reading-notes

Class 31 Reading: Context API

Resources

• Choose the State Structure
• Passing State Deeply with Context

Choosing the State Structure

1. Summarize the five principles for structuring state.

   • Principle 1: Group Related State - If you always update two or more values together, they probably belong to the same piece of state.
   • Principle 2: Avoid contradiction in State - When the state is structured in a way that several pieces of state may contradict and “disagree” with each other, you leave room for mistakes. Try to avoid this.
   • Principle 3: Avoid Redundant State - If you can calculate a value from other values in state, don’t store it. Instead, calculate it on the fly.
   • Principle 4: Avoid Duplication in State - When the same data is duplicated between multiple state variables, or within nested objects, it is difficult to keep them in sync. Reduce duplication when you can.
   • Principle 5: Avoid Deeply Nested State - Deeply heirarchical state is difficult to update. Try to keep your state flat.

Passing State Deeply with Context

1. What problems do Contexts aim to solve?

   • Contexts aim to solve the problem of passing props through multiple components. This can be tedious and time consuming. Context lets a parent component provide data to the entire tree below it.

2. What is one technique to try before useContext?

   • One technique to try before useContext is to pass props through multiple components. This is the default way of passing props.

3. What hook complements useContext for complex applications?

   • The hook that complements useContext for complex applications is useReducer. This hook is used for state management. It is an alternative to useState.

Bookmark and Review

• Sharing State Between Components
• Preserving and Resting State

Things I Want to Know More About

1. I’m going to leave the three steps to using context below for later reference:

   • Step 1: Create a Context - const MyContext = React.createContext(defaultValue);
   • Step 2: Provide a Context - <MyContext.Provider value={/* some value */}>
   • Step 3: Consume a Context - const value = useContext(MyContext);

2. Use Cases for Context:

   • Theme - A theme is a good use case for context. You can use context to pass the theme to components that need it.
   • Localization - Localization is another good use case for context. You can use context to pass the current locale to components that need it.
   • Dynamic Context - You can use context to pass dynamic data to components that need it. This is a good use case for context.
   • Current Account - You can use context to pass the currently logged-in user to components that need it. This is a good use case for context.
   • Routing - You can use context to pass the current route to components that need it. This is a good use case for context.
   • Managing State - You can use context to pass state to components that need it. This is a good use case for context.