Essential Search Functionality for Every Software Developer
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Chapter 1: The Importance of a Search Bar
Imagine this scenario. You land a significant project with a new client, and they want to assess your skills quickly. The task? Create an ecommerce platform within 24 hours. You have all the necessary components ready, and after just four hours, everything is set. However, there’s one major hiccup—you’ve never implemented a functional search bar. What now?
Don’t fret! It’s just a hypothetical situation. You have something even better at your disposal: guidance from yours truly. Let’s dive in and learn how to construct a search bar together.
The Project Doesn’t Matter
You might feel deflated by that opening line, but bear with me. The type of project you’re working on—whether it’s selling phones, books, or even random items from your grandmother’s attic—will always require a search component. The concept is straightforward: you have a database filled with thousands of items, and you need a way to filter through them.
Do we care about the specifics of the items? Not really. What’s crucial is the ability to search effectively.
Let’s explore how to build a search bar, starting with a simple visual representation. Try to ignore the irrelevant properties as we focus on functionality.
Chapter 2: Building the Search Bar
To begin, let’s take a look at the code necessary to create a basic search bar component.
import React from 'react';
import { HiLocationMarker } from 'react-icons/hi';
const SearchBar = () => {
return (
<div>
<input type="text" placeholder="Search" /></div>
);
}
export default SearchBar;
Now, we need to adapt this component to accept a filter prop.
const SearchBar = ({ filter, setFilter }) => {
return (
<div>
<input type="text" onChange={(e) => setFilter(e.target.value)} />
<button>Search</button>
</div>
);
}
This modification allows the search bar to update the filter state as users type.
Search Results Implementation
Once you retrieve data from your backend, you’ll likely have an array of items. Here’s how to apply the filter to display relevant results:
{
data.filter((property) => property.title.toLowerCase().includes(filter.toLowerCase()))
.map((card, i) => (
// Render card here))
}
By using the filter, you can check if any titles match the input. It’s as simple as that!
Testing the Functionality
Before we proceed, let’s ensure that everything is working correctly. Here’s how to extend the filter to include city and country as well:
{
data.filter((property) =>
property.title.toLowerCase().includes(filter.toLowerCase()) ||
property.city.toLowerCase().includes(filter.toLowerCase()) ||
property.country.toLowerCase().includes(filter.toLowerCase()))
.map((card, i) => (
// Render card here))
}
Make sure you understand the data structure you’re working with. For instance, a Phone object may include a production date, which you can also filter by.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully built a functional search bar! You’re well on your way to impressing your client and acing that coding interview.
Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions or need clarification on any part of this article. Happy coding, engineers!
Every Developer Needs To Know How To Do This - A must-watch for developers looking to enhance their skills in search functionality.
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