I am making a React app that allows you to make a list and save it, but React has been giving me a warning that my elements don't have a unique key prop (elements List/ListForm). How should I create a unique key prop for user created elements? Below is my React code
var TitleForm = React.createClass({
handleSubmit: function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
var listName = {'name':this.refs.listName.value};
this.props.handleCreate(listName);
this.refs.listName.value = "";
},
render: function() {
return (
<div>
<form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
<input className='form-control list-input' type='text' ref='listName' placeholder="List Name"/>
<br/>
<button className="btn btn-primary" type="submit">Create</button>
</form>
</div>
);
}
});
var ListForm = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {items:[{'name':'item1'}],itemCount:1};
},
handleSubmit: function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
var list = {'name': this.props.name, 'data':[]};
var items = this.state.items;
for (var i = 1; i < items.length; i++) {
list.data.push(this.refs[items[i].name]);
}
this.props.update(list);
$('#'+this.props.name).remove();
},
handleClick: function() {
this.setState({
items: this.state.items.concat({'name':'item'+this.state.itemCount+1}),
itemCount: this.state.itemCount+1
});
},
handleDelete: function() {
this.setState({
itemCount: this.state.itemCount-1
});
},
render: function() {
var listItems = this.state.items.map(function(item) {
return (
<div>
<input type="text" className="list-form" placeholder="List Item" ref={item.name}/>
<br/>
</div>
);
});
return (
<div>
<form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit} className="well list-form-container">
{listItems}
<br/>
<div onClick={this.handleClick} className="btn btn-primary list-button">Add</div>
<div onClick={this.handleDelete} className="btn btn-primary list-button">Delete</div>
<button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary list-button">Save</button>
</form>
</div>
)
}
});
var List = React.createClass({
getInitialState: function() {
return {lists:[], savedLists: []};
},
handleCreate: function(listName) {
this.setState({
lists: this.state.lists.concat(listName)
});
},
updateSaved: function(list) {
this.setState({
savedLists: this.state.savedLists.concat(list)
});
},
render: function() {
var lst = this;
var lists = this.state.lists.map(function(list) {
return(
<div>
<div key={list.name} id={list.name}>
<h2 key={"header"+list.name}>{list.name}</h2>
<ListForm update={lst.updateSaved} name={list.name}/>
</div>
</div>
)
});
var savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map(function(list) {
var list_data = list.data;
list_data.map(function(data) {
return (
<li>{data}</li>
)
});
return(
<div>
<h2>{list.name}</h2>
<ul>
{list_data}
</ul>
</div>
)
});
var save_msg;
if(savedLists.length == 0){
save_msg = 'No Saved Lists';
}else{
save_msg = 'Saved Lists';
}
return (
<div>
<TitleForm handleCreate={this.handleCreate} />
{lists}
<h2>{save_msg}</h2>
{savedLists}
</div>
)
}
});
ReactDOM.render(<List/>,document.getElementById('app'));
My HTML:
<div class="container">
<h1>Title</h1>
<div id="app" class="center"></div>
</div>
There are many ways in which you can create unique keys, the simplest method is to use the index when iterating arrays.
Example
var lists = this.state.lists.map(function(list, index) {
return(
<div key={index}>
<div key={list.name} id={list.name}>
<h2 key={"header"+list.name}>{list.name}</h2>
<ListForm update={lst.updateSaved} name={list.name}/>
</div>
</div>
)
});
Wherever you're lopping over data, here this.state.lists.map, you can pass second parameter function(list, index) to the callback as well and that will be its index value and it will be unique for all the items in the array.
And then you can use it like
<div key={index}>
You can do the same here as well
var savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map(function(list, index) {
var list_data = list.data;
list_data.map(function(data, index) {
return (
<li key={index}>{data}</li>
)
});
return(
<div key={index}>
<h2>{list.name}</h2>
<ul>
{list_data}
</ul>
</div>
)
});
Edit
However, As pointed by the user Martin Dawson in the comment below, This is not always ideal.
So whats the solution then?
