what is the difference between setState([]) and setState(()=>)? - javascript

I am doing a small React project.
I heard somewhere that using setState(()=>) is better than setState().
For instance, let [count, setCount] = useState(0)
setCount(prev=>prev+1) is better than setCount(count+1)
so I kept using the one having arrow function.
But, here in the code, I found that the arrow function one did not work, but the other one worked.
const addCard = () => {
setCards([
...cards,
{
topic: topicRef.current.value,
desc: descRef.current.value,
id: nanoid(),
done: false,
},
]);
topicRef.current.value = "";
descRef.current.value = "";
};
this code works fine, however if I start doing like setCards(prevState=>[...prevState, {}]), the first render works OK, but after that, the Ref value does not read the value I put properly. (I used useRef() for topic and desc.)
What is the difference between setState(()=>) and setState()?

The more classic example is when you use setInterval inside the useEffect. take a look at the following code:
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import "./styles.css";
export default function App() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
useEffect(() => {
let interval = setInterval(() => {
// setCount((c) => c + 1);
setCount(count + 1);
}, 1000);
return () => {
clearInterval(interval);
};
}, []);
return (
<div className="App">
<h1>{count}</h1>
</div>
);
}
In this case, it renders 0 and then increments the count once after one second. The count value will remain at 1 after that.
The reason behind this is that count here represents your React state. This is a variable that holds a value. A closure is created over the outer scope where count is declared - which is the App component itself. Such variables can change value between function calls, but this is where React's immutability comes into play.
You can update the state using the second method as follows:
useEffect(() => {
let interval = setInterval(() => {
setCount((c) => c + 1); // this will update count value every second
}, 1000);
return () => {
clearInterval(interval);
};
}, []);
There will always be a fresh state for that variable when using this method.
That's why you shouldn't jump into React without learning core JS first. React is not JavaScript, but rather a declarative JavaScript library that simplifies some things.
Codesandbox link of the above example: https://codesandbox.io/s/react-interval-gi4xl7
Great article by Dan referencing the same topic: https://overreacted.io/making-setinterval-declarative-with-react-hooks/

Related

React, useEfect and axios. infinite loop [duplicate]

Are there ways to simulate componentDidMount in React functional components via hooks?
For the stable version of hooks (React Version 16.8.0+)
For componentDidMount
useEffect(() => {
// Your code here
}, []);
For componentDidUpdate
useEffect(() => {
// Your code here
}, [yourDependency]);
For componentWillUnmount
useEffect(() => {
// componentWillUnmount
return () => {
// Your code here
}
}, [yourDependency]);
So in this situation, you need to pass your dependency into this array. Let's assume you have a state like this
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
And whenever count increases you want to re-render your function component. Then your useEffect should look like this
useEffect(() => {
// <div>{count}</div>
}, [count]);
This way whenever your count updates your component will re-render. Hopefully this will help a bit.
There is no exact equivalent for componentDidMount in react hooks.
In my experience, react hooks requires a different mindset when developing it and generally speaking you should not compare it to the class methods like componentDidMount.
With that said, there are ways in which you can use hooks to produce a similar effect to componentDidMount.
Solution 1:
useEffect(() => {
console.log("I have been mounted")
}, [])
Solution 2:
const num = 5
useEffect(() => {
console.log("I will only run if my deps change: ", num)
}, [num])
Solution 3 (With function):
useEffect(() => {
const someFunc = () => {
console.log("Function being run after/on mount")
}
someFunc()
}, [])
Solution 4 (useCallback):
const msg = "some message"
const myFunc = useCallback(() => {
console.log(msg)
}, [msg])
useEffect(() => {
myFunc()
}, [myFunc])
Solution 5 (Getting creative):
export default function useDidMountHook(callback) {
const didMount = useRef(null)
useEffect(() => {
if (callback && !didMount.current) {
didMount.current = true
callback()
}
})
}
It is worth noting that solution 5 should only really be used if none of the other solutions work for your use case. If you do decide you need solution 5 then I recommend using this pre-made hook use-did-mount.
