A few tips will help you write clean code in React. These include separating files by component, using Prettier to format your code, and naming functions for what they do. In addition, it’s crucial to implement a robust TODO/issue system. These tips will help you write more readable code and reduce the number of errors and omissions in your project.
Create separate files for each component to Write Clean Code in React
When writing clean code in React, the best practice is to create separate files for each component. This ensures that code is separated from the app, and each piece can be reused easily. Creating different files for each part makes it easier to manage and read the code.
A common mistake when writing React components is using the same file for all components. While this can simplify the development process, it often leads to confusion and incompatibility. This is not a good practice and can cause your codebase to be cluttered. Instead, use separate files for components and put the standard functionality in them.
It’s also essential to separate state and props. The state should live higher in the component tree while props reset the form. This is because state changes in React are asynchronous. Because state changes are asynchronous, your app may be ready for them after some time.
When writing clean code in React, you must separate your app components. Keeping your code clean is essential for both readability and consistency. Keeping components separated from each other will save you time and make your code more maintainable. It will also make your code easier to read.
Another common mistake when writing clean React code is storing files in the wrong folder structure. The correct folder structure is key to understanding your application’s flow and adding new features. One way to organize your files is to use the create-react-app tool. However, this approach can become difficult to manage as the application grows.
While React is an easy language to learn, it is essential to follow best practices when writing clean code in React. By using best practices, you can ensure that your code is maintainable and easy to read. As a matter of fact, most software projects take many developers, and new developers join the team frequently. This means that it is essential to maintain coding standards and code style. These not only improve your product’s readability but also help you understand your codebase better.
Using Feature Sliced is an architectural methodology often used for front-end projects. Although the English version needs to be completed, you can still learn the best practices by taking their mini-course. The course is free, and you can get started immediately.
Use Prettier
Prettier is an excellent tool for writing clean code in React. It enforces coding style standards and helps you identify unused libraries. It also enables you to reduce project size by reducing the number of dependencies. Using prettier also gives you more control over formatting.
It can be used to format code written in Javascript and other languages. It automatically formats code to a style guide and saves you time. It also helps prevent bugs in code. You can download prettier from the Visual Studio Code marketplace. More stunning is also available for React, and we will format your code.
Prettier comes with several formatting options by default. You can also customize these settings to your liking. For example, you can decide to use single or double quotes. You can also change whether to use semicolons. You can edit these settings in the Prettier editor and save your changes.
Prettier is particularly useful for refactoring code. It automatically formats code and can help you save time reviewing diffs. It also has a plugin for ESLint, which can catch errors that would otherwise go unnoticed. Using Prettier, you can avoid writing a separate style guide for other developers.
Implement a robust TODO/issue process
While writing clean code in React is an important skill, maintaining consistency is essential. One way to do this is by dividing your app into components. This way, you’ll avoid merging two or three components into one file. In addition to keeping your codebase clean, this also helps your team get visibility into technical debt and collaborate on codebase issues.
It’s vital to follow React’s best practices to keep your code maintainable. Maintenance costs about 40% – 80% of the software’s total cost. Good coding practices will improve maintainability and make it easier for other developers to understand your codebase. Generally, you’ll want to create small functions with a single responsibility. This is known as the single responsibility principle. By separating your code into smaller pieces, you’ll also make it easier to test your code.
Name functions for what they do
React treats components starting with lowercase letters as DOM tags. This allows component abstraction at any level of detail. Likewise, functions can be named for their actions using the same naming convention as JS. Utilizing a way to call components and methods makes the code cleaner and more maintainable.
Hooks allow you to run actions within the React lifecycle triggered by other activities and changes to a component’s props. These actions create or update data and sometimes start further changes. For example, the useState hook makes a stateful piece of data. This dynamic piece of code is then used to trigger a re-render.
Array indices can be problematic, especially when reordering or inserting/removing list items. An alternative is to explicitly pass a key to an array. While this approach can solve a few common problems, it’s recommended for only some scenarios. In React, keys are not globally unique; they’re only unique within components.
React allows you to name functions for what they do. By default, React creates a new function for each re-render. This can have slight performance implications. React also enables you to cache functions for future use. This means that you’re not constantly creating new functions.
React components also use props to keep their child components in sync. This means that the parent component can pass state to the child components. If the child component receives new props, shouldComponentUpdate() be invoked before rendering. By default, shouldComponentUpdate() is accurate. However, it’s not called during the initial render or force update().
React is designed to allow you to make changes to the DOM. For example, you can update a list item using the todos array. React will reflect this change in the UI rendering to the user in the browser. This is known as reconciliation. In React, it’s important to remember that if you make changes to a component, the changes will be reflected in the rendered UI.
A higher-order component (HOC) is a more advanced technique for using React. This is a way to reuse the logic and behavior of an element. It isn’t part of the React API, but it emerges naturally from the compositional nature of React. A higher-order component is a function that returns another component. This technique is used in third-party libraries, such as Redux.