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JavaScript React Basics (retired) Stateful Components Creating a Component Class

Jonathan Grieve
MOD
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,252 Points
Posted by Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,252 Points

How do we know what we've made is a component class?

And what other types of class are there? Are they all covered by the createClass method? How does it work?

var Counter = React.createClass({
    render: function() {
        return ();
      }
});

2 Answers

Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,413 Points
Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,413 Points

The createClass method is a helper that creates an object that extends React.Component. That object will be the prototype for any instances of you custom component, which is as close to a class as you'll get in JavaScript. We know it's a Component class because that is what createClass() will specifially create. It's use is mainly for people not using ES6: https://facebook.github.io/react/docs/react-without-es6.html

If you are coding with ES6 (with or without Babel) you would be using the new class syntax instead.

import React, {Component} from 'react';

class Counter extends Component {
  render() { 
     // etc...
   }
}
Iain Simmons
MOD
Iain Simmons
Treehouse Moderator 32,305 Points
Iain Simmons
Iain Simmons
Treehouse Moderator 32,305 Points

I think Jim was also trying to distinguish between component classes and component functions (i.e. the stateless/dumb components).