How to Call a Child Functional Component Method from a Parent Functional Component in React

Learn how to effectively invoke a method from a child functional component in React using a singleton class approach. This guide provides clear, actionable steps to achieve this.
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How to Call a Child Functional Component Method from a Parent Functional Component in React: A Step-by-Step Guide

When working with React, you might find a scenario where you need to call a method defined in a child functional component from its parent. This situation can arise when the child component has some functionality you want to leverage based on an event or state change in the parent component. In this guide, we'll cover how to effectively accomplish this using a singleton pattern in React.

Understanding the Problem

You have a child functional component, MyChildFunction, which contains a method to reset its state. However, this reset method needs to be invoked from the parent component, NavBar. Below is a simplified version of the components:

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In this scenario, when you attempt to call the reset method from within the parent component, you face a challenge: the child component's methods are not directly accessible from its parent. So how do you solve this?

The Solution: Using a Singleton Class

To bridge the gap between the components, we’ll adopt a singleton class approach. This method allows us to create a single instance that both the parent and child components can access, enabling method calls between them.

Step 1: Create the Singleton Class

First, we’ll define a Singleton class that will handle the listener functionality.

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

Step 2: Modify the Child Component

Next, we need to modify the child component to register its reset method with our singleton.

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

Step 3: Update the Parent Component

Finally, update your parent component to call the reset method via the singleton instance whenever needed.

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

Conclusion

By using a singleton class, you can easily manage interactions between parent and child components in React, allowing the parent to invoke methods defined in the child. This structure not only promotes cleaner code but also enhances the reusability of your components.

Feel free to implement this strategy in your own applications, and watch how it simplifies component interactions in your React projects! Happy coding!