React Tutorials for Beginners Lecture

Introduction

• Series of 23 React tutorials aimed at beginners.
• Builds upon each other like chapters of a book.
• Projects to build while learning React fundamentals.
• Prerequisites: Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and especially JavaScript.
• React is a JavaScript library maintained by Facebook and community developers.
• React's website: reactjs.org for documentation.
• Economic advantage: Many React job listings with competitive salaries.

Getting Started

• Install Node.js from nodejs.org if not already installed.
• Recommended to install React Developer Tools extension for Chrome.
• Use Visual Studio Code for project development:
  • Start with an empty folder for React projects.
  • Use terminal in VS Code to check Node.js version (node -v).
  • Create a new React app using npx create-react-app <project-name>.

Initial Setup

• Explore the file structure created by Create React App:
  • .git folder and .gitignore to manage source files.
  • public folder contains the main index.html.
  • src folder contains JavaScript files and components for the app.
  • Not all default files are necessary; some can be deleted.
• Start the app using npm start to launch a local development server.
• Edit src/App.js to see changes reflected automatically.

Building Components

• Use ES7 React/Redux/GraphQL/React-Native Snippets in VS Code for quicker development.
• Create functional components:
  • Header, Content, and Footer components.
  • Import and use components in App.js.

Styling Components

• Use CSS stylesheets or inline styles to style React components.
• Inline styles utilize JavaScript's object notation.
• Maintain styles in index.css or component-specific CSS files.

Handling Events

• React can handle various events similar to JavaScript.
• Click events can call functions with or without parameters.
• Use anonymous functions to pass parameters.
• Access the event object to perform actions based on events.

State Management

• Use useState hook to manage component state.
• Allows components to respond and re-render upon state changes.
• Always use the setter function to update state.
• Avoid patterns that can lead to incorrect state updates.

Lists and Keys

• Use map() to render lists in React.
• Each list item needs a unique key prop to optimize rendering.
• Use icons and apply CSS for better UI representation.

Form Handling

• Controlled components in forms:
  • Use useState to manage form input values.
  • Handle form submissions and prevent default behavior.
• Use useRef hook to manage input focus.

Fetching Data

• Use useEffect for data fetching operations.
• Teach components to load data on mount.
• Handle loading states and error handling.

Custom Hooks and Context API

• Create custom hooks to encapsulate complex logic.
• Use the Context API to provide global states across components.
• Avoid excessive prop drilling with context providers.

Deployment

• Various methods to deploy React applications:
  • Use Netlify or GitHub Pages to host your app.
• Clean up dependencies and scripts in package.json before deployment.

This lecture covers a comprehensive introduction to React, from setting up your environment and creating your first app, to understanding component architecture, managing state, handling events, and deploying your applications. Remember to refer to the official React documentation for more detailed information and updates.