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In the previous article, we saw how a class-based function uses a state property to hold the current Person object values but gets overridden by the setState method upon a click of the button. That is, the state property object gets updated to the setState method objects upon a click.

Below was how the code looked like:

Person/Person.js

import React from 'react';
import { Component } from 'react';
import './App.css';
import Person from './Person/Person';

class App extends Component {
  state = {
    persons: [
      { name: 'Bello', language: 'React', id: '2sdr3' },
      { name: 'Michael', language: 'Vue', id: 'de6c3' },
      { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
    ]
  };

  personHandler = () => {
    this.setState({
      persons: [
        { name: 'Andela', language: 'Ember', id: '2sdr3' },
        { name: 'John', language: 'Backbone', id: 'de6c3' },
        { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
      ]
    })
  };

  render() {
    return (
      <div>
        <Person
          name={this.state.persons[0].name}
          language={this.state.persons[0].language}
          id={this.state.persons[0].id} />
        <Person
          name={this.state.persons[1].name}
          language={this.state.persons[1].language}
          id={this.state.persons[1].id} />
        <Person
          name={this.state.persons[2].name}
          language={this.state.persons[2].language}
          id={this.state.persons[2].id} />
        <button 
          onClick={this.personHandler}>Change Person State</button>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default App;

The PersonHandler is just a function call that gets executed whenever there's a click on the button.

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React Hooks

Classed-based components in the past were the only way to manage the state property, but there is now a new approach to manage it. With a new feature in React 16.8 called, React hooks you can now manage components in a functional component.

React Hooks is the collection of functions that you can use in functional components.

The useState is the most important React Hook. Importing useState (not Component) from the React library, you manage state in a functional component successfully. TheuseState is an object that holds the initial (current) values or data of a component. The second state will be a function that allows state updates in the functional component.

In the example below, array destructuring is used to hold the current state values and final state values.

See the example below:

import React from 'react';
import { useState } from 'react';
import './App.css';
import Person from './Person/Person';

const App = () => {
  const [initialPersonState, finalPersonState] = useState({
    persons: [
      { name: 'Bello', language: 'React', id: '2sdr3' },
      { name: 'Michael', language: 'Vue', id: 'de6c3' },
      { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
    ]
  })

  const personHandler = () => {
    finalPersonState({
      persons: [
        { name: 'Andela', language: 'Ember', id: '2sdr3' },
        { name: 'John', language: 'Backbone', id: 'de6c3' },
        { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
      ],
    })
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <Person
        name={initialPersonState.persons[0].name}
        language={initialPersonState.persons[0].language}
        id={initialPersonState.persons[0].id} />
      <Person
        name={initialPersonState.persons[1].name}
        language={initialPersonState.persons[1].language}
        id={initialPersonState.persons[1].id} />
      <Person
        name={initialPersonState.persons[2].name}
        language={initialPersonState.persons[2].language}
        id={initialPersonState.persons[2].id} />
      <button
        onClick={personHandler}>Change Person State</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default App;

Although I prefer to use state and setState as conventional names array elements if it is only one React hook or useState method in the functional component.

In the code above replace the initialPersonState and finalPersonState everywhere in the Person/Person.js file to state and setState:

import React from 'react';
import { useState } from 'react';
import './App.css';
import Person from './Person/Person';

const App = () => {
  const [state, setState] = useState({
    persons: [
      { name: 'Bello', language: 'React', id: '2sdr3' },
      { name: 'Michael', language: 'Vue', id: 'de6c3' },
      { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
    ]
  });

  const personHandler = () => {
    setState({
      persons: [
        { name: 'Andela', language: 'Ember', id: '2sdr3' },
        { name: 'John', language: 'Backbone', id: 'de6c3' },
        { name: 'Mary', language: 'Angular', id: 'c1z3x' }
      ],
    })
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <Person
        name={state.persons[0].name}
        language={state.persons[0].language}
        id={state.persons[0].id} />
      <Person
        name={state.persons[1].name}
        language={state.persons[1].language}
        id={state.persons[1].id} />
      <Person
        name={state.persons[2].name}
        language={state.persons[2].language}
        id={state.persons[2].id} />
      <button
        onClick={personHandler}>Change Person State</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default App;

Note

• The UseState returns an array of exactly two elements, the initial state, and the final state. The element's name can be named anything but descriptive.

• You can have multiple useState calls in React hooks.

This just an eye-opener of React Hooks. It will be explained further later in a separate article.

Happy Coding!!!

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