React.js is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces and has become an essential tool for modern web development. If you are getting started or know very little about React, this article explores the right approach to master it with the use of ChatGPT.
Why learn with AI?
AI has become an essential tool in today's world. Before the arrival of AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, the learning curve for developers involved learning new concepts, encountering problems, and searching for solutions on Google or StackOverflow. However, with the arrival of AI tools, this learning curve has transformed. Developers now prefer to type their problems into ChatGPT and receive code solutions directly. But here's a question, Is this a threat to developers that AI can code and replace developers?
As someone beautifully said:
"AI cannot replace labors and human-work completely, but people using AI can perform better at their jobs and work."
It's now up to you whether you want to embrace this trend and learn with AI or just sit back and believe that AI can do everything. Even though AI has improved significantly over the years, you still need to provide it with instructions to perform specific tasks.
Since most programming languages share common attributes, with differences primarily in syntax and folder structure for libraries and frameworks, learning them becomes easier. You can use ChatGPT to get help with various topics - whether you need a course outline for React.js, have a code problem that needs solving, or are looking for ideas. ChatGPT is a valuable tool for assistance and guidance.
Learning React with ChatGPT
Learning React is not straightforward where you master it in one hour and then immediately build a top-notch website. You'll need to start with the basics first.
Pre-requisites:
You must have foundational knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript before you learn React.js.
Starting with Course Outline
Getting a course outline is the crucial step before you start learning anything or even before reading a book. We can generate an outline using ChaGPT but I won't recommend it if you're an absolute beginner, you will be lost with a lot of topics that might not be important at the moment. However, you can learn the following topics one by one and practice them on CodeSandbox, which we will learn later about CodeSandbox:
Creating a Project with CodeSandbox
JSX, JSX vs HTML
Components and Types
Props
States
Event Handling
Conditional Rendering
Rendering Lists
Component Life Cycle Methods
Hooks - Introduction to hooks
useState
useEffect
useRef
Styling in React
Inline Styling
Using CSS Classes
Alternatively, if you want to create your own outline using ChatGPT, type the following prompt:
"I want to learn React.js. Generate me an outline to learn it step by step."
ChaGPT will generate an outline for you. The response can be varied based on your prompt.
For our prompt, the outline begins with "Fundamentals of JavaScript ES6". If you do not have foundational knowledge in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, make sure to learn those first before diving into React.
In the second part, the outline starts with React. It recommends starting with the basics of React and then learning topics such as React components, event handling, conditional rendering, and more.
The outline generated by ChatGPT is wonderful. However, we want to learn fast by eliminating the non-mandatory topics, for now, we we can follow my suggested list.
Creating React.js App with CodeSandbox
CodeSandbox is an excellent tool for developing applications in the cloud. It removes the need to set up a local environment, enabling you to code, run, and develop your apps entirely online.
Visit https://codesandbox.io/ and sign in. If you haven't registered yet, you'll need to create an account first.
Once your account is ready, select Sandbox from the top bar.
You will see a list of templates to choose from. Select the first one labeled "React."
Once you've selected the template, you'll be prompted to enter configurations, such as the Sandbox Name. Click the "Create Sandbox" button to proceed.
It will set up the project for you.
Explorer: It shows all the files and available folders. Initially it will you the default project files and folders.
Content Editor: Whichever file you select to edit, will show in the content editor section.
Live Preview: Whatever changes you make, it will show you in real time.
The entry file for the project will be index.js. However, you the entry
Learning the topics: Use ChatGPT
JSX and JSX vs HTML
As the first React.js - related topic in our list is "JSX and JSX vs HTML", let's type the following prompt on ChatGPT and learn it:
"What's JSX? What's the difference between HTML and JSX?"
ChatGPT can provide quick insights on the topic you're learning about. If you find the answer is not relevant, you can re-generate the response or adjust your prompt to request a more concise answer.
For the answer, ChatGPT also provides examples to demonstrate the differences between HTML and JSX. In case it does not provide any example, you can type a prompt to request an example as well.
The next topic in the list is components.
Component
Let's type the following prompt to ask ChatGPT to answer it:
"What are components in React.js? Discuss its types. Give examples."
Similarly, you can search for other topics while practicing on CodeSandbox. If you find that you do not understand a topic, you can always adjust your prompt to get a concise, clearer, and more relevant answer.
Conclusion
In today’s rapidly evolving world of AI, the learning curve for developers has changed significantly. To take full advantage of these advancements, it's crucial to learn how to work with popular AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance your learning experience.
