Develop Reference

Spreading props in React Higher Order Components

I am trying to go very in-depth to understand the purpose of spreading props in React HOC
So taking the below example;
const EnhanceComponent = BaseComponent => {
return class EnhancedComponent extends Component {
state = {
name: 'You have been enhanced'
}
render() {
return (
<BaseComponent {...this.props} {...this.state} />
)
}
}
};
export default EnhanceComponent;
Now let's say the usage of BaseComponent is as below;
<BaseComponent className='wrapper-container' onClick={this.handleClick} />
I assume if had not spread the props in the HOC, we would have been unable to access "this.props.className" OR "this.props.onClick" in BaseComponent. Would that be correct understanding ?
class BaseComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
const { className, onClick} = this.props;
...
}
}
Now to use the HOC itself, we would say;
const EnhancedMyComponent = EnhanceComponent(MyComponent);
And render it as
<EnhancedMyComponent className='wrapper-container' onClick={this.handleClick} />
Now, below are my 2 specific questions;
What do we finally render i.e. BaseComponent or EnhancedMyComponent OR using HOC allows us to use either flavor e.g. in some case, if we do not want the enhanced functionality, we just use the base component ?
OR
<EnhancedMyComponent className='wrapper-container' onClick={this.handleClick} />
Would the props access issue i.e. if we do not spread the props be applicable in both the above cases of consumption i.e. <BaseComponent /> AND <EnhancedMyComponent /> ?

1) What do we finally render i.e. BaseComponent or EnhancedMyComponent OR using HOC allows us to use either flavor e.g. in some case, if we do not want the enhanced functionality, we just use the base component ?
/ Using HOC allows us to use either flavor. It totally depends where we are wrapping the Component in HOC i.e while exporting or while using it at someplace.
Now, In the below case one has the option to use it with or without HOC
// BaseComponent.js
class BaseComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
const { className, onClick} = this.props;
...
}
}
export default BaseComponent;
// SomeComponent.js
import BaseComponent from './BaseComponent';
const MyComponent = EnhanceComponent(BaseComponent);
class SomeComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
return (
...
<MyComponent className={...} onClick={...} someExtraPropForHOC={...}/>
<BaseComponent className={...} onClick={...} />
...
)
}
To not allow anyone to directly use the Component, wrap it in HOC and export
// BaseComponent.js
class BaseComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
const { className, onClick} = this.props;
...
}
}
export default EnhanceComponent(BaseComponent);
// SomeComponent.js
import BaseComponent from './BaseComponent';
class SomeComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
return (
...
<BaseComponent className={...} onClick={...}/>
...
)
}
2) Would the props access issue i.e. if we do not spread the props be applicable in both the above cases of consumption i.e. AND ?
/ Spread the props is needed as HOC does not know what props would be needed for the dynamically wrapped component. So pass all the props which are coming is the only possible way.
class BaseComponent extends React.Component {
render() {
const { className, onClick} = this.props;
...
}
}
class CustomTextField extends React.Component {
render() {
const { className, onKeyPress, value} = this.props;
...
}
}
const EnhancedBaseComponent = EnhanceComponent(BaseComponent);
const EnhancedTextComponent = EnhanceComponent(CustomTextField);
Now in this case EnhancedBaseComponent and EnhancedTextComponent both need different props, but since they are wrapped in EnhanceComponent. It won't know which props to pass. So spread it and send all the props coming to it.

How to Programmatically Provide and Consume Context?

So my question is a simple one. In React js I want to pass some states and handlers from a parent to its 3rd grandchild using Context. I have implemented this within the jsx but I want to use the states within the javascript o that I have some logic before I completely output my states.
I have divided my question into 2 parts. 1.) What I have done so far. 2.) What I want to do essentially.
1.)
// this file just stores the Context
MyContext.js
import React, { Component } from 'react';
export const MyContext = React.createContext();
MyProvider.js // this class is used by the parent and the child to have access to the provider
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import {MyContext} from '../MyContext'
class MyProvider extends Component {
state = {
name: 'Wes',
age: 100,
cool: true
}
render() {
return (
<MyContext.Provider value={{
state: this.state,
growAYearOlder: () => this.setState({
age: this.state.age + 1
})
}}>
{this.props.children}
</MyContext.Provider>
)
}
}
export default MyProvider;
// Ok so now I am basically skipping the parent and showing you the consumer grand-child
Person.js
import React, { Component } from 'react';
// first we will make a new context
import { MyContext } from '../MyContext';
class Person extends Component {
render() {
return (
<div className="person">
<MyContext.Consumer>
{(context) => (
<React.Fragment>
<p>Age: {context.state.age}</p>
<p>Name: {context.state.name}</p>
<button onClick={context.growAYearOlder}>🍰🍥🎂</button>
</React.Fragment>
)}
</MyContext.Consumer>
</div>
)
}
}
export default Person;
2.)
// Ok so as you can see here I have had to immediately use the context.growAYearOlder. What I want to do instead is have control of it using javascript and modify it as desired; So something like this:
Child.js
const parentContext = MyContext.getContext();
if(somethingHappens){
parentContext().growAYearOlder();
}
return(
// The now rendered component
);
I tried something like this but it doesnt work:
MyContext.Consumer.context.growAYearOlder();

