How to create unique keys for React elements?

reactjs

I am making a React app that allows you to make a list and save it, but React has been giving me a warning that my elements don't have a unique key prop (elements List/ListForm). How should I create a unique key prop for user created elements? Below is my React code

var TitleForm = React.createClass({
    handleSubmit: function(e) {
        e.preventDefault();
        var listName = {'name':this.refs.listName.value};
        this.props.handleCreate(listName);
        this.refs.listName.value = "";
    },
    render: function() {
        return (
            <div>
                <form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
                    <input className='form-control list-input' type='text' ref='listName' placeholder="List Name"/>
                    <br/>
                    <button className="btn btn-primary" type="submit">Create</button>
                </form>
            </div>
        );
    }
});

var ListForm = React.createClass({
    getInitialState: function() {
        return {items:[{'name':'item1'}],itemCount:1};
    },
    handleSubmit: function(e) {
        e.preventDefault();
        var list = {'name': this.props.name, 'data':[]};
        var items = this.state.items;
        for (var i = 1; i < items.length; i++) {
            list.data.push(this.refs[items[i].name]);
        }
        this.props.update(list);
        $('#'+this.props.name).remove();
    }, 
    handleClick: function() {
        this.setState({
            items: this.state.items.concat({'name':'item'+this.state.itemCount+1}),
            itemCount: this.state.itemCount+1
        });
    },
    handleDelete: function() {
        this.setState({
            itemCount: this.state.itemCount-1
        });
    },
    render: function() {
        var listItems = this.state.items.map(function(item) {
            return (
                <div>
                    <input type="text" className="list-form" placeholder="List Item" ref={item.name}/>
                    <br/>
                </div>
            );
        });
        return (
            <div>
                <form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit} className="well list-form-container">
                    {listItems}
                    <br/>
                    <div onClick={this.handleClick} className="btn btn-primary list-button">Add</div>
                    <div onClick={this.handleDelete} className="btn btn-primary list-button">Delete</div>
                    <button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary list-button">Save</button>
                </form>
            </div>
        )
    }
});


var List = React.createClass({
    getInitialState: function() {
        return {lists:[], savedLists: []};
    },
    handleCreate: function(listName) {
        this.setState({
            lists: this.state.lists.concat(listName)
        });
    },
    updateSaved: function(list) {
        this.setState({
            savedLists: this.state.savedLists.concat(list)
        });
    },
    render: function() {
        var lst = this;
        var lists = this.state.lists.map(function(list) {
            return(
                <div>
                    <div key={list.name} id={list.name}>
                        <h2 key={"header"+list.name}>{list.name}</h2>
                        <ListForm update={lst.updateSaved} name={list.name}/>
                    </div>
                </div>
            )
        });
        var savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map(function(list) {
            var list_data = list.data;
            list_data.map(function(data) {
                return (
                    <li>{data}</li>
                )
            });
            return(
                <div>
                    <h2>{list.name}</h2>
                    <ul>
                        {list_data}
                    </ul>
                </div>
            )
        });
        var save_msg;
        if(savedLists.length == 0){
            save_msg = 'No Saved Lists';
        }else{
            save_msg = 'Saved Lists';
        }
        return (
            <div>
                <TitleForm handleCreate={this.handleCreate} />
                {lists}
                <h2>{save_msg}</h2>
                {savedLists}
            </div>
        )
    }
});

ReactDOM.render(<List/>,document.getElementById('app'));

My HTML:

<div class="container">
    <h1>Title</h1>
    <div id="app" class="center"></div>
</div>

Solution 1:

There are many ways in which you can create unique keys, the simplest method is to use the index when iterating arrays.

Example

    var lists = this.state.lists.map(function(list, index) {
        return(
            <div key={index}>
                <div key={list.name} id={list.name}>
                    <h2 key={"header"+list.name}>{list.name}</h2>
                    <ListForm update={lst.updateSaved} name={list.name}/>
                </div>
            </div>
        )
    });

Wherever you're lopping over data, here this.state.lists.map, you can pass second parameter function(list, index) to the callback as well and that will be its index value and it will be unique for all the items in the array.

