How to Render HTML Strings in Your Re-frame ClojureScript App

Learn how to effectively connect your Re-frame ClojureScript application to a headless content manager by rendering HTML strings properly.
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How to Render HTML Strings in Your Re-frame ClojureScript App

If you've recently been working on a Re-frame ClojureScript application and needed to pull in content from a headless content manager, you might have run into a common obstacle: rendering HTML strings without displaying the raw HTML tags. This can cause issues when your application needs to dynamically display rich content. In this guide, we'll dive into how to effectively parse and render HTML strings in your Re-frame application, ensuring a smooth and visually appealing user experience.

The Problem

You’re receiving content as an HTML string from your headless content manager, something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, when you attempt to display this content directly, your application shows the entire string as-is, including the HTML tags. Ideally, you want the content to be rendered properly, displaying the respective headings and paragraphs without the tags in between them.

After exploring solutions, you came across an approach using a function to create an HTML document but encountered the following error:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This indicates that the method you tried does not integrate properly with React's rendering system, which is what Reagent (and consequently Re-frame) is built upon.

The Solution

To resolve this rendering problem, we will leverage Reagent’s capabilities to work with the dangerouslySetInnerHTML attribute, which allows you to set HTML directly from a string while still keeping the React rendering engine happy. Here’s how to implement the solution step-by-step:

Step 1: Create a Function to Wrap the HTML

You should create a simple function that wraps your HTML string. Here's how you can do that:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This function does the following:

Wraps the HTML string: The entire string will be placed inside a <div> element.

Uses dangerouslySetInnerHTML: This special attribute from React allows you to render HTML string as actual HTML rather than plain text.

Step 2: Use the Function in Your Component

Now that you have your wrap-html function ready, you can use it in any of your Re-frame components. For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Important Considerations

Security Warning: Using dangerouslySetInnerHTML can expose your application to XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks if the HTML input is not sanitized properly. Always ensure your source data is trusted or sanitized before rendering.

Testing: After implementing this solution, test your app to ensure that the content displays correctly and there are no broken UI elements or unexpected behavior.

Conclusion

Rendering HTML strings from a headless content manager in a Re-frame ClojureScript app can be straightforward when using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML approach. By wrapping your HTML content using the wrap-html function, you can ensure that content is displayed as intended without exposing raw HTML tags.

With this solution at your disposal, your application should now effectively connect to content managers and display beautiful, rich content right within your ClojureScript app!

If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it with fellow developers facing similar issues!