Many
You can create a function to generate unique keys/ids/numbers/strings and use that
You can make use of existing npm packages like uuid, uniqid, etc
You can also generate random number like new Date().getTime(); and prefix it with something from the item you're iterating to guarantee its uniqueness
Lastly, I recommend using the unique ID you get from the database, If you get it.
Example:
const generateKey = (pre) => {
return `${ pre }_${ new Date().getTime() }`;
}
const savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map( list => {
const list_data = list.data.map( data => <li key={ generateKey(data) }>{ data }</li> );
return(
<div key={ generateKey(list.name) }>
<h2>{ list.name }</h2>
<ul>
{ list_data }
</ul>
</div>
)
});
It is important to remember that React expects STABLE keys, meaning you should assign the keys once and every item on your list should receive the same key every time, that way React can optimize around your data changes when it is reconciling the virtual DOM and decides which components need to re-render.
So, if you are using UUID you need to do it at the data level, not at the UI level.
Also keep in mind you can use any string you want for the key, so you can often combine several fields into one unique ID, something like ${username}_${timestamp} can be a fine unique key for a line in a chat, for example.
Keys helps React identify which items have changed/added/removed and should be given to the elements inside the array to give the elements a stable identity.
With that in mind, there are basically three different strategies as described bellow:
Static Elements (when you don't need to keep html state (focus, cursor position, etc)
Editable and sortable elements
Editable but not sortable elements
As React Documentation explains, we need to give stable identity to the elements and because of that, carefully choose the strategy that best suits your needs:
STATIC ELEMENTS
As we can see also in React Documentation, is not recommended the use of index for keys "if the order of items may change. This can negatively impact performance and may cause issues with component state".
In case of static elements like tables, lists, etc, I recommend using a tool called shortid.
1) Install the package using NPM/YARN:
npm install shortid --save
2) Import in the class file you want to use it:
import shortid from 'shortid';
2) The command to generate a new id is shortid.generate().
3) Example:
renderDropdownItems = (): React.ReactNode => {
const { data, isDisabled } = this.props;
const { selectedValue } = this.state;
const dropdownItems: Array<React.ReactNode> = [];
if (data) {
data.forEach(item => {
dropdownItems.push(
<option value={item.value} key={shortid.generate()}>
{item.text}
</option>
);
});
}
return (
<select
value={selectedValue}
onChange={this.onSelectedItemChanged}
disabled={isDisabled}
>
{dropdownItems}
</select>
);
};
IMPORTANT: As React Virtual DOM relies on the key, with shortid every time the element is re-rendered a new key will be created and the element will loose it's html state like focus or cursor position. Consider this when deciding how the key will be generated as the strategy above can be useful only when you are building elements that won't have their values changed like lists or read only fields.
EDITABLE (sortable) FIELDS
If the element is sortable and you have a unique ID of the item, combine it with some extra string (in case you need to have the same information twice in a page). This is the most recommended scenario.
Example:
renderDropdownItems = (): React.ReactNode => {
const elementKey:string = 'ddownitem_';
const { data, isDisabled } = this.props;
const { selectedValue } = this.state;
const dropdownItems: Array<React.ReactNode> = [];
if (data) {
data.forEach(item => {
dropdownItems.push(
<option value={item.value} key={${elementKey}${item.id}}>
{item.text}
</option>
);
});
}
return (
<select
value={selectedValue}
onChange={this.onSelectedItemChanged}
disabled={isDisabled}
>
{dropdownItems}
</select>
);
};
EDITABLE (non sortable) FIELDS (e.g. INPUT ELEMENTS)
As a last resort, for editable (but non sortable) fields like input, you can use some the index with some starting text as element key cannot be duplicated.
Example:
renderDropdownItems = (): React.ReactNode => {
const elementKey:string = 'ddownitem_';
const { data, isDisabled } = this.props;
const { selectedValue } = this.state;
const dropdownItems: Array<React.ReactNode> = [];
if (data) {
data.forEach((item:any index:number) => {
dropdownItems.push(
<option value={item.value} key={${elementKey}${index}}>
{item.text}
</option>
);
});
}
return (
<select
value={selectedValue}
onChange={this.onSelectedItemChanged}
disabled={isDisabled}
>
{dropdownItems}
</select>
);
};
Hope this helps.
