How to Effectively Do Optimistic Updates for Deeply Nested Data in React Query

Learn how to handle `optimistic updates` in your React Query application, especially for deeply nested data, using the Immer library for a cleaner approach.
---

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to effectively do optimistic update for deeply nested data in react query?

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Handling Optimistic Updates for Nested Data in React Query

If you're building a task manager application using React and React Query, you may encounter a complex problem when trying to manage updates to nested data structures. For example, you may want to perform operations like adding, deleting, or checking off todos in a Kanban board-style UI, where the data is structured deeply. In this post, we’ll explore how to effectively implement optimistic updates for such deeply nested data and simplify your code using the Immer library.

Understanding the Challenge

In your application, your data structure may look something like this:

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

Here’s a quick overview of the structure:

listOrder determines the arrangement of lists.

Each IList contains multiple ITodo items.

The central challenge arises when trying to optimistically update a todo's state, such as its checked status, while ensuring that your UI reflects these changes immediately, enhancing the overall user experience.

Your Current Implementation

You've set up your mutation like this:

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

While this implementation works, it can quickly become overly complicated, especially with deeply nested data structures.

A Cleaner Solution: Using Immer

The Immer library can help streamline your optimistic update logic. Immer allows you to work with immutable data in a simpler way by using a draft state, which significantly reduces the amounts of code you have to write and improves readability.

Updated Implementation with Immer

Here’s how you can modify your mutation to use Immer:

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

Key Benefits of Using Immer

Simplicity: The API is more intuitive for updating state.

Performance: It only updates what is necessary, so rendering remains efficient.

Readability: The flow of data manipulation is clearer, leading to fewer bugs.

Conclusion

With the use of the Immer library, you can streamline the process of handling optimistic updates for deeply nested data structures in your React application. This not only makes your code cleaner but also contributes to enhanced user experience. Make sure to integrate Immer into your development to manage complex state updates efficiently.

By embracing these techniques, you'll be able to enhance your Kanban board's functionality significantly while keeping your codebase clean and maintainable.