Building Financial Applications with React Components: Best Practices and Libraries for Buttons, Forms, Tables, Charts.
Tags: react, webdev, javascript, programming
Published: 2023-02-19 05:35:33

Introduction

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. React components are reusable building blocks that can be used to create complex user interfaces for various applications, including financial applications. In this blog, we will explore the various types of React components that are commonly used in financial applications, from basic to high level, and their importance. We will also cover some best practices for building React components and provide references for further study.

Basic React Components for Financial Applications

Buttons

Buttons are the most common UI components used in financial applications. They are used for various purposes such as submitting forms, confirming transactions, and navigating between different pages. Buttons can be implemented using React's Button component or by creating a custom component. Buttons can be customized by adding styles, such as color, size, and border.

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import React from 'react';

function CustomButton(props) {
  return (
    <button style={{ backgroundColor: props.color, border: 'none', padding: '10px 20px', borderRadius: '5px' }}>
      {props.label}
    </button>
  );
}

export default CustomButton;
In the above example, we have created a custom button component that takes a color and a label as props and renders a button with the specified color and label.

Forms

Forms are an essential part of financial applications. They are used for collecting user data, such as personal information and transaction details. React provides several components for building forms, such as input, select, and textarea. You can also create custom form components using React.

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import React, { useState } from 'react';

function CustomForm() {
  const [name, setName] = useState('');
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('');
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('');

  function handleSubmit(event) {
    event.preventDefault();
    // Send form data to server
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input type="text" placeholder="Name" value={name} onChange={e => setName(e.target.value)} />
      <input type="email" placeholder="Email" value={email} onChange={e => setEmail(e.target.value)} />
      <input type="password" placeholder="Password" value={password} onChange={e => setPassword(e.target.value)} />
      <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
  );
}

export default CustomForm;
In the above example, we have created a custom form component that collects user data, such as name, email, and password, and submits it to the server.

Tables

Tables are used to display large amounts of financial data, such as stock prices, transaction details, and account balances. React provides several components for building tables, such as table, thead, tbody, and tr. You can also create custom table components using React.

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import React from 'react';

function CustomTable(props) {
  return (
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Name</th>
          <th>Balance</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        {props.accounts.map(account => (
          <tr key={account.id}>
            <td>{account.name}</td>
            <td>{account.balance}</td>
          </tr>
        ))}
      </tbody>
    </table>
  );
}

export default CustomTable;
In the above example, we have created a custom table component that displays the account name and balance for each account in the accounts array.

High-Level React Components for Financial Applications

Charts

Charts are used to visualize financial data, such as stock prices and market trends. React provides several libraries for building charts, such as Recharts, Victory, and Chart.js. These libraries provide a wide range of chart types, including line charts, bar charts, and pie charts, and allow for customization of chart properties such as colors, legends, and tooltips.

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import React from 'react';
import { LineChart, Line, XAxis, YAxis, Tooltip, Legend } from 'recharts';

function CustomChart(props) {
  return (
    <LineChart width={500} height={300} data={props.data}>
      <XAxis dataKey="name" />
      <YAxis />
      <Tooltip />
      <Legend />
      <Line type="monotone" dataKey="balance" stroke="#8884d8" />
    </LineChart>
  );
}

export default CustomChart;
In the above example, we have used the Recharts library to create a custom line chart component that displays the balance of an account over time. The data prop is an array of objects that contain the account balance for each month, and the Line component renders the line chart.

Modals

Modals are used to display important information or actions that require the user's attention, such as confirming a transaction or notifying the user of an error. React provides several libraries for building modals, such as React Modal, React Bootstrap, and Material-UI. These libraries provide pre-built modal components that can be customized with additional content and styles.

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import React from 'react';
import Modal from 'react-modal';

function CustomModal(props) {
  return (
    <Modal isOpen={props.isOpen}>
      <h2>{props.title}</h2>
      <p>{props.content}</p>
      <button onClick={props.onClose}>Close</button>
    </Modal>
  );
}

export default CustomModal;
In the above example, we have used the React Modal library to create a custom modal component that displays a title and content, and a close button. The isOpen prop determines whether the modal is visible or not, and the onClose prop is a function that is called when the close button is clicked.

Best Practices for Building React Components for Financial Applications

Use Functional Components: Use functional components instead of class components. Functional components are simpler, more concise, and easier to test.

Keep Components Small: Keep components small and focused on a single responsibility. This makes them easier to understand, test, and maintain.

Use PropTypes: Use PropTypes to specify the expected props of a component. This makes it easier to catch errors and prevents unexpected behavior.

Use React.memo: Use React.memo to memoize components that do not need to be re-rendered every time the parent component is updated. This improves performance and reduces unnecessary re-renders.

Use CSS Modules: Use CSS Modules to encapsulate styles and prevent style conflicts. This makes it easier to maintain and update styles.

References

React Components: https://reactjs.org/docs/components-and-props.html
Recharts: https://recharts.org/en-US/
React Modal: https://github.com/reactjs/react-modal
React Bootstrap: https://react-bootstrap.github.io/
Material-UI: https://material-ui.com/
CronJ React Blog: https://www.cronj.com/blog/
Conclusion

[React](https://www.cronj.com/hire-react-js-developers.html) components are essential building blocks for financial applications. By using basic and high-level components such as buttons, forms, tables, charts, and modals, you can create user interfaces that are both functional and visually appealing. To ensure the best practices,