Do not use this return `${ pre }_${ new Date().getTime()}`;. It's better to have the array index instead of that because, even though it's not ideal, that way you will at least get some consistency among the list components, with the new Date function you will get constant inconsistency. That means every new iteration of the function will lead to a new truly unique key.
The unique key doesn't mean that it needs to be globally unique, it means that it needs to be unique in the context of the component, so it doesn't run useless re-renders all the time. You won't feel the problem associated with new Date initially, but you will feel it, for example, if you need to get back to the already rendered list and React starts getting all confused because it doesn't know which component changed and which didn't, resulting in memory leaks, because, you guessed it, according to your Date key, every component changed.
Now to my answer. Let's say you are rendering a list of YouTube videos. Use the video id (arqTu9Ay4Ig) as a unique ID. That way, if that ID doesn't change, the component will stay the same, but if it does, React will recognize that it's a new Video and change it accordingly.
It doesn't have to be that strict, the little more relaxed variant is to use the title, like Erez Hochman already pointed out, or a combination of the attributes of the component (title plus category), so you can tell React to check if they have changed or not.
edited some unimportant stuff
Let React Assign Keys To Children
You may leverage React.Children API:
const { Children } = React;
const DATA = [
'foo',
'bar',
'baz',
];
const MyComponent = () => (
<div>
{Children.toArray(DATA.map(data => <p>{data}</p>))}
</div>
);
ReactDOM.render(<MyComponent />,document.getElementById("root"));
<div id="root"></div>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/16.6.3/umd/react.production.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react-dom/16.6.3/umd/react-dom.production.min.js"></script>
To add the latest solution for 2021...
I found that the project nanoid provides unique string ids that can be used as key while also being fast and very small.
After installing using npm install nanoid, use as follows:
import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';
// Have the id associated with the data.
const todos = [{id: nanoid(), text: 'first todo'}];
// Then later, it can be rendered using a stable id as the key.
const todoItems = todos.map((todo) =>
<li key={todo.id}>
{todo.text}
</li>
)
Another option is weak-key: https://www.npmjs.com/package/weak-key
import weakKey from "weak-key";
const obj1 = {a : 42};
const obj2 = {b : 123};
const obj3 = {a : 42};
console.log(weakKey(obj1)); // 'weak-key-1'
console.log(weakKey(obj2)); // 'weak-key-2'
console.log(weakKey(obj3)); // 'weak-key-3'
console.log(weakKey(obj1)); // 'weak-key-1'
For a simple array of text-strings; I'm trying one of the two ways:
1. encodeURI which is available on both; NodeJS and browser
const WithEncoder = () => {
const getKey = useCallback((str, idx) => encodeURI(`${str},${idx}`), [])
return (
<div>
{["foo", "bar"].map((str, idx) => (
<div key={getKey(str, idx)}>{str}</div>
))}
</div>
)
}
2. window.btoa which is available only in browser.
const WithB2A = () => {
const getKey = useCallback((str, idx) => window.btoa(`${str}-${idx}`), [])
return (
<div>
{["foo", "bar"].map((str, idx) => (
<div key={getKey(str, idx)}>{str}</div>
))}
</div>
)
}
Depends on the situation, choose a uniqueId creator is ok when you just want render silly items, but if you render items like drag&drop etc and you haven't any uniqueId for each item, I recommend remap that data in your redux, mapper, wherever and add for each item an uniqueId (and not in the render like <Item key={...}) because React couldn't perform any check between renders (and with that all the benefits).
With that remapped that you can use that new Id in your Component.
Here is what I have done, it works for reordering, adding, editing and deleting. Once set the key is not changed, so no unnecessary re-render. One PROBLEM which may be a show stopper for some: it requires adding a property to your object at first render say "_reactKey".
