Home Arrow Icon Knowledge base Arrow Icon Global Arrow Icon How does using PureComponents affect SectionList performance
    React Native SectionList PureComponents performance optimization memoization React lifecycle rendering performance React Native best practices


How does using PureComponents affect SectionList performance


using PureComponents can significantly improve the performance of a SectionList component in a React Native application. Here's a summary of how PureComponents can optimize SectionList performance:

1. Reduced Re-renders: PureComponents implement a shallow comparison of props and state to determine if the component needs to re-render. This can prevent unnecessary re-renders of the SectionList items, which is crucial for maintaining smooth scrolling performance, especially with large datasets.

2. Memoization: By using PureComponents for the SectionList's header and row components, you can leverage memoization to avoid re-rendering these components when their props haven't changed. This can lead to significant performance improvements.

3. Optimized Diffing: PureComponents optimize the diffing process during