7 React Programming Tips For Newbies In 2023, With Code Examples

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As a newbie in React programming, exploring the huge world of the language and its various frameworks and libraries might be challenging.

You can, however, set yourself up for success and make the learning process more comfortable by following a few key tips and best practices.

In 2023, here are some of the best React programming tips for beginners, along with code samples to effects that can range from higher concepts:

1. Learn the basics of JSX: JSX is a JavaScript syntax extension that allows you to build HTML-like components in your JavaScript code.
2. It’s an important factor of React, and understanding how it works is important. Here’s an example of a simple JSX element:

import React from 'react';

const MyComponent = () => {
  return (
    <>
      <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
      <p>This is my first React component</p>
    </>
  );
};

export default MyComponent;

2. Understand the following items: Components are the basis of a React application.

They enable you to break your application into smaller, reusable pieces.

Here’s an example of a simple functional component:

import React from 'react';

function Welcome(props) {
  const { name = 'Guest' } = props;
  return <h1>Hello, {name}</h1>;
}

export default Welcome;

3. Discover state and props: In a React application, state and props are used to handle data.

The state of a component is the data that can change, whereas props are used to pass data from a parent component to a child component.

Here’s an example of using state and props:

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Counter(props) {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const handleIncrement = () => {
    setCount(prevCount => prevCount + 1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={handleIncrement}>
        Click me
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default Counter;

4. Learn about Event Handling in React: Event handling is an important factor of React.

It allows you to interact with the user and respond to their actions.

Here’s an example of how to handle a button-click event:

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const handleIncrement = () => {
    setCount(prevCount => prevCount + 1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={handleIncrement}>
        Click me
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default Example;

5. Conditional Rendering Explained: Conditional rendering allows you to render multiple aspects based on specific criteria.

Here’s an example of how to conditionally render a component using the ternary operator:

import React from 'react';

// Define UserGreeting and GuestGreeting components somewhere in your code

function Greeting(props) {
  const isLoggedIn = props.isLoggedIn;
  if (isLoggedIn) {
    return <UserGreeting />;
  } else {
    return <GuestGreeting />;
  }
}

export default Greeting;

6. Lists and keys are used to render multiple components based on an array of data.

Here’s how you use the map function to display a list of components:

import React from 'react';

function NumberList({ numbers }) {
  const listItems = numbers.map((number, index) => (
    <li key={index}>
      {number}
    </li>
  ));

  return <>{listItems}</>;
}

export default NumberList;

7. Forms 101: Forms are used in React apps to capture user input. Here’s an example of a basic form with controlled components:

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function FormExample() {
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('');
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('');

  const handleSubmit = (event) => {
    event.preventDefault();
    console.log('Email:', email);
    console.log('Password:', password);
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <div>
        <label htmlFor="email">Email:</label>
        <input
          type="email"
          id="email"
          value={email}
          onChange={(e) => setEmail(e.target.value)}
          required
        />
      </div>
      <div>
        <label htmlFor="password">Password:</label>
        <input
          type="password"
          id="password"
          value={password}
          onChange={(e) => setPassword(e.target.value)}
          required
        />
      </div>
      <div>
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
      </div>
    </form>
  );
}

export default FormExample;