Lab#RE05-6: chat & ws: front

ReactJS labs

reactjs

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Lab#RE05

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Author

albertprofe

Published

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Modified

Sunday, August 10, 2025

📘 React JS Lab#RE05-6: chat & websockets

In this lab, we will be using:

the react-router-dom, which is a package with bindings for using React Router in web applications:
websockets, provided by ReactJS framework and:
- useState
- useEffect
- useContext
AWS, Amanzon Web Services, architecture as a server-side:
- Lambda
- DynamoDB
- API Gateway
- Cloudwatch

Reference:

1 Step-by-step code

1.1 `SocketProvider.js`

SocketProvider.js

import { useState, useRef, useEffect, createContext } from "react";
import React from "react";

//https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSocket
//https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html
//ceate context we will use as store of websockets
export const WebsocketContext = createContext(false, null, () => {});
// ..........................................ready...message...send

// Make sure to put WebsocketProvider higher up in
// the component tree than any consumers
const SocketProvider = ({ children }) => {
  //two hooks to control states of connection and getting messages
  const [isReady, setIsReady] = useState(false);
  const [message, setMessage] = useState(null);

  //hook to control websocket persistence over
  // re-renders and component tree
  // to any consumer
  const websocket = useRef(null);
  // aws endpoint
  var protocol = "wss://";
  //var word = "no-connection";
  var word = "4rytv4evb2";
  var domain = ".execute-api.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/test";
  var endpoint = protocol + word + domain;

  //hook to execute every render () => 
  //{ function, how many renders we want}
  // void > just one render at first
  //[] > every new state
  //[dependency] > depends on functions within dependency
  useEffect(() => {
    //create socket object
    const socket = new WebSocket(endpoint);
    //if we open, set isReady to true
    socket.onopen = () => setIsReady(true);
    //if we close, set isReady to false
    socket.onclose = () => setIsReady(false);
    //if we get a message, set message on that event (JSON)
    socket.onmessage = (event) => setMessage(event.data);
    websocket.current = socket;
    //close socket on return, that is, useEffect may use
    //this feature as optional, in this case we use it
    //to clean-up and close when exit the tab
    return () => {
      socket.close();
    };
  }, []);

  //create  variable JSON with the 3 websocket-states we will use
  //along the component tree: connection (isReady), 
  //get messages from server,
  //sendind messages : function
  const actionsWebSocket = [
    isReady,
    message,
    //function to send ws WHEN it is called
    websocket.current?.send.bind(websocket.current)
  ];

  //ending component: we call context => WebsoockettContext
  //so socket provider is a component which returns a context
  //And this context goes with explicit props: actionsWebSocket
  return (
    <WebsocketContext.Provider value={actionsWebSocket}>
      {children}
    </WebsocketContext.Provider>
  );
};

export default SocketProvider;

1.2 `Chat.jsx`

Chat.jsx

import React from "react";
import SocketProvider from "./SocketProvider";
import ChatRoom from "./ChatRoom";

export default function Chat() {
  return (
    <>
      <h1>Chat</h1>
      <hr />

      <SocketProvider>
        <ChatRoom />
      </SocketProvider>
    </>
  );
}

1.3 `ChatRoom.jsx`

Declare function and export
useContext: it just like a hook: useContext gets as initial value
1. const [ready, message, send] = useContext(WebsocketContext);
two useStates to control inpus from user: userId and chatId
1. const [chatId, setChatId] = useState("");
2. const [userId, setUserId] = useState("");
Parse message JSON-aws (quasi JSON) from server to JSON and string
Calculate boolean isLogin: let isLogin = messageString.length > 4;
if-else with isLogin to print wether the user is logged or not
function to send login data to server
Packing props to tree-component downstairs
Render

ChatRoom.jsx

import React from "react";
import { useContext, useState } from "react";
import { WebsocketContext } from "./SocketProvider";
import Conversation from "./Conversation";

export default function ChatRoom() {
  //use it just like a hook: useContext gets as initial value
  //the content WebSocketContext
  const [ready, message, send] = useContext(WebsocketContext);
  //two useStates to control inpus from user: userId and chatId
  const [chatId, setChatId] = useState("");
  const [userId, setUserId] = useState("");

  //just to parse message JSON-aws (quasi JSON) 
  //from server to JSON and string
  let messageToShow = "";
  let messageJSON = JSON.parse(message);
  const messageString = JSON.stringify(message);
  //console.log("messageJSON: " + messageJSON);
  //to print the connection after log in if it exists

  let isLogin = messageString.length > 4;
  if (!isLogin) messageToShow = "not logged-in";
  else
    messageToShow =
      messageJSON.action + 
      " (connectionId: " + messageJSON.connectionId + ")";

  //functio to send login data to server
  const sendLogin = () => {
    let data = {
      action: "login",
      chatId: chatId,
      userId: userId
    };
    if (ready) send(JSON.stringify(data));
  };

  //props to tree-component downstairs
  let props = {
    userId: userId,
    chatId: chatId
  };

  //view.......................................
  //conditional render.........................
  return (
    <>
      <div>
        <h3>Chat Room</h3>
        <p>
          Status connection: <b> {JSON.stringify(ready)}</b>
        </p>

