Develop Reference

How to get element height and width from ReactNode?

I have a dynamic component in which I pass in children as prop.
So the props look something like:
interface Props {
...some props
children: React.ReactNode
}
export default Layout({...some props, children}: Props) {...}
I need to access the size of the children elements (height and width), in the Layout component. Note that the children are from completely different components and are non-related.
I can use the Layout component as follow:
<Layout ...some props>
<Child1 /> // I need to know the height and width of this child
<Child2 /> // as well as this child
<Child3 /> // and this child.
</Layout>
How can I do so dynamically? Do I somehow have to convert ReactNode to HTMLDivElement? Note that there is no way I can pass in an array of refs as a prop into Layout. Because that the pages which use Layout are dynamically generated.
Since many doesn't really understand what I meant by dynamically generated. It means that the pages which are using the Layout component can pass in x amount of children. The amount of children is unknown but never 0.

You can achieve this by using React.Children to dynamically build up a list of references before rendering the children. If you have access to the children element references, you can follow the below approach. If you don't then you can follow the bit at the bottom.
You have access to the children element references
If the children components pass up their element reference, you can use React.Children to loop through each child and get each element reference. Then use this to perform calculations before the children components are rendered.
i.e. This is a very simple example on how to retrieve the references and use them.
interface LayoutWrapperProps {
onMount: () => void;
}
const LayoutWrapper: React.FC<LayoutWrapperProps> = ({ onMount, children }) => {
React.useEffect(() => {
onMount();
}, [onMount]);
return <>{children}</>;
};
const Layout: React.FC = ({ children }) => {
const references = React.useRef<HTMLElement[]>([]);
React.useEffect(() => {
references.current = [];
});
function getReference(ref: HTMLElement) {
references.current = references.current.filter(Boolean).concat(ref);
}
function getHeights() {
const heights = references.current.map((ref) =>
ref?.getBoundingClientRect()
);
console.log(heights);
}
const clonedChildren = React.Children.map(children, (child) => {
return React.cloneElement(child as any, {
ref: getReference
});
});
return <LayoutWrapper onMount={getHeights}>{clonedChildren}</LayoutWrapper>;
};
If you don't have access to the children element references
If the children components aren't passing up an element as the reference, you'll have to wrap the dynamic children components in a component so we can get an element reference. i.e.
const WrappedComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => {
return (
<div ref={ref}>
{props.children}
</div>
)
});
When rendering the children components, then the code above that gets the references will work:
<Layout>
<WrappedComponent>
<Child1 />
</WrappedComponent>
</Layout>

Since we don't know how your children is built, here is what I can propose you :
import React from 'react';
import { render } from 'react-dom';
const App = () => {
const el1Ref = React.useRef();
const el2Ref = React.useRef();
const [childrenValues, setChildrenValues] = React.useState([]);
React.useEffect(() => {
setChildrenValues([
el1Ref.current.getBoundingClientRect(),
el2Ref.current.getBoundingClientRect()
]);
}, []);
return (
<Parent childrenVals={childrenValues}>
<span ref={el1Ref}>
<Child value="Hello" />
</span>
<span ref={el2Ref}>
<Child value="<div>Hello<br />World</div>" />
</span>
</Parent>
);
};
const Parent = ({ children, childrenVals }) => {
React.useEffect(() => {
console.log('children values from parent = ', childrenVals);
});
return <>{children}</>;
};
const Child = ({ value }) => {
return <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: value }} />;
};
render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));
And here is the repro on Stackblitz.
The idea is to manipulate how your children is built.