There are many similar questions with proper answers, docs, examples and so on - but this question kept popping up for me.
So, in case you want to get the context value and use it within your component's render() just import it (export context itself not only provider) and use _currentValue e.g.
const contextData = MyContext._currentValue;
Note that you still have to wrap your components with your given context provider.
Also note that for function components, you need to use useContext e.g.
const contextData = useContext(MyContext);
And for class components you can assign the context to a static var and then use it e.g.
class Main extends React.Component(){
static contextType = MyContext;
componentDidMount(){
const contextData = this.context;
}
render() {
return (
<p>Hey</p>
);
}
Note that the static var has to be called contextType otherwise this.context won't hold the MyContext data.

I've based my answer solely from the docs itself(https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html#updating-context-from-a-nested-component)
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import { MyContext } from '../MyContext'
class MyProvider extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props)
// I've moved the state declaration inside the constructor
this.state = {
name: 'Wes',
age: 100,
cool: true
}
// moved the function here and added prevState
this.growAYearOlder = () => {
this.setState(prevState => ({
age: prevState.age + 1,
}))
};
}
render() {
return (
<MyContext.Provider value={{
state: this.state,
growAYearOlder: this.growAYearOlder,
}}>
{this.props.children}
</MyContext.Provider>
)
}
}
export default MyProvider;

How to properly render Component after this.setState in React

I have this React component
import React, { Component } from "react";
export default class ResourceForField extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {
resources: [],
};
}
componentDidMount() {
// get the resources from the Link props and save it into the state
this.setState({
resources: this.props.location.resources,
});
}
// This component gets the id of current learningField from the url
// and the rest(like the resources) from the Link component
render() {
return (
<div>
{this.state.resources.map(res => (
<div>test</div>
))}
</div>
);
}
}
It gets the resources from the Link component, and that works fine. If I check out the state of the Component from the dev tools, the state looks right. And I thought with my logic this should work. So firstly, the state is empty, the component gets rendered, since the state is empty it doesn't render any components. Then, setState gets called, it gets all the resources and saves them into the state, and then the component would re-render, and it should work, but it doesn't. I'm getting a TypeError: Cannot read property 'map' of undefined error. What is the correct way to do this and how do I fix this?

Try this code:
import React, { Component } from "react";
export default class ResourceForField extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {
resources: this.props && this.props.location && this.props.location.resources?this.props.location.resources:[],
};
}
componentDidMount() {
}
// This component gets the id of current learningField from the url
// and the rest(like the resources) from the Link component
render() {
return (
<div>
{this.state.resources.map(res => (
<div>test</div>
))}
</div>
);
}
}
Or use directly props
import React, { Component } from "react";
export default class ResourceForField extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
}
// This component gets the id of current learningField from the url
// and the rest(like the resources) from the Link component
render() {
return (
<div>
{
this.props && this.props.location &&
this.props.location.resources
?this.props.location.resources.map(res => (
<div>test</div>
))
:null
}
</div>
);
}
}
Or use componentWillReceiveProps or getDerivedStateFromProps life cycle methods.
Check this.props.location.resources is array.
See more: https://hackernoon.com/replacing-componentwillreceiveprops-with-getderivedstatefromprops-c3956f7ce607

For first check is this.props.location.resources array, or if data type changes you can add checking, you can use lodash isArray or with js like this:
import React, { Component } from "react";
export default class ResourceForField extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {
resources: [],
};
}
componentDidMount() {
// get the resources from the Link props and save it into the state
Array.isArray(this.props.location.resources) {
this.setState({
resources: this.props.location.resources,
});
}
}
// This component gets the id of current learningField from the url
// and the rest(like the resources) from the Link component
render() {
return (
<div>
{this.state.resources.map(res => (
<div>test</div>
))}
</div>
);
}
}
Or you can just use hooks like this:
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";
export default function ResourceForField({location}) {
const [ resources, setResources ] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
if (location && Array.isArray(location.resources)) {
setResources(location.resources)
}
}, [location]);
return (
<div>
{resources.map(res => (
<div>test</div>
))}
</div>
);
}