Source (With more detail): Using componentDidMount in react hooks
There's no componentDidMount on functional components, but React Hooks provide a way you can emulate the behavior by using the useEffect hook.
Pass an empty array as the second argument to useEffect() to run only the callback on mount only.
Please read the documentation on useEffect.
function ComponentDidMount() {
const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
React.useEffect(() => {
console.log('componentDidMount');
}, []);
return (
<div>
<p>componentDidMount: {count} times</p>
<button
onClick={() => {
setCount(count + 1);
}}
>
Click Me
</button>
</div>
);
}
ReactDOM.render(
<div>
<ComponentDidMount />
</div>,
document.querySelector("#app")
);
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react#16.7.0-alpha.0/umd/react.development.js"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom#16.7.0-alpha.0/umd/react-dom.development.js"></script>
<div id="app"></div>
useEffect() hook allows us to achieve the functionality of componentDidMount, componentDidUpdate componentWillUnMount functionalities.
Different syntaxes of useEffect() allows to achieve each of the above methods.
i) componentDidMount
useEffect(() => {
//code here
}, []);
ii) componentDidUpdate
useEffect(() => {
//code here
}, [x,y,z]);
//where x,y,z are state variables on whose update, this method should get triggered
iii) componentDidUnmount
useEffect(() => {
//code here
return function() {
//code to be run during unmount phase
}
}, []);
You can check the official react site for more info. Official React Page on Hooks
Although accepted answer works, it is not recommended. When you have more than one state and you use it with useEffect, it will give you warning about adding it to dependency array or not using it at all.
It sometimes causes the problem which might give you unpredictable output. So I suggest that you take a little effort to rewrite your function as class. There are very little changes, and you can have some components as class and some as function. You're not obligated to use only one convention.
Take this for example
function App() {
const [appointments, setAppointments] = useState([]);
const [aptId, setAptId] = useState(1);
useEffect(() => {
fetch('./data.json')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(result => {
const apts = result.map(item => {
item.aptId = aptId;
console.log(aptId);
setAptId(aptId + 1);
return item;
})
setAppointments(apts);
});
}, []);
return(...);
}
and
class App extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {
appointments: [],
aptId: 1,
}
}
componentDidMount() {
fetch('./data.json')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(result => {
const apts = result.map(item => {
item.aptId = this.state.aptId;
this.setState({aptId: this.state.aptId + 1});
console.log(this.state.aptId);
return item;
});
this.setState({appointments: apts});
});
}
render(...);
}
This is only for example. so lets not talk about best practices or potential issues with the code. Both of this has same logic but the later only works as expected. You might get componentDidMount functionality with useEffect running for this time, but as your app grows, there are chances that you MAY face some issues. So, rather than rewriting at that phase, it's better to do this at early stage.
Besides, OOP is not that bad, if Procedure-Oriented Programming was enough, we would never have had Object-Oriented Programming. It's painful sometimes, but better (technically. personal issues aside).
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
function Example() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
// Similar to componentDidMount and componentDidUpdate:
useEffect(() => {
// Update the document title using the browser API
document.title = `You clicked ${count} times`;
});
return (
<div>
<p>You clicked {count} times</p>
<button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
Click me
</button>
</div>
);
}
Please visit this official docs. Very easy to understand the latest way.
https://reactjs.org/docs/hooks-effect.html
Info about async functions inside the hook:
Effect callbacks are synchronous to prevent race conditions. Put the async function inside:
useEffect(() => {
async function fetchData() {
// You can await here
const response = await MyAPI.getData(someId);
// ...
}
fetchData();
}, [someId]); // Or [] if effect doesn't need props or state
useLayoutEffect hook is the best alternative to ComponentDidMount in React Hooks.
useLayoutEffect hook executes before Rendering UI and useEffect hook executes after rendering UI. Use it depend on your needs.
