Gain insights into V15 React fundamentals, API work, code organization, testing, and state management. Discover hands-on skills by building a Hacker News App for your portfolio.

vuejs-sass.tar.gz

If you’re working with a legacy React codebase, then this course will prove useful. React has seen a great deal of change over the years, but there might be situations where you have to work with an older version.

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of V15 React. You will learn how to work with an API, how to organize and test your code as well as how to give your React app state. Throughout this course, you will have hands-on experience building a fully functional Hacker News App. By the end of this course, you will be prepared to build your own applications and have something to showcase in your portfolio.

If you’re looking for the updated version of this course featuring V16, please visit The Road to React: The one with Hooks.

Nicole Ferguson

I’m doing Robin’s Road to Learn React course this weekend & I almost feel guilty for having so much fun.

 Web developer

Eric Priou

The Road to learn React by Robin Wieruch is a must read. Clean and concise for React and JavaScript.

Web developer

Nicholas Hunt-Walker

This is one of the most well-written & informative coding books I’ve ever worked through. A solid React & ES6 introduction.

Instructor at a Seattle Coding School

Andre Vargas

The Road to Learn React by Robin Wieruch is such an awesome book! Most of what I learned about React and even ES6 was through it!

Muhammad Kashif

I recommend this to any student or professional interested in learning react basics to advanced level. I have 17 years of experience in web and desktop app development, and before reading this I was having trouble in learning react. It works like magic.

The Road to React: The One with Class Components

# Why interact with the DOM?

Sometimes you need to interact with your DOM nodes in React. The `ref` attribute gives you access to a node in your elements. That is usually an anti pattern in React, because you should use its declarative way of doing things and its unidirectional data flow. We learned about it when we introduced the first search input field, but there are certain cases where you need access to the DOM node. 

The official documentation mentions three:

* to use the DOM API to manage focus, media playback etc
* to invoke imperative DOM node animations
* to integrate with a third-party library that needs the DOM node (e.g. [D3.js](https://d3js.org/))

# Referring to the DOM in the Search component

We'll use the Search component as an example. When the application renders for the first time, the input field should be focused. This is one case where we need access to the DOM API. The `ref` attribute can be used in both functional stateless components and ES6 class components. In this example, we need a lifecycle method, so the approach is showcased using the `ref` attribute with an ES6 class component.

The initial step is to refactor the functional stateless component to an ES6 class component.


In this lesson, we'll learn how to interact with DOM nodes in React. 

Ref a DOM Element

In this lesson, we'll learn how to interact with DOM nodes in React.

Introduction

Intro to React and some JavaScript Basics

Basics in React

Getting Real with an API

Code Organization and Testing

Advanced React Components

State Management in React and beyond

Final Steps to Production

Appendix: Bootstrapping your React App

Ref a DOM Element

Why interact with the DOM?