Unlock the Power of TypeScript: A Guide to Building Reusable Components
Why TypeScript Matters
TypeScript has revolutionized the development experience by catching errors and suggesting fixes before code execution. This prevents runtime errors and reduces bugs, making it an essential tool for any developer. By extending JavaScript to add types and perform type checking during development, TypeScript ensures that all type errors are fixed prior to running the code.
Building a Reusable Display Component
To demonstrate the power of TypeScript, we’ll create a simple display component that takes in data and shows it to the user. We’ll use create-react-app to bootstrap our application and leverage its TypeScript template to get started quickly.
Setting Up the Application
First, install create-react-app and create a new application using the TypeScript template. Then, install react-router-dom and @types/react-router-dom to enable minimal routing in our application.
Creating Pages and Routing
Create two new directories in your src folder: pages and DisplayData. Inside the pages folder, create two files: WithTS.tsx and WithoutTS.jsx. These files will contain functional components that pass data into our reusable display component.
Building the Display Component
In the DisplayData directory, create two files: DisplayData.jsx and index.ts. Our display component will take in a data prop, which it uses to fill information about a fictional character and display it to the user. We’ll use prop-types for prop validation and shape to describe an object type.
Adding TypeScript Compatibility
To make our component compatible with TypeScript, we need to add TypeScript configuration to enable type checking when used within a TypeScript file. We’ll define an interface, DisplayDataProps, to specify the format of the data we’re passing in. We’ll also declare the component as a TypeScript module to inform TypeScript to use the defined interface when the component is imported into a.ts or.tsx file.
The Result
With our component set up and working, we can now switch between the two pages in our app and see the data displayed correctly. By using TypeScript, we’ve ensured that our component is type-safe and can be used seamlessly in codebases with either JavaScript or TypeScript files.
Take Your Development to the Next Level
TypeScript’s type checking ability makes it an invaluable tool for any developer. By incorporating TypeScript into your workflow, you can catch errors early, reduce bugs, and improve your overall development experience. Try it out today and see the difference for yourself!