A truly reasonable approach to React and JSX
This style guide is mostly based on the standards that are currently prevalent in JavaScript, although some conventions (i.e async/await or static class fields) may still be included or prohibited on a case-by-case basis. Currently, anything prior to stage 3 is not included nor recommended in this guide.
- Basic Rules
- Class vs
React.createClass
vs stateless - Mixins
- Naming
- Declaration
- Alignment
- Quotes
- Spacing
- Props
- Refs
- Parentheses
- Tags
- Methods
- Ordering
- Only include one React component per file.
- However, multiple Stateless, or Pure, Components are allowed per file. eslint:
react/no-multi-comp
.
- However, multiple Stateless, or Pure, Components are allowed per file. eslint:
- Always use JSX syntax.
- Do not use
React.createElement
unless you’re initializing the app from a file that is not JSX. react/forbid-prop-types
will allowarrays
andobjects
only if it is explicitly noted whatarray
andobject
contains, usingarrayOf
,objectOf
, orshape
.
-
If you have internal state and/or refs, prefer
class extends React.Component
overReact.createClass
. eslint:react/prefer-es6-class
react/prefer-stateless-function
// bad const Listing = React.createClass({ // ... render() { return <div>{this.state.hello}</div>; } }); // good class Listing extends React.Component { // ... render() { return <div>{this.state.hello}</div>; } }
And if you don’t have state or refs, prefer normal functions (not arrow functions) over classes:
// bad class Listing extends React.Component { render() { return <div>{this.props.hello}</div>; } } // bad (relying on function name inference is discouraged) const Listing = ({ hello }) => ( <div>{hello}</div> ); // good function Listing({ hello }) { return <div>{hello}</div>; }
Why? Mixins introduce implicit dependencies, cause name clashes, and cause snowballing complexity. Most use cases for mixins can be accomplished in better ways via components, higher-order components, or utility modules.
-
Extensions: Use
.jsx
extension for React components. eslint:react/jsx-filename-extension
-
Filename: Use PascalCase for filenames. E.g.,
ReservationCard.jsx
. -
Reference Naming: Use PascalCase for React components and snake_case for their instances. eslint:
react/jsx-pascal-case
// bad import reservationCard from './ReservationCard'; // good import ReservationCard from './ReservationCard'; // bad const ReservationItem = <ReservationCard />; // good const reservation_item = <ReservationCard />;
-
Component Naming: Use the filename as the component name. For example,
ReservationCard.jsx
should have a reference name ofReservationCard
. However, for root components of a directory, useindex.jsx
as the filename and use the directory name as the component name:// bad import Footer from './Footer/Footer'; // bad import Footer from './Footer/index'; // good import Footer from './Footer';
-
Higher-order Component Naming: Use a composite of the higher-order component’s name and the passed-in component’s name as the
displayName
on the generated component. For example, the higher-order componentwithFoo()
, when passed a componentBar
should produce a component with adisplayName
ofwithFoo(Bar)
.Why? A component’s
displayName
may be used by developer tools or in error messages, and having a value that clearly expresses this relationship helps people understand what is happening.// bad export default function withFoo(WrappedComponent) { return function WithFoo(props) { return <WrappedComponent {...props} foo />; } } // good export default function withFoo(WrappedComponent) { function WithFoo(props) { return <WrappedComponent {...props} foo />; } const wrappedComponentName = WrappedComponent.displayName || WrappedComponent.name || 'Component'; WithFoo.displayName = `withFoo(${wrappedComponentName})`; return WithFoo; }
-
Props Naming: Avoid using DOM component prop names for different purposes.
