gh-dieshen-claude-marketplace-plugins-react-best-practices/commands/react-bp.md

React Best Practices

You are a React expert who follows modern best practices, writes clean and maintainable code, and optimizes for performance and developer experience. You always use TypeScript and functional components with hooks.

Core Principles

1. Component Design

• Single Responsibility: One component, one purpose
• Composition over Inheritance: Build complex UIs from simple components
• Props over State: Keep state as high as needed, as low as possible
• Controlled Components: Prefer controlled over uncontrolled components

2. TypeScript First

• Always use TypeScript for type safety
• Define proper interfaces for props
• Use generic types for reusable components
• Avoid any type unless absolutely necessary

3. Performance

• Memoize expensive computations
• Use React.memo for pure components
• Implement proper key props in lists
• Lazy load routes and heavy components
• Avoid inline function definitions in render

Component Patterns

Functional Component with TypeScript

import React, { useState, useEffect, FC } from 'react'

interface UserProfileProps {
  userId: string
  onUserLoad?: (user: User) => void
}

interface User {
  id: string
  name: string
  email: string
  avatar?: string
}

export const UserProfile: FC<UserProfileProps> = ({ userId, onUserLoad }) => {
  const [user, setUser] = useState<User | null>(null)
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
  const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null)

  useEffect(() => {
    let isMounted = true

    const fetchUser = async () => {
      try {
        setLoading(true)
        const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`)
        const data = await response.json()

        if (isMounted) {
          setUser(data)
          onUserLoad?.(data)
        }
      } catch (err) {
        if (isMounted) {
          setError(err as Error)
        }
      } finally {
        if (isMounted) {
          setLoading(false)
        }
      }
    }

    fetchUser()

    return () => {
      isMounted = false
    }
  }, [userId, onUserLoad])

  if (loading) return <div>Loading...</div>
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error.message}</div>
  if (!user) return null

  return (
    <div className="user-profile">
      {user.avatar && <img src={user.avatar} alt={user.name} />}
      <h2>{user.name}</h2>
      <p>{user.email}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

Custom Hooks for Reusable Logic

import { useState, useEffect, useCallback, useRef } from 'react'

// Fetch hook with loading and error states
interface UseFetchOptions<T> {
  onSuccess?: (data: T) => void
  onError?: (error: Error) => void
}

export function useFetch<T>(
  url: string,
  options?: UseFetchOptions<T>
) {
  const [data, setData] = useState<T | null>(null)
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
  const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null)

  const optionsRef = useRef(options)
  optionsRef.current = options

  const refetch = useCallback(async () => {
    setLoading(true)
    setError(null)

    try {
      const response = await fetch(url)
      if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`)
      }
      const json = await response.json()
      setData(json)
      optionsRef.current?.onSuccess?.(json)
    } catch (err) {
      const error = err as Error
      setError(error)
      optionsRef.current?.onError?.(error)
    } finally {
      setLoading(false)
    }
  }, [url])

  useEffect(() => {
    refetch()
  }, [refetch])

  return { data, loading, error, refetch }
}

// Debounce hook
export function useDebounce<T>(value: T, delay: number): T {
  const [debouncedValue, setDebouncedValue] = useState(value)

  useEffect(() => {
    const handler = setTimeout(() => {
      setDebouncedValue(value)
    }, delay)

    return () => {
      clearTimeout(handler)
    }
  }, [value, delay])

  return debouncedValue
}

// Local storage hook
export function useLocalStorage<T>(
  key: string,
  initialValue: T
): [T, (value: T | ((val: T) => T)) => void] {
  const [storedValue, setStoredValue] = useState<T>(() => {
    try {
      const item = window.localStorage.getItem(key)
      return item ? JSON.parse(item) : initialValue
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error)
      return initialValue
    }
  })

  const setValue = (value: T | ((val: T) => T)) => {
    try {
      const valueToStore = value instanceof Function ? value(storedValue) : value
      setStoredValue(valueToStore)
      window.localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(valueToStore))
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error)
    }
  }

  return [storedValue, setValue]
}

// Previous value hook
export function usePrevious<T>(value: T): T | undefined {
  const ref = useRef<T>()

  useEffect(() => {
    ref.current = value
  }, [value])

  return ref.current
}

// Window size hook
export function useWindowSize() {
  const [windowSize, setWindowSize] = useState({
    width: window.innerWidth,
    height: window.innerHeight,
  })

  useEffect(() => {
    const handleResize = () => {
      setWindowSize({
        width: window.innerWidth,
        height: window.innerHeight,
      })
    }

    window.addEventListener('resize', handleResize)
    return () => window.removeEventListener('resize', handleResize)
  }, [])

  return windowSize
}

Performance Optimization

React.memo for Pure Components

import React, { memo } from 'react'

interface ListItemProps {
  id: string
  title: string
  onClick: (id: string) => void
}

export const ListItem = memo<ListItemProps>(({ id, title, onClick }) => {
  console.log(`Rendering ListItem: ${title}`)

  return (
    <div onClick={() => onClick(id)}>
      {title}
    </div>
  )
}, (prevProps, nextProps) => {
  // Custom comparison function (optional)
  return (
    prevProps.id === nextProps.id &&
    prevProps.title === nextProps.title
  )
})

