What is Prettier in React?

One of the many amazing things about React is that it’s more visually appealing than traditional web development frameworks like AngularJS. This might be because React favors a "simple" and "elastic" design over complex directives and components.

Other factors contributing to React's visual appeal are the use of stateless components and declarative rendering. This means that instead of specifying how each component should look, you simply specify what data it needs and React will take care of the rest.

In the end, it really depends on your personal taste − some people might prefer AngularJS' more polished look, while others might find React's simpler design more pleasing.

So why should you use prettier in React? Prettier can help you avoid common errors in your codebase. By automatically formatting your code, prettier can help identify issues early on − before they become difficult to track down and fix.

What is Prettier?

Prettier is an opinionated code formatter that helps you maintain consistent code formatting across different editors and programming languages. It is a utility that formats code automatically to make it more readable.

It supports a wide number of coding scripts and languages, namely JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, Vue, Angular, CSS & SCSS, JSON, HTML, GraphQL, Markdown, Flow, etc.

It can also be used as a stand−alone tool or as a plugin for various code editors. Prettier supports a wide range of programming languages and file formats, making it a versatile tool for code formatting.

The biggest advantage of prettier over other formatting tools is that it formats the code in an editor itself without any manual intervention required.

It has two main goals −

• To remove the need for manual code formatting,

• To provide support for older browsers and legacy environments that do not support the latest JavaScript features.

Using a tool like prettier really makes it simpler to write code since you can format it immediately thereafter.

Having a shared style guide is widely acknowledged to be beneficial for a project and team, but getting there is a very difficult and frustrating process. When it comes to certain styles of creating code, people become quite emotional, and nobody enjoys spending time writing and hearing criticism.

The primary motivation for using Prettier is to put an end to the constant discussions regarding various coding styles.The primary motivation for using Prettier is to put an end to the constant discussions regarding various coding styles.

Benefits of Prettier Code Formatter

Prettier makes your code more readable. When you use prettier, all of your lines will be wrapped with either curly or straight brackets (as needed), and they will be indented by default. This makes it easier to follow the flow of the code and understand how each line works together.

There are a number of reasons why you might want to use prettier −

• It can help you avoid common errors, such as forgetting to add a semicolon to the end of a code and improves the quality of your work. Ultimately, using prettier is a great way to improve the quality and readability of your codebase.

• Prettier helps you maintain a consistent code style across your project. It can also be configured to automatically format your code as you type, which can save you a lot of time in the long run.

• Enforcing a consistent style across your codebase is very important. Prettier can be used to format code in a wide variety of programming languages and is popular among developers who want to ensure that their code adheres to a consistent style.

Overall, using prettier can help to create a common easy-to-read and accessible coding environment for the entire team and any external entity to work with.

How does Prettier Works?

Prettier works by taking your source files and transforming them into minified versions that are smaller in size. This process makes the code easier to read and understand − especially when it's deployed to a web server or run on a development environment.

Pretty also includes features like linting (checking for errors) and unit testing (enforcing quality standards). If you want an automated way to improve the quality of your codebase, prettier is definitely worth considering.

When you use prettier, all of your lines will be wrapped with relevant brackets, and they will be indented by default. This makes it easier to follow the flow of the code and understand how each line works together.

Prettier is considered as the most supporting code formatter, which imposes a regular style by re-printing and parsing your code with its rules considering the maximum line width. By default, prettier will wrap code when it reaches the end of the line. It can also print in multiple output styles, including:

• Expanded − Each property is on its own line.

• Compact − All properties are on the same line.

• Compressed − All properties are on the same line, with no whitespace.

Prettier can also format your code according to a specific set of rules. For example, you can tell prettier to format only code that is wrapped in parentheses.

In addition to formatting code, Prettier can also format Markdown files. By default, it will wrap Markdown code blocks when they reach the end of the line. You can also tell Prettier to format only code blocks that are wrapped in parentheses.

Troubleshooting tips for React

If you're having trouble getting your React code to look pretty, there are a few things you can try −

• Make sure you're using a code editor that supports syntax highlighting for React. This process will make it easier to spot errors in your code.

• Try using a different code style. Some people prefer to use a "camel case" style, while others prefer a "kebab case" style.

• Ensure using the latest version of React.

As the project evolves, new features are added, and old ones are deprecated. Keeping up−to−date with the latest version will help you avoid any potential problems.

Conclusion

Because it ignores the original styling by re-printing with its own rules that take the maximum line length into consideration, wrapping code when appropriate, Prettier ensures an uniform code style across your whole codebase.

It’s pretty obvious as to why “Prettier style guide” is favored over others as it’s the only style guide that is automatic and comes with pretty amazing & unique features