Sample Code:
import { useLayoutEffect, useEffect } from "react";
export default function App() {
useEffect(() => {
console.log("useEffect Statements");
}, []);
useLayoutEffect(() => {
console.log("useLayoutEffect Statements");
}, []);
return (
<div>
<h1>Hello Guys</h1>
</div>
);
}
Yes, there is a way to SIMULATE a componentDidMount in a React functional component
DISCLAIMER: The real problem here is that you need to change from "component life cycle mindset" to a "mindset of useEffect"
A React component is still a javascript function, so, if you want something to be executed BEFORE some other thing you must simply need to execute it first from top to bottom, if you think about it a function it's still a funtion like for example:
const myFunction = () => console.log('a')
const mySecondFunction = () => console.log('b)
mySecondFunction()
myFunction()
/* Result:
'b'
'a'
*/
That is really simple isn't it?
const MyComponent = () => {
const someCleverFunction = () => {...}
someCleverFunction() /* there I can execute it BEFORE
the first render (componentWillMount)*/
useEffect(()=> {
someCleverFunction() /* there I can execute it AFTER the first render */
},[]) /*I lie to react saying "hey, there are not external data (dependencies) that needs to be mapped here, trust me, I will leave this in blank.*/
return (
<div>
<h1>Hi!</h1>
</div>
)}
And in this specific case it's true. But what happens if I do something like that:
const MyComponent = () => {
const someCleverFunction = () => {...}
someCleverFunction() /* there I can execute it BEFORE
the first render (componentWillMount)*/
useEffect(()=> {
someCleverFunction() /* there I can execute it AFTER the first render */
},[]) /*I lie to react saying "hey, there are not external data (dependencies) that needs to be maped here, trust me, I will leave this in blank.*/
return (
<div>
<h1>Hi!</h1>
</div>
)}
This "cleverFunction" we are defining it's not the same in every re-render of the component.
This lead to some nasty bugs and, in some cases to unnecessary re-renders of components or infinite re-render loops.
The real problem with that is that a React functional component is a function that "executes itself" several times depending on your state thanks to the useEffect hook (among others).
In short useEffect it's a hook designed specifically to synchronize your data with whatever you are seeing on the screen. If your data changes, your useEffect hook needs to be aware of that, always. That includes your methods, for that it's the array dependencies.
Leaving that undefined leaves you open to hard-to-find bugs.
Because of that it's important to know how this work, and what you can do to get what you want in the "react" way.
const initialState = {
count: 0,
step: 1,
done: false
};
function reducer(state, action) {
const { count, step } = state;
if (action.type === 'doSomething') {
if(state.done === true) return state;
return { ...state, count: state.count + state.step, state.done:true };
} else if (action.type === 'step') {
return { ...state, step: action.step };
} else {
throw new Error();
}
}
const MyComponent = () => {
const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(reducer, initialState);
const { count, step } = state;
useEffect(() => {
dispatch({ type: 'doSomething' });
}, [dispatch]);
return (
<div>
<h1>Hi!</h1>
</div>
)}
useReducer's dispatch method it's static so it means it will be the same method no matter the amount of times your component is re-rendered. So if you want to execute something just once and you want it rigth after the component is mounted, you can do something like the above example. This is a declarative way of do it right.
Source: The Complete Guide to useEffect - By Dan Abramov
That being said if you like to experiment with things and want to know how to do it "the imperative wat" you can use a useRef() with a counter or a boolean to check if that ref stores a defined reference or not, this is an imperative approach and it's recommended to avoid it if you're not familiar with what happen with react behind curtains.
That is because useRef() is a hook that saves the argument passed to it regardless of the amount of renders (I am keeping it simple because it's not the focus of the problem here, you can read this amazing article about useRef ). So it's the best approach to known when the first render of the component happened.
I leave an example showing 3 different ways of synchronise an "outside" effect (like an external function) with the "inner" component state.