Example for functional component in psuedo TS (ie it won't run in snippets):
interface IRow{
myData: string,
_reactKey?:number
}
export default function List(props: {
rows: Array<IRow>
}) {
const {myRows} = props;
const [nextKey, setNextKey] = useState(100);
const [rows, setRows] = useState<Array<IRow>|undefined>();
useEffect(function () {
if (myRows) {
for (let row of myRows){
if (!row._reactKey){
row._reactKey = nextKey;
setNextKey(nextKey+1);
}
}
setRows(myRows);
} else if (!rows) {
setRows([]);
}
}, [myRows, columns]);
addRow(){
let newRow = { blah, blah, _reactKey : nextKey};
setNextKey(nextKey+1);
rows.push(newRow);
setRows({...rows});
}
function MyRow(props:{row:IRow}){
const {row} = props;
return <tr><td>{row._reactKey}</td><td>row.myData</td></tr>
}
return <table>
<tr><th>Index</th><th>React Key</th><th>My Data</th></tr>
rows.map((row, key)=>{
return <MyRow key={row._reactKey} row={row} />
}
</table>
}
I don't use react too much, but the last time I saw this issue I just created a new state array, and tracked the keys there.
const [keys, setKeys] = useState([0]);
const [items, setItems] = useState([value: "", key: 0,])
Then when I add a new item to list, I get the last key from the keys array, add 1, then use setKeys to update the keys array. Something like this:
const addItemWithKey = () => {
// create a new array from the state variable
let newKeyArr = [...keys];
// create a new array from the state variable that needs to be tracked with keys
let newItemArr = [...items];
// get the last key value and add 1
let key = newKeyArr[newKeyArr.length-1] + 1;
newKeyArr.push(key);
newItemArr.push({value: "", key: key,});
// set the state variable
setKeys(newKeyArr);
setItems(newItemArr);
};
I don't worry about removing values from the keys array because it's only being used for iterating in the component, and we're trying to solve for the case where we remove an item from the list and/or add a new item. By getting the last number from the keys array and adding one, we should always have unique keys.
import React, {useState} from 'react';
import {SafeAreaView,ScrollView,StyleSheet,Text,View,Dimensions} from 'react-native';
const {width}=Dimensions.get('window');
function sayfalar(){
let pages=[]
for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
pages.push(<View key={i} style={styles.pages}><Text>{i}</Text></View>)
}
return pages
}
const App=()=>{
return(
<View style={styles.container}>
<ScrollView horizontal={true} pagingEnabled={true}>
{sayfalar()}
</ScrollView>
</View>
)
}
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container:{
flexDirection:'row',
flex:1
},
pages:{
width:width
}
})
export default App;
Use the mapped index (i)
things.map((x,i) => {
<div key=i></div>
});
Hope this helps.
You can use react-html-id to generate uniq id easely : https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-html-id
The fastest solution in 2021 is to use uniqid: Go to https://www.npmjs.com/package/uniqid for more info but to sum up:
First in your terminal and your project file: npm install uniqid
Import uniqid in your project
Use it in any key that you need!
uniqid = require('uniqid');
return(
<div>
<div key={ uniqid() } id={list.name}>
<h2 key={ uniqid() }>{list.name}</h2>
<ListForm update={lst.updateSaved} name={list.name}/>
</div>
</div>
)
});
I am using this:
<div key={+new Date() + Math.random()}>
My state.events is in array that is made up of the component instance: EventContainer.
I want my setState to place a new EventContainer in the state.events array. However, I want that EventContainer to go in the index immediately after the specific EventContainer that made the setState call.
I'm looking for help with making the adjustments necessary to my approach or, if my entire approach is bad, a recommendation on how to go about this. Thank you very much.
I'm developing an itinerary builder which is made up of rows/EventContainers that represent an activity on a given day.
Each EventContainer has a button that needs to offer the user the ability to onClick an additional row immediately after that EventContainer.
class DayContainer extends React.Component {
constructor(props){
super(props);
this.state = {
events: [],
};
this.pushNewEventContainerToState = this.pushNewEventContainerToState.bind(this);
}
pushNewEventContainerToState (index){
let newEvent = <EventContainer />;
this.setState(prevState => {
const events = prevState.events.map((item, j) => {
if (j === index) {
events: [...prevState.events.splice(index, 0, newEvent)]
}
})
})
}
render(){
return (
<>
<div>
<ul>
{
this.state.events === null
? <EventContainer pushNewEventContainerToState= .