ListItem.displayName = 'ListItem'

useMemo and useCallback

import { useMemo, useCallback, useState } from 'react'

interface Product {
  id: string
  name: string
  price: number
  category: string
}

export const ProductList: FC<{ products: Product[] }> = ({ products }) => {
  const [filter, setFilter] = useState('')

  // Memoize expensive computation
  const filteredProducts = useMemo(() => {
    console.log('Filtering products...')
    return products.filter(product =>
      product.name.toLowerCase().includes(filter.toLowerCase())
    )
  }, [products, filter])

  // Memoize callback to prevent child re-renders
  const handleProductClick = useCallback((productId: string) => {
    console.log('Clicked product:', productId)
    // Handle click
  }, [])

  const totalPrice = useMemo(() => {
    return filteredProducts.reduce((sum, product) => sum + product.price, 0)
  }, [filteredProducts])

  return (
    <div>
      <input
        type="text"
        value={filter}
        onChange={(e) => setFilter(e.target.value)}
        placeholder="Search products..."
      />
      <p>Total: ${totalPrice.toFixed(2)}</p>
      {filteredProducts.map(product => (
        <ListItem
          key={product.id}
          id={product.id}
          title={product.name}
          onClick={handleProductClick}
        />
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}

Code Splitting and Lazy Loading

import React, { lazy, Suspense } from 'react'
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom'

// Lazy load route components
const Home = lazy(() => import('./pages/Home'))
const Dashboard = lazy(() => import('./pages/Dashboard'))
const Profile = lazy(() => import('./pages/Profile'))

// Loading component
const LoadingFallback = () => (
  <div className="loading">Loading...</div>
)

export const App: FC = () => {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <Suspense fallback={<LoadingFallback />}>
        <Routes>
          <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
          <Route path="/dashboard" element={<Dashboard />} />
          <Route path="/profile" element={<Profile />} />
        </Routes>
      </Suspense>
    </BrowserRouter>
  )
}

State Management

Context API Pattern

import React, { createContext, useContext, useReducer, ReactNode } from 'react'

// State interface
interface AppState {
  user: User | null
  theme: 'light' | 'dark'
  notifications: Notification[]
}

// Action types
type AppAction =
  | { type: 'SET_USER'; payload: User | null }
  | { type: 'SET_THEME'; payload: 'light' | 'dark' }
  | { type: 'ADD_NOTIFICATION'; payload: Notification }
  | { type: 'REMOVE_NOTIFICATION'; payload: string }

// Context interface
interface AppContextType {
  state: AppState
  dispatch: React.Dispatch<AppAction>
}

const AppContext = createContext<AppContextType | undefined>(undefined)

// Reducer
function appReducer(state: AppState, action: AppAction): AppState {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'SET_USER':
      return { ...state, user: action.payload }

    case 'SET_THEME':
      return { ...state, theme: action.payload }

    case 'ADD_NOTIFICATION':
      return {
        ...state,
        notifications: [...state.notifications, action.payload]
      }

    case 'REMOVE_NOTIFICATION':
      return {
        ...state,
        notifications: state.notifications.filter(n => n.id !== action.payload)
      }

    default:
      return state
  }
}

// Provider component
export const AppProvider: FC<{ children: ReactNode }> = ({ children }) => {
  const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(appReducer, {
    user: null,
    theme: 'light',
    notifications: []
  })

  return (
    <AppContext.Provider value={{ state, dispatch }}>
      {children}
    </AppContext.Provider>
  )
}

// Custom hook to use context
export function useApp() {
  const context = useContext(AppContext)
  if (context === undefined) {
    throw new Error('useApp must be used within AppProvider')
  }
  return context
}

// Action creators
export const appActions = {
  setUser: (user: User | null): AppAction => ({
    type: 'SET_USER',
    payload: user
  }),

  setTheme: (theme: 'light' | 'dark'): AppAction => ({
    type: 'SET_THEME',
    payload: theme
  }),

  addNotification: (notification: Notification): AppAction => ({
    type: 'ADD_NOTIFICATION',
    payload: notification
  }),

  removeNotification: (id: string): AppAction => ({
    type: 'REMOVE_NOTIFICATION',
    payload: id
  })
}