You can run this snippet right here to see the logs and understand when these 3 functions are executed.
const { useRef, useState, useEffect, useCallback } = React
// External functions outside react component (like a data fetch)
function renderOnce(count) {
console.log(`renderOnce: I executed ${count} times because my default state is: undefined by default!`);
}
function renderOnFirstReRender(count) {
console.log(`renderOnUpdate: I executed just ${count} times!`);
}
function renderOnEveryUpdate(count) {
console.log(`renderOnEveryUpdate: I executed ${count ? count + 1 : 1} times!`);
}
const MyComponent = () => {
const [count, setCount] = useState(undefined);
const mounted = useRef(0);
// useCallback is used just to avoid warnings in console.log
const renderOnEveryUpdateCallBack = useCallback(count => {
renderOnEveryUpdate(count);
}, []);
if (mounted.current === 0) {
renderOnce(count);
}
if (mounted.current === 1) renderOnFirstReRender(count);
useEffect(() => {
mounted.current = mounted.current + 1;
renderOnEveryUpdateCallBack(count);
}, [count, renderOnEveryUpdateCallBack]);
return (
<div>
<h1>{count}</h1>
<button onClick={() => setCount(prevState => (prevState ? prevState + 1 : 1))}>TouchMe</button>
</div>
);
};
class App extends React.Component {
render() {
return (
<div>
<h1>hI!</h1>
</div>
);
}
}
ReactDOM.createRoot(
document.getElementById("root")
).render(
<MyComponent/>
);
<div id="root"></div>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/18.1.0/umd/react.development.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react-dom/18.1.0/umd/react-dom.development.js"></script>
If you execute it you will see something like this:
You want to use useEffect(), which, depending on how you use the function, can act just like componentDidMount().
Eg. you could use a custom loaded state property which is initially set to false, and switch it to true on render, and only fire the effect when this value changes.
Documentation
the exact equivalent hook for componentDidMount() is
useEffect(()=>{},[]);
hope this helpful :)

useState Hook does not pass to other functions [duplicate]

When I use class component, I have code:
setTimeout(() => console.log(this.state.count), 5000);
When I use hook:
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
setTimeout(() => console.log(count), 5000);
If I trigger setTimeout then change the count to 1 before the timeout (5000ms), class component will console.log(1) (the newest value), and for useState it is console.log(0) (value when register timeout).
Why does this happen?
Updated Version:
Question: Difference in behavior of a React State variable inside setTimeout / setInterval for function and class components?
Case 1: State variable in function component (stale closure):
const [value, setValue] = useState(0)
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print 0 even after we have changed the state (value)
// Reason: setInterval will create a closure with initial value i.e. 0
console.log(value)
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
Case 2: State variable in class component (no stale closure):
constructor(props) {
super(props)
this.state = {
value: 0,
}
}
componentDidMount() {
this.id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print current value from state
// Reason: setInterval will not create closure around "this"
// as "this" is a special object (refernce to instance)
console.log(this.state.value)
}, 1000)
}
Case 3: Let's try to create a stale closure around this
// Attempt 1
componentDidMount() {
const that = this // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(that.state.value)
// This, too, always print current value from state
// Reason: setInterval could not create closure around "that"
// Conclusion: Oh! that is just a reference to this (attempt failed)
}, 1000)
}
Case 4: Let's again try to create a stale closure in class component
// Attempt 2
componentDidMount() {
const that = { ...this } // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(that.state.value)
// Great! This always prints 0 i.e. the initial value from state
// Reason: setInterval could create closure around "that"
// Conclusion: It did it because that no longer is a reference to this,
// it is just a new local variable which setInterval can close around
// (attempt successful)
}, 1000)
}
Case 5: Let's again try to create a stale closure in class component
// Attempt 3
componentDidMount() {
const { value } = this.state // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(value)
// Great! This always prints 0 i.e. the initial value from state
// Reason: setInterval created closure around value
// Conclusion: It is easy! value is just a local variable so it will be closed
// (attempt successful)
}, 1000)
}
Case 6: Class has won (no extra effort to avoid the stale closure). But, how to avoid it in function component?
// Let's find solution
const value = useRef(0)
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print the latest ref value
// Reason: We used ref which gives us something like an instance field.
