slideUp() and slideDown() animation using React.js

Question

I have created a react component which consist of slideUp() and slideDown() animation. I have implemented using jQuery slideup and slidedown methods.

I have to implement this feature using react animation.

I read about ReactTransitionGroup and ReactCSSTransitionGroup. The way of explanation taught me, we can do this functionality when DomNode mounted to a component or unmount(Correct me if I am wrong).

My question is --> how to do slideup() and slidedown() in react way and without using jQuery.

See this jsFiddle for https://jsfiddle.net/guc3yrm1/

P.S - > Please explain me why this react animation part seems bit a difficult when compare to jQuery(I am a jQuery guy)

var Hello = React.createClass({
    getInitialState: function() {
        return {
            slide: false,
        }
    },
    slide: function() {
        if (this.state.slide) {
            $(this.refs.slide).slideDown();
            this.setState({
                slide: false
            });
        } else {
            $(this.refs.slide).slideUp();
            this.setState({
                slide: true
            });
        }
    },
    render: function() {
        return ( 
            <div>
                <input type = "button" value = "clickme" onClick = {this.slide}/> 
                <br />
                <br />
                <div className = "slide" ref="slide" >< /div>
            </div>
        );
    }
});

ReactDOM.render( < Hello name = "World" / > ,
    document.getElementById('container')
);

Answer 1

You can implement the animations in the both animations' APIs. Here is the main difference:

ReactTransitionGroup is the API upon which ReactCSSTransitionGroup is built. The main difference between the two is that ReactTransitionGroup animations are written in Javascript instead of CSS, and a callback is provided to be invoked when animations are complete instead of relying on CSS transition events.

My conclusion is use CSS animations for the simple tasks, while Javascript for the complex ones.

For example if the component has static height - you can implement it via CSS, as the example shows below. But if the width/height are dynamic, then you can do it with Javascript. In the Javascript example I'm using Velocity library for the animations. It's performance better than jQuery's animations. Of course you can implement the animations by yourself, but why to reinvent the wheel?

I've implemented slideUp/slideDown with the both APIs. Check it out below.

(CSS) Implementation via ReactCSSTransitionGroup:

const CSSTransitionGroup = React.addons.CSSTransitionGroup;
const TransitionGroup = React.addons.TransitionGroup;

class Example extends React.Component{
    constructor(props) {
        super(props);
        this.state = { visible: false };
        this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this)
    }

    handleClick() {
    	this.setState({ visible: ! this.state.visible });
    }

    render() {
        return <div>
            <button onClick={this.handleClick}>{this.state.visible ? 'Slide up' : 'Slide down'}</button>
            <CSSTransitionGroup transitionName="example">
            	{ this.state.visible ? <div className='panel' /> : null }
            </CSSTransitionGroup>
        </div>
    }
}

React.render(<Example />, document.getElementById('container'));

.panel {
    width: 200px;
    height: 100px;
    background: green;
    margin-top: 10px;
}

.example-enter {
    height: 0px;
}

.example-enter.example-enter-active {
    height: 100px;
    -webkit-transition: height .3s ease;
}

.example-leave.example-leave-active {
    height: 0px;
    -webkit-transition: height .3s ease;
}

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react-dom.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/0.13.1/react-with-addons.js"></script>
<div id="container">
    <!-- This element's contents will be replaced with your component. -->
</div>

JSFiddle - React Slide up and Slide down animation - CSS Transtion Group.

---

(Javascript) Implementation via ReactTransitionGroup:

const TransitionGroup = React.addons.TransitionGroup;

class Example extends React.Component{
    constructor(props) {
        super(props);
        this.state = { visible: false };
        this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this)
    }

    handleClick() {
        this.setState({ visible: ! this.state.visible });
    }

    render() {
        return <div>
            <button onClick={this.handleClick}>{this.state.visible ? 'Slide up' : 'Slide down'}</button>
                <TransitionGroup>
                    { this.state.visible ? <Accordion /> : null }
                </TransitionGroup>
            </div>
        }
    }

    class Accordion extends React.Component {
        componentWillEnter (callback) {
            const element = this.container.getDOMNode();
            Velocity(element, 'slideDown', { duration: 300 }).then(callback);
        }

        componentWillLeave (callback) {
            const element = this.container.getDOMNode();
            Velocity(element, 'slideUp', { duration: 300 }).then(callback);
        }

        setContainer(c) {
            this.container = c;
        }

        render() {
            return <div className="panel" ref={this.setContainer.bind(this)}>
                Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.
                Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
            </div>
        }
    }

React.render(<Example />, document.getElementById('container'));

.panel {
    background: green;
    margin-top: 10px;
}

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/15.1.0/react-dom.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/react/0.13.1/react-with-addons.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/velocity/1.4.3/velocity.min.js"></script>

<div id="container">
    <!-- This element's contents will be replaced with your component. -->
</div>

JSFiddle - React Slide up and Slide down animation - Javascript Transition group.

---

Credits:

• Animations with ReactTransitionGroup
• CSS vs. JS Animation: Which is Faster?

Answer 2

If you (like me) came here in search for a react alternative to jQuery's slideDown/slideUp, then react-slidedown seems like an easy to use react component. It's github page has a demo and example code.

Answer 3

As requested by Jordan Enev i forked his JSFiddle.

Here is a solution that doesn't require React Css Transition Group whatsoever. I am personally a fan of class-toggles. That was you can create the css animation however you like it to be.

https://jsfiddle.net/fyuh32je/3/

(whole code in the fiddle)

class Example extends React.Component{
    constructor(props) {
        super(props);
        this.state = { visible: 'panel' };
        this.handleClick = this.handleClick.bind(this)
    }

    handleClick() {
        this.setState({ visible: this.state.visible == 'panel'? 'panel visible' : 'panel' });
    }

    render() {
        return <div>
            <button onClick={this.handleClick}>{!this.state.visible == 'panel' ? 'Slide up' : 'Slide down'}</button>
                <div className={this.state.visible}>
                <p>This is some dynamic content!</p>
                <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</p>
              </div>
        </div>
    }
}

React.render(<Example />, document.getElementById('container'));

I know it's dirty to use the visible state variable like that, but I am at work and didn't have too much time to change too much. Note that we are using the visible class to toggle the div container with an animation.

Generally speaking. Dynamic height containers can be animated with the hacky usage of max-height attribute in css.