react-slides.pdf

Introduction to React
A workshop for COMP 523
Aaron Smith
Monday, Feb. 10, 2020

What is React?
• React is a JavaScript framework
• Used for front end web development
• Think of jQuery, but more structured
• Created and used by Facebook
• Famous for implementing a virtual dom

Timeline of front-end JavaScript frameworks
jQuery*
(2006)
AngularJS
(2010)
React
(2013)
Vue
(2014)
Angular
(2014)
* jQuery is more often considered a library than a framework

Common tasks in front-end development
Data definition, organization, and storage
App state
Event handlers respond to user actions
User actions
Design and render HTML templates
Templates
Resolve URLs
Routing
Interact with server(s) through APIs and AJAX
Data fetching

Fundamentals of React
1. JavaScript and HTML in the same file (JSX)
2. Embrace functional programming
3. Components everywhere

JavaScript and HTML in the same file
Traditional
approach
React
approach
HTML CSS JS JSX CSS or JSS

JSX: the React programming language
const first = "Aaron";
const last = "Smith";
const name = <span>{first} {last}</span>;
const listWithTitle = (
<>
<h1>COMP 523</h1>
<ul>
<li>Dr. David Stotts</li>
<li>{name}</li>
</ul>
</>
);
const list = (
<ul>
<li>Dr. David Stotts</li>
<li>{name}</li>
</ul>
);

“React is just JavaScript”

Functional programming
1. Functions are “first class citizens”
2. Variables are immutable
3. Functions have no side effects

Functions are “first class citizens”
let add = function() {
console.log('Now adding numbers');
const five = 3 + 2;
};
function performTask(task) {
task();
console.log('Task performed!');
}
performTask(add);
function foo() {
return function() {
console.log('What gets printed?');
};
}
foo
foo();
foo()();

Variables are immutable
let a = 4;
a = 2; // Mutates `a`
let b = [1, 2, 3];
b.push(4); // Mutates `b`
let c = [...b, 4]; // Does not mutate `b`

Functions have no side effects
const b = [];
function hasSideEffects() {
b = [0];
}

Components
Components are functions for user interfaces
let y = f(x);
Input x Output number
let y = <FancyDiv value={x} />;
Input x Output HTML
Math function:
Component function:

Anatomy of a React component
export default function MyComponent(props) {
return <div>Hello, world! My name is {props.name}</div>;
}
const html = <MyComponent name="aaron" />;
Inputs are passed through a
single argument called “props”
The function is executed as if
it was an HTML tag
The function
outputs HTML
The component is just
a function
Parameters are passed in
as HTML attributes

Component rendering
• When a component function executes, we say it “renders”
• Assume components may re-render at any time
Our job is to ensure that
every time the component re-renders,
the correct output is produced

“In React, everything is a component”

Todo application
Title
TodoForm
TodoList
Todo
Big idea:
 A digital to-do list
First step:
 mockup / wireframe

Creating a new React app
Creating a new React app is simple!
1. Install Node.js
2. Run: npx create-react-app app-name
3. New app created in folder: ./app-name

Anatomy of a new React app
App is a boilerplate
starter component
public holds the initial html
document and other static assets
package.json configures
npm dependencies
index.js binds
React to the DOM

Component Hierarchy
Title
TodoForm
TodoList
Todo
Title TodoForm
TodoList
Todo Todo Todo
App

Special list key property
• Situation: Display a dynamic array of elements
• Must specify a special “key” property for each element
• The key of an item uniquely identifies it
• Used by React internally for render optimization
• Can be any unique value (string or number)

What are hooks?
useState
useEffect
useReducer
useMemo
useRef
useCallback
We will cover
these today
We will not cover
these today
Built-in hooks:
Hooks: Special functions that allow
developers to hook into state and
lifecycle of React components.
State: One or more data values
associated with a React component
instance.
Lifecycle: The events associated with a
React component instance (create,
render, destroy, etc).

First React hook: useState
Purpose:
1. Remember values internally when the component re-renders
2. Tell React to re-render the component when the value changes
Syntax:
const [val, setVal] = useState(100);
The current value A setter function to
change the value
The initial
value to use

Predicting component re-rendering
A component will only re-render when…
1. A value inside props changes
2. A useState setter is called
– or –

Second React hook: useEffect
Purpose:
Act as an observer, running code in response to value changes
Syntax:
useEffect(() => {
console.log(`myValue was changed! New value: ${myValue}`);
}, [myValue]);
A list of values such that changes
should trigger this code to run
The code to run when
values change

Building a React project
• When you’re ready to launch your app, run this command:
npm run build
• This bundles your app into CSS/JS/HTML files and puts them in the
/build folder
• These files can be served from an AWS S3 bucket

3rd party components and libraries
• React-Router
• Redux
• Material-UI
• Bootstrap
• Font-Awesome
• SWR

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