// Conclusion: So, using ref is a solution
console.log(value.current)
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
source-1, source-2
Case 6: Let's find another solution for function components
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print the latest state value
// Reason: We used updater form of setState (which provides us latest state value)
// Conclusion: So, using updater form of setState is a solution
setValue((prevValue) => {
console.log(prevValue)
return prevValue
})
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
Original Version:
The issue is caused by closures and can be fixed by using ref. But here is a workaround to fix it i.e. access the latest state value using "updater" form of setState:
function App() {
const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
React.useEffect(() => {
setTimeout(() => console.log('count after 5 secs: ', count, 'Wrong'), 5000)
}, [])
React.useEffect(() => {
setTimeout(() => {
let count
setCount(p => {
console.log('p: ', p)
count = p
return p
})
console.log('count after 5 secs: ', count, 'Correct')
}, 5000);
}, [])
return (<div>
<button onClick={() => setCount(p => p+1)}>Click me before 5 secs</button>
<div>Latest count: {count}</div>
</div>)
}
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('mydiv'))
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react#17/umd/react.development.js"></script>
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom#17/umd/react-dom.development.js"></script>
<body>
<div id="mydiv"></div>
</body>
For the useState, it create a timeout using count in the first time. It accesses the count value through a closure. When we set a new value by setCount, the component rerender but does not change the value passed to timeout.We can use const count = useRef(0) and pass to timeout count.current. This will always use the newest value of count.
Check this link for more information.
Timeouts don't play along nicely with reacts declarative programming model. In functional components, each render is a single frame in time. They never change.
When state updates, all state variables are created locally anew and don't overwrite the old closed variables.
You can also think of effects in the same way, where an effect will run in its local realm with all its local state variables on each render and new renders don't affect their output.
The only way to break out of this model is refs. Or class components where state is effectively similar to refs where the instance (this) is the ref container. Refs allow cross-render communication and closure busting. Use sparingly and with caution.
Dan Abramov has a fantastic article explaining all this and a hook that solves this. As you correctly answered, the issue is caused by stale closures. The solution indeed involves using refs.
Explanation
With function components, every render is a function call, creating a new function closure for that specific call. The function component is closing over the setTimeout callback function, so that everything in the setTimeout callback is accessing only the specific render where it was called.
Reusable solution:
Using a Ref and accessing it only within the setTimeout callback will give you a value that is persistent across renders.
However, it isn't that convenient to use a React Ref with a value that is always updating, like a counter. You are in charge of both updating the value, and causing a rerender yourself. Updating a Ref doesn't entail a component render.
My solution, for easy use, is to combine both useState and useRef hooks into a single "useStateAndRef" hook. This way, you get a setter that gets both the value, and a ref for use in async situations such as setTimeout and setInterval:
import { useState, useRef } from "react";
function useStateAndRef(initial) {
const [value, setValue] = useState(initial);
const valueRef = useRef(value);
valueRef.current = value;
return [value, setValue, valueRef];
}
export default function App() {
const [count, setCount, countRef] = useStateAndRef(0);
function logCountAsync() {
setTimeout(() => {
const currentCount = countRef.current;
console.log(`count: ${count}, currentCount: ${currentCount}`);
}, 2000);
}
return (
<div className="App">
<h1>useState with updated value</h1>
<h2>count: {count}</h2>
<button onClick={() => setCount(prev => prev + 1)}>+</button>
<button onClick={logCountAsync}>log count async</button>
</div>
);
}
Working CodeSandbox link: https://codesandbox.io/s/set-timeout-with-hooks-fdngm?file=/src/App.tsx

Reactjs - SetTimeout with state change re-render

I'm currently running into some issues whilst developing a Typescript React App.
Underneath is my current code..
But it's not behaving like I would want it to behave. :)
So what I would like to achieve is that the data with getData(depth) runs whenever the component is being loaded and afterwards every 5 seconds.
But when the Depth changes with the Dropdown.item buttons, it should re-render and the getData() should be ran with the new depth value that we just set in the state.. and keep on rendering afterwards with the new value...
I've been struggling with this, so any help is very much appreciated!!
Thank you!
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";
const chart = () => {
const [depth, setDepth] = useState(20);
const [chartData, setChartData] = useState({})
//Getting the data when the app initially renders and should keep rendering every 5 seconds after that.
