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Provides React patterns for hooks, effects, refs, and component design. Covers escape hatches, anti-patterns, and correct effect usage. Must use when reading or writing React components (.tsx, .jsx files with React imports).
npx skill4agent add 0xbigboss/claude-code react-best-practicestypescript-best-practices// BAD: Effect for derived state
const [firstName, setFirstName] = useState('Taylor');
const [lastName, setLastName] = useState('Swift');
const [fullName, setFullName] = useState('');
useEffect(() => {
setFullName(firstName + ' ' + lastName);
}, [firstName, lastName]);
// GOOD: Calculate during render
const [firstName, setFirstName] = useState('Taylor');
const [lastName, setLastName] = useState('Swift');
const fullName = firstName + ' ' + lastName;// BAD: Effect for caching
const [visibleTodos, setVisibleTodos] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
setVisibleTodos(getFilteredTodos(todos, filter));
}, [todos, filter]);
// GOOD: useMemo for expensive calculations
const visibleTodos = useMemo(
() => getFilteredTodos(todos, filter),
[todos, filter]
);// BAD: Effect to reset state
function ProfilePage({ userId }) {
const [comment, setComment] = useState('');
useEffect(() => {
setComment('');
}, [userId]);
// ...
}
// GOOD: Use key to reset component state
function ProfilePage({ userId }) {
return <Profile userId={userId} key={userId} />;
}
function Profile({ userId }) {
const [comment, setComment] = useState(''); // Resets automatically
// ...
}// BAD: Event-specific logic in Effect
function ProductPage({ product, addToCart }) {
useEffect(() => {
if (product.isInCart) {
showNotification(`Added ${product.name} to cart`);
}
}, [product]);
// ...
}
// GOOD: Logic in event handler
function ProductPage({ product, addToCart }) {
function buyProduct() {
addToCart(product);
showNotification(`Added ${product.name} to cart`);
}
// ...
}// BAD: Effect to notify parent
function Toggle({ onChange }) {
const [isOn, setIsOn] = useState(false);
useEffect(() => {
onChange(isOn);
}, [isOn, onChange]);
// ...
}
// GOOD: Update both in event handler
function Toggle({ onChange }) {
const [isOn, setIsOn] = useState(false);
function updateToggle(nextIsOn) {
setIsOn(nextIsOn);
onChange(nextIsOn);
}
// ...
}
// BEST: Fully controlled component
function Toggle({ isOn, onChange }) {
function handleClick() {
onChange(!isOn);
}
// ...
}// BAD: Effect chain
useEffect(() => {
if (card !== null && card.gold) {
setGoldCardCount(c => c + 1);
}
}, [card]);
useEffect(() => {
if (goldCardCount > 3) {
setRound(r => r + 1);
setGoldCardCount(0);
}
}, [goldCardCount]);
// GOOD: Calculate derived state, update in event handler
const isGameOver = round > 5;
function handlePlaceCard(nextCard) {
setCard(nextCard);
if (nextCard.gold) {
if (goldCardCount < 3) {
setGoldCardCount(goldCardCount + 1);
} else {
setGoldCardCount(0);
setRound(round + 1);
}
}
}// BAD: Suppressing linter hides bugs
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
setCount(count + increment);
}, 1000);
return () => clearInterval(id);
// eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
}, []);
// GOOD: Fix the code, not the linter
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
setCount(c => c + increment);
}, 1000);
return () => clearInterval(id);
}, [increment]);// BAD: messages in dependencies causes reconnection on every message
useEffect(() => {
connection.on('message', (msg) => {
setMessages([...messages, msg]);
});
// ...
}, [messages]); // Reconnects on every message!
// GOOD: Updater function removes dependency
useEffect(() => {
connection.on('message', (msg) => {
setMessages(msgs => [...msgs, msg]);
});
// ...
}, []); // No messages dependency needed// BAD: Object created each render triggers Effect
function ChatRoom({ roomId }) {
const options = { serverUrl, roomId }; // New object each render
useEffect(() => {
const connection = createConnection(options);
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect();
}, [options]); // Reconnects every render!
}
// GOOD: Create object inside Effect
function ChatRoom({ roomId }) {
useEffect(() => {
const options = { serverUrl, roomId };
const connection = createConnection(options);
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect();
}, [roomId, serverUrl]); // Only reconnects when values change
}// BAD: theme change reconnects chat
function ChatRoom({ roomId, theme }) {
useEffect(() => {
const connection = createConnection(serverUrl, roomId);
connection.on('connected', () => {
showNotification('Connected!', theme);
});
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect();
}, [roomId, theme]); // Reconnects on theme change!
}
// GOOD: useEffectEvent for non-reactive logic
function ChatRoom({ roomId, theme }) {
const onConnected = useEffectEvent(() => {
showNotification('Connected!', theme);
});
useEffect(() => {
const connection = createConnection(serverUrl, roomId);
connection.on('connected', () => {
onConnected();
});
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect();
}, [roomId]); // theme no longer causes reconnection
}// BAD: Callback prop in dependencies
function ChatRoom({ roomId, onReceiveMessage }) {
useEffect(() => {
connection.on('message', onReceiveMessage);
// ...