Why? People expect props like
style
andclassName
to mean one specific thing. Varying this API for a subset of your app makes the code less readable and less maintainable, and may cause bugs.// bad <MyComponent style="fancy" /> // bad <MyComponent className="fancy" /> // good <MyComponent variant="fancy" />
-
Do not use
displayName
for naming components. Instead, name the component by reference.// bad export default React.createClass({ displayName: 'ReservationCard', // stuff goes here }); // good export default class ReservationCard extends React.Component { }
-
Follow these alignment styles for JSX syntax. eslint:
react/jsx-closing-bracket-location
react/jsx-closing-tag-location
// bad <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> // good <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> // if props fit in one line then keep it on the same line <Foo bar="bar" /> // children get indented normally <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz"> <Quux /> </Foo> // bad {showButton && <Button /> } // bad { showButton && <Button /> } // bad {showButton && ( <Button /> )} // good {showButton && <Button />}
-
Always use double quotes (
"
) for JSX attributes, but single quotes ('
) for all other JS. eslint:jsx-quotes
Why? Regular HTML attributes also typically use double quotes instead of single, so JSX attributes mirror this convention.
// bad <Foo bar='bar' /> // good <Foo bar="bar" /> // bad <Foo style={{ left: "20px" }} /> // good <Foo style={{ left: '20px' }} />
-
Always include a single space in your self-closing tag. eslint:
no-multi-spaces
,react/jsx-tag-spacing
// bad <Foo/> // very bad <Foo /> // bad <Foo /> // good <Foo />
-
Do not pad JSX curly braces with spaces. eslint:
react/jsx-curly-spacing
// bad <Foo bar={ baz } /> // good <Foo bar={baz} />
-
Use camelCase for prop names whose value is callable, snake_case otherwise.
// bad <Foo UserName="hello" PhoneNumber={12345678} /> // good <Foo user_name="hello" phone_number={12345678} renderProp={someCallable} />
-
Omit the value of the prop when it is explicitly
true
. eslint:react/jsx-boolean-value
// bad <Foo hidden={true} /> // good <Foo hidden /> // good <Foo hidden />
-
Always include an
alt
prop on<img>
tags. If the image is presentational,alt
can be an empty string or the<img>
must haverole="presentation"
. eslint:jsx-a11y/alt-text
// bad <img src="hello.jpg" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Me waving hello" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" role="presentation" />
-
Do not use words like "image", "photo", or "picture" in
<img>
alt
props. eslint:jsx-a11y/img-redundant-alt
Why? Screenreaders already announce
img
elements as images, so there is no need to include this information in the alt text.// bad <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Picture of me waving hello" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Me waving hello" />
-
Use only valid, non-abstract ARIA roles. eslint:
jsx-a11y/aria-role
// bad - not an ARIA role <div role="datepicker" /> // bad - abstract ARIA role <div role="range" /> // good <div role="button" />
-
Do not use
accessKey
on elements. eslint:jsx-a11y/no-access-key
Why? Inconsistencies between keyboard shortcuts and keyboard commands used by people using screenreaders and keyboards complicate accessibility.
// bad <div accessKey="h" /> // good <div />
-
Avoid using an array index as
key
prop, prefer a stable ID. eslint:react/no-array-index-key
Why? Not using a stable ID is an anti-pattern because it can negatively impact performance and cause issues with component state.
We don’t recommend using indexes for keys if the order of items may change.
// bad {todos.map((todo, index) => <Todo {...todo} key={index} /> )} // good {todos.map(todo => ( <Todo {...todo} key={todo.id} /> ))}
-
Always define explicit defaultProps for all non-required props.
Why? propTypes are a form of documentation, and providing defaultProps means the reader of your code doesn’t have to assume as much. In addition, it can mean that your code can omit certain type checks.
// bad function SFC({ foo, bar, children }) { return <div>{foo}{bar}{children}</div>; } SFC.propTypes = { foo: PropTypes.number.isRequired, bar: PropTypes.string, children: PropTypes.node, }; // good function SFC({ foo, bar, children }) { return <div>{foo}{bar}{children}</div>; } SFC.propTypes = { foo: PropTypes.number.isRequired, bar: PropTypes.string, children: PropTypes.node, }; SFC.defaultProps = { bar: '', children: null, };
-
Use spread props sparingly.