        {ready && !isLogin ? (
          <>
            <label> UserId </label>
            <input
              type="text"
              placeholder="Alex"
              onChange={(e) => setUserId(e.target.value)}
            />
            <label> ChatId </label>
            <input
              type="text"
              placeholder="chatReactAWS"
              onChange={(e) => setChatId(e.target.value)}
            />
            <br />

            <button onClick={sendLogin}>Enter chat room</button>

            <p>
              Status log in: <b> {messageToShow}</b>
            </p>
          </>
        ) : (
          ""
        )}

        {isLogin ? <Conversation {...props} /> : ""}
      </div>
    </>
  );
}

1.4 `Conversation.js`

Declare function and export
useContext: it just like a hook: useContext gets as initial value
1. const [ready, message, send] = useContext(WebsocketContext);
declare useReducer to manage conversation states
declare useState to manage text to print on screen from messages
reducer: a reducer function called conversationReducer that handles different actions:
1. When the action type is “send”, it creates a data object with information like action, chatId, userId, and text.
2. If ready is true, it sends the data as a string.
3. It then returns a new state array with a new message object appended.
4. When the action type is “receive”, it parses the message and creates a new message object with properties like id, time, chatId, userId, and text.
5. It returns a new state array with the new message object appended.
6. When the action type is “login”, it parses the message and creates a new message object with properties like id, userId, time, and text.
7. The text is constructed using different properties from the parsed message.
8. It returns a new state array with the new message object appended.
9. For any other action type, it simply returns the current state unchanged.
useEffect: it runs when the message variable changes.
1. It checks if the message does not contain the string “sent at”.
2. If it doesn’t, it parses the message JSON and checks if the action property is “conversation”.
3. If it is, it dispatches a “receive” action with the message as the payload; otherwise, it dispatches a “login” action.
4. The variable isConverastion is used to track whether the message is a conversation.
5. The final line logs the value of isConverastion and message to the console.
Packing props to tree-component downstairs
Render
function ConversationsList

Conversation.jsx

import React from "react";
import { useContext, useState, useReducer, useEffect } from "react";
import { WebsocketContext } from "./SocketProvider";

export default function Conversation(props) {
  // use it just like a hook
  const [ready, message, send] = useContext(WebsocketContext);
  const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(conversationReducer, []);
  const [text, setText] = useState("");

  function conversationReducer(state, action) {
    switch (action.type) {
      case "send": {
        let data = {
          action: "conversation",
          chatId: props.chatId,
          userId: props.userId,
          text: action.payload
        };
        if (ready) send(JSON.stringify(data));

        return [
          ...state,
          {
            id: Date.now(),
            time: Date.now(),
            chatId: props.chatId,
            userId: props.userId,
            text: action.payload
          }
        ];
      }
      case "receive": {
        return [
          ...state,
          {
            id: Date.now(),
            time: JSON.parse(message).time,
            chatId: JSON.parse(message).chatId,
            userId: JSON.parse(message).userId,
            text: JSON.parse(message).text
          }
        ];
      }
      case "login": {
        return [
          ...state,
          {
            id: Date.now(),
            userId: "status",
            time: JSON.parse(message).time,
            text:
              JSON.parse(message).action +
              " at " +
              JSON.parse(message).time +
              " with connection:  " +
              JSON.parse(message).connectionId
          }
        ];
      }

      default: {
        return state;
      }
    }
  }

  useEffect(() => {
    var isConverastion = false;
    let stringMessage = JSON.stringify(message);
    if (!stringMessage.includes("sent at")) {
      isConverastion = JSON.parse(message).action === "conversation";
      if (isConverastion) dispatch({ type: "receive", payload: message });
      else dispatch({ type: "login", payload: message });
    }
    console.log("isConverastion: " 
      + isConverastion + " - message: " + message);
  }, [message]);

  let propsConversationLines = {
    state: state,
    userId: props.userId
  };

  return (
    <>
      <div>
        <h2>Conversation</h2>
        <hr />
        <div
          style={{
            color: "black",
            backgroundColor: "azure",
            padding: "10px",
            width: "400px",
            fontFamily: "Helvetica",
            fontSize: "13px"
          }}
        >
          <ConversationsList {...propsConversationLines} />
        </div>
        <br />
        <input
          type="text"
          name="content"
          placeholder="say hello"
          onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)}
        />

        <button onClick={() => 
          dispatch({ type: "send", payload: text })}>
          {" "}
          Send
        </button>
      </div>
    </>
  );
}

function ConversationsList(propsConversationLines) {
  return propsConversationLines.state.map((item) => (
    <>
      {propsConversationLines.userId === item.userId ? (
        <p
          style={{
            textAlign: "right"
          }}
        >
          {item.userId}: {item.text}
        </p>
      ) : (
        <p
          style={{
            textAlign: "left"
          }}
        >
          {item.userId}: {item.text}
        </p>
      )}
    </>
  ));
}

1 Step-by-step code

1.1 SocketProvider.js

1.2 Chat.jsx

1.3 ChatRoom.jsx

1.4 Conversation.js

1.1 `SocketProvider.js`

1.2 `Chat.jsx`

1.3 `ChatRoom.jsx`

1.4 `Conversation.js`