React Lists

In React, you will render lists with some type of loop.

The JavaScript map() array method is generally the preferred method.

function Car(props) {
  return <li>I am a { props.brand }</li>;
}

function Garage() {
  const cars = ['Ford', 'BMW', 'Audi'];
  return (
    <>
      <h1>Who lives in my garage?</h1>
      <ul>
        {cars.map((car) => <Car brand={car} />)}
      </ul>
    </>
  );
}

const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(<Garage />);

When you run this code in your create-react-app, it will work but you will receive a warning that there is no "key" provided for the list items.

Keys

Keys allow React to keep track of elements. This way, if an item is updated or removed, only that item will be re-rendered instead of the entire list.

Keys need to be unique to each sibling. But they can be duplicated globally.

function Car(props) {
  return <li>I am a { props.brand }</li>;
}

function Garage() {
  const cars = [
    {id: 1, brand: 'Ford'},
    {id: 2, brand: 'BMW'},
    {id: 3, brand: 'Audi'}
  ];
  return (
    <>
      <h1>Who lives in my garage?</h1>
      <ul>
        {cars.map((car) => <Car key={car.id} brand={car.brand} />)}
      </ul>
    </>
  );
}

const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(<Garage />);

function GroceryList() {
  const items = [
    {id: 1, name: 'bread'},
    {id: 2, name: 'milk'},
    {id: 3, name: 'eggs'}
  ];

  return (
    <>
      <h1>Grocery List</h1>
      <ul>
        {items.map((item) => <li ={item.id}>{item.name}</li>)}
      </ul>
    </>
  );
}

const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(<GroceryList />);