How to use forEach in react js

I want to create a function which iterate over all element with same class and remove a specific class.
It could be done easily using JavaScript.
const boxes = document.querySelectorAll(".box1");
function remove_all_active_list() {
boxes.forEach((element) => element.classList.remove('active'));
}
But how can I do this similar thing is ReactJs. The problem which I am facing is that I can't use document.querySelectorAll(".box1") in React but, I can use React.createRef() but it is not giving me all elements, it's only giving me the last element.
This is my React Code
App.js
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import List from './List';
export class App extends Component {
componentDidMount() {
window.addEventListener('keydown', this.keypressed);
}
keypressed = (e) => {
if (e.keyCode == '38' || e.keyCode == '40') this.remove_all_active_list();
};
remove_all_active_list = () => {
// boxes.forEach((element) => element.classList.remove('active'));
};
divElement = (el) => {
console.log(el);
el.forEach((element) => element.classList.add('active'))
};
render() {
return (
<div className="container0">
<List divElement={this.divElement} />
</div>
);
}
}
export default App;
List.js
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import data from './content/data';
export class List extends Component {
divRef = React.createRef();
componentDidMount() {
this.props.divElement(this.divRef)
}
render() {
let listItem = data.map(({ title, src }, i) => {
return (
<div className="box1" id={i} ref={this.divRef} key={src}>
<img src={src} title={title} align="center" alt={title} />
<span>{title}</span>
</div>
);
});
return <div className="container1">{listItem}</div>;
}
}
export default List;
Please tell me how can I over come this problem.

The short answer
You wouldn't.
Instead you would conditionally add and remove the class to the element, the component, or to the collection.map() inside your React component.
Example
Here's an example that illustrates both:
import styles from './Example.module.css';
const Example = () => {
const myCondition = true;
const myCollection = [1, 2, 3];
return (
<div>
<div className={myCondition ? 'someGlobalClassName' : undefined}>Single element</div>
{myCollection.map((member) => (
<div key={member} className={myCondition ? styles.variant1 : styles.variant2}>
{member}
</div>
))}
</div>
);
};
export default Example;
So in your case:
You could pass active prop to the <ListItem /> component and use props.active as the condition.
Alternatively you could send activeIndex to <List /> component and use index === activeIndex as the condition in your map.
Explanation
Instead of adding or removing classes to a HTMLElement react takes care of rendering and updating the whole element and all its properties (including class - which in react you would write as className).
Without going into shadow dom and why react may be preferable, I'll just try to explain the shift in mindset:
Components do not only describe html elements, but may also contain logic and behaviour. Every time any property changes, at the very least the render method is called again, and the element is replaced by the new element (i.e. before without any class but now with a class).
Now it is much easier to change classes around. All you need to do is change a property or modify the result of a condition (if statement).
So instead of selecting some elements in the dom and applying some logic them, you would not select any element at all; the logic is written right inside the react component, close to the part that does the actual rendering.
Further reading
https://reactjs.org/docs/state-and-lifecycle.html
Please don't hessitate to add a comment if something should be rephrased or added.

pass the ref to the parent div in List component.
...
componentDidMount() {
this.props.divElement(this.divRef.current)
}
...
<div ref={this.divRef} className="container1">{listItem}</div>
then in App
divElement = (el) => {
console.log(el);
el.childNodes.forEach((element) => element.classList.add('active'))
}
hope this will work. here is a simple example
https://codesandbox.io/s/staging-microservice-0574t?file=/src/App.js

App.js
import React, { Component } from "react";
import List from "./List";
import "./styles.css";
export class App extends Component {
state = { element: [] };
ref = React.createRef();
componentDidMount() {
const {
current: { divRef = [] }
} = this.ref;
divRef.forEach((ele) => ele?.classList?.add("active"));
console.log(divRef);
window.addEventListener("keydown", this.keypressed);
}
keypressed = (e) => {
if (e.keyCode == "38" || e.keyCode == "40") this.remove_all_active_list();
};
remove_all_active_list = () => {
const {
current: { divRef = [] }
} = this.ref;
divRef.forEach((ele) => ele?.classList?.remove("active"));
// boxes.forEach((element) => element.classList.remove('active'));
console.log(divRef);
};
render() {
return (
<div className="container0">
<List divElement={this.divElement} ref={this.ref} />
</div>
);
}
}
export default App;
List.js
import React, { Component } from "react";
import data from "./data";
export class List extends Component {
// divRef = React.createRef();
divRef = [];
render() {
let listItem = data.map(({ title, src }, i) => {
return (
<div
className="box1"
key={i}
id={i}
ref={(element) => (this.divRef[i] = element)}
>
<img src={src} title={title} align="center" alt={title} width={100} />
<span>{title}</span>
</div>
);
});
return <div className="container1">{listItem}</div>;
}
}
export default List;
Create ref for List component and access their child elements. When key pressed(up/down arrow) the elements which has classname as 'active' will get removed. reference