If the internal state of ResourceForField doesn't change and always equals to its prop, you shouldn't save the prop in the state. You can instead create a pure functional component.
Also note that there's nothing preventing you from initializing the state from the props in constructor method. i.e. you're not required to wait for the component to mount in order to access the props.
So, I'd write the following component for ResourceForField:
function ResourceForField({resources = []}) {
return (
<div>
{
resources.map(res => (<div>test</div>))
}
</div>
);
}

React js access to the state of another class

How can I access the state of another class.
This construction does not work
class classname2 extends React.Component {
...
this.state = { statename1: "lala" };
...
};
class classname1 extends React.Component {
render() {
return (
{classname2.state.statename1 }
);
}
};

As mentioned in the comments, pass state as props to their children.
class classname2 extends React.Component {
this.state = { statename1: "lala" };
render() {
return <classname1 statename1={this.state.statename1} />
}
};
class classname1 extends React.Component {
render() {
return (
<div>{this.props.statename1}</div>
);
}
};
An often used pattern is passing arbitrary props down the component tree:
const {needThisOne, andThisOne, ...props} = this.props;
// do stuff with needThisOne andThisOne
// and pass the remaining props down:
return <Component {...props} />;
An update for hooks, because why not.
const ParentComponent = ({...props}) => {
const [stateName1, setStateName1] = useState('defaultValue');
return <ChildComponent stateName1={stateName1} {...props} />;
}
const ChildComponent = ({stateName1, ...props}) => (
<span>{stateName1}</span>
);

Shared state between components by direct access is an anti-pattern. Each component should have its own state. If you need globally a available state, please consider using Redux.
It may sound a bit cumbersome at first but it's awesome and it allows your app to be properly tested.
Edit:
Passing state as props is also valid, but it only works when components are in parent-child order. Redux allows components to be updated no matter what their relationship is

setState/use State in external function react

Considering this pseudocode:
component.js
...
import {someFunc} from "./common_functions.js"
export default class MyComp extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.someFunc = someFunc.bind(this);
this.state = {...};
}
_anotherFunc = () = > {
....
this.someFunc();
}
render() {
...
}
}
common_functions.js
export function someFunc() {
if(this.state.whatever) {...}
this.setState{...}
}
How would I bind the function someFunc() to the context of the Component? I use it in various Components, so it makes sense to collect them in one file. Right now, I get the error "Cannot read whatever of undefined". The context of this is unknown...

You can't setState outside of the component because it is component's local state. If you need to update state which is shared, create a store (redux store).
In your case, you can define someFunction at one place and pass it the specific state variable(s) or entire state. After you are done in someFunction, return the modified state and update it back in your component using setState.
export function someFunc(state) {
if(state.whatever) {...}
const newState = { ...state, newValue: whateverValue }
return newState
}
_anotherFunc = () = > {
....
const newState = this.someFunc(this.state);
this.setState({newValue: newState});
}

it's not a React practice and it may cause lot of problems/bugs, but js allows to do it:
Module A:
export function your_external_func(thisObj, name, val) {
thisObj.setSate((prevState) => { // prevState - previous state
// do something with prevState ...
const newState = { // new state object
someData: `This is updated data ${ val }`,
[name]: val,
};
return newState
});
}
Then use it in your react-app module:
import { your_external_func } from '.../your_file_with_functions';
class YourReactComponent extends React.Component {
constructor(props, context) {
super(props, context);
this.state={
someName: '',
someData: '',
};
}
handleChange = (e) => {
const { target } = event;
const { name } = target;
const value = target.type === 'checkbox' ? target.checked : target.value;
your_external_func(this, name, value);
}
render() {
return (<span>
{ this.state.someData }
<br />
<input
name='someName'
value={ this.state.someName }
onChange={ this.handleChange }
/>
</span>);
}
}
It's a stupid example :) just to show you how you can do it

The best would obviously to use some kind of external library that manages this. As others have suggested, Redux and MobX are good for this. Using a high-order component to wrap all your other components is also an option.
However, here's an alternative solution to the ones above:
You could use a standard javascript class (not a React component) and pass in this to the function that you are calling from that class.
It's rather simple. I've created a simple example below where the state is changed from a function of another class; take a look:
class MyApp extends React.Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {number: 1};
}
double = () => {
Global.myFunc(this);
}
render() {
return (
<div>
<p>{this.state.number}</p>
<button onClick={this.double}>Double up!</button>
</div>
);
}
}
class Global {
static myFunc = (t) => {
t.setState({number: t.state.number*2});
}
}
ReactDOM.render(<MyApp />, document.getElementById("app"));
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react-dom.min.js"></script>
<div id="app"><div>

