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Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children

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React.cloneElement and this.props.children are functionalities within React that play distinct roles in manipulating React components and elements. Although both are employed for this purpose, they are utilized in different contexts. Let’s delve into the specifics of each.

React.cloneElement():

React.cloneElement() is a utility function within the React Top-Level API designed for manipulating elements or components. Essentially, it duplicates and provides a new element or component, utilizing its first argument as the starting point. This proves beneficial when there is a need to append or alter the props of a parent component.

Syntax:

React.cloneElement(
    element, 
    [props], 
    [...children]
)

As we can observe the syntax of React.cloneElement() consists of three things, it can add, modify or extend the functionality of children’s properties.

  • element: It is the name of the element that is to be cloned.
  • [props]: Props that are to be added to the original element.
  • […children]: The children of the cloned object.

Example: The example showcases a Parent component using React.cloneElement to add a new “color” prop to a Child component rendered as its child via props.children.

Javascript




import React from "react";
 
function Parent(props) {
    const newChild = React.cloneElement(
        props.children, { color: "green" }
    );
 
    return <div>{newChild}</div>;
}
 
function Child(props) {
    return (
        <div style={{ backgroundColor: props.color }}>
            <h1>{props.title}</h1>
            <p>{props.text}</p>
        </div>
    );
}
 
export default function App() {
    return (
        <Parent>
            <Child
                title="Hi, This is GeeksForGeeks! "
                text="This is the child component" />
        </Parent>
    );
}


Output: This code will be a Child component with a green background color, in addition to its original props.

Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children

Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children

this.props.children:

In React, props.children refers to the child elements or components that are passed to a React component as its children. This feature enables a React component to both access and manipulate the content contained within it.

Consider this example:

<MyComponent>
    <p>Hi, This is GeeksForGeeks!</p>
    <h5>This is some more content in GeeksForGeeks</h5>
</MyComponent>

Here, <p> and <h5> tags are children of <MyComponent>. 

Example: The example demonstrates a Button component using props.className and props.children, allowing flexible rendering of customized content for each button in the App component.

Javascript




// App.js
 
import React from "react";
import "./App.css";
 
const Button = (props) => {
    return (
        <button className={props.className}>
            {props.children}
        </button>
    );
};
 
function App() {
    return (
        <div>
            <Button className="primary">
                GFG-primary!
            </Button>
            <Button className="secondary">
                <span>GFG-secondary!</span>
            </Button>
        </div>
    );
}
 
export default App;


CSS




/* App.css*/
.App-header {
    background-color: #282c34;
    min-height: 100vh;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    font-size: calc(10px + 2vmin);
    color: white;
}
 
.primary {
    padding: 12px;
    margin: 3px;
    cursor: pointer;
}
 
.secondary {
    padding: 12px;
}


Output:

Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children

Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children

Difference between React.cloneElement and this.props.children.

React.cloneElement  this.props.children
React.cloneElement is used to create a new React element (component). this.props.children is used to access the child components of a parent component.
 React.cloneElement is called as a standalone method. this.props.children is a property of a component’s props object. 
React.cloneElement only works with a single child element. this.props.children can be an array of multiple child components.
React.cloneElement allows you to make modifications to the child components. this.props.children provides read-only access to the child components.
React.cloneElement returns a new React element that can be rendered. this.props.children is typically used within a render method to access and render child components.


Last Updated : 05 Dec, 2023
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