I've been playing a bit with ReactJS and am really enjoying the framework.
I'm also trying to follow the rule of creating components that are stateless where possible.
I have a Settings component that includes a child SettingsForm and a SettingsWidget.
Settings holds all the states, and only pass it as props to the form and widget.
This works (and scales) well because when the state in Settings is updated, it propagates to all child components.
var Settings = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
settings: {}
}
})
What I am not 100% sure on is the best practice when accessing input values on SettingsForm to pass it on to the parent component.
I know I can use refs and also two-way binding to accomplish this, but neither feel very "ReactJS-like".
Is there a better of way accomplishing this that I am unaware of? For the sake of completeness, I've included the relevant code in my SettingsForm component below
var SettingsForm = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {
changed: false
}
},
handleChange: function(event) {
this.setState({changed: true})
this.props.handleChange(
this.refs.emailInputFieldRef.getDOMNode().value,
this.refs.firstNameInputFieldRef.getDOMNode().value
)
},
handleSubmit: function(event) {
event.preventDefault();
// Access and pass on input values to parent callback so state is updated
this.props.handleUpdate(
this.refs.emailInputFieldRef.getDOMNode().value,
this.refs.firstNameInputFieldRef.getDOMNode().value
)
this.setState(this.getInitialState());
},
...
}
For now there is a Mixin you can use to link the input values to the state, called LinkedStateMixin that is exactly what you are looking for...
var WithLink = React.createClass({
mixins: [React.addons.LinkedStateMixin],
getInitialState: function() {
return {message: 'Hello!'};
},
render: function() {
return <input type="text" valueLink={this.linkState('message')} />;
}
});
Then all you have to do is modify your handler functions on the parent component to take your inputs as variables, and pass that function down to the child component as a prop. When you want to handle the form, call that function in the props and send the state (bound with from the Mixin) as the variables.
React Docs - React Link
This may be treading that line between answerable and opinionated, but I'm going back and forth as to how to structure a ReactJS component as complexity grows and could use some direction.
Coming from AngularJS, I want to pass my model into the component as a property and have the component modify the model directly. Or should I be splitting the model up into various state properties and compiling it back together when sending back upstream? What is the ReactJS way?
Take the example of a blog post editor. Trying to modify the model directly ends up looking like:
var PostEditor = React.createClass({
updateText: function(e) {
var text = e.target.value;
this.props.post.text = text;
this.forceUpdate();
},
render: function() {
return (
<input value={this.props.post.text} onChange={this.updateText}/>
<button onClick={this.props.post.save}/>Save</button>
);
}
});
Which seems wrong.
Is it more the React way to make our text model property state, and compile it back into the model before saving like:
var PostEditor = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {
text: ""
};
},
componentWillMount: function() {
this.setState({
text: this.props.post.text
});
},
updateText: function(e) {
this.setState({
text: e.target.value
});
},
savePost: function() {
this.props.post.text = this.state.text;
this.props.post.save();
},
render: function() {
return (
<input value={this.state.text} onChange={this.updateText}/>
<button onClick={this.savePost}/>Save</button>
);
}
});
This doesn't require a call to this.forceUpdate(), but as the model grows, (a post may have an author, subject, tags, comments, ratings, etc...) the component starts getting really complicated.
Is the first method with ReactLink the way to go?
Updating 2016:
React is changed, and explanation "props vs state" became very simple. If a component needs to change data - put it in a state, otherwise in props. Because props are read-only now.
What's the exact difference between props and state?
You can find good explanation here (full version)
Your second approach is more like it. React doesn't care about models so much as it cares about values and how they flow through your app. Ideally, your post model would be stored in a single component at the root. You then create child components that each consume parts of the model.
You can pass callbacks down to the children that need to modify your data, and call them from the child component.
Modifying this.props or this.state directly is not a good idea, because React will not be able to pick up on the changes. That's because React does a shallow comparison of your post prop to determine if it has changed.
I made this jsfiddle to show how data could flow from an outer to an inner component.
The handleClick method shows 3 ways to (im)properly update state:
var Outer = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {data: {value: 'at first, it works'}};
},
handleClick: function () {
// 1. This doesn't work, render is not triggered.
// Never set state directly because the updated values
// can still be read, which can lead to unexpected behavior.
this.state.data.value = 'but React will never know!';
// 2. This works, because we use setState
var newData = {value: 'it works 2'};
this.setState({data: newData});
// 3. Alternatively you can use React's immutability helpers
// to update more complex models.