{this.pushNewEventContainerToState} />
: <NewEventButton pushNewEventContainerToState={this.pushNewEventContainerToState} />
}
{this.state.events.map((item, index) => (
<li
key={item}
onClick={() =>
this.pushNewEventContainerToState(index)}
>{item}</li>
))}
</ul>
</div>
</>
)
}
}
My goal in setState was to splice newEvent into this.state.events immediately after the index (the parameter in pushNewEventContainerToState function).
I'm getting this error but I'm guessing there's more going on than just this: Line 23:22: Expected an assignment or function call and instead saw an expression no-unused-expressions.
I can see at least 2 issues with the code.
- Splice will mutate the array in place
- You are not returning the updated state.
You can instead use slice to build the new array.
pushNewEventContainerToState(index) {
let newEvent = < EventContainer / > ;
this.setState(prevState => {
const updatedEvents = [...prevState.events.slice(0, index], newEvent, ...prevState.events.slice(index + 1];
return {
events: updatedEvents
})
})
}
As I'm fairly new to coding, it took me awhile but I was able to compile the full answer. Here is the code, below. Below that, I explain, point by point, what the problem was and how the updated code addresses that.
class DayContainer extends React.Component {
constructor(props){
super(props);
this.state = {
events: [{key:0}],
};
this.pushNewEventContainerToState = this.pushNewEventContainerToState.bind(this);
}
pushNewEventContainerToState(index) {
let newEvent = {key: this.state.events.length};
this.setState(prevState => {
let updatedEvents = [...prevState.events.slice(0, index + 1), newEvent, ...prevState.events.slice(index + 1)];
return {
events: updatedEvents
};
})
}
render(){
return (
<>
<div>
<ul>
{this.state.events.map((item, index) => (
<li key={item.key}>
< EventContainer pushNewEventContainerToState={() => this.pushNewEventContainerToState(index) } / >
</li>
))}
</ul>
</div>
</>
)
}
}
Setup
Starting with state.events, instead of starting with an empty array, I'm starting with one object, including a key starting at 0, because I always want the user to start with one EventContainer.
Regarding pushNewEventContainerToState, #Sushanth made a great recommendation. Please refer directly to that function in my latest code. The refinement I made has to do with the way I separate the EventContainer being passed to this.state.events. I've moved the EventContainer from pushNewEventContainerToState down to the render() element. I've given it a prop of key={item.key} and wrapped the component instance in a li. The very first EventContainer will have a key of 0 (see state.events[0]). Now, each new EventContainer passed to state.events will have a key that's based off the latest .length() of the state.events array (refer to the latest value of the let newEvent variable in pushNewEventContainerToState).
All of that allowed me to fix a big problem I was facing: I needed the newest EventContainer to be placed in the index immediately after the index of the EventContainer calling pushNewEventContainerToState. The main reason this was happening was because I wasn't properly passing the index to the EventContainer inside of render(). Now that I have the actual EventContainer there, I can pass it a prop in the right manner (please refer EventContainer's prop in render). Now I'm calling pushNewEventContainerToState with the correct index.
I have built a simple ToDo App. Rending the tasks from the form input is working fine, but I am unable to delete the tasks when clicked on Delete button.
export class TodoList extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props)
this.state = {
task:'',
items:[]
}
}
onChangeHandler=(e)=>{
this.setState({
[e.target.name]: e.target.value
})
}
addItem=(e)=>{
e.preventDefault()
if (this.state.task!==""){
this.setState({
items:[...this.state.items,this.state.task],
task:''
})
}
}
removeItem=(index)=>{
const remainingItems = this.state.items.filter(j => {
return j !== index
})
this.setState({
items: remainingItems
})
};
render() {
return (
<div>
<form>
<input type='text' name="task"onChange={this.onChangeHandler} value={this.state.task} placeholder='Enter Task'/>
<button type='submit' onClick={this.addItem}>Add Task</button>
</form>
<Lists items={this.state.items}
delete={this.removeItem}/>
</div>
)
}
}
export class Lists extends Component {
removeItems=(index)=>{
this.props.delete(index)
}
render() {
return (
<div>
{this.props.items.map((item,index)=>
<li className="Lists" key={index}>{item}
<button type='button' onClick={this.removeItems(index)}>Remove</button>
</li>)}
</div>
)
}
}
Do you even happen to have any items to delete here or the list comes up empty? Delete function itself looks fine but you have couple of problems here.