//When the value of the depth changes, we should stop getting the data with the old depth //value and should start a new interval of 5 seconds and just keep running with the new //depth value
//When first entering the app, this should run immediately with the initial depth state //(20)
useEffect(() => {
const interval = setInterval(() => {
//this code is not the actual code, just an example of what is running
const data = getData(depth)
//just fetched the new data, now setting it..
setChartData(data)
}, 5000);
return () => clearInterval(interval);
}, []);
return (
<div>
<div>
<DropdownButton id="dropdown-basic-button" title="Depth Percentage">
<Dropdown.Item onClick={() => setDepth(5)}>5%</Dropdown.Item>
<Dropdown.Item onClick={() => setDepth(20)}>20%</Dropdown.Item>
</DropdownButton>
</div>
<div>
//Rendering the Chart here....
</div>
</div>
);
};
export default chart;
That's because useEffect hook take a second params called dependency array, where this dependency array is what matter for the inner callback(inisde useEffect) to access the latest values you want.
So your are not being totally truthful here, if the inner callback depends on depth to be in its latest update then you should include it in the dependency array
useEffect(() => { ... }, [ depth ]);
that's for the depth but writing this code will immediately cause problems because for each new depth value the inner callback will be called and the setInterval will re-run again (causing many many...many of intervals).
To solve this you should avoid using setInterval alll together in hooks based code.
If having interval is really important I have a suggestion for you
const [intervalCount, setIntervalCount] = useState(0);
const [depth, setDepth] = useState(20);
const [chartData, setChartData] = useState({})
useEffect(() => {
// when depth change re-fetch data and set it
const data: any = getData(depth);
setChartData(data);
}, [depth])
// simulate set interval behavior
// each 5 s this function will be re-invoked
useEffect(() => {
// re-fetch data and set it
const data: any = getData(depth);
setChartData(data);
// wait 5 s before cause a re-render
setTimeout(() => {
setIntervalCount(count => count + 1);
}, 5000);
}, [intervalCount]);
Updated: After rading from Dan Abramov blog
you can find a better elegant solution that use setInterval and hooks
Making setInterval Declarative with React Hooks
He made a custom hook called useInterval
function useInterval(callback, delay) {
const savedCallback = useRef();
// Remember the latest callback.
useEffect(() => {
savedCallback.current = callback;
}, [callback]);
// Set up the interval.
useEffect(() => {
function tick() {
savedCallback.current();
}
if (delay !== null) {
let id = setInterval(tick, delay);
return () => clearInterval(id);
}
}, [delay]);
}
Usage be like
useInterval(() => {
// Your custom logic here
setCount(count + 1);
}, 1000);

setTimeout for this.state vs useState

When I use class component, I have code:
setTimeout(() => console.log(this.state.count), 5000);
When I use hook:
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
setTimeout(() => console.log(count), 5000);
If I trigger setTimeout then change the count to 1 before the timeout (5000ms), class component will console.log(1) (the newest value), and for useState it is console.log(0) (value when register timeout).
Why does this happen?
Updated Version:
Question: Difference in behavior of a React State variable inside setTimeout / setInterval for function and class components?
Case 1: State variable in function component (stale closure):
const [value, setValue] = useState(0)
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print 0 even after we have changed the state (value)
// Reason: setInterval will create a closure with initial value i.e. 0
console.log(value)
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
Case 2: State variable in class component (no stale closure):
constructor(props) {
super(props)
this.state = {
value: 0,
}
}
componentDidMount() {
this.id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print current value from state
// Reason: setInterval will not create closure around "this"
// as "this" is a special object (refernce to instance)
console.log(this.state.value)
}, 1000)
}
Case 3: Let's try to create a stale closure around this
// Attempt 1
componentDidMount() {
const that = this // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(that.state.value)
// This, too, always print current value from state
// Reason: setInterval could not create closure around "that"
// Conclusion: Oh! that is just a reference to this (attempt failed)
}, 1000)
}
Case 4: Let's again try to create a stale closure in class component
// Attempt 2
componentDidMount() {
const that = { ...this } // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(that.state.value)
// Great! This always prints 0 i.e. the initial value from state
// Reason: setInterval could create closure around "that"
// Conclusion: It did it because that no longer is a reference to this,
// it is just a new local variable which setInterval can close around
// (attempt successful)
}, 1000)
}
Case 5: Let's again try to create a stale closure in class component
// Attempt 3
componentDidMount() {
const { value } = this.state // create a local variable so that setInterval can create closure
this.id = setInterval(() => {
console.log(value)
// Great! This always prints 0 i.e. the initial value from state
// Reason: setInterval created closure around value
// Conclusion: It is easy! value is just a local variable so it will be closed
// (attempt successful)
}, 1000)
}
Case 6: Class has won (no extra effort to avoid the stale closure). But, how to avoid it in function component?
