Module 1: React Fundamentals - Laying the Groundwork

• Theoretical Concepts:

  • JSX (JavaScript XML): Understanding how to write HTML-like syntax within JavaScript and its benefits.
  • Components:
    • Functional Components: The modern and preferred way to write components using JavaScript functions.
    • Class Components: Understanding the older syntax and lifecycle methods (though we'll focus more on hooks).
  • Props (Properties): Passing data down from parent to child components. Understanding immutability of props.
  • State: Managing dynamic data within a component using useState (for functional components) and this.state (for class components). Understanding state updates and re-renders.
  • Event Handling: How to handle user interactions (clicks, input changes, etc.) in React. Synthetic events.
  • Conditional Rendering: Displaying different UI elements based on conditions using if/else, ternary operators, and logical AND (&&).

• Practical Aspects & Hands-on Challenges:

  • Setting up a basic React project using Create React App or Vite.
  • Creating simple functional and class components.
  • Passing data as props and rendering it.
  • Implementing basic state management and updating the UI.
  • Handling button clicks and input changes.
  • Conditionally rendering different messages or elements.

• **Code Sample (Simple Functional Component):**JavaScript

  import React, { useState } from 'react';
  
  function Greeting({ name }) {
    const [greeting, setGreeting] = useState('Hello');
  
    const handleClick = () => {
      setGreeting('Welcome');
    };
  
    return (
      <div>
        <h1>{greeting}, {name}!</h1>
        <button onClick={handleClick}>Change Greeting</button>
      </div>
    );
  }
  
  export default Greeting;
  

• Checkpoint 1: After this module, you should be comfortable creating basic React components, passing data between them, managing local state, and handling user interactions.

Module 2: Component Architecture - Building Blocks and Data Flow

• Theoretical Concepts:
  • Component Composition: Building complex UIs by nesting and combining smaller, reusable components.
  • Lifting State Up: Sharing state between components by moving it to a common ancestor.
  • Prop Drilling: Understanding the concept and potential drawbacks of passing props through multiple levels of components.
  • Container vs. Presentational Components: A pattern for separating concerns where container components handle logic and data fetching, while presentational components focus on rendering UI.
• Practical Aspects & Hands-on Challenges:
  • Building a simple UI with nested components.
  • Implementing state lifting to share data between sibling components.
  • Identifying scenarios where prop drilling might become an issue and discussing solutions.
  • Refactoring existing components using the container/presentational pattern.
• Design Pattern: Container/Presentational Components
• Checkpoint 2: You should now understand how to structure your React applications effectively using component composition and manage data flow between components.

Module 3: Hooks - Embracing Functional Power

• Theoretical Concepts:

  • useState: Managing local state in functional components (already introduced, we'll dive deeper).
  • useEffect: Handling side effects (data fetching, subscriptions, timers) in functional components. Understanding the dependency array.
  • useRef: Accessing DOM elements directly or persisting values across renders.
  • useContext: Sharing state across the component tree without manual prop passing (for simpler global state).
  • useReducer: More complex state management for scenarios with multiple related state updates.
  • Custom Hooks: Extracting component logic into reusable functions.

• Practical Aspects & Hands-on Challenges:

  • Implementing various side effects using useEffect (e.g., fetching data on mount, setting up event listeners).
  • Using useRef to focus an input field or access a DOM element.
  • Creating a simple theme context using useContext.
  • Implementing a counter with increment and decrement actions using useReducer.
  • Building a custom hook for debouncing an input.

• **Code Sample (Custom Hook for Debouncing):**JavaScript

  import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
  
  function useDebounce(value, delay) {
    const [debouncedValue, setDebouncedValue] = useState(value);
  
    useEffect(() => {
      const handler = setTimeout(() => {
        setDebouncedValue(value);
      }, delay);
  
      return () => {
        clearTimeout(handler);
      };
    }, [value, delay]);
  
    return debouncedValue;
  }
  
  export default useDebounce;
  

• Checkpoint 3: You should be proficient in using the core React hooks to manage state, handle side effects, and reuse logic effectively in functional components.

Module 4: Routing - Navigating Your Application

• Theoretical Concepts:
  • React Router (v6+): Setting up client-side routing in your React application.
  • BrowserRouter, Routes, Route, Link, NavLink: Core components for defining and navigating routes.
  • Nested Routes: Creating hierarchical routing structures.
  • Dynamic Routing: Defining routes with parameters (e.g., /users/:id).
  • Route Protection: Implementing authentication checks to restrict access to certain routes.
• Practical Aspects & Hands-on Challenges:
  • Installing and configuring React Router.
  • Defining different routes and linking between them.
  • Implementing nested layouts and routes.
  • Fetching data based on dynamic route parameters.
  • Creating a simple protected route that requires authentication.
• Checkpoint 4: You should be able to implement navigation within your React applications using React Router, including handling dynamic routes and basic route protection.

Module 5: Forms & Validation - Handling User Input