#BUILD REDUX INSTALL#

Then we listen for ADD_USER and ADD_MESSAGE events broadcast by the server: On the client-side, we need to initialize the WebSocket object and send an ADD_USER event when we connect to the chat. On connection close, we remove the user name from the list and broadcast the new users list. When an ADD_MESSAGE event is sent, we broadcast it to all connected clients. We’ll add it to the server-side list of users and issue a broadcast to all the connected clients. When the client establishes the connection, it will send an ADD_USER event with the name. Let’s start with the server, which is super simple:Īs soon as a client connects we start listening for the ADD_USER and ADD_MESSAGE events. I’ll use the native WebSocket object in the browser, which is widely supported, and the ws WebSocket library on the Node.js server.

Let’s create a centralized server where users will log into, and where they can talk to each other.

When we type a message and press enter, it’s added to the messages list:Ī chat that is local and does not communicate to the network is, frankly, not a very interesting place to spend time. We generate the Container Components for the above Presentational Components, by using the connect() function provided by react-redux : The Sidebar component instead iterates over each user, and prints the user name for every user that joins the chat: It is rendered by the MessagesList component, which iterates over the list of messages: It renders a single chat message, by using the Author: Message format: When the enter key is pressed, we dispatch the addMessage action, passing the value of the input field. This functional component is very simple, and creates an input field into the #new-message section. Let’s dive into the components that will render this data and trigger the actions, starting with AddMessage: when we get an updated users list from the server, we refresh.when we add a user (ourselves), we put it in the users list.when we receive a message from the server, we add it to our list of messages.when a message is added by us, we add it to the (local) list of messages.The reducers take care of creating a new state when an action is dispatched. When a new message is created, I now force the author name to “Me.” We’ll add usernames later. A new message can be sent, and the server will send updates to the users list when a person joins or quits the chat. You can add a new message, and a new user can be added to the chat. This file contains the four actions that will power our chat. Instead of telling ReactDOM to render, enter Provider, which makes the store available to all the components of the app, without explicitly passing it down.Įnter the actions constants to the ActionTypes.js file, so we can reference them in other files easily: Let’s edit the main app index.js file to initialize Redux, then import the chat reducer, and then create the store. a container component, which manages its behavior and the data that the presentational component will show.a presentational component, which manages the user interface.We include the Sidebar, MessagesList, and AddMessage components. Then we can translate the basic HTML layout we added on top and prepare it to fill the components we’ll create later:

#BUILD REDUX INSTALL#

Install Redux and react-redux with yarn add redux react-redux. ADVERTISEMENT Add Redux to manage the state

Build redux