Testing children for specific types can be done easily with Typescript - here's how

Currently, I am in the process of transitioning from PropTypes to TypeScript within a large React Native project. Within the codebase, there are multiple components utilizing child classes for improved name scoping and organization. To illustrate this concept, consider the following simplified example:

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    listItem: ...,
    leftItem: ...,
    contentItem: ...,
    rightItem: ...,
})
const ListItemLeft = ({ children }) => <View style={styles.leftItem}>{children}</View>;
const ListItemContent = ({ children }) => <View style={styles.contentItem}>{children}</View>;
const ListItemRight = ({ children }) => <View style={styles.rightItem}>{children}</View>;
class ListItem extends Component {
    render() {
        let left = null, right = null, content = null;
        const otherChildren = [];
        React.Children.forEach(children, child => {
          if (child) {
            if (child.type.name === Left.name) {
              left = child;
            } else if (child.type.name === Right.name) {
              right = child;
            } else if (child.type.name === Content.name) {
              content = child;
            } else {
              otherChildren.push(child);
            }
          }
        });
        return (
            <div style={styles.listItem}>
                {left}
                {content}
                {right}
                {otherChildren}
            </div>
        );
    }
}
ListItem.Left = ListItemLeft;
ListItem.Content = ListItemContent;
ListItem.Right = ListItemRight;
export default ListItem;

To utilize this on a page, you would do something like this:

<ListItem>
    <ListItem.Left>Left content</ListItem.Left>
    <ListItem.Content>Main content</ListItem.Cotent>
    <ListItem.Right>Right content</ListItem.Right>
<ListItem>

While converting this to TypeScript, the challenge lies in determining how to test the children's types and assign them to the variables accordingly.

let left : ListItemLeft | null = null, 
    right : ListItemRight | null  = null,
    content : ListItemContent | null = null;
React.Children.forEach<ReactNode>(children, child => {
    /* How can we accurately test the type of child and assign it to left, right, content or other? /*
});

Answer №1

If your current JavaScript code was functioning properly, it should continue to work seamlessly even after transitioning to TypeScript. The errors being reported by TypeScript are most likely related to potentially risky operations on the child object, considering its intricate type of

string | number | boolean | React.ReactElement<any, string | React.JSXElementConstructor<any>> | React.ReactFragment | React.ReactPortal | null | undefined
.

To address this, you can modify your if statements like so:

if ((typeof child === 'object') && ('type' in child) && (child.type === ListItemLeft)) {
This adjustment should satisfy TypeScript while also enhancing the component's safety when dealing with children other than components.

It's important to note that unlike many statically typed languages, TypeScript objects cannot be examined for their types during runtime due to TypeScript's structural typing nature. The solution works in this case because React offers the type field.

For additional insights, you may find this answer to a similar issue helpful.

Answer №2

Thank you Dan for your insightful input that helped me gain a clearer perspective amidst the complexities. For those seeking an example, here is a glimpse of my revised code structure. Following Dan's advice, React effortlessly incorporates the necessary type information through the 'type' property in components. Utilizing the React.isValidElement function ensures TypeScript's contentment during verification.

let left: LeftElement | null = null,
  right: RightElement | null = null,
  content: ContentElement | null = null;
const otherChildren: ReactNode[] = [];
React.Children.forEach<ReactNode>(children, child => {
  if (child != null) {
    if (React.isValidElement<ElementProps>(child)) {
      if (child.type == LeftElement) {
        left = child as unknown as LeftElement;
      } else if (child.type == ContentElement) {
        content = child as unknown as ContentElement;
      } else if (child.type == RightElement) {
        right = child as unknown as RightElement;
      } else {
        otherChildren.push(child);
      }
    } else {
      otherChildren.push(child);
    }
  }
});

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