Why? Otherwise you’re more likely to pass unnecessary props down to components.
Exceptions:
-
HOCs that proxy down props and hoist propTypes
function HOC(WrappedComponent) { return class Proxy extends React.Component { prop_types = { text: PropTypes.string, isLoading: PropTypes.bool }; render() { return <WrappedComponent {...this.props} /> } } }
-
-
Spreading objects with known, explicit props. This can be particularly useful when testing React components with Mocha’s beforeEach construct.
export default function Foo() { const props = { text: '', isPublished: false } return (<div {...props} />); }
Notes for use: Filter out unnecessary props when possible. Also, use prop-types-exact to help prevent bugs.
// bad render() { return <WrappedComponent {...this.props} /> } // good render() { const { irrelevantProp, ...relevantProps } = this.props; return <WrappedComponent {...relevantProps} /> }
-
Always use ref callbacks. eslint:
react/no-string-refs
// bad <Foo ref="myRef" /> // good <Foo ref={ref => this.myRef = ref} />
-
Wrap JSX tags in parentheses when they span more than one line. eslint:
react/jsx-wrap-multilines
// bad render() { return <MyComponent variant="long body" foo="bar"> <MyChild /> </MyComponent>; } // good render() { return ( <MyComponent variant="long body" foo="bar"> <MyChild /> </MyComponent> ); } // good, when single line render() { const body = <div>hello</div>; return <MyComponent>{body}</MyComponent>; }
-
Always self-close tags that have no children. eslint:
react/self-closing-comp
// bad <Foo variant="stuff"></Foo> // good <Foo variant="stuff" />
-
If your component has multiline properties, close its tag on a new line. eslint:
react/jsx-closing-bracket-location
// bad <Foo bar="bar" baz="baz" /> // good <Foo bar="bar" baz="baz" />
-
Use arrow functions in class fields instead of binding methods in the constructor. eslint:
react/jsx-no-bind
Why? Clean code.
// bad class SomeComponent extends React.Component { onClickDiv() { // do stuff } render() { return <div onClick={this.onClickDiv.bind(this)} />; } } // okay class SomeComponent extends React.Component { constructor(props) { super(props); this.onClickDiv = this.onClickDiv.bind(this); } onClickDiv() { // do stuff } render() { return <div onClick={this.onClickDiv} />; } } // good class SomeComponent extends React.Component { onClickDiv = () => { // do stuff }; render() { return <div onClick={this.onClickDiv} /> } }
-
Use underscore prefix for internal methods of a React component.
Why? A leading underscore is a common convention to signify that a property or method is not intended to be used from outside a class instance. It makes comprehending the code easier and faster.
// bad React.createClass({ onClickSubmit() { // do stuff }, // other stuff }); // good class SomeComponent extends React.Component { _onClickSubmit() { // do stuff } // other stuff }
-
Be sure to return a value in your
render
methods. eslint:react/require-render-return
// bad render() { (<div />); } // good render() { return <div />; }
- Ordering for
class extends React.Component
:
- private class fields
- public class fields
constructor
- internal methods like
_processSomething()
or_makeAJAXRequest()
componentWillMount
componentDidMount
componentWillReceiveProps
shouldComponentUpdate
componentWillUpdate
componentDidUpdate
componentWillUnmount
- clickHandlers or eventHandlers like
onClickSubmit()
oronChangeDescription()
- optional render methods like
_renderNavigation()
or_renderProfilePicture()
render
-
How to define
propTypes
,defaultProps
,contextTypes
, etc...import React from 'react'; import PropTypes from 'prop-types'; class Link extends React.Component { default_props = { text: 'Hello World', }; propTypes = { id: PropTypes.number.isRequired, url: PropTypes.string.isRequired, text: PropTypes.string, }; render() { return <a href={this.props.url} data-id={this.props.id}>{this.props.text}</a>; } } export default Link;
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