How to Use jQuery in React JS: Step-by-Step Examples

Why Use jQuery with React?

React and jQuery have different roles in web development. React builds reusable components and manage state, jQuery provides the easiest way to manipulate the DOM and handle events. Using jQuery in React can be useful for multiple scenarios. Few are mentioned below.

• Using pre-built jQuery plugins.
• Accessing third-party libraries that rely on jQuery.
• Managing complex animations or DOM manipulations.

This approach is not recommended by React leaders for new projects, but developers can understand how to use jQuery in React Js for future use.

Setting Up React and jQuery

Before starting the implementation of jQuery in React js, you should check whether jQuery and React are installed in your project. Let’s understand how to setup.

Step 1: Install React and jQuery

First, install React and jQuery using following npm command.

npm install react react-dom
npm install jquery

If you don’t want to install jQuery in your project and want to use jQuery link, you can include jQuery through a CDN link in your project index file, which is located at public/index.html.

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>

Step 2: Import jQuery in Your Component

Now, you can import jQuery into the file where you want to use it.

import $ from "jquery";

Once you imported jQuery into your file, you are ready to use it inside your react component.

Related Topics: What is React Router How to create Header Component in React JS What is state management in react

Using jQuery Inside a React Component

React and jQuery both works differently where React manages the virtual DOM, and jQuery directly manipulates the real DOM. To manage and avoid this conflict, you should use jQuery within React’s lifecycle methods. Let’s understand this with an example.

Example: Integrating jQuery with React

Below is an example of how to use jQuery in a React component.

import React, { useEffect } from "react";
import $ from "jquery";

const App = () => {
  useEffect(() => {
    // DOM manipulation using jQuery
    $("#myButton").click(() => {
      alert("Button clicked!");
    });

    return () => {
      // Cleanup to avoid memory leaks
      $("#myButton").off();
    };
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>How to Use jQuery in React JS</h1>
      <button id="myButton">Click Me</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default App;

Explanation

1. useEffect Hook: The useEffect will ensure that, jQuery manipulations are applied after the component is mounted to the DOM.
2. Cleanup Function: It’s important step to remove any event listeners or DOM changes in the cleanup function to prevent memory leaks.

Best Practices for Combining React and jQuery

While integrating jQuery with React can be helpful, it’s essential to follow best practices to maintain the performance and readability of your application:

1. Limit jQuery Usage: Use jQuery only when necessary. React’s declarative nature is often more efficient for UI updates.
2. Avoid Direct DOM Manipulations: Let React handle most of the DOM manipulations. Use jQuery for specific scenarios like plugin integration.
3. Clean Up Resources: Always clean up event listeners and other resources in React’s cleanup functions to avoid memory leaks.

Common Use Cases

Here are a few practical scenarios where jQuery is often used in React applications:

1. Integrating jQuery Plugins: For example, using a date picker or slider that is built with jQuery.
2. Complex Animations: Leveraging jQuery’s animation methods for advanced effects.
3. Interacting with Legacy Code: When working with older projects that heavily rely on jQuery.

Conclusion

Learning how to use jQuery in React JS, empowers developers with the flexibility of handling various project needs. Although we must use React’s ecosystem for the most part, jQuery allows us to integrate libraries which are legacy or stand-alone.These are few of the steps and best practices followed in this article to make sure about the smooth and professional implementation of jQuery in your React applications. Make sure to normalize your code to have performance and readability.For more professional insights and practical tutorials, visit TechieTrail — your go-to platform for web development tips and tricks.