REACT Foundations [GK840204]

OVERVIEW

Learn to build dynamic user interfaces with React in our comprehensive foundation course.

React Foundation offers a thorough introduction to React, a widely-used JavaScript library for building user interfaces. This course covers essential and advanced topics, including component-based architecture, state management with hooks, and styling techniques. Participants will learn to set up a React development environment, create reusable components, manage data flow, and handle side effects with the useEffect hook.

By the end of the course, you will learn to construct JSX elements, implement prop patterns, manage state, and debug React applications effectively. You will be equipped to build high-performance, scalable, and maintainable web applications.

This course includes hands-on practice through labs and exercises, reinforcing the concepts covered in the lectures - a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.

OBJECTIVES

• Set up a React development environment and create an initial application structure.
• Construct JSX elements to build React component structures and handle dynamic content.
• Build reusable React components applying composition patterns.
• Implement prop patterns to pass data and event handlers between components.
• Use state hooks to manage component data and handle user interactions.
• Integrate data flow patterns to manage component communication and state sharing.
• Implement container and presentational component patterns to organize React applications effectively.              
• Apply styling using CSS modules and styling organization patterns.
• Use the useEffect hook to manage side effects and component lifecycle needs.
• Build form interfaces using both controlled and uncontrolled form patterns.
• Use React Developer Tools to debug component issues and analyze application performance.

AUDIENCE

- Front-End Developers

- Web Developers

- Software Engineers

- Technical professionals 

CONTENT

1 Introduction to React

What is React and its history

• Definition and differentiation
• Key benefits and use cases
• Component-based architecture for building UI

Virtual DOM

• Definition of the virtual DOM
• How React uses the virtual DOM (conceptually)
• Simple comparison with traditional web development
• Why this matters for modern web apps

React Development Setup

• Development environment setup
• Quick start with Create React App
• Development tools associated with React (React Developer Tools)

Project Structure

• Generating first React app with Create React App
• Folder structure: Component organization and file name conventions

2 JSX

Getting Started

• HTML entry point (root div)
• createRoot and render
• Basic React component structure with JSX
• Understanding the relationship between files

Fundamentals

• What is JSX and why do we use it?
• Rules of JSX (parent element, closing tags)

Writing JSX

• Basic syntax and attributes
• Adding JavaScript expressions with {}

Exploring JSX use cases

• Variables and props
• Simple conditional rendering

3 React Components

Component Basics

• What is a component?
• Creating your first component
• Single line and multiline JSX in a component
• Importing and exporting components
• Rendering a component

More about React Components

• Logic in a React component
• Conditions in a React component
• Handling user interactions in components

Component Composition

• Putting components in other components
• Reusing components
• Component organization

4 Props

Prop basics

• What are props?
• Passing data to components
• Receiving props
• Prop types and defaults
• Children prop
• Rendering a component's props
• Passing props from component to component
• Dynamic rendering with props

More complex prop patterns

• Pass an event handler as a prop
• Receive an event handler as a prop
• Event handler naming conventions

6 State and Events

Understanding State

• What is state?
• "stateful" components
• When to use state
• When not to use state
• Component re-rendering basics

useState Hook

• What is a hook?
• Initializing state
• State updates
• Multiple state values

Brief recap of content covered in Day 1, focusing on creating components and state

1 Component Patterns

Component Architecture

• Container vs Presentational Components
• When to separate components
• Rendering presentational components in containers

React Data Flow

• One-way data flow concept
• Parent/Child communication patterns
• Sibling/Sibling communication
• Understanding prop drilling
• Lifting state up as a solution

2 Styling in React

• Regular CSS with className
• CSS modules basics
• Styling organization
• Component-specific styling

3 Effects and Lifecycle

Working with Effects

• What are side effects in React?
• Why we need to manage effects
• Basic syntax and usage of useEffect hook
• When effects run
• Effect dependencies
• What is cleaning up an effect?
• How to write cleanup functions

Lifecycles

• Component phases (initial, updates, cleanup)
• Using effects for lifecycle needs

4 Forms

Form Fundamentals

• HTML forms vs React forms
• React's two approaches: Controlled vs Uncontrolled
• When to use each approach

Uncontrolled Forms

• useRef hook with forms
• Accessing input values
• Creating a basic uncontrolled form
• Handling submit events
• Getting form values
• Use cases for uncontrolled forms

Controlled Forms

• Basic form elements
• useState with single inputs
• Managing multiple form fields
• Handling different input types
• Handling form submission
• Preventing default behavior
• Gathering form data
• Basic validation
• Success/error states

5 Debugging React Applications

React Developer Tools

• Components tab
• Props and state inspection
• Component tree navigation

Debugging React Applications

• Common React errors and solutions