The hallmark of React is its ability to create highly-interactive, data-driven UIs that are also incredibly quick. They appear natural and seamless to the end-user, picking up where AJAX left off.

Developers are putting these capabilities to good use. They’re routinely taking everyday elements like shopping carts, forms and multimedia and propelling them to another level.

Want to see the impact React can have on a UI? Here are some prime examples that demonstrate what this library is capable of.

Squeaky-Clean Product Layout

Designed by Dilum

eCommerce can really benefit from what React has to offer. Just take a look at this fictional shoe store. Instead of using traditional form elements, it offers a modern and colorful UI. The result is that shoppers can customize their orders in style.

See the Pen React Shopping Layout by Dilum

Not Your Average Checkboxes

Designed by myleneb

Here, React is used to bring enhanced looks and a higher level of context to standard checkboxes. These elements stand out, while helping to guide users.

See the Pen ReactJS Checkbox component with custom CSS by myleneb

Git Your Profile Card

Designed by Simon Vrachliotis

We previously mentioned React’s ability to efficiently deal with data, and this is a perfect example. Type in your GitHub username and this snippet will quickly load in your profile. Likewise, this type of functionality could be used to vastly improve a website’s search feature.

See the Pen ReactJS:GitHub User Cards by Simon Vrachliotis

Form Conditions

Designed by Sasha

User registration forms can be a pain. How can you ensure that users are following the security guidelines you’ve set? This form is designed to help make those expectations crystal-clear. As guidelines are met, they are immediately crossed off the list displayed below the form.

See the Pen UI + React by Sasha

Easy Date Range

Designed by Rob Vermeer

Online calendars and date pickers tend to be a bit tedious. They’re often bogged down by a clumsy UI that makes it harder for users to interact with them. This date range picker, however, is a breath of fresh air. Click the first date within your desired range, then click the last. It’s that simple.

See the Pen React date range picker by Rob Vermeer

Goal Progress Charts

Designed by Kelly H

Visualizing data is one of the true strengths of React. To demonstrate, check out this incredibly slick savings goal progress chart snippet. It provides a clear visual representation of how close you are to your target. Not only that, it’s completely interactive. You can add to your total or even tweak the goals. The progress indicators automatically change along the way.

See the Pen Savings Goals – ReactJS by Kelly H

High-End Audio Player

Designed by Olga

This snippet goes above and beyond. Sure, it’s possible to throw a list of file links on your page. But why settle for that when you can go all-out with a gorgeous React audio player? Its intuitive UI is the perfect way to get your visitors to tune in.

See the Pen Music player ReactJS by Olga

Interactive Service Price List

Designed by Olga

Here’s a great way to simplify an interface. This service listing allows users to add/remove items with a click and watch their total update immediately. The experience just seems so natural.

See the Pen React Price List by Olga

Adding Speed and Interactivity with React

The common thread among these snippets is how they take everyday web UIs and turn them into something better. Even if the visual elements were already in place, React makes the experience more pleasant for users.

The result is a snappy interface that just works. And by increasing the intuitiveness of an element, you might also increase conversions. That’s a pretty powerful thing.

If you’d like to see more examples of React in action, check out our CodePen collection.

The post 8 React JavaScript Snippets That Enhance Everyday UI Elements appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

If you’re not a full-on expert just yet, you’re not alone. And there’s no reason to worry. There are plenty of great opportunities to learn. Some are completely free – perfect for the budget-conscious developer.

We took a trip around the internet to find some top resources for learning React. There’s something here for everyone, from beginners to those looking to dive even deeper into the library.

Intro to React

This official tutorial is aimed at absolute beginners (though they do recommend that you have at least some HTML and JS background). In it, you’ll go through the process of creating an interactive tic-tac-toe game. The guide is fairly quick to complete and provides plenty of help along the way. It’s a perfect introduction to the concepts of building a React app.

Learn ReactJS: Part I

Codeacademy’s React course offers a look at JSX, components and how to interact with them. You’ll find that both some basic and advanced concepts are covered. Note that the actual lessons here are free (you just need to sign up for an account). However, there are some “Pro” portions that take you through real-world projects and quizzes.

