Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
React and React Native
React and React Native

React and React Native: Build cross-platform JavaScript apps with native power for mobile, web and desktop

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Adam Boduch
Arrow right icon
Free Trial
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2017 500 pages 1st Edition
eBook
NZ$44.99 NZ$64.99
Paperback
NZ$80.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Adam Boduch
Arrow right icon
Free Trial
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2017 500 pages 1st Edition
eBook
NZ$44.99 NZ$64.99
Paperback
NZ$80.99
Subscription
Free Trial
eBook
NZ$44.99 NZ$64.99
Paperback
NZ$80.99
Subscription
Free Trial

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

React and React Native

Chapter 2. Rendering with JSX

This chapter will introduce you to JSX. We'll start by covering the basics: what is JSX? Then, you'll see that JSX has built-in support for HTML tags, as you would expect; so we'll run through a few examples here. After having looked at some JSX code, we'll discuss how it makes describing the structure of UIs easy for us. Then, we'll jump into building our own JSX elements, and using JavaScript expressions for dynamic content.

Ready?

What is JSX?

In this section, we'll implement the obligatory hello world JSX application. At this point, we're just dipping our toes into the water; more in-depth examples will follow. We'll also discuss what makes this syntax work well for declarative UI structures.

Hello JSX

Without further ado, here's your first JSX application:

// The "render()" function will render JSX markup and 
// place the resulting content into a DOM node. The "React" 
// object isn't explicitly used here, but it's used 
// by the transpiled JSX source. 
import React from 'react'; 
import { render } from 'react-dom'; 
 
// Renders the JSX markup. Notice the XML syntax 
// mixed with JavaScript? This is replaced by the 
// transpiler before it reaches the browser. 
render( 
  (<p>Hello, <strong>JSX</strong></p>), 
  document.getElementById('app') 
); 

Pretty simple, right? Let's walk through what's happening...

Just like HTML

At the end of the day, the job of a React component is to render HTML into the browser DOM. This is why JSX has support for HTML tags, out of the box. In this section, we'll look at some code that renders some of the available HTML tags. Then, we'll cover some of the conventions that are typically followed in React projects when HTML tags are used.

Built-in HTML tags

When we render JSX, element tags are referencing React components. Since it would be tedious to have to create components for HTML elements, React comes with HTML components. We can render any HTML tag in our JSX, and the output will be just as we'd expect. If you're not sure, you can always run the following code to see which HTML element tags React has:

// Prints a list of the global HTML tags 
// that React knows about. 
console.log( 
  'available tags', 
  Object.keys(React.DOM).sort() 
); 

You can see that React.DOM has all the built-in HTML elements that we need, implemented as...

Describing UI structures

JSX is the best way to describe complex UI structures. Let's look at some JSX markup that declares a more elaborate structure than a single paragraph:

import React from 'react'; 
import { render } from 'react-dom'; 
 
// This JSX markup describes some fairly-sophisticated 
// markup. Yet, it's easy to read, because it's XML and 
// XML is good for concisely-expressing hierarchical 
// structure. This is how we want to think of our UI, 
// when it needs to change, not as an individual element 
// or property. 
render(( 
  <section> 
    <header> 
      <h1>A Header</h1> 
    </header> 
    <nav> 
      <a href="item">Nav Item</a> 
    </nav> 
    <main> 
      <p>The main content...</p> 
    </main> 
    <footer> 
      <small>&copy; 2016</small> 
    </footer> 
  </section> 
  ), 
  document.getElementById(&apos...

Creating your own JSX elements

Components are the fundamental building blocks of React. In fact, components are the vocabulary of JSX markup. In this section, we'll see how to encapsulate HTML markup within a component. We'll build examples that show you how to nest custom JSX elements and how to namespace your components.

Encapsulating HTML

The reason that we want to create new JSX elements is so that we can encapsulate larger structures. This means that instead of having to type out complex markup, we just use our custom tag. The React component returns the JSX that replaces the element. Let's look at an example now:

// We also need "Component" so that we can 
// extend it and make a new JSX tag. 
import React, { Component } from 'react'; 
import { render } from 'react-dom'; 
 
// "MyComponent" extends "Component", which means that 
// we can now use it in JSX markup. 
class MyComponent extends Component { 
  render() { 
 ...

Using JavaScript expressions

As we saw in the preceding section, JSX has special syntax that lets us embed JavaScript expressions. Any time we render JSX content, expressions in the markup are evaluated. This is the dynamic aspect of JSX content, and in this section, you'll learn how to use expressions to set property values and element text content. You'll also learn how to map collections of data to JSX elements.