React / Functional component / Conditional render on callback / Not Working

Why this does not work ?
import React from 'react';
function Room() {
let check = null;
const ibegyouwork = () => {
check = <button>New button</button>;
}
return (
<div>
<button onClick={ibegyouwork}>Display my button now !!!!</button>
{check}
</div>
);
}
export default Room;
And this works fine ?
import React from 'react';
function Room() {
let check = null;
return (
<div>
<button>No need for this button because in this case the second button is auto-displayed</button>
{check}
</div>
);
}
export default Room;
Basically I try to render a component based on a condition. This is a very basic example. But what I have is very similar. If you wonder why I need to update the check variable inside that function is because in my example I have a callback function there where I receive an ID which I need to use in that new component.
The example that I provided to you is basically a button and I want to show another one when I press on this one.
I am new to React and despite I searched in the past 2 hours for a solution I couldn't find anything to address this issue.
Any tips are highly appreciated !

Your component has no idea that something has changed when you click the button. You will need to use state in order to inform React that a rerender is required:
import React, {useState} from 'react'
function Room() {
const [check, setCheck] = useState(null);
const ibegyouwork = () => {
setCheck(<button>New button</button>);
}
return (
<div>
<button onClick={ibegyouwork}>Display my button now !!!!</button>
{check}
</div>
);
}
export default Room;
When you call setCheck, React basically decides that a rerender is required, and updates the view.

The latter is working because there are no changes to the check value that should appear on the DOM.
If check changes should impact and trigger the React render function, you would want to use a state for show/hide condition.
import React from 'react';
const Check = () => <button>New button</button>;
function Room() {
const [show, setShow] = React.useState(false);
const ibegyouwork = () => {
setShow(true);
}
return (
<div>
<button onClick={ibegyouwork}>Display my button now !!!!</button>
{show && <Check />}
</div>
);
}
export default Room;

How do I add the ability to edit text within a react component?

So here's the user function I'm trying to create:
1.) User double clicks on text
2.) Text turns into input field where user can edit text
3.) User hits enter, and upon submission, text is updated to be edited text.
Basically, it's just an edit function where the user can change certain blocks of text.
So here's my problem - I can turn the text into an input field upon a double click, but how do I get the edited text submitted and rendered?
My parent component, App.js, stores the function to update the App state (updateHandler). The updated information needs to be passed from the Tasks.jsx component, which is where the text input is being handled. I should also point out that some props are being sent to Tasks via TaskList. Code as follows:
App.js
import React, {useState} from 'react';
import Header from './Header'
import Card from './Card'
import cardData from './cardData'
import Dates from './Dates'
import Tasks from './Tasks'
import Footer from './Footer'
import TaskList from './TaskList'
const jobItems= [
{
id:8,
chore: 'wash dishes'
},
{
id:9,
chore: 'do laundry'
},
{
id:10,
chore: 'clean bathroom'
}
]
function App() {
const [listOfTasks, setTasks] = useState(jobItems)
const updateHandler = (task) => {
setTasks(listOfTasks.map(item => {
if(item.id === task.id) {
return {
...item,
chore: task.chore
}
} else {
return task
}
}))
}
const cardComponents = cardData.map(card => {
return <Card key = {card.id} name = {card.name}/>
})
return (
<div>
<Header/>
<Dates/>
<div className = 'card-container'>
{cardComponents}
</div>
<TaskList jobItems = {listOfTasks} setTasks = {setTasks} updateHandler = {updateHandler}/>
<div>
<Footer/>
</div>
</div>
)
}
export default App;
Tasks.jsx
import React, {useState} from 'react'
function Tasks (props) {
const [isEditing, setIsEditing] = useState(false)
return(
<div className = 'tasks-container'>
{
isEditing ?
<form>
<input type = 'text' defaultValue = {props.item.chore}/>
</form>
: <h1 onDoubleClick ={()=> setIsEditing(true)}>{props.item.chore}</h1>
}
</div>
)
}
export default Tasks
TaskList.jsx
import React from 'react'
import Tasks from './Tasks'
function TaskList (props) {
const settingTasks = props.setTasks //might need 'this'
return (
<div>
{
props.jobItems.map(item => {
return <Tasks key = {item.id} item = {item} setTasks = {settingTasks} jobItems ={props.jobItems} updateHandler = {props.updateHandler}/>
})
}
</div>
)
}
export default TaskList

