Mastering JSON Handling in React with MUI: Dynamic TextFields and Selects

Learn how to effectively use `JSON` data to dynamically render `TextFields` and `Selects` in `React` using Material-UI based on question types.
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Mastering JSON Handling in React with MUI: Dynamic TextFields and Selects

When building complex forms with React, especially those that rely on JSON data from APIs, developers often encounter challenges. One such challenge arises when you need to display different types of input fields—like a TextField for text responses and a Select dropdown for categorical responses—based on a QuestionType value extracted from the JSON. In this post, we’ll walk through a practical solution to dynamically render TextField and Select components based on the question type.

Understanding the Problem

Let's say we have a JSON object from an API that contains a variety of question groups, each having different questions with types specified. For example, our JSON might contain:

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

The Challenge

The problem arises when trying to render these questions into the UI. If we simply take the questions array directly, it will display "[object Object]" instead of the actual question and its corresponding response.

Solution: Creating Dynamic Components

To address this issue, we need to create separate components based on the QuestionType and render them accordingly. Here’s how:

Step 1: Create Question Components

We will create two distinct components: SelectQuestion and TextQuestion. Each component will handle the rendering specific to its type.

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

Step 2: Map and Render Questions

Next, we will loop through our question_groups and then through the individual questions in each group. Depending on the QuestionType, we’ll render either the SelectQuestion or TextQuestion.

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

Step 3: Display the Question Components

Finally, we can render the assembled questionComps into our main component:

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

Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you can effectively display different input types based on the JSON data you receive from APIs. Not only does this enhance the user experience, but it also keeps your code organized and scalable, accommodating more question types or modifications as needed.

Feel free to experiment further, and as always, happy coding!