This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Omojola Tomiloba David
Hello fellow React enthusiasts! Join me today as I explain a core concept of React: components. Whether you are new to learning React or refreshing your understanding of the basics, components will play a central role in all your endeavors.
Let's delve into the essence of components, talk about their utility, and how they can be seamlessly incorporated into our projects!
What Are Components?
In React, components are the building blocks of UI design. Imagine yourself building a farm shed with cement blocks. Each block represents a unique section of the shed.
In React, components serve as the fundamental building blocks. Components are independent and reusable bits of code. They have the potential to take on various forms, such as a button, a navigation bar, a form, or even entire sections of a webpage.
Components are incredibly useful in React because they emphasize reusability and efficiency. Utilizing components allows you to create a UI element once and effortlessly reuse it throughout your entire application.If you need a button in five different places, you can simply create a single Button component and place it wherever you wish.
Types of components in React:
Functional Components
These are the most common and modern method for developing components in React. They are easier to write and comprehend, and they pair effortlessly with React Hooks.
A functional component is essentially a JavaScript function that outputs JSX code(which uses React’s syntax resembling HTML). Here is an uncomplicated example:
function Greeting() {
return <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
}
Functional components are fantastic because they are simple and logical, working together with react hooks to handle state and side effects efficiently, allowing them to perform virtually all tasks that class components can.
Class Components
Class components were initially used to create components in React. They utilize ES6 classes and are slightly more complex to employ compared to functional components.
Functional components are typically preferred for new code due to their simplicity and superior performance. While class components are still utilized, functional components are the recommended choice. Here is an example of a class component:
import React { Component } from "react"
class Greeting extends Component {
render() {
return <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
}
}
Exploring Component Usage in React Apps
Imagine you are creating a basic website consisting of a header, main content section, and a footer. Instead of cramming all the content into one file, why not split it into three separate components: Header, MainContent, and Footer? Here’s an example:
// Header
function Header() {
return(
<header>
<h1>My Website</h1>
</header>
)
}
// MainContent
function MainContent() {
return (
<main>
<p>Welcome to my website!</p>
</main>
)
}
// Footer.
function Footer() {
return (
<footer>
<p>Copyright </p>
</footer>
)
}
Then, you can use these components in your main App component:
// App.
import Header from "./Header"
import MainContent from "./MainContent";
import Footer from "./Footer";
function App() {
return (
<div>
<Header />
<MainContent />
<Footer/>
</div>
)
}
export default App;
This setup keeps your code organized and allows you to easily tweak each component individually. Would you like to modify the header text? Simply open the Header component and make the necessary changes. That's the magic of components!.
Wrapping up
Components in React enable you to construct your user interface in separate, easily controllable pieces. Rather than cramming all the HTML and JavaScript for your entire application in a single massive file, you divide it into components. This enhances the cleanliness, modularity, and maintainability of your code.
Happy coding! 🚀
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Omojola Tomiloba David
Omojola Tomiloba David | Sciencx (2024-10-30T16:39:39+00:00) Components in React. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/10/30/components-in-react/
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