Don't use index as a key. In case you're reordering or deleting (which you are doing) an array of items, you can run into a lot of issues. Here's a good article: https://medium.com/#vraa/why-using-an-index-as-key-in-react-is-probably-a-bad-idea-7543de68b17c
Probably the error is with this since you're deleting key which, since it's an iterator, is reassigned to another element when array repopulates itself. Change iterator to some other unique identifier for each element.
You're calling removeItems method as soon as it's set. If you have invoked methods (with ()) inside return of render, it will be executed immediately on each refresh. That's why I'm asking do you have anything to delete at all since, if delete function is okay written, this would probably delete all items as soon as they are added.
Best method would be to use dataset. To each element you can add dataset like this:
data-item-id={some-id} and you can fetch it inside your method from the fired event like this const clickedId = event.currentTarget.dataset.someId. Note that dataset in the element must be written like-this, and it's rewritten automatically when fetching it into camelCase (likeThis). Then you can use this index to target the element you want inside the array and delete it.
Note that the iterator issue still applies, and you need a different unique identifier.
Let me know if you need further explanation.
You can delete the current item using splice method.
removeItem = index=> {
let newArray = this.state.items;
newArray.splice(index, 1);
this.setState({
items: newArray
});
};
It would be better to use onClick for removing item like this :
<button type='button' onClick={()=>this.removeItems(index)}>Remove</button>
Hope this helps.
I prefer to pass item that i would like to remove, index can be decieving becouse it changes.
Find index by unique key, i use item.id as unique key.
removeItem = item => {
const items = this.state.items;
// if using lodash i use findIndex
const index = _.findIndex(items, i => i.id === item.id)
// if plain js
const index = items.findIndex(i => i.id === item.id)
items.splice(index, 1);
this.setState({
items
});
};
I have an issue trying to update a list of stateful components created with by mapping a list of strings. The issue is showing when i remove one of this components by slicing the array to remove an element by its index.
Every component has his own state, that im fetching from an API. the problems is that when i remove an element of the array, the state of next component overlaps the one that i deleted Component.
My code looks something similar to this:
class MyDashboard extends React.Component {
constructor(props){
super(props);
this.state = {
activeItems: [0,1,2,3],
}
this.removeItem = this.removeItem.bind(this);
}
removeItem(indx){
let tempItems= this.state.activeItems;
tempItems.splice(indx,1);
this.setState({activeItems:tempItems});
}
render(){
let conditionalDash;
let conditionalComponent;
let temporalArray = this.state.activeEntries.map((entry , i) => {
return (<MyDash key={i} index {i}/> removeItem={this.removeItem});
});
render(){
return (
<div id='dashContainer'>
{temporalArray}
</div>
)
}
}
In my MyDashComponent i have a something like this:
class MyDash extends React.Component{
constructor(props){
super(props);
this.state={
fetchedData:null,
}
}
componentDidMount(){
API.fetchData(this.props.index).then(response => {
this.setState({fetchData:response.data})
)
}
render(){
return(
<div> {this.props.index} {this.state.fetchedData}</div>
)
}
}
Is there something that i'm missing?
The behavior that i'm getting is that when the i remove the this.state.activeItems[2] the state of this element is the same as the previous component. I was expecting that the state of the element[2] will be the same state that has the element[3].
Edit:
Something that i forget to tell, is that the props of MyDash component are correct, is just the state that doesnt belong to the component, it is from the deleted component.
Thanks for reading and i hope that somebody can help me with this.
I found the bug it was that the key of the list that i was using, it was the index of the map method, i read that it has to be a unique key. Luckily this fixed the render action and the state doesnt overlap anymore.
Who have mixed the behaviour or slice and splice
slice returns you a new array whereas splice modifies the existing one
According to MDN docs:
splice: The splice() method changes the contents of an array by
removing existing elements and/or adding new elements.