Dynamic property values and text

Some HTML property or text values are static, meaning that they don't change as the JSX is re-rendered. Other values, the values of properties or text, are based on data that's found elsewhere in the application. Remember, React is just the view layer. Let's look at an example so that you can get a feel for what the JavaScript expression syntax looks like in JSX markup:

import React from 'react'; 
import { render } from 'react-dom'; 
 
// These constants are passed into the JSX 
// markup using the JavaScript...

What is JSX?


In this section, we'll implement the obligatory hello world JSX application. At this point, we're just dipping our toes into the water; more in-depth examples will follow. We'll also discuss what makes this syntax work well for declarative UI structures.

Hello JSX

Without further ado, here's your first JSX application:

// The "render()" function will render JSX markup and 
// place the resulting content into a DOM node. The "React" 
// object isn't explicitly used here, but it's used 
// by the transpiled JSX source. 
import React from 'react'; 
import { render } from 'react-dom'; 
 
// Renders the JSX markup. Notice the XML syntax 
// mixed with JavaScript? This is replaced by the 
// transpiler before it reaches the browser. 
render( 
  (<p>Hello, <strong>JSX</strong></p>), 
  document.getElementById('app') 
); 

Pretty simple, right? Let's walk through what's happening here. First, we...

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • • Build React and React Native applications using familiar component concepts
  • • Dive deep into each platform, from routing in React to creating native mobile applications that can run offline
  • • Use Facebook’s Relay, React and GraphQL technologies, to create a unified architecture that powers both web and native applications

Description

para 1: Dive into the world of React and create powerful applications with responsive and streamlined UIs! With React best practices for both Android and iOS, this book demonstrates React and React Native in action, helping you to create intuitive and engaging applications. Para 2: React and React Native allow you to build desktop, mobile and native applications for all major platforms. Combined with Flux and Relay, you?ll be able to create powerful and feature-complete applications from just one code base. Para 3: Discover how to build desktop and mobile applications using Facebook?s innovative UI libraries. You?ll also learn how to craft composable UIs using React, and then apply these concepts to building Native UIs using React Native. Finally, find out how you can create React applications which run on all major platforms, and leverage Relay for feature-complete and data-driven applications. Para 4: What?s Inside ? Craft composable UIs using React & build Native UIs using React Native ? Create React applications for major platforms ? Access APIs ? Leverage Relay for data-driven web & native mobile applications

Who is this book for?

Perfect for anyone who wants to create mobile and desktop applications (including native mobile apps), React and React Native features step-by-step instructions and examples designed for all levels of React and React Native developers and students.

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Mar 08, 2017
Length: 500 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786465658
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing

Product Details

Publication date : Mar 08, 2017
Length: 500 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786465658
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just NZ$7 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just NZ$7 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total NZ$ 224.97
Mastering React Native
NZ$71.99
React and React Native
NZ$80.99
React Design Patterns and Best Practices
NZ$71.99
Total NZ$ 224.97 Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

26 Chapters
1. Why React? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Rendering with JSX Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Understanding Properties and State Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Event Handling – The React Way Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Crafting Reusable Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. The React Component Lifecycle Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Validating Component Properties Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Extending Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Handling Navigation with Routes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Server-Side React Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Mobile-First React Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. Why React Native? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
13. Kickstarting React Native Projects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
14. Building Responsive Layouts with Flexbox Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
15. Navigating Between Screens Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
16. Rendering Item Lists Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
17. Showing Progress Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
18. Geolocation and Maps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
19. Collecting User Input Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
20. Alerts, Notifications, and Confirmation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
21. Responding to User Gestures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
22. Controlling Image Display Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
23. Going Offline Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
24. Handling Application State Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
25. Why Relay and GraphQL? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
26. Building a Relay React App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
(1 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 100%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Caleb Nov 06, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Content is really good, but all pages are black and gray. So, it is hard to see well when you read, I personally recommend reader with color pictures which provided by them. Actually, when I read this book, I had an intermediate level of React Native, also I finished React Native lectures on Udemy, but this is really focused on how it works, and more detail information comparing the Udemy lectures. So, it would be great if you want to know more and use a reference book. However, React Native is changing quickly, and it can be so out-dated easily, but I think it includes the most recent things about React Native. If this book published in color, it would be great to me...haha..
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is included in a Packt subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content

How can I cancel my subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.

What are credits? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.

What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.

Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team. 

Can I download the code files for Early Access titles? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.

When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.

How accurate is the publication date? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.

How will I know when new chapters are ready? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.

I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.

How is Early Access delivered? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.

How do I buy Early Access content? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

What is Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.