Intro To React, Week 6

Meeting Purpose

Introduce and discuss Bubble Sort algorithm as part of sorting algorithms week, including time complexity and Big O notation.

Key Takeaways

• Bubble Sort is a stable, in-place sorting algorithm with O(n²) worst-case time complexity
• Early exit optimization can improve best-case to O(n) for nearly sorted arrays
• Big O notation describes algorithm efficiency as input size grows (time/space complexity)
• Practice explaining algorithms and Big O concepts to solidify understanding

Meeting Purpose

Review React module progress and introduce building a movie tracking application.

Key Takeaways

• Students generally feel the course pace and structure are good, with a mix of core content and optional advanced work
• The React module is transitioning from core concepts to building a full application (MovieDex)
• Instructor is soliciting ongoing feedback to improve the course for future iterations
• Form handling and validation will be covered, with a recommendation to use React Hook Form for production apps

Meeting Purpose

Review and expand React concepts through the MovieDex application, focusing on form validation, state management, and CRUD operations.

Key Takeaways

• Implemented form validation using the onBlur event for real-time user feedback
• Created add, toggle watched, and delete functionality for movies using lifted state
• Explored advanced React patterns like derived state and conditional rendering
• Discussed upcoming assignments and assessments, including dynamic filtering tasks

Meeting Purpose

To discuss and implement the selection sort algorithm as part of a week-long series on sorting algorithms.

Key Takeaways

• Selection sort is an unstable, in-place sorting algorithm with O(n²) time complexity, making it inefficient for large datasets
• The algorithm divides the array into sorted and unsorted subarrays, repeatedly finding the minimum element in the unsorted portion and moving it to the sorted portion
• A comparison with shell sort on a 50,000-element array showed selection sort (485ms) significantly slower than shell sort (9-10ms)
• More efficient sorting algorithms will be introduced in subsequent sessions

Meeting Purpose

Prepare students for upcoming React assessment by reviewing rubric and building a sample application

Key Takeaways

• Assessment requires implementing 5 core functionalities: add, toggle, delete, filter, and display list items
• Front-end validations and React best practices (e.g. lifting state, immutability) are critical scoring criteria
• Instructor demonstrated building "Backlog Boss" app to track video game backlog, focusing on form validation
• On-blur validation approach was favored over validating entire form on submit

Meeting Purpose

Complete the Backlog Boss app and review React concepts for upcoming assessment.

Key Takeaways

• Finished implementing core functionality for Backlog Boss app (add, delete, toggle, filter games)
• Reviewed best practices for React state management, component structure, and form validation
• Discussed grading approach for upcoming React assessment (focus on functionality and state management)

Meeting Purpose

To discuss and explain the Merge Sort algorithm, including its implementation and functionality.

Key Takeaways

• Merge Sort is a recursive sorting algorithm with O(n log n) time complexity
• It consists of two functions: a helper function (merge) and the main function (mergeSort)
• The algorithm uses a divide-and-conquer approach, splitting arrays until reaching single-element arrays, then merging them back together in sorted order

Meeting Purpose

Introduce React Router for client-side routing in React applications.

Key Takeaways

• React Router enables client-side routing without page refreshes, improving user experience
• Key components: BrowserRouter, Routes, Route, Link, NavLink, and Outlet for nested routes
• Implemented basic routing, nested routes, dynamic route parameters, and a catch-all 404 route
• Demonstrated how to structure a React app with multiple pages and navigation

Meeting Purpose

Afternoon lecture covering React Router, Axios for API consumption, and building a Rick and Morty character display application.

Key Takeaways

• Axios simplifies API calls compared to Fetch, automatically parsing JSON and throwing errors on non-200 responses
• useEffect cleanup functions are crucial for preventing state updates on unmounted components
• Pagination can be implemented by updating the API endpoint and re-fetching data on button clicks
• Error and loading states should be managed alongside successful data fetching for a complete user experience

Meeting Purpose

To discuss and implement the Quick Sort algorithm, focusing on the partition helper function.

Key Takeaways

• Quick Sort is a recursive divide-and-conquer algorithm, considered faster than Merge Sort and used in most built-in sorting functions
• The partition helper function is crucial, selecting a pivot and reorganizing the array around it
• Multiple pivot selection strategies exist (end, random, middle), with the end-value approach being easiest for beginners
• The main Quick Sort function recursively applies partitioning until the array is fully sorted

Meeting Purpose

Review React's Context API and useReducer hook, and refactor a movie application to use these features.

Key Takeaways

• Context API alleviates prop drilling by providing a way to share state across components without passing props manually.
• useReducer is an alternative to useState for more complex state management, especially useful when combined with Context API.
• Refactoring an existing app to use Context and useReducer can centralize state management and simplify component interactions.