// Let's find solution
const value = useRef(0)
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print the latest ref value
// Reason: We used ref which gives us something like an instance field.
// Conclusion: So, using ref is a solution
console.log(value.current)
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
source-1, source-2
Case 6: Let's find another solution for function components
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
// It will always print the latest state value
// Reason: We used updater form of setState (which provides us latest state value)
// Conclusion: So, using updater form of setState is a solution
setValue((prevValue) => {
console.log(prevValue)
return prevValue
})
}, 1000)
return () => {
clearInterval(id)
}
}, [])
Original Version:
The issue is caused by closures and can be fixed by using ref. But here is a workaround to fix it i.e. access the latest state value using "updater" form of setState:
function App() {
const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
React.useEffect(() => {
setTimeout(() => console.log('count after 5 secs: ', count, 'Wrong'), 5000)
}, [])
React.useEffect(() => {
setTimeout(() => {
let count
setCount(p => {
console.log('p: ', p)
count = p
return p
})
console.log('count after 5 secs: ', count, 'Correct')
}, 5000);
}, [])
return (<div>
<button onClick={() => setCount(p => p+1)}>Click me before 5 secs</button>
<div>Latest count: {count}</div>
</div>)
}
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('mydiv'))
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react#17/umd/react.development.js"></script>
<script crossorigin src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom#17/umd/react-dom.development.js"></script>
<body>
<div id="mydiv"></div>
</body>
For the useState, it create a timeout using count in the first time. It accesses the count value through a closure. When we set a new value by setCount, the component rerender but does not change the value passed to timeout.We can use const count = useRef(0) and pass to timeout count.current. This will always use the newest value of count.
Check this link for more information.
Timeouts don't play along nicely with reacts declarative programming model. In functional components, each render is a single frame in time. They never change.
When state updates, all state variables are created locally anew and don't overwrite the old closed variables.
You can also think of effects in the same way, where an effect will run in its local realm with all its local state variables on each render and new renders don't affect their output.
The only way to break out of this model is refs. Or class components where state is effectively similar to refs where the instance (this) is the ref container. Refs allow cross-render communication and closure busting. Use sparingly and with caution.
Dan Abramov has a fantastic article explaining all this and a hook that solves this. As you correctly answered, the issue is caused by stale closures. The solution indeed involves using refs.
Explanation
With function components, every render is a function call, creating a new function closure for that specific call. The function component is closing over the setTimeout callback function, so that everything in the setTimeout callback is accessing only the specific render where it was called.
Reusable solution:
Using a Ref and accessing it only within the setTimeout callback will give you a value that is persistent across renders.
However, it isn't that convenient to use a React Ref with a value that is always updating, like a counter. You are in charge of both updating the value, and causing a rerender yourself. Updating a Ref doesn't entail a component render.
My solution, for easy use, is to combine both useState and useRef hooks into a single "useStateAndRef" hook. This way, you get a setter that gets both the value, and a ref for use in async situations such as setTimeout and setInterval:
import { useState, useRef } from "react";
function useStateAndRef(initial) {
const [value, setValue] = useState(initial);
const valueRef = useRef(value);
valueRef.current = value;
return [value, setValue, valueRef];
}
export default function App() {
const [count, setCount, countRef] = useStateAndRef(0);
function logCountAsync() {
setTimeout(() => {
const currentCount = countRef.current;
console.log(`count: ${count}, currentCount: ${currentCount}`);
}, 2000);
}
return (
<div className="App">
<h1>useState with updated value</h1>
<h2>count: {count}</h2>
<button onClick={() => setCount(prev => prev + 1)}>+</button>
<button onClick={logCountAsync}>log count async</button>
</div>
);
}
Working CodeSandbox link: https://codesandbox.io/s/set-timeout-with-hooks-fdngm?file=/src/App.tsx

React - Substitute for `setState` Callback in Functional Components?