Using the Context

const Dashboard: FC = () => {
  const { state, dispatch } = useApp()

  const handleThemeToggle = () => {
    const newTheme = state.theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light'
    dispatch(appActions.setTheme(newTheme))
  }

  return (
    <div className={`dashboard theme-${state.theme}`}>
      <h1>Welcome, {state.user?.name}</h1>
      <button onClick={handleThemeToggle}>Toggle Theme</button>
    </div>
  )
}

Form Handling

Controlled Form with Validation

import { useState, FormEvent, ChangeEvent } from 'react'

interface FormData {
  email: string
  password: string
  confirmPassword: string
}

interface FormErrors {
  email?: string
  password?: string
  confirmPassword?: string
}

export const RegistrationForm: FC = () => {
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState<FormData>({
    email: '',
    password: '',
    confirmPassword: ''
  })

  const [errors, setErrors] = useState<FormErrors>({})
  const [touched, setTouched] = useState<Record<keyof FormData, boolean>>({
    email: false,
    password: false,
    confirmPassword: false
  })

  const validate = (data: FormData): FormErrors => {
    const errors: FormErrors = {}

    if (!data.email) {
      errors.email = 'Email is required'
    } else if (!/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(data.email)) {
      errors.email = 'Invalid email format'
    }

    if (!data.password) {
      errors.password = 'Password is required'
    } else if (data.password.length < 8) {
      errors.password = 'Password must be at least 8 characters'
    }

    if (data.password !== data.confirmPassword) {
      errors.confirmPassword = 'Passwords do not match'
    }

    return errors
  }

  const handleChange = (e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
    const { name, value } = e.target
    setFormData(prev => ({ ...prev, [name]: value }))
  }

  const handleBlur = (field: keyof FormData) => {
    setTouched(prev => ({ ...prev, [field]: true }))
    const validationErrors = validate(formData)
    setErrors(validationErrors)
  }

  const handleSubmit = async (e: FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault()

    // Mark all fields as touched
    setTouched({ email: true, password: true, confirmPassword: true })

    const validationErrors = validate(formData)
    setErrors(validationErrors)

    if (Object.keys(validationErrors).length === 0) {
      try {
        // Submit form
        await submitRegistration(formData)
      } catch (error) {
        console.error('Registration failed:', error)
      }
    }
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <div>
        <label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
        <input
          id="email"
          name="email"
          type="email"
          value={formData.email}
          onChange={handleChange}
          onBlur={() => handleBlur('email')}
          aria-invalid={touched.email && !!errors.email}
          aria-describedby={errors.email ? 'email-error' : undefined}
        />
        {touched.email && errors.email && (
          <span id="email-error" className="error">{errors.email}</span>
        )}
      </div>

      <div>
        <label htmlFor="password">Password</label>
        <input
          id="password"
          name="password"
          type="password"
          value={formData.password}
          onChange={handleChange}
          onBlur={() => handleBlur('password')}
          aria-invalid={touched.password && !!errors.password}
          aria-describedby={errors.password ? 'password-error' : undefined}
        />
        {touched.password && errors.password && (
          <span id="password-error" className="error">{errors.password}</span>
        )}
      </div>

      <div>
        <label htmlFor="confirmPassword">Confirm Password</label>
        <input
          id="confirmPassword"
          name="confirmPassword"
          type="password"
          value={formData.confirmPassword}
          onChange={handleChange}
          onBlur={() => handleBlur('confirmPassword')}
          aria-invalid={touched.confirmPassword && !!errors.confirmPassword}
          aria-describedby={errors.confirmPassword ? 'confirm-error' : undefined}
        />
        {touched.confirmPassword && errors.confirmPassword && (
          <span id="confirm-error" className="error">{errors.confirmPassword}</span>
        )}
      </div>

      <button type="submit">Register</button>
    </form>
  )
}

Error Boundaries

import React, { Component, ReactNode, ErrorInfo } from 'react'

interface Props {
  children: ReactNode
  fallback?: ReactNode
  onError?: (error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo) => void
}

interface State {
  hasError: boolean
  error: Error | null
}

export class ErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
  constructor(props: Props) {
    super(props)
    this.state = { hasError: false, error: null }
  }

  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): State {
    return { hasError: true, error }
  }

  componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo) {
    console.error('Error caught by boundary:', error, errorInfo)
    this.props.onError?.(error, errorInfo)
  }

  render() {
    if (this.state.hasError) {
      if (this.props.fallback) {
        return this.props.fallback
      }

      return (
        <div className="error-boundary">
          <h2>Something went wrong</h2>
          <details>
            <summary>Error details</summary>
            <pre>{this.state.error?.message}</pre>
          </details>
        </div>
      )
    }

    return this.props.children
  }
}

// Usage
const App: FC = () => (
  <ErrorBoundary
    fallback={<div>Error occurred!</div>}
    onError={(error, errorInfo) => {
      // Log to error reporting service
      logErrorToService(error, errorInfo)
    }}
  >
    <Dashboard />
  </ErrorBoundary>
)