You forgot onChange handler on input element to set item's chore value.
Tasks.jsx must be like below
import React, {useState} from 'react'
function Tasks (props) {
const [isEditing, setIsEditing] = useState(false)
const handleInputChange = (e)=>{
// console.log( e.target.value );
// your awesome stuffs goes here
}
return(
<div className = 'tasks-container'>
{
isEditing ?
<form>
<input type = 'text' onChange={handleInputChange} defaultValue = {props.item.chore}/>
</form>
: <h1 onDoubleClick ={()=> setIsEditing(true)}>{props.item.chore}</h1>
}
</div>
)
}
export default Tasks

So, first of all, I would encourage you not to switch between input fields and divs but rather to use a contenteditable div. Then you just use the onInput attribute to call a setState function, like this:
function Tasks ({item}) {
return(
<div className = 'tasks-container'>
<div contenteditable="true" onInput={e => editTask(item.id, e.currentTarget.textContent)} >
{item.chore}
</div>
</div>
)
}
Then, in the parent component, you can define editTask to be a function that find an item by its id and replaces it with the new content (in a copy of the original tasks array, not the original array itself.
Additionally, you should avoid renaming the variable between components. (listOfTasks -> jobItems). This adds needless overhead, and you'll inevitably get confused at some point which variable is connected to which. Instead say, <MyComponent jobItems={jobItems} > or if you want to allow for greater abstraction <MyComponent items={jobItems} > and then you can reuse the component for listable items other than jobs.

See sandbox for working example:
https://codesandbox.io/s/practical-lewin-sxoys?file=/src/App.js
Your Task component needs a keyPress handler to set isEditing to false when enter is pressed:
const handleKeyPress = (e) => {
if (e.key === "Enter") {
setIsEditing(false);
}
};
Your updateHandler should also be passed to the input's onChange attribute, and instead of defaultValue, use value. It also needs to be reconfigured to take in the onChange event, and you can map tasks with an index to find them in state:
const updateHandler = (e, index) => {
const value = e.target.value;
setTasks(state => [
...state.slice(0, index),
{ ...state[index], chore: value },
...state.slice(index + 1)
]);
};
Finally, TaskList seems like an unnecessary middleman since all the functionality is between App and Task; you can just render the tasks directly into a div with a className of your choosing.

react-edit-text is a package I created which does exactly what you described.
It provides a lightweight editable text component in React.
A live demo is also available.

React - functional components keep re-render when passing functions as props

i have an issue in my react app and i dont know how to solve it;
i have an array with values and chosen list
and a function to add item to the chosen list
import React, { useState } from "react";
import Parent from "./Parent";
export default function App() {
const [chosenList, setChosenList] = useState([]);
const array = ["dsadas", "dasdas", "dasdasd"];
const addToChosenList = string => {
setChosenList([...chosenList, string]);
};
return (
<div className="App">
<Parent
arr={array}
chosenList={chosenList}
addToChosenList={addToChosenList}
/>
</div>
);
}
Parent component that mapping through the array
and give the Nested component the props: item, addToChosenList, inList
import React from "react";
import Nested from "./Nested.js";
export default function Parent({ arr, addToChosenList, chosenList }) {
return (
<div className="App">
{arr.map((item, index) => (
<Nested
key={index}
item={item}
addToChosenList={addToChosenList}
inList={chosenList.findIndex(listitem => listitem === item) > -1}
/>
))}
</div>
);
}
Nested component that displays the item and giving it the addToChosenList function to add the item to the chosen list
import React, { memo } from "react";
export default memo(function Parent({ item, addToChosenList, inList }) {
const childFunctionToAddToChosenList = () => {
addToChosenList(item);
};
return (
<div className="App" onClick={childFunctionToAddToChosenList}>
<div>{item}</div>
{inList && <div>in List</div>}
</div>
);
});
every Nested component keeps re-render after i clicked only one item in the list
i believe it renders because of the function addToChosenList that changes when i change the state
anyone knows how to solve it ??
thanks :)

addToChosenList will point to a new reference on every re-render, wrap it in useCallback which will keep the same reference across re-renders unless one of the variables inside of the dependencies array has changed, if we pass an empty array the function will keep the same reference across the entire component lifecycle.
you will also need to use a functional update to avoid stale state due to the closure
const addToChosenList = useCallback(string => {
setChosenList(prevState => [...prevState, string]);
}, []);