How to Print Multiple Components on Separate Pages with react-to-print in React

Discover how to resolve printing issues with `react-to-print` by using CSS for separate page breaks in your React components.
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Printing Components on Separate Pages in React with react-to-print

When working on a React project, you might encounter situations where you need to print a list of components, each on a separate page. If you're utilizing react-to-print for this, you might run into an error stating, “Argument appears to not be a ReactComponent. Keys: 0,1”. This can be frustrating, especially if you're unsure of how to resolve the issue. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to effectively print multiple components on separate pages using react-to-print and some clever CSS tweaks.

Understanding the Problem

In your React application, you have a list of components that you'd like to print, however, the current setup causes an error when trying to render them for printing. The core of the problem lies in how you reference the components and how to enforce the page break for printing. Here’s a summary of the setup:

You have an array of components that are being generated dynamically via map().

You're trying to create a reference array using useRef to manage the components for printing.

You encounter an error when attempting to call the print function.

This is clearly not ideal, and it affects the end-user experience when trying to print the list of components.

Solution: Use CSS for Page Breaks

Fortunately, the solution is straightforward! By utilizing CSS, specifically setting the breakAfter property, you can let the browser know to separate the printed components onto different pages. Below are the detailed steps to implement this.

Step 1: Create a Containing Div

Wrap your components in a div that will serve as the container for the elements you wish to print. This container can be referenced for printing. Here's how you can structure your code:

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

In this example:

We've created a div and assigned a reference qrRef to it.

The rowSelection is mapped over to create individual <p> elements for each id.

Each <p> element has a style with breakAfter: "page" which tells the browser to start a new page after each component during printing.

Step 2: Implement the Print Function

Next, you need the print function set up with react-to-print to call the ref of the container. Set it up like this:

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

Summary of the Solution

By making these changes, you effectively allow your React application to print each component on a separate page without running into the previous error. Remember, CSS plays a crucial role here, and the key property breakAfter: "page" is what makes this separation possible.

Conclusion

Printing multiple components on separate pages using react-to-print can be achieved with a combination of React references and CSS styling. No more frustrating errors will hinder your printing function! By following this guide, you can now seamlessly print lists or any collection of components, ensuring each one stands on its own page for clarity and readability.

Now you can confidently tackle typical printing problems in your React applications! Enjoy hassle-free printing!