A component is a self-contained piece of code that can be used to output content to the page. It’s a great way to break down your app into smaller parts, allowing you to manage and compose a complex application in a simple way.
When creating a component, you will use a JavaScript class to define it. This class will extend React’s Component class, allowing you to access its properties and methods to create your own custom component. Inside the class, you will define a render() method, which will return the HTML element to display on the page.
A basic React component looks like this:
function MyComponent() {
return (
<div>
<h1>My Component</h1>
</div>
);
}
The MyComponent function returns a React Element, which is a description of what you want to see on the screen. The React Element can contain components, HTML elements, or text. It’s important to note that React components must start with a capital letter.
Now that you know how to write a basic React component, how do you make it interactive? React provides several features that allow you to add state and handle user interactions. You can use state to store data and display it in the component. You can also use lifecycle methods to control how the component updates and renders.
Lastly, once you have created your component, make sure to check out the official React testing library for testing your component. This will ensure that your component works correctly and is ready to be used in production.
The great thing about React is that once you have the basics down, you can start building complex React apps. So get started today and create your first React Component!
Rendering the components to the DOM is where the rubber meets the road. This is where the React code you’ve written gets to show off its stuff and actually do something.
It is generally a good practice to have a single root element in your React application. This element serves as the mounting point for React. In the example below, we create a new element `div` with a unique ID of `root`, and React will render its components inside of this element.
const rootElement = document.getElementById("root");
ReactDOM.render(<App />, rootElement);
For more information about rendering components in React, here are some great resources that can help you get started:
React Docs: Rendering Elements | FreeCodeCamp: ReactDOM | React Tutorials: Rendering a Component
