Hey everyone! I'm Itay, a fullstack web developer who specializes in back-of-the-frontend code, particularly with React.js. Today, I'll teach you useful code hacks to supercharge your codebase.
What you'll learn
- The flaws of the context API
- The logical wrapper factory
- The action factory
Before We Begin
I want to introduce my common way of writing context providers, so that I can write custom components and hooks and the you‘ll understand their meaning without me having to explain too much. If you want me to do a more simple context tutorial in the future, let me know in the comments.
The Flaws of the context API
The Context API is the state-of-the-art way to manage state in React. It is an alternative to Redux, MobX, and a large variety of state management libraries made by the community.
Repetitive Tasks
Almost every time I use the Context API in a frontend application, I run into doing the exact same thing: I create an AuthContext, like the one below:
Then, I use the signed in state anywhere in my app:
Imagine having 60 auth-protected component in your app. Your codebase would be a mess!
What are the problems with this approach?
- Messy code
- Repeating a lot of code all the time
Easy to mess up your codebase
Suppose you have a context and a ContextProvider component attached to it.
In the same component you provided the context, you want to use the context for a button, like the example below:
You wanted to do something really simple, but ended up messing up your codebase. As a workaround, you might do something like this:
But now, we are back in the repetitive tasks zone.
Component Factories to the rescue
A component factory is a function that returns a React functional component.
I. e:() => () => <div></div>
We can use component factories to clean up our codebase and create a clean code structure. Today, I will teach you about 2 time-saving and life-saving factories: The context logical wrapper and the context action factory.
Logical Wrappers
Logical Wrappers solve the problems of conditional rendering we saw in the beginning, without having to mess up your codebase. You create them with this function:
Then, our problem from before can be solved in just a few lines of code:
You can save tons of time by using this component factory for every context you create.
Context actions
Context actions are high-reusable components because of the way they are built.
Now, we can create out ComponentB with just one line of code!
Now you must ask yourselves - why would you add the className prop to your context action? The reason is simple: Reusability. The best way to demonstrate it is by example:
Wrapping up
Do you want to see how to add icons to our action buttons? How to use TypeScript with those? Let me know in the comments below.
In the next episode, we'll discuss supercharging forms with react! Give me a follow if you want to see this.
See component factories in action (at branch 1.1.2):
Top comments (31)
Overall good article, but I have a big problem with this statement:
No, Context API is not an alternative to Redux or MobX, Context API is not a state management tool, it has absolutely nothing to do with managing state.
Context API and state management libraries are supposed to solve two completely different problems.
State management library is intended to, well, manage state, so set the state, read the state and update the state.
Context API is intended to share a piece of data across many React components without prop-drilling. (Context does not "manage" anything)
Hey great article D: So just to clarify, Context is not for state management, as you can handle state anyway you like, but the ContextProvider allows you to have access to that data anywhere without prop drilling? Is my mind in the right place? I know how to use it, I just hope I know WHY I'm using it LOL. Thanks ahead.
You are correct, except Context Provider does not allow to have access to that data anywhere. It's only within React Components that are descendants of that Provider.
What's most important Context does not give any option to access it's data outside the React tree (Redux and other State Management library do)
Ahh okay gotcha. Perfectly said, I get it now. Thanks! 👌
You absolutely wrong, thanks God we have RFC to mange context state changes github.com/facebook/react/pull/20646
Wait for a while to have ability to remove any state managers from your React app.
It's a pull request for an experimental feature therefore it's not really relevant to this discussion.
And even if this was already available in the stable version it doe not make Context a state management tool since it lacks the ability to do anything with the state it distributes.
To make things clear, Context API consists of(as of right now):
And those provide you with a Context Provider, Context Consumer and the Context value.
None of the above allows for managing the state, there is nothing that would allow for updating state or adding side effects.
This feature definitely will be added in stable version. Second argument as comparator will allow you to check is the target value in context is really changed. Isn't it the state manager behavior?
UPD: Oh, God, I was the one who was totally wrong. Don't believe empty promises, everybody, peace!
You are absolutely right. Hooks are responsible for the state management in those examples.
Not only useState. You have the useEffect hook, an essential hook for every context & hooks back-of-the-frontend code, the useMemo and useCallback hook that I highly recommend you to understand, and a lot more you can do with those.
You are right. I took a deep look of hooks.Basically, I noticed React separate the whole html, css structure from data. Then we can store data ,change data, update data, share data. That is state management, and all hooks serve for that.
Well in React documentation its written React Hooks has been created to manage state and prevent from using 3rd party libraries like Redux
Good article and I'm not going to get upset about the comment about it being an alternative for MobX and redux because I understood what you were saying you definitely have the ability to avoid those tools by simply using context and a lot of the times context API is used specifically for state management so I can read between the lines and I think you have some good examples in here too with the logical stuff again great article
A bit off topic, but I've been searching how you make those pretty code images and I can't find it hahaha.
There are extensions for vscode, like PolaCode and others.
You can use carbon.now.sh/
Here you go: carbon.now.sh/
Nice article. Learnt about a new pattern with respect to Contexts. Thanks for sharing! 🏅
Oops:) forgot to insert that... Thanks for the feedback!
Amazing article. Looking forward for typescript, icons and forms.
wow, first time I come across this expression:
<>{ condition ? children : null }. What's its name? Thanks.Ternaty operator
When you put it inside a React fragment, you ensure that the function will always return JSX.
ah, I think, it should be:
<>{ condition ? children : null }</>Or, the closing
</>is optional? Thanks.Yeah, you should close it. I'd review my code snippets again next time.
Nice nice..
An alternative to redux
..
Wouldn't you still need to do a conditional render to show the Auth vs NotAuth components as shown in your third snippet?
Or would you plan on returning both and letting Context worry about which to show
My solution is
The reason I like it so much is that you can use one without the other, like the example in the logout button.
How exactly is the Component Factory pattern you mentioned (coined?) different to HOC (Higher order component)?
It's different because of the simplicity. The warpper won't need a higher order component, you just create it with one line of code.
For state management I recommend ReactN. Easier to use than Redux, lightweight, with all the features of Redux. github.com/CharlesStover/reactn