// Read more: http://facebook.github.io/react/docs/update.html
var newState = React.addons.update(this.state, {
data: {value: {$set: 'it works'}}
});
this.setState(newState);
},
render: function() {
return <Inner data={this.state.data} handleClick={this.handleClick} />;
}
});
From React doc
props are immutable: they are passed from the parent and are "owned" by the parent. To implement interactions, we introduce mutable state to the component. this.state is private to the component and can be changed by calling this.setState(). When the state is updated, the component re-renders itself.
From TrySpace: when props (or state) are updated (via setProps/setState or parent) the component re-renders as well.
A reading from Thinking in React:
Let's go through each one and figure out which one is state. Simply
ask three questions about each piece of data:
Is it passed in from a parent via props? If so, it probably isn't
state.
Does it change over time? If not, it probably isn't state.
Can you compute it based on any other state or props in your
component? If so, it's not state.
I'm not sure if I'm answering your question, but I've found that, especially in a large/growing application, the Container/Component pattern works incredibly well.
Essentially you have two React components:
a "pure" display component, which deals with styling and DOM interaction;
a container component, which deals with accessing/saving external data, managing state, and rendering the display component.
Example
N.B. This example is a probably too simple to illustrate the benefits of this pattern, as it is quite verbose for such a straightforward case.
/**
* Container Component
*
* - Manages component state
* - Does plumbing of data fetching/saving
*/
var PostEditorContainer = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {
text: ""
};
},
componentWillMount: function() {
this.setState({
text: getPostText()
});
},
updateText: function(text) {
this.setState({
text: text
});
},
savePost: function() {
savePostText(this.state.text);
},
render: function() {
return (
<PostEditor
text={this.state.text}
onChange={this.updateText.bind(this)}
onSave={this.savePost.bind(this)}
/>
);
}
});
/**
* Pure Display Component
*
* - Calculates styling based on passed properties
* - Often just a render method
* - Uses methods passed in from container to announce changes
*/
var PostEditor = React.createClass({
render: function() {
return (
<div>
<input type="text" value={this.props.text} onChange={this.props.onChange} />
<button type="button" onClick={this.props.onSave} />
</div>
);
}
});
Benefits
By keeping display logic and data/state management separate, you have a re-usable display component which:
can easily be iterated with different sets of props using something like react-component-playground
can be wrapped with a different container for different behavior (or combine with other components to build larger parts of your application
You also have a container component which deals with all external communication. This should make it easier to be flexible about the way you access your data if you make any serious changes later on*.
This pattern also makes writing and implementing unit tests a lot more straightforward.
Having iterated a large React app a few times, I've found that this pattern keeps things relatively painless, especially when you have larger components with calculated styles or complicated DOM interactions.
*Read up on the flux pattern, and take a look at Marty.js, which largely inspired this answer (and I have been using a lot lately) Redux (and react-redux), which implement this pattern extremely well.
Note for those reading this in 2018 or later:
React has evolved quite a bit since this answer was written, especially with the introduction of Hooks. However, the underlying state management logic from this example remains the same, and more importantly, the benefits that you get from keeping your state and presentation logic separate still apply in the same ways.
I think you're using an anti-pattern which Facebook has already explained at this link
Here's thing you're finding:
React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return { value: { foo: 'bar' } };
},
onClick: function() {
var value = this.state.value;
value.foo += 'bar'; // ANTI-PATTERN!
this.setState({ value: value });
},
render: function() {
return (
<div>
<InnerComponent value={this.state.value} />
<a onClick={this.onClick}>Click me</a>
</div>
);
}
});
The first time the inner component gets rendered, it will have { foo: 'bar' } as the value prop. If the user clicks on the anchor, the parent component's state will get updated to { value: { foo: 'barbar' } }, triggering the re-rendering process of the inner component, which will receive { foo: 'barbar' } as the new value for the prop.
The problem is that since the parent and inner components share a reference to the same object, when the object gets mutated on line 2 of the onClick function, the prop the inner component had will change. So, when the re-rendering process starts, and shouldComponentUpdate gets invoked, this.props.value.foo will be equal to nextProps.value.foo, because in fact, this.props.value references the same object as nextProps.value.
Consequently, since we'll miss the change on the prop and short circuit the re-rendering process, the UI won't get updated from 'bar' to 'barbar'