Simplifying Debugging in React with use-debugger-hooks

Installation

To get started with the use-debugger-hooks library, you first need to install it in your React project. This library provides custom hooks that are particularly useful for debugging dependency changes between renders. You can install it using either npm or Yarn:

Using npm

npm install use-debugger-hooks

Using Yarn

yarn add use-debugger-hooks

Basic Usage with Code Examples

The use-debugger-hooks library offers several hooks that act as drop-in replacements for their standard React counterparts. These hooks log changes to your browser’s console, making it easier to identify and fix issues.

useLogChanges

The useLogChanges hook is a simple yet powerful tool that tracks a value across renders and logs any changes to the console. Here’s a basic example:

import React from 'react';
import { useLogChanges } from 'use-debugger-hooks';

function Parent(props: any) {
  useLogChanges(props);

  return <Child {...props} />;
}

In this example, any changes to the props of the Parent component will be logged to the console whenever the component re-renders.

useEffectDebugger

If you have a useEffect hook that runs more often than expected, you can replace it with useEffectDebugger to log dependency changes:

import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useEffectDebugger } from 'use-debugger-hooks';

function MyComponent({ dep1, dep2, dep3 }: { dep1: any; dep2: any; dep3: any }) {
  useEffectDebugger(() => {
    // Your effect logic here
  }, [dep1, dep2, dep3]);

  return <div>Check the console for dependency changes.</div>;
}

This will help you identify which dependency is causing the effect to run unexpectedly.

Advanced Usage with Code Examples

useMemoDebugger

For performance optimization, useMemoDebugger can be used in place of useMemo to track changes in dependencies:

import React from 'react';
import { useMemoDebugger } from 'use-debugger-hooks';

function ExpensiveComponent({ input }: { input: number }) {
  const computedValue = useMemoDebugger(() => {
    // Expensive computation
    return input * 2;
  }, [input]);

  return <div>Computed Value: {computedValue}</div>;
}

This hook will log changes in the input dependency, helping you understand when and why the memoized value is recalculated.

useCallbackDebugger

Similarly, useCallbackDebugger is useful for tracking changes in dependencies of callback functions:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { useCallbackDebugger } from 'use-debugger-hooks';

function CallbackComponent() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const handleClick = useCallbackDebugger(() => {
    setCount(count + 1);
  }, [count]);

  return <button onClick={handleClick}>Increment</button>;
}

With this hook, you can see which dependencies trigger the callback to be recreated.

Conclusion

The use-debugger-hooks library provides a straightforward way to debug React applications by logging changes in hook dependencies. Whether you’re dealing with unexpected re-renders or optimizing performance, these hooks can help you gain better insights into your component’s behavior. By integrating these hooks into your development workflow, you can save time and improve the reliability of your React applications.