There is a functional form of setState that can even be used outside of a component.
This is possible since the signature of setState is:
* #param {object|function} partialState Next partial state or function to
* produce next partial state to be merged with current state.
* #param {?function} callback Called after state is updated.
See Dan's tweet: https://twitter.com/dan_abramov/status/824308413559668744

This all depends on what you are trying to achieve. At first glance I can see 2 options for you. One create a child component and two: use redux as redux offers a singular state between all of your child components.
First option:
export default class parentClass extends Component {
state = {
param1: "hello".
};
render() {
return (
<Child param1={this.state.param1}/>
);
}
}
class Child extends Component {
render() {
console.log(this.props.param1);
return (
<h1>{this.props.param1}</h1>
);
}
}
Now the above child component will have the props.param1 defined from the props passed from it's parent render function.
The above would work but I can see you're trying to establish a 'common' set of functions. Option 2 sort of provides a way of doing that by creating a singular state for your app/project.
If you've haven't used redux before it's pretty simple to use once you've got the hang of it. I'll skip out the setup for now http://redux.js.org/docs/basics/UsageWithReact.html.
Make a reducer like so:
import * as config from './config';//I like to make a config file so it's easier to dispatch my actions etc
//const config.state = {param1: null}
//const config.SOME_FUNC = "test/SOME_FUNC";
export default function reducer(state = config.state, action = {}) {
switch(action.type) {
case config.SOME_FUNC:
return Object.assign({}, state, {
param1: action.param1,
});
break;
default:
return state;
}
}
}
Add that to your reducers for your store.
Wrap all your components in the Provider.
ReactDOM.render(
<Provider store={store} key="provider">
<App>
</Provider>,
element
);
Now you'll be able to use redux connect on all of the child components of the provider!
Like so:
import React, {Component} from 'react';
import {connect} from 'react-redux';
#connect(
state => (state),
dispatch => ({
someFunc: (param1) => dispatch({type: config.SOME_FUNC, param1: param1}),
})
)
export default class Child extends Component {
eventFunction = (event) => {
//if you wanted to update the store with a value from an input
this.props.someFunc(event.target.value);
}
render() {
return (
<h1>{this.props.test.param1}</h1>
);
}
}
When you get used to redux check this out https://github.com/redux-saga/redux-saga. This is your end goal! Sagas are great! If you get stuck let me know!

Parent component example where you define your callback and manage a global state :
export default class Parent extends Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {
applyGlobalCss: false,
};
}
toggleCss() {
this.setState({ applyGlobalCss: !this.state.applyGlobalCss });
}
render() {
return (
<Child css={this.state.applyGlobalCss} onToggle={this.toggleCss} />
);
}
}
and then in child component you can use the props and callback like :
export default class Child extends Component {
render() {
console.log(this.props.css);
return (
<div onClick={this.props.onToggle}>
</div>
);
}
}
Child.propTypes = {
onToggle: PropTypes.func,
css: PropTypes.bool,
};

Well for your example I can see you can do this in a simpler way rather than passing anything.
Since you want to update the value of the state you can just return it from the function itself.
Just make the function you are using in your component async and wait for the function to return a value and set the state to that value.
import React from "react"
class MyApp extends React.Component {
constructor() {
super();
this.state = {number: 1};
}
theOnlyFunction = async() => {
const value = await someFunctionFromFile( // Pass Parameters );
if( value !== false ) // Just for your understanding I am writing this way
{
this.setState({ number: value })
}
}
render() {
return (
<div>
<p>{this.state.number}</p>
<button onClick={this.double}>Double up!</button>
</div>
);
}
}
And in SomeOtherFile.js
function someFunctionFromFile ( // catch params) {
if( //nah don't wanna do anything ) return false;
// and the blahh blahh algorithm
}

you should use react Context
Context lets us pass a value deep into the component tree without explicitly threading it through every component.
here is a use case from react docs : create a context for the current theme (with "light" as the default).
const ThemeContext = React.createContext('light');
class App extends React.Component {
render() {
// Use a Provider to pass the current theme to the tree below.
// Any component can read it, no matter how deep it is.
// In this example, we're passing "dark" as the current value.
return (
<ThemeContext.Provider value="dark">
<Toolbar />
</ThemeContext.Provider>
);
}
}
// A component in the middle doesn't have to
// pass the theme down explicitly anymore.
function Toolbar() {
return (
<div>
<ThemedButton />
</div>
);
}
class ThemedButton extends React.Component {
// Assign a contextType to read the current theme context.
// React will find the closest theme Provider above and use its value.
// In this example, the current theme is "dark".
static contextType = ThemeContext;
render() {
return <Button theme={this.context} />;
}
}
resource: https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html