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Building a React code editor and syntax highlighter from scratch

Blog post from LogRocket

Post Details
Company
Date Published
Author
Madars Bišs
Word Count
2,873
Language
-
Hacker News Points
-
Summary

The article provides a comprehensive guide to creating a React-based code editor and syntax highlighter, offering developers an interactive tool to input code and visualize its highlighted format across different languages and themes. It begins by explaining the concept and benefits of syntax highlighting, which enhances code readability and error detection, and compares popular libraries such as Prism.js and Highlight.js. The tutorial then details the step-by-step process of setting up a React project using Create React App, developing components like Dropdown, Editor, and Highlighter, and integrating the react-syntax-highlighter package to apply language-specific syntax highlighting. By leveraging React's useState Hook, the tutorial demonstrates how to manage user interactions and dynamically update the code editor's state. The article concludes by suggesting potential future enhancements, such as adding authentication and database features for a more robust user experience.