React Big Calendar is a powerful and versatile React component that allows developers to integrate dynamic calendar functionality into their applications with ease. Whether you're building a scheduling application, event management system, or anything that requires an intuitive calendar interface, React Big Calendar has got you covered. With an amazing array of features, including event handling, date navigation, and customizable views, React Big Calendar provides a seamless experience for displaying and managing events. In this beginner's guide, we will walk through the fundamentals of using React Big Calendar, and by the end you'll be able to create your first interactive and personalized calendar!

Installation

To install React Big Calendar, we will of course be creating a React app. (I'll assume you know how to do that part.) You can use either npm or yarn to install, depending on your preferred package manager. Open your project's command-line interface and run the following command:

npm:

npm install react-big-calendar

yarn:

yarn add react-big-calendar

This command will fetch and install the necessary dependencies for React Big Calendar. Make sure to include the appropriate versions of React and React-DOM as well, as React Big Calendar relies on them. Once the installation is complete, you're ready to start using React Big Calendar in your React application!

Basic Calendar

So next thing we have to do is install React Big Calendar and its dependencies. This task is easily achieved by running the following command in your project's command-line interface:

npm install react-big-calendar moment

Yarn users, you know to replace 'npm install' with 'yarn add' by now. After that, we jump into the code. I will be showing an example I made just in App with absolutely no CSS or styling on it. First, you must import the required dependencies and the calendar styles in your React component file:

import React from 'react';
import { Calendar, momentLocalizer } from 'react-big-calendar';
import 'react-big-calendar/lib/css/react-big-calendar.css';
import moment from 'moment';
const localizer = momentLocalizer(moment);

The calendar will read an array of events, so we will create them now so we can see them later. Each event should have a title, start (start date), and end (end date) property. Take note that the month's value starts at 0 for January. For example:

const events = [
  {
    title: 'Meeting',
    start: new Date(2023, 5, 28, 10, 0), // Year, Month (0-11), Day, Hour, Minute
    end: new Date(2023, 5, 28, 11, 30),
  },
  // Add more events here...
];

And lastly, you define your React component and render the calendar:

function App {
  return (
    <div>
      <Calendar
        localizer={localizer}
        events={events}
        startAccessor="start"
        endAccessor="end"
      />
    </div>
  );
};
export default App;

Now you know how to craft a functional Calendar component using React Big Calendar! You will want to customize these props later based on your specific requirements.

Event Handling

Events are the juice of the calendar. You'll want to know how to add, update, and delete them. To add an event, you can create a new event object with properties like title, start date, end date, and any additional data you want to associate with the event. Then, you can update the calendar's events array by appending the new event object.

To update an existing event, you need to locate the specific event object within the events array. After that, you can modify its properties as needed.

For deleting an event, you can filter the events array to exclude the event you want to remove. This can be done based on a unique identifier or any other criteria that uniquely identify the event. Once the events array is updated, React will automatically re-render the calendar without the deleted event.

React Big Calendar provides convenient methods and hooks to handle event manipulation, such as 'onSelectSlot' for adding events, 'onSelectEvent' for updating events, and 'onDoubleClickEvent' for deleting events. These methods can be customized to perform the desired actions when interacting with calendar events.

Tips and Best Practices

Optimize Performance: When working with a large number of events or recurring events, optimizing performance becomes crucial. Consider implementing techniques like virtualization or pagination to efficiently render and handle a significant dataset of events. This helps improve the responsiveness and user experience of your calendar component.

Customize Styling: React Big Calendar provides various options for customizing the styling of your calendar. Take advantage of these options to ensure that the calendar's appearance aligns with your application's design. Utilize the eventStyleGetter prop to apply different styles to events based on their properties, allowing for better visual differentiation and enhanced user experience.

Handle Time Zones: If your application deals with events across different time zones, it's important to handle time zone conversions properly. Consider using libraries like Moment.js or Day.js to handle date and time manipulation, including conversions between time zones. This ensures that events are displayed accurately, regardless of the user's local time zone.

To wrap up this episode, this beginner's guide has equipped you with the fundamental knowledge to start creating interactive and personalized calendars using React Big Calendar. Embrace the journey of learning and exploring the endless possibilities this powerful tool offers. Remember, the more you practice and experiment, the more proficient you will become. So, keep coding, keep experimenting, and keep expanding your React skills. Happy coding!

Resources:

React Big Calendar: https://github.com/jquense/react-big-calendar