}, [roomId, onReceiveMessage]); // Reconnects if parent re-renders
}
// GOOD: Wrap callback in useEffectEvent
function ChatRoom({ roomId, onReceiveMessage }) {
const onMessage = useEffectEvent(onReceiveMessage);
useEffect(() => {
connection.on('message', onMessage);
// ...
}, [roomId]); // Stable dependency list
}useEffect(() => {
const connection = createConnection(serverUrl, roomId);
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect(); // REQUIRED
}, [roomId]);
useEffect(() => {
function handleScroll(e) {
console.log(window.scrollY);
}
window.addEventListener('scroll', handleScroll);
return () => window.removeEventListener('scroll', handleScroll); // REQUIRED
}, []);useEffect(() => {
let ignore = false;
async function fetchData() {
const result = await fetchTodos(userId);
if (!ignore) {
setTodos(result);
}
}
fetchData();
return () => {
ignore = true; // Prevents stale data from old requests
};
}, [userId]);// BAD: Hiding the symptom
const didInit = useRef(false);
useEffect(() => {
if (didInit.current) return;
didInit.current = true;
// ...
}, []);
// GOOD: Fix the cleanup
useEffect(() => {
const connection = createConnection();
connection.connect();
return () => connection.disconnect(); // Proper cleanup
}, []);// GOOD: Ref for timeout ID (doesn't affect UI)
const timeoutRef = useRef(null);
function handleClick() {
clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
// ...
}, 1000);
}
// BAD: Using ref for displayed value
const countRef = useRef(0);
countRef.current++; // UI won't update!// BAD: Reading ref during render
function MyComponent() {
const ref = useRef(0);
ref.current++; // Mutating during render!
return <div>{ref.current}</div>; // Reading during render!
}
// GOOD: Read/write refs in event handlers and effects
function MyComponent() {
const ref = useRef(0);
function handleClick() {
ref.current++; // OK in event handler
}
useEffect(() => {
ref.current = someValue; // OK in effect
}, [someValue]);
}// BAD: Can't call useRef in a loop
{items.map((item) => {
const ref = useRef(null); // Rule violation!
return <li ref={ref} />;
})}
// GOOD: Ref callback with Map
const itemsRef = useRef(new Map());
{items.map((item) => (
<li
key={item.id}
ref={(node) => {
if (node) {
itemsRef.current.set(item.id, node);
} else {
itemsRef.current.delete(item.id);
}
}}
/>
))}// Limit what parent can access
function MyInput({ ref }) {
const realInputRef = useRef(null);
useImperativeHandle(ref, () => ({
focus() {
realInputRef.current.focus();
},
// Parent can ONLY call focus(), not access full DOM node
}));
return <input ref={realInputRef} />;
}// Each call gets independent state
function StatusBar() {
const isOnline = useOnlineStatus(); // Own state
}
function SaveButton() {
const isOnline = useOnlineStatus(); // Separate state instance
}// BAD: useXxx but doesn't use hooks
function useSorted(items) {
return items.slice().sort();
}
// GOOD: Regular function
function getSorted(items) {
return items.slice().sort();
}
// GOOD: Uses hooks, so prefix with use
function useAuth() {
return useContext(AuthContext);
}// BAD: Custom lifecycle hooks
function useMount(fn) {
useEffect(() => {
fn();
}, []); // Missing dependency, linter can't catch it
}
// GOOD: Use useEffect directly
useEffect(() => {
doSomething();
}, [doSomething]);// GOOD: Focused, concrete use cases
useChatRoom({ serverUrl, roomId });
useOnlineStatus();
useFormInput(initialValue);
// BAD: Generic, abstract hooks
useMount(fn);
useEffectOnce(fn);
useUpdateEffect(fn);// Uncontrolled: component owns state
function SearchInput() {
const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
return <input value={query} onChange={e => setQuery(e.target.value)} />;
}
// Controlled: parent owns state
function SearchInput({ query, onQueryChange }) {
return <input value={query} onChange={e => onQueryChange(e.target.value)} />;
}// BAD: Prop drilling
<App user={user}>
<Layout user={user}>
<Header user={user}>
<Avatar user={user} />
</Header>
</Layout>
</App>
// GOOD: Composition with children
<App>
<Layout>
<Header avatar={<Avatar user={user} />} />
</Layout>
</App>
// GOOD: Context for truly global state
<UserContext.Provider value={user}>
<App />
</UserContext.Provider>// When you need to read DOM immediately after state update
import { flushSync } from 'react-dom';
function handleAdd() {
flushSync(() => {
setTodos([...todos, newTodo]);
});
// DOM is now updated, safe to read
listRef.current.lastChild.scrollIntoView();
}