React performs the cleanup when the component unmounts.
I'm not sure where you read this but this statement is incorrect. React performs the cleanup when the dependencies to that hook changes and the effect hook needs to run again with new values. This behaviour is intentional to maintain the reactivity of the view to changing data. Going off the official example, let's say an app subscribes to status updates from a friends' profile. Being the great friend you are, you are decide to unfriend them and befriend someone else. Now the app needs to unsubscribe from the previous friend's status updates and listen to updates from your new friend. This is natural and easy to achieve with the way useEffect works.
useEffect(() => {
chatAPI.subscribe(props.friend.id);
return () => chatAPI.unsubscribe(props.friend.id);
}, [ props.friend.id ])
By including the friend id in the dependency list, we can indicate that the hook needs to run only when the friend id changes.
In your example you have specified the array in the dependency list and you are changing the array at a set interval. Every time you change the array, the hook reruns.
You can achieve the correct functionality simply by removing the array from the dependency list and using the callback version of the setState hook. The callback version always operates on the previous version of the state, so there is no need to refresh the hook every time the array changes.
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => setArray(array => [ ...array, "hello" ]), 3000);
return () => {
console.log("unmount");
clearInterval(id);
};
}, []);
Some additional feedback would be to use the id directly in clearInterval as the value is closed upon (captured) when you create the cleanup function. There is no need to save it to a ref.
Why is the cleanup function from `useEffect` called on every render?
Whats the purpose of cleanup function in useEffect?
`useEffect` cleanup function is being called on mount and not on unmount
Why do we have to return cleanup function from a useEffect that's inside our root (App) component?
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React performs the cleanup when the component unmounts.
I'm not sure where you read this but this statement is incorrect. React performs the cleanup when the dependencies to that hook changes and the effect hook needs to run again with new values. This behaviour is intentional to maintain the reactivity of the view to changing data. Going off the official example, let's say an app subscribes to status updates from a friends' profile. Being the great friend you are, you are decide to unfriend them and befriend someone else. Now the app needs to unsubscribe from the previous friend's status updates and listen to updates from your new friend. This is natural and easy to achieve with the way useEffect works.
useEffect(() => {
chatAPI.subscribe(props.friend.id);
return () => chatAPI.unsubscribe(props.friend.id);
}, [ props.friend.id ])
By including the friend id in the dependency list, we can indicate that the hook needs to run only when the friend id changes.
In your example you have specified the array in the dependency list and you are changing the array at a set interval. Every time you change the array, the hook reruns.
You can achieve the correct functionality simply by removing the array from the dependency list and using the callback version of the setState hook. The callback version always operates on the previous version of the state, so there is no need to refresh the hook every time the array changes.
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => setArray(array => [ ...array, "hello" ]), 3000);
return () => {
console.log("unmount");
clearInterval(id);
};
}, []);
Some additional feedback would be to use the id directly in clearInterval as the value is closed upon (captured) when you create the cleanup function. There is no need to save it to a ref.
The React docs have an explanation section exactly on this.
In short, the reason is because such design protects against stale data and update bugs.
The useEffect hook in React is designed to handle both the initial render and any subsequent renders (here's more about it).
Effects are controlled via their dependencies, not by the lifecycle of the component that uses them.
Anytime dependencies of an effect change, useEffect will cleanup the previous effect and run the new effect.
Such design is more predictable - each render has its own independent (pure) behavioral effect. This makes sure that the UI always shows the correct data (since the UI in React's mental model is a screenshot of the state for a particular render).
The way we control effects is through their dependencies.
To prevent cleanup from running on every render, we just have to not change the dependencies of the effect.
In your case concretely, the cleanup is happening because array is changing, i.e. Object.is(oldArray, newArray) === false
useEffect(() => {
// ...
}, [array]);
// ^^^^^ you're changing the dependency of the effect
You're causing this change with the following line:
useEffect(() => {
const id = setInterval(() => {
setArray(array.concat("hello")); // <-- changing the array changes the effect dep
}, 3000);
myRef.current = id;
return () => {
clearInterval(myRef.current);
};
}, [array]); // <-- the array is the effect dep
I know useEffect runs on every render once and also runs according dependency we are providing it, but what dont get is whats the clean up function for? What exactly are we cleaning up also why are we cleaning it?
https://snipboard.io/QqCHce.jpg
Here's a code I've just come across out of many I've already seen.
So I am aware useEffect's cleanup function runs either when the useEffect has to run for the second, and third and n time and when the component unmounts.
my question is our root component that's App will never unmount and when it does, the user is no longer in our app so why bother cleaning? I can understand it for nested components but not for App's, could someone give me a clear picture on this and maybe an image of what will happen if we dont do this.
Right now I'm doing this in my app just to be super safe but i'm doing it because I see others do and not because I know why we should.
Thanks!
You can use more than one useEffect().
For example, if my variable is data1, I can use all of this in my component:
useEffect( () => console.log("mount"), [] );
useEffect( () => console.log("data1 update"), [ data1 ] );
useEffect( () => console.log("any update") );
useEffect( () => () => console.log("data1 update or unmount"), [ data1 ] );
useEffect( () => () => console.log("unmount"), [] );
Since the cleanup is not dependent on the username, you could put the cleanup in a separate useEffect that is given an empty array as second argument.
Example
const { useState, useEffect } = React;
const ForExample = () => {
const [name, setName] = useState("");
const [username, setUsername] = useState("");
useEffect(
() => {
console.log("effect");
},
[username]
);
useEffect(() => {
return () => {
console.log("cleaned up");
};
}, []);
const handleName = e => {
const { value } = e.target;
setName(value);
};
const handleUsername = e => {
const { value } = e.target;
setUsername(value);
};
return (
<div>
<div>
<input value={name} onChange={handleName} />
<input value={username} onChange={handleUsername} />
</div>
<div>
<div>
<span>{name}</span>
</div>
<div>
<span>{username}</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
);
};
function App() {
const [shouldRender, setShouldRender] = useState(true);
useEffect(() => {
setTimeout(() => {
setShouldRender(false);
}, 5000);
}, []);
return shouldRender ? <ForExample /> : null;
}
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById("root"));<script src="https://unpkg.com/react@16/umd/react.development.js"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom@16/umd/react-dom.development.js"></script>
<div id="root"></div>