Unlocking the Power of Firestore: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Task Manager App
Getting Started with Firestore
The latest Firebase v9 SDK has introduced a modular approach, revolutionizing the way we interact with its services, including the Firestore database. As developers, we’re now faced with the challenge of relearning how to perform essential operations like CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) in the database. In this comprehensive tutorial, we’ll walk you through the process of building a task manager app using Firestore, covering each CRUD operation in detail.
Setting Up Firestore
Before we dive into the world of CRUD operations, we need to set up a Firestore database. To do this, create a new project on the Firebase console, then navigate to the Cloud Firestore page and click the “Create database” button. Choose “Start in test mode” and click “Next.” Once the database is created, you’ll be redirected to your project page.
Integrating Firebase into Your React App
To integrate Firebase into your React app, you’ll need to get the web configuration object and use it to initialize Firebase. On your Firebase project page, click the web (<>) icon, give your web app a name, and register it. You’ll receive a firebaseConfig object, which you’ll need to copy and paste into a new firebase.js file in your React app’s src directory.
Building the Task Manager App
Our task manager app will consist of four main components: adding a new task, getting all tasks, updating a task, and deleting a task. Let’s explore each operation in detail.
Adding a New Task to Firestore
To add a new task, we’ll use the addDoc function, which creates a new document in Firestore with an autogenerated ID. In the AddTask.js file, import the necessary functions and create an asynchronous function that adds a new document to the tasks collection.
Getting All Tasks in Real-Time
To retrieve all tasks in real-time, we’ll use the onSnapshot function, which takes in a reference to a collection or document and a callback function that returns a snapshot of the database. In the TaskManager.js file, create a state to hold all the tasks received from the database and use the useEffect hook to call the onSnapshot function when the component is mounted.
Updating a Task in Firestore
To update a task, we’ll use the updateDoc function, which allows us to update specific fields of a document without overwriting the entire document. In the EditTask.js file, create a function that invokes the updateDoc function when called, and modify the opening tag of the updateTask form to call the handleUpdate function when submitted.
Deleting a Task in Firestore
To delete a task, we’ll use the deleteDoc function, which takes in a reference to the document to be deleted. In the Task.js file, add an onClick event to the delete button to call the handleDelete function.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we’ve covered the essential CRUD operations in Firestore using the Firebase v9 SDK. By following these steps, you should now have a fully functional task manager app that interacts seamlessly with your Firestore database. If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask in the comments section below.