How to Add Charts to Your React App

Charts provide your users with a convenient, attractive way of visualizing data. They can make data easier to understand and can make your app more interactive.

There are several ways to create charts in React, including using basic CSS or a library like React-Vis or React Google Charts.

How to Create Charts in React With CSS

Creating charts in React using basic CSS is relatively easy. All you need to do is create a div element with a width and height, then set the background color to the desired color of the chart. For example:

import React from 'react';


const Chart = () => {
return (
  <div style={{width: '100px', height: '300px', backgroundColor: '#5D6AFF'}}/>
);
}

export default Chart;

In the above code, we imported the React library. We then created a function called Chart which returns a div with a width of 100px, a height of 300px, and a background color of #5D6AFF. This will create a basic chart with a blue background. You can also use Material UI or Tailwind CSS in your React app to create charts.

You can also create multiple charts with text or images inside the divs to create more complex charts.

import React from 'react';


const Chart = () => {
return (
  <div>
   <div style={{width: '100px', height: '300px', backgroundColor: '#5D6AFF'}}>
    <p>Chart 1</p>
   </div>
   <div style={{width: '100px', height: '300px', backgroundColor: '#FFCF00'}}>
    <img src="https://dummyimage.com/40x80/000/0011ff" style={{padding:'100px 30px'}} />
   </div>
  </div>
);
}

export default Chart;

React Charts Using the React-Vis Library

React-Vis is a library created by Uber that allows you to create charts and graphs in React. It provides a set of components that make it easy to create charts with different shapes, colors, and sizes. It also supports animations and interactivity, which can help make your charts more engaging.

To use React-Vis, you first have to create a basic React app and install the library. You can do this with the following command:

npm install react-vis

Once you’ve installed the library, you can create a basic chart with the following code:

import React, { useState } from 'react';


import {
XYPlot,
LineSeries,
VerticalGridLines,
HorizontalGridLines,
XAxis,
YAxis
} from 'react-vis';

export default Chart;

The above code imports the React and React-Vis libraries. It then defines a function called Chart that returns an XYPlot with VerticalGridLines, HorizontalGridLines, XAxis, YAxis, and a LineSeries. The LineSeries takes the data array, which contains the x and y coordinates of the points that make up the line.

Using the React Google Charts Library

React Google Charts is another library that makes it easy to create charts in React. It provides a set of components for creating different types of charts, such as bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs. It also supports animations and interactivity, which can help make your charts more engaging.

To use React Google Charts, you first have to install the library. You can do this with the following command:

npm install react-google-charts

Once you’ve installed the library, you can create a basic chart with the following code:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Chart } from 'react-google-charts';


const MyChart = () => {
const [data] = useState([
  ['Year', 'Sales', 'Expenses'],
  ['2013', 1000, 400],
  ['2014', 1170, 460],
  ['2015', 660, 1120],
  ['2016', 1030, 540]
]);

export default MyChart;

This code imports the react and react-google-charts libraries. It then creates a function called MyChart which returns a Chart component. The Chart component takes the data array, which contains the labels and values of the points that make up the chart.

Disadvantages of Using CSS

There are a few disadvantages of using CSS to create charts in React:

• Hard to use: If you want to create complex charts, CSS can be difficult to use.
• Not very flexible: CSS is not very flexible, so it can be difficult to make changes to your charts.
• Not interactive: CSS charts are not interactive, so your users won’t be able to interact with them.

If you want to create complex charts, React-vis and React-google-charts are better choices. However, if you want to create simple charts, CSS may be a good option.

Benefits of Using React-Vis

There are several benefits of using React-Vis to create charts in React:

• Easy to use: React-Vis is easy to use, so you can create complex charts with ease.
• Highly flexible: React-Vis is highly flexible, so you can make changes to your charts easily.
• Interactive: React-Vis charts are interactive, so your users can interact with them.
• Animated: React-Vis charts support animations, so you can make your charts more engaging.

If you want to create complex charts that are interactive and animated, React-Vis is a good choice.

Benefits of Using React Google Charts

Just like React-Vis, there are several benefits of using React Google Charts to create charts in React:

• Easy to use: React Google Charts is easy to use, so you can create complex charts with ease.
• Different chart types: React Google Charts provides different chart types, so you can choose the best one for your data.
• Support for animation: React Google Charts supports animations, so you can make your charts more engaging.

Increase User Engagement With Charts

Charts are a great way to visualize data, but you can also use them to increase user engagement. Adding animations and interactivity to your charts can make them more engaging and can help your users understand your data better.

So, if you’re looking for a way to increase user engagement in your React app, consider adding charts. You can also deploy your React app to a fast, secure, and scalable platform like Github.