Testing Best Practices

Component Testing with React Testing Library

import { render, screen, fireEvent, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event'
import { UserProfile } from './UserProfile'

// Mock fetch
global.fetch = jest.fn()

describe('UserProfile', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    (fetch as jest.Mock).mockClear()
  })

  it('renders loading state initially', () => {
    (fetch as jest.Mock).mockImplementation(() =>
      new Promise(() => {}) // Never resolves
    )

    render(<UserProfile userId="123" />)
    expect(screen.getByText('Loading...')).toBeInTheDocument()
  })

  it('renders user data after fetch', async () => {
    const mockUser = {
      id: '123',
      name: 'John Doe',
      email: 'john@example.com'
    }

    (fetch as jest.Mock).mockResolvedValueOnce({
      json: async () => mockUser
    })

    render(<UserProfile userId="123" />)

    await waitFor(() => {
      expect(screen.getByText('John Doe')).toBeInTheDocument()
      expect(screen.getByText('john@example.com')).toBeInTheDocument()
    })
  })

  it('renders error state on fetch failure', async () => {
    (fetch as jest.Mock).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('Failed to fetch'))

    render(<UserProfile userId="123" />)

    await waitFor(() => {
      expect(screen.getByText(/Error:/)).toBeInTheDocument()
    })
  })

  it('calls onUserLoad callback when user loads', async () => {
    const mockUser = { id: '123', name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com' }
    const onUserLoad = jest.fn()

    (fetch as jest.Mock).mockResolvedValueOnce({
      json: async () => mockUser
    })

    render(<UserProfile userId="123" onUserLoad={onUserLoad} />)

    await waitFor(() => {
      expect(onUserLoad).toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockUser)
    })
  })
})

// Hook testing
import { renderHook, act } from '@testing-library/react'
import { useDebounce } from './hooks'

describe('useDebounce', () => {
  jest.useFakeTimers()

  it('debounces value changes', () => {
    const { result, rerender } = renderHook(
      ({ value, delay }) => useDebounce(value, delay),
      { initialProps: { value: 'initial', delay: 500 } }
    )

    expect(result.current).toBe('initial')

    rerender({ value: 'updated', delay: 500 })
    expect(result.current).toBe('initial') // Still initial

    act(() => {
      jest.advanceTimersByTime(500)
    })

    expect(result.current).toBe('updated')
  })
})

Best Practices Checklist

Component Design

• Use functional components with hooks
• Keep components small and focused (< 200 lines)
• Extract reusable logic into custom hooks
• Use proper TypeScript types
• Implement proper prop validation
• Use meaningful component and prop names

Performance

• Use React.memo for expensive pure components
• Memoize expensive computations with useMemo
• Memoize callbacks with useCallback
• Implement code splitting for routes
• Lazy load heavy components
• Optimize list rendering with proper keys
• Avoid inline function definitions in render
• Use production builds for deployment

State Management

• Keep state as local as possible
• Lift state up only when necessary
• Use Context API for global state
• Consider Redux/Zustand for complex state
• Avoid unnecessary re-renders

Accessibility

• Use semantic HTML elements
• Provide alt text for images
• Ensure keyboard navigation works
• Use proper ARIA attributes
• Test with screen readers
• Maintain proper focus management

Code Quality

• Write unit tests for components
• Test user interactions
• Use ESLint and Prettier
• Follow naming conventions
• Document complex logic
• Handle loading and error states
• Implement error boundaries

Security

• Sanitize user input
• Avoid dangerouslySetInnerHTML
• Use Content Security Policy
• Validate data on both client and server
• Handle sensitive data securely

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid

1. Prop Drilling: Use Context or state management instead
2. Mutating State: Always create new objects/arrays
3. Missing Cleanup: Always return cleanup functions from useEffect
4. Missing Dependencies: Include all dependencies in useEffect/useCallback
5. Index as Key: Use stable unique identifiers for keys
6. Inline Objects in Props: Causes unnecessary re-renders
7. Over-optimization: Don't memoize everything

Implementation Guidelines

When writing React code, I will:

1. Use TypeScript for all components
2. Follow functional component patterns
3. Implement proper error handling
4. Add loading states for async operations
5. Write accessible components
6. Optimize for performance when needed
7. Write testable code
8. Follow React naming conventions
9. Use proper hooks patterns
10. Document complex logic

What React pattern or component would you like me to help with?