Building a Whatsapp Web UI Clone Using React and React Hooks

Building a Whatsapp Web UI Clone Using React and React Hooks

I recently followed a great YouTube tutorial by Esteban Codes, where he walks you through how to recreate the Whatsapp web interface using React and React Hooks. If you're interested in building a Whatsapp clone or just want to dive into React Hooks with a real-world project, this tutorial is a fantastic resource.

Starting with Fake Data for a Realistic Feel

To kick things off, I generated some realistic fake data for contacts and messages using Faker.js. This part was crucial because I wanted to populate the app with dynamic content that gave it a more authentic feel, like a real-world Whatsapp clone would have. Faker.js really came in handy here—it saved me time by simulating user data so I could focus more on building the app’s functionality, without needing real data upfront.

Creating the Key Components for the UI

After setting up the fake data, I moved on to creating the UI components. These included things like the avatar, the contact list, and the message box. Each of these components was built to mimic the structure of the Whatsapp web interface. By breaking the interface down into separate components, I made sure the code was organized and easy to maintain. Plus, React’s component-based architecture made this process pretty straightforward.

Using React Hooks to Handle State Management

React Hooks played a big role in how I managed the app’s state. I used useState to keep track of the currently selected contact, and useEffect to handle fetching and displaying messages for that contact. Hooks like these make managing state and side effects in functional components so much easier. I found that this approach made the development process more streamlined, cutting out a lot of the complexity I used to deal with when I worked with class components.

Adding a Friendly Welcome Screen

One of the smaller, but important features I added was a welcome screen. This screen shows up when no contact is selected, giving users a friendly nudge to pick someone to chat with before diving into the messaging features. It’s a small UX touch, but it really makes the app feel more polished and user-friendly.

Code Snippets: Key Components in Action

Here are a few code snippets I followed from the tutorial:

jsx
Copy code
// Avatar component
function Avatar({ user }) {
  return (
    <div className="avatar">
      <img src={user.avatar} alt={user.name} />
      {showName && <p>{user.name}</p>}
    </div>
  );
}

// Contact list component
function ContactList({ contacts }) {
  return (
    <ul className="contact-list">
      {contacts.map((contact) => (
        <li key={contact.id}>
          <Avatar user={contact} />
          <p>{contact.name}</p>
        </li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

// Message box component
function MessageBox({ messages }) {
  const [newMessage, setNewMessage] = useState('');

  const handleSendMessage = () => {
    // Implement send message functionality
  };

  return (
    <div className="message-box">
      <ul className="messages">
        {messages.map((message) => (
          <li key={message.id}>
            <p>{message.text}</p>
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
      <input type="text" value={newMessage} onChange={(e) => setNewMessage(e.target.value)} />
      <button onClick={handleSendMessage}>Send</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Wrapping It Up: Build Your Own Whatsapp Web Clone

Overall, following this tutorial gave me a solid understanding of how to create a Whatsapp web interface clone using React. With React Hooks, I was able to efficiently manage state and handle data fetching, making the whole process feel intuitive. If you're looking to sharpen your React skills or try your hand at building a messaging interface, this project is definitely worth checking out.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this tutorial, feel free to reach out. I’d love to help out or hear what you think!