React Component Control: Tooltips & Pop-up Menus

Building a Tooltip Controller Component in React

Tooltips and pop-up menus are essential components in modern web development, allowing users to interact with an interface in a clean and tidy way. In this article, we will explore how to build a tooltip controller component in React.

Requirements for a Tooltip Controller Component

Before we dive into the implementation details, let’s outline the basic requirements for our tooltip controller component:

• Seamless Integration: The tooltip component should integrate seamlessly into the existing JSX markup without introducing extra HTML elements.
• Z-Index Management: The tooltip should appear on top of all other elements, ensuring it is not hidden by other components.
• Interactivity: The tooltip should be interactive when needed, allowing users to click on it without closing it.

Creating Compound Components

To achieve these requirements, we will create two components: <Controller> and <Select>. The <Controller> component will hold the tooltip and the selected element, while the <Select> component will handle the selected DOM element.

Using React APIs

To manage the children of the <Controller> component, we will use the following React APIs:

• React.Children: This API allows us to handle children props of a component, enabling us to iterate over and modify the children.
• React.cloneElement: This API creates a clone of the input element, allowing us to manipulate the child components.
• ReactDOM.createPortal: This API enables us to mount the tooltip component at the bottom of the body, preventing React from appending it to the nearest parent node.

Implementing the Controller Component

Here’s a basic structure of the <Controller> component:
“`jsx
import React from ‘react’;
import ReactDOM from ‘react-dom’;

const Controller = ({ children }) => {
const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = React.useState(false);
const [style, setStyle] = React.useState({});

const open = () => {
    setIsOpen(true);
};

const close = () => {
    setIsOpen(false);
};

return (
    <div>
        {React.Children.map(children, (child) => {
            if (child.type.displayName === 'Select') {
                return React.cloneElement(child, {
                    open,
                });
            }
            return child;
        })}
        {isOpen && (
            <div style={style}>
                {/* Tooltip content */}
            </div>
        )}
    </div>
);

};
“`
Implementing the Select Component

Here’s a basic structure of the <Select> component:
“`jsx
import React from ‘react’;

const Select = ({ children, open }) => {
const handleOpen = () => {
open();
};

return (
    <div onClick={handleOpen}>
        {children}
    </div>
);

};

Select.displayName = ‘Select’;
“`
Positioning the Tooltip

To position the tooltip relative to the selected element, we will use the getBoundingClientRect() method to get the position and size information of the selected element.

Closing the Tooltip

To close the tooltip when clicked outside of it, we will use the window.addEventListener() method to listen for click events on the window object.

Preventing Event Bubbling

To prevent the tooltip from closing when clicked on it, we will use the event.stopPropagation() method to stop the propagation of click events.

By following these steps, you can create a robust tooltip controller component in React that meets the requirements outlined above.