Syntax: array.splice(start, deleteCount)
slice: The slice() method returns a shallow copy of a portion of an
array into a new array object selected from begin to end (end not
included). The original array will not be modified.
syntax:
arr.slice()
arr.slice(begin)
arr.slice(begin, end)
You might change your code to
removeItem(indx){
let tempItems= this.state.activeItems;
tempItems.splice(indx,1);
this.setState({ activeItems:tempItems });
}
Also you shouldn't mutate the state directly, you should create a copy of the state array and then update it.
removeItem(indx){
let tempItems= [...this.state.activeItems]; // this is do a shallow copy, you could use something else depending on your usecase
tempItems.splice(indx,1);
this.setState({ activeItems:tempItems });
}
You can also use Array.prototype.filter to remove the item:
removeItem(idx) {
this.setState({
activeItems: this.state.activeItems.filter((_, index) => index !== idx)
});
}
or
removeItem(idx) {
this.setState(prevState => ({
activeItems: prevState.activeItems.filter((_, index) => index !== idx)
}));
}
I'm using React to render long scrollable list of items (+1000). I found React Virtualized to help me with this.
So looking at the example here I should pass down the list as a prop to my item list component. What's tripping me up is that in the example the list is immutable (using Immutable.js) which I guess makes sense since that's how the props are supposed to work - but if I want to make a change to a row item I cannot change its state since the row will be rerendered using the list, thus throwing out the state.
What I'm trying to do is to highlight a row when I click it and have it still be highlighted if I scroll out of the view and back into it again. Now if the list is not immutable I can change the object representing the row and the highlighted row will stay highlighted, but I'm not sure that's the correct way to do it. Is there a solution to this other than mutating the props?
class ItemsList extends React.Component {
(...)
render() {
(...)
return(
<div>
<VirtualScroll
ref='VirtualScroll'
className={styles.VirtualScroll}
height={virtualScrollHeight}
overscanRowCount={overscanRowCount}
noRowsRenderer={this._noRowsRenderer}
rowCount={rowCount}
rowHeight={useDynamicRowHeight ? this._getRowHeight : virtualScrollRowHeight}
rowRenderer={this._rowRenderer}
scrollToIndex={scrollToIndex}
width={300}
/>
</div>
)
}
_rowRenderer ({ index }) {
const { list } = this.props;
const row = list[index];
return (
<Row index={index} />
)
}
}
class Row extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
highlighted: false
};
}
handleClick() {
this.setState({ highlighted: true });
list[this.props.index].color = 'yellow';
}
render() {
let color = list[this.props.index].color;
return (
<div
key={this.props.index}
style={{ height: 20, backgroundColor: color }}
onClick={this.handleClick.bind(this)}
>
This is row {this.props.index}
</div>
)
}
}
const list = [array of 1000+ objects];
ReactDOM.render(
<ItemsList
list={list}
/>,
document.getElementById('app')
);
If you only render let's say 10 out of your list of a 1000 at a time, then the only way to remember highlighted-flag, is to store it in the parent state, which is the list of 1000.
Without immutability, this would be something like:
// make a copy of the list - NB: this will not copy objects in the list
var list = this.state.list.slice();
// so when changing object, you are directly mutating state
list[itemToChange].highlighted = true;
// setting state will trigger re-render
this.setState({ list: list });
// but the damage is already done:
// e.g. shouldComponentUpdate lifecycle method will fail
// will always return false, even if state did change.
With immutability, you would be doing something quite similar:
// make a copy of the list
var list = this.state.list.slice();
// make a copy of the object to update
var newObject = Object.assign({}, list[itemToChange]);
// update the object copy
newObject.highlighted = true;
// insert the new object into list copy
list[itemToChange] = newObject;
// update state with the new list
this.setState({ list : list );
The above only works if the object does not contain more nested objects.
I am not familiar with immutable.js, but I'm sure they have excellent methods to deal with this more appropriately.
The argument for immutability in react is that you can reliably and transparently work with state changes (also react's life-cycle methods expect them). There are numerous questions on SO with a variant of "why is nextState == this.state", with answers coming down to "not keeping state and props immutable screwed things up"