And then you can use it like

<div key={index}>

You can do the same here as well

    var savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map(function(list, index) {
        var list_data = list.data;
        list_data.map(function(data, index) {
            return (
                <li key={index}>{data}</li>
            )
        });
        return(
            <div key={index}>
                <h2>{list.name}</h2>
                <ul>
                    {list_data}
                </ul>
            </div>
        )
    });

Edit

However, As pointed by the user Martin Dawson in the comment below, This is not always ideal.

So whats the solution then?

Many

You can create a function to generate unique keys/ids/numbers/strings and use that
You can make use of existing npm packages like uuid, uniqid, etc
You can also generate random number like new Date().getTime(); and prefix it with something from the item you're iterating to guarantee its uniqueness
Lastly, I recommend using the unique ID you get from the database, If you get it.

Example:

const generateKey = (pre) => {
    return `${ pre }_${ new Date().getTime() }`;
}

const savedLists = this.state.savedLists.map( list => {
    const list_data = list.data.map( data => <li key={ generateKey(data) }>{ data }</li> );
    return(
        <div key={ generateKey(list.name) }>
            <h2>{ list.name }</h2>
            <ul>
                { list_data }
            </ul>
        </div>
    )
});

Solution 2:

It is important to remember that React expects STABLE keys, meaning you should assign the keys once and every item on your list should receive the same key every time, that way React can optimize around your data changes when it is reconciling the virtual DOM and decides which components need to re-render. So, if you are using UUID you need to do it at the data level, not at the UI level.

Also keep in mind you can use any string you want for the key, so you can often combine several fields into one unique ID, something like ${username}_${timestamp} can be a fine unique key for a line in a chat, for example.

Solution 3:

Keys helps React identify which items have changed/added/removed and should be given to the elements inside the array to give the elements a stable identity.

With that in mind, there are basically three different strategies as described bellow:

Static Elements (when you don't need to keep html state (focus, cursor position, etc)
Editable and sortable elements
Editable but not sortable elements

As React Documentation explains, we need to give stable identity to the elements and because of that, carefully choose the strategy that best suits your needs:

STATIC ELEMENTS

As we can see also in React Documentation, is not recommended the use of index for keys "if the order of items may change. This can negatively impact performance and may cause issues with component state".

In case of static elements like tables, lists, etc, I recommend using a tool called shortid.

1) Install the package using NPM/YARN:

npm install shortid --save

2) Import in the class file you want to use it:

import shortid from 'shortid';

2) The command to generate a new id is shortid.generate().

3) Example:

  renderDropdownItems = (): React.ReactNode => {
    const { data, isDisabled } = this.props;
    const { selectedValue } = this.state;
    const dropdownItems: Array<React.ReactNode> = [];

    if (data) {
      data.forEach(item => {
        dropdownItems.push(
          <option value={item.value} key={shortid.generate()}>
            {item.text}
          </option>
        );
      });
    }

    return (
      <select
        value={selectedValue}
        onChange={this.onSelectedItemChanged}
        disabled={isDisabled}
      >
        {dropdownItems}
      </select>
    );
  };

IMPORTANT: As React Virtual DOM relies on the key, with shortid every time the element is re-rendered a new key will be created and the element will loose it's html state like focus or cursor position. Consider this when deciding how the key will be generated as the strategy above can be useful only when you are building elements that won't have their values changed like lists or read only fields.

EDITABLE (sortable) FIELDS

If the element is sortable and you have a unique ID of the item, combine it with some extra string (in case you need to have the same information twice in a page). This is the most recommended scenario.

Example:

  renderDropdownItems = (): React.ReactNode => {
    const elementKey:string = 'ddownitem_'; 
    const { data, isDisabled } = this.props;
    const { selectedValue } = this.state;
    const dropdownItems: Array<React.ReactNode> = [];

    if (data) {
      data.forEach(item => {
        dropdownItems.push(
          <option value={item.value} key={${elementKey}${item.id}}>
            {item.text}
          </option>
        );
      });
    }

    return (
      <select
        value={selectedValue}
        onChange={this.onSelectedItemChanged}
        disabled={isDisabled}
      >
        {dropdownItems}
      </select>
    );
  };

EDITABLE (non sortable) FIELDS (e.g. INPUT ELEMENTS)

As a last resort, for editable (but non sortable) fields like input, you can use some the index with some starting text as element key cannot be duplicated.