Introduction to React

Book description

Introduction to React teaches you React, the JavaScript framework created by developers at Facebook, to solve the problem of building complex user interfaces in a consistent and maintainable way. React.js shrugs away common front-end conventions in an effort to make things more efficient - use Introduction to React to learn about this framework and more today.

Get to know the React API and it’s specific JavaScript extension, JSX, which makes authoring React components easier and maintainable. You will also learn how to test your React applications and about the tools you can use while building. Once you understand these core concepts, you can build applications with React. This will help you cement the ideas and fundamentals of React and prepare you to utilize React in your own use case.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents at a Glance
  6. Contents
  7. About the Author
  8. About the Technical Reviewer
  9. Acknowledgments
  10. Chapter 1: What Is React?
    1. Defining React
    2. Why React?
    3. What Problems Does React Solve?
    4. React Is Not Just Another Framework
      1. Ember.js
      2. AngularJS
      3. React
    5. React Concepts and Terminology
      1. Getting React
      2. Components
      3. Virtual DOM
      4. JSX
      5. Properties
      6. State
      7. Flux
      8. Tools
      9. Add-Ons
    6. Summary
  11. Chapter 2: The Core of React
    1. React
      1. React.createClass
      2. React.Children.map
      3. React.Children.forEach
      4. React.Children.count
      5. React.Children.only
      6. React.createElement
      7. React.cloneElement
      8. React.DOM
      9. React.createFactory
      10. React.render
      11. React.renderToString
      12. React.findDOMNode
    2. Discovering React Components
    3. Understanding Component Properties and Methods
    4. Component Lifecycle and Rendering
      1. render
      2. getInitialState
      3. getDefaultProps
      4. Mixins
      5. propTypes
      6. statics
      7. displayName
      8. componentWillMount
      9. componentDidMount
      10. componentWillReceiveProps
      11. shouldComponentUpdate
      12. componentWillUpdate
      13. componentDidUpdate
      14. componentWillUnmount
    5. React Elements
    6. React Factories
    7. Summary
  12. Chapter 3: JSX Fundamentals
    1. Why Use JSX Instead of Conventional JavaScript?
    2. Using a JSX Transformer
    3. How JSX Converts from an XML-Like Syntax to Valid JavaScript
    4. Spread Attributes and Other Considerations for JSX
    5. Summary
  13. Chapter 4: Building a React Web Application
    1. Outlining Your Application’s Basic Functionality
    2. Thinking in Terms of Components
      1. Wireframes
      2. Rewrite an Existing Application
    3. Creating the Necessary Components for Your App
    4. Testing Your Application
      1. Simulate
    5. Running Your Application
    6. Summary
  14. Chapter 5: Introducing Flux: An Application Architecture for React
    1. What Flux Is and Why It Is Different than Typical MVC Frameworks
    2. The Basic Components of Flux
      1. Dispatcher
      2. Stores
      3. Actions
      4. Views
    3. How React and Flux Look Together
    4. Summary
  15. Chapter 6: Using Flux to Structure a React Application
    1. Structuring Your Application
    2. Creating Dispatcher, Stores, Actions, and React Components for the Application
      1. Dispatcher
      2. Stores
      3. Actions
      4. React Components
    3. Writing Tests
    4. Running the Application
    5. Summary
  16. Index

Product information

  • Title: Introduction to React
  • Author(s): Cory Gackenheimer
  • Release date: September 2015
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781484212455