React for Beginners

Instructor Wes Bos offers two levels of premium React video courses. There is a total of 29 videos available, depending on which package you purchase. Either way, students receive free lifetime updates that will cover new techniques as they become available.

React 101

This free course is meant for intermediate learners who have at least some knowledge of how React works. During the course, you’ll build three unique components from scratch. Plus, there are lessons regarding data retrieval and localStorage.

Learn React

KIRUPA offers a versatile free course that includes both video and text-based tutorials. So, no matter how you prefer to learn, you have a method for doing so. It covers all the basics, along with some more advanced use cases.

Learn React Track

This compilation of 8 React courses from Treehouse will take you through pretty much every aspect of the library. Start off with the React Basics course and work your way through to Building Applications with React and Redux. In all, it’s 10 hours of course material. These courses do require a paid Treehouse membership, however.

A Variety of Learning Avenues

React is a vast library, but the resources above provide you with plenty of choices. You can learn as much as you want and do so in a manner that is the most comfortable.

If you just need to know enough to get by, choose one of the super-fast tutorials. However, if you want to become an expert developer, there are more in-depth offerings as well. Choose the path that makes the most sense for you and your goals.

Either way, congratulations on furthering your education and best of luck!

The post 6 Fantastic Resources for Learning React.js appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

We searched high and low for some of the coolest React components out there to help you create a top-notch interface. Here are some of our favorites:

UI-Router for React

UI-Router for React provides state-based routing for apps. For example, rather than creating a traditional website, this component makes it easy to navigate through various states of a React application with each “page” having its own content. As the user navigates, the app changes the browser’s URL – allowing users to bookmark specific pages. The result is an application that is easy to navigate and ultra-quick.

React-Bootstrap

React-Bootstrap combines two powerful frameworks to create a library of reusable front-end components. You’ll get the look of a Bootstrap site without all the repetitive code. That’s because this library allows JavaScript to take over page rendering, rather than HTML and CSS. Note that this package isn’t at version 1.0 as of this writing, but you can see the incredible potential for advanced development.

Material-UI

Looking to use Google’s Material Design in conjunction with React? Material-UI is a set of React components that will do just that. You’ll find a wide array of useful components like App Bars, Auto Complete, Badges, Buttons, Cards, Dialog Boxes, Icons, Menus, Sliders and more that are written in React – but using Material Design principles.

Gatsby.js

With Gatsby.js, you’ll be able to build static websites using React. The library allows you to pull in data from various sources like your favorite CMS, API, database or even a file system. Sites can be generated through the command line or other “starter” packages to help speed along the process.

styled-components

styled-components allows you to style React components using real CSS code. It removes the mapping between components and styling, which makes the entire process much more straightforward.

React Sketch.app

Using React Sketch.app enables the creation of reusable documents that use React components within Sketch. It was built by Airbnb to help manage their design system and allows for the use of real React components in your designs. This is a really powerful tool that helps you build better prototypes.

React Virtualized

React Virtualized helps render long-scrolling lists and tables in an attractive and highly-customizable fashion. Set a fixed or dynamic row height, allow users to scroll to specific rows and display placeholders as scrolling takes place.

Blueprint

Blueprint is a UI kit that includes a collection of React components covering common interface elements. These are the basic elements that every application needs – like buttons, icons, and various navigation systems. Styling is done through Sass, so you’ll be able to customize elements as desired. The components have also been created with accessibility in mind and will work with keyboard navigation.

Recharts

Recharts is a charting library that allows you to quickly build charts with reusable React components. It’s built using SVG elements, so it scales beautifully on any device. Virtually any type of chart is possible, including various forms of line, bar, pie and scatter charts.

React DnD

With React DnD, you can create complex drag-and-drop interfaces using React components. Data can be transferred based on drag-and-drop events and components can change their look based upon their state. You can highlight specific targets for events to help make a friendlier UI.

The Future of UI?

React, and other similar libraries are indeed looking like the future of both web and native app UI. In fact, it’s been heavily talked about with regards to its use in WordPress (like the Calypso app). The ability to create single-page apps that, ahem, react instantly to user interaction may someday soon become the standard.

We encourage you to take a look at React and the tools highlighted above. Experiment with them and see how they might fit into your own design future.

The post 10 Useful Components, Libraries & Tools for React.js appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.