Building a Custom Search Bar in React: Why It’s Worth the Effort
When it comes to creating a search component in React, it’s tempting to reach for a library that can get the job done quickly. But there are some compelling reasons to roll up your sleeves and build a custom search bar from scratch.
The Benefits of a Custom Search Bar
First and foremost, a custom search bar is much more lightweight than a library. Our implementation weighs in at a mere 746 bytes, a fraction of the size of popular libraries on npm. This can make a significant difference in the performance of your application.
Another advantage of building a custom search bar is that it’s infinitely more customizable. With a library, you’re limited to the features and design choices made by the developers. By building your own search bar, you can tailor it to your specific needs and branding.
Building the Search Bar
In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a custom search bar that filters blog posts by title. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Setting Up the Project
To get started, create a new React project using Create React App. Remove any unnecessary files and clear out the raw JSX elements in the App.js file. Then, create an input field for the user to enter their query.
Generating Mock Data
Next, we’ll create some mock data for the search bar to filter through. You can either create your own data or use a tool like Mockaroo to generate some sample data. Make sure to set the file type to JSON and reduce the number of rows to a manageable level.
Displaying the Mock Data
Before we make the search bar functional, let’s display the mock data on the app. Import the JSON data and use the JavaScript ES6 Map function to loop through each object in the array and display it using JSX.
Styling the Search Bar
While styling is optional, it’s always more fun with a little CSS. Let’s center each element, including the search bar, and create a card for each post. We’ll use the flex property and add some rounded corners to make the cards more visually appealing.
Making the Search Bar Functional
Now it’s time to bring the search bar to life. We’ll use the useState Hook to track changes in the input field and filter the mock data based on the user’s query. We’ll use the Filter method to return an array of post titles that match the user’s input, and convert both the query and post titles to lowercase to avoid any capitalization issues.
The Final Result
With our search bar complete, we can now filter through the mock data and display the results. Our custom implementation is lightweight, customizable, and easy to maintain. Plus, we’ve learned some handy JavaScript ES6 functions along the way.
What’s Next?
Now that you know how to create a custom search bar in React, the possibilities are endless. You can further customize it to fit your project requirements, call APIs, and display data in a way that suits your needs. The biggest advantage of building from scratch is the flexibility and control it gives you over the component. So what will you make your search bar do?