How To Use Jquery In React Functional Component

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React and jQuery are two popular libraries for building user interfaces, but they are not always used together. However, in some cases, you might want to take advantage of jQuery’s features within a React functional component. In this blog post, we will look at how to use jQuery in a React functional component.

Step 1: Install jQuery

First, you need to install jQuery. You can do this by running the following command in your project directory:

npm install jquery

Step 2: Import jQuery

Next, you need to import jQuery into your component. You can do this by adding the following line at the top of your component file:

import $ from 'jquery';

Step 3: Use jQuery in the Component

Now that you have imported jQuery, you can use it in your React functional component. The key to using jQuery and React together is to understand when and how to use each one.

React is responsible for rendering the DOM and managing the component state. jQuery, on the other hand, can be used to manipulate the DOM or handle events. In a functional component, you can use the useEffect hook to interact with the DOM using jQuery.

For example, let’s say you want to implement a simple accordion using jQuery inside a React functional component. You can follow the steps below:

Create the Accordion Component

First, create a new functional component called Accordion:

import React from ‘react’;
import $ from ‘jquery’;

const Accordion = () => {
// Component logic here
};

export default Accordion;

Update the JSX

Next, update the JSX of the Accordion component to include the necessary elements for an accordion:

const Accordion = () => {
return (

Content for section 1

Content for section 2

);
};

Add the Accordion jQuery Logic

Now, add the accordion logic using jQuery within the useEffect hook:

import React, { useEffect } from ‘react’;

const Accordion = () => {
useEffect(() => {
$(‘.accordion-toggle’).on(‘click’, function() {
$(this).next(‘.accordion-content’).slideToggle();
});
}, []);

return (
// JSX code here
);
};

With these changes, your Accordion component will now use jQuery to toggle the visibility of each accordion section when the corresponding button is clicked.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we looked at how to use jQuery in a React functional component. While it’s generally best to use React for managing state and DOM manipulation, there are scenarios where you might want to use jQuery to handle specific tasks or to leverage existing jQuery plugins. By using the useEffect hook, you can safely integrate jQuery with your React component’s lifecycle.