import { useLayoutEffect, useState } from 'react'; import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'; import type { FunctionComponent, ReactNode } from 'react'; const RootChild: FunctionComponent< { children: ReactNode } > = ( { children } ) => { // we can render the children only after the container DOM element has been created and added // to the DOM tree. And we can't create and append the element in component constructor because // there is no corresponding destructor that would safely remove it in case the render is not // committed by React. // // A seemingly possible approach is to create the element in constructor, render the portal into // it and then add it to `document.body` in `componentDidMount`. But that creates another subtle // bug: the portal is rendered into a DOM element that's not part of the DOM tree and therefore // is not part of layout and painting, and has no dimensions. Many component's lifecycles and // effect hooks rightfully assume that the element can be measured in `componentDidMount` or // `useEffect`. // // Another thing that fails inside a detached DOM element is accessing `iframe.contentWindow`. // The `contentWindow` is `null` until the `iframe` becomes active, i.e., is added to the DOM // tree. We access the `contentWindow` in `WebPreview`, for example. const [ containerEl, setContainerEl ] = useState< HTMLDivElement | null >( null ); useLayoutEffect( () => { // create the container element and immediately trigger a rerender const element = document.createElement( 'div' ); document.body.appendChild( element ); setContainerEl( element ); return () => { document.body.removeChild( element ); }; }, [] ); if ( ! containerEl ) { // don't render anything until the `containerEl` is created. That's the correct behavior // in SSR (no portals there, `RootChild` renders as empty). return null; } return ReactDOM.createPortal( children, containerEl ); }; export default RootChild;