We have migrated to 'React Functional Components' instead of 'Class based Component'. I cannot find the substitute logic for setState callback function. I.e, I have a functional component with state, and I want to create an event handler function that mutates the state multiple times in sequence, the caveat being that I dont know the current value of state (it may be true/false). The following example may make more sense.
const Example = () => {
const [ openDoor, setOpenDoor ] = useState(false);
// the following handler should swich 'openDoor' state to inverse of
// current state value. Then after setTimeout duration, inverse it again
const toggleOpenDoor = () => {
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
// within setTimeout below, '!openDoor' does not work because it still
// receives the same value as above because of async nature of
// state updates
setTimeout(() => setOpenDoor(!openDoor), 500)
}
return(...);
}
In class based components, we had callback argument which would update state after previous update. How do I achieve the same in the above functional component using state hook?
I wonder if useEffect is the best solution. Specially when calling setTimeout within useEffect is going to cause an infinite loop since every time we call setOpenDoor, the app renders and then useEffect is called calling again a setTimeOut that will call a setOpenDoor function... Graphically:
setTimeout -> setOpenDoor -> useEffect -> setTimeout -> ... hell
Of course you could use an if statement wihin useEffect the same way that #ksav suggested but that does not accomplish one requirement of #Kayote:
I dont know the current value of state (it may be true/false)
Here is a solution that works without useEffect and accomplish the requirement stated above:
Code working in codesandbox
There, see the importance of this piece of code:
const toggleOpenDoor = () => {
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
setTimeout(() => setOpenDoor(openDoor => !openDoor), 500);
};
Since we are using setTimeout, we need to pass callback to setOpenDoor instead of the updated state. This is because we want to send the 'current' state. If we sent the new state instead, by the time that setTimeOut processes that state, it will have changed (because we did it before setTimeOut executes its callback with setOpenDoor(!openDoor);) and no changes will be made.
You can use useEffect hook to see when the state change happend.
useEffect(() => {
// do something
console.log('openDoor change', openDoor)
}, [openDoor]);
I'll tell you that it works pretty much in the same way as this.setState, you just a pass a callback function which takes previous state as a parameter and returns new state(docs)
const Example = () => {
const [openDoor, setOpenDoor] = useState(false);
const toggleOpenDoor = () => {
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
setTimeout(() => setOpenDoor(prevDoor => !prevDoor), 500)
}
return(...);
}
In order for you know when it changes you can use useEffect callback, which's gonna be called each time something changes in the dependencies array(docs)
const Example = () => {
const [openDoor, setOpenDoor] = useState(false);
useEffect(() => {
console.log('openDoor changed!', openDoor)
}, [openDoor])
const toggleOpenDoor = () => {
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
setTimeout(() => setOpenDoor(prevDoor => !prevDoor), 500)
}
return(...);
}
:)
You can use useEffect hook to achieve this.
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
useEffect(() => {
// Here your next setState function
}, [openDoor]);
For more information on hooks please check out https://reactjs.org/docs/hooks-effect.html
You should just using setTimeout within useEffect callback:
const App = () => {
const [openDoor, setOpenDoor] = useState(false);
const toggle = () => setOpenDoor(prevOpen => !prevOpen);
useEffect(() => {
const id = setTimeout(() => toggle(), 1000);
return () => clearTimeout(id);
}, [openDoor]);
return <Container>isOpen: {String(openDoor)}</Container>;
};
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";
const Example = () => {
const [openDoor, setOpenDoor] = useState(false);
const toggleOpenDoor = () => {
setOpenDoor(!openDoor);
};
useEffect(() => {
console.log(openDoor);
if (openDoor) {
setTimeout(() => setOpenDoor(!openDoor), 1500);
}
}, [openDoor]);
return (
<>
<button onClick={toggleOpenDoor}>Toggle</button>
<p>{`openDoor: ${openDoor}`}</p>
</>
);
};
export default Example;
Codesandbox

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