Managing complex state in vanilla JavaScript

Other Questions JavaScript
1

Hey everyone! I’m working on a project with vanilla JS and I’ve run into a bit of a snag. My page has a bunch of interactive elements, like a command palette with selection and hover states. I’m not sure how to handle all this state efficiently.

I was thinking about using a global object to store the state for each element. Something like this:

const appState = {
  commandPalette: {
    selectedItem: null,
    isHovered: false
  },
  // other elements...
};

function updateCommandPalette(newState) {
  appState.commandPalette = {...appState.commandPalette, ...newState};
  renderCommandPalette();
}

Is this a good approach? Or are there better ways to manage state without using a framework? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

2

Your approach with a global state object is a solid starting point for managing complex state in vanilla JavaScript. However, as your application grows, you might want to consider implementing a more robust state management solution. One option is to create a simple store with methods for updating and subscribing to state changes. This can help centralize your state logic and make it easier to maintain as your project scales.

Here’s a basic example of how you could structure this:

const createStore = (initialState) => {
  let state = initialState;
  const listeners = [];

  return {
    getState: () => state,
    setState: (newState) => {
      state = { ...state, ...newState };
      listeners.forEach(listener => listener(state));
    },
    subscribe: (listener) => {
      listeners.push(listener);
      return () => listeners.filter(l => l !== listener);
    }
  };
};

This pattern can provide better organization and scalability for your state management needs.

3

hey claire, ur approach sounds solid! i’ve used similar methods b4. one thing to watch out for is keeping track of state changes - maybe add a simple pub/sub system? that way u can easily update related components when state changes. just a thought. good luck with ur project!

4

I’ve faced similar challenges in vanilla JS projects. One approach that’s worked well for me is using a proxy-based state management system. It’s like your global object idea, but with some extra oomph.

Here’s the gist:

const state = new Proxy({}, {
  set(target, property, value) {
    target[property] = value;
    render(); // Trigger a re-render when state changes
    return true;
  }
});

function render() {
  // Update your UI based on the current state
}

This setup automatically triggers a re-render whenever the state changes, which can be super handy. It’s helped me keep my code cleaner and more reactive without diving into full-blown frameworks.

Just remember to be mindful of performance if you’re updating state frequently. You might need to debounce your render function if things get laggy. Hope this helps!