useClickOutside

Why useClickOutside

Managing click outside events can be a common task in React applications, and this hook provides an easy way to handle it in a consistent and reusable way.

Installation

To use useClickOutside in your project, you can install it from npm:

npm install --dev @pillar-ui/hooks

Usage

To use the useClickOutside hook in your React components, import it and call it in your functional component like this:

import { useState } from 'react'
import { useClickOutside } from '@pillar-ui/hooks'

function App() {
  const [isOpen, setOpen] = useState(false)

  const handleOutsideClick = () => {
    setOpen(false)
  }

  const outsideRef = useClickOutside(handleOutsideClick)

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={()=> setOpen(!isOpen)}>Toggle Menu</button>
      {isOpen && (
        <div ref={outsideRef} style={{ border: '1px solid black', padding: '10px' }}>
          Click outside this box to close the menu.
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  )
}

How It Works

The useClickOutside hook attaches a ref to the specified DOM element. It then listens for click events on the entire document. When a click event occurs, the hook checks if the event's target is outside the element referenced by the ref. If it's outside, the provided handler function is executed.

Use Case

The useClickOutside hook can be used in a variety of situations, such as:

Toggling the visibility of an element when the user clicks outside of it.
Closing a modal when the user clicks outside of it.
Hiding a menu when the user clicks outside of it.
Preventing the user from clicking on elements that they are not supposed to click on.

Implementation details

The useClickOutside hook uses the useRef and useEffect hooks from the React library to manage the boolean state value and update functions respectively.

TypeScript Support

This hook is written in TypeScript and provides type definitions for its usage

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues using the useClickOutside hook, please refer to the documentation or open an issue on the project's GitHub repository.

Conclusion

The useClickOutside custom hook is a useful tool for adding click outside functionality to your React application. By using this hook, you can make your app more accessible and improve the user experience for your users.

useClickOutside documentation