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JavaScript React by Example Building the Application Writing a Handler to Confirm Guests

Posted by jlampstack
jlampstack
23,932 Points

Use of spread operator in this lesson?

I've read the teachers notes, Googled a few examples, and understand how to use the spread operator but am not understanding how it is being used in this lesson.

Guil uses ...guest instead of name: guest.name

Guil says the spread operator basically just transfers the keys and values from one object to another. This is the part that confuses me Can anyone provide an example?

Event Handler

toggleIsConfirmedAt = indexToChange =>
    this.setState({
      guests: this.state.guests.map((guest, index) => {
        if(index === indexToChange) {
          return {
            name: guest.name,
            isConfirmed: !guest.isConfirmed
          }
        }
      })
    });

State Object

guests: [
      {
        name: 'Fred Flinstone',
        isConfirmed: false
      },
      {
        name: 'Barney Rubble',
        isConfirmed: true
      },
      {
        name: 'Great Gazoo',
        isConfirmed: true
      }
    ]

1 Answer

Brendan Whiting
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Brendan Whiting
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 84,735 Points
Brendan Whiting
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Brendan Whiting
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 84,735 Points

I think the main benefit of using the spread operator here is that it's more future-proof. He says "if we ever add more properties to this object for any reason, we'd have to come, find this place again, and change it.".

So here's an example. Let's say were were not using the spread operator, and composing the object this way:

return {
    name: guest.name,
    isConfirmed: !guest.isConfirmed
}

So let's say later on, we add another field - isVegetarian - to the guest objects. As it is currently, when this object is returned, the isVegetarian field would be stripped out of the object, because we're explicitly only adding the fields name and isConfirmed. But if we used the spread operator, it automatically puts out all the current keys and values of that object - name, isConfirmed, isVegetarian, and anything else, then the next line isConfirmed: !guest.isConfirmed overrides the value that came from the spread operator.

jlampstack
jlampstack
23,932 Points

Thanks Brendan, You always come thru for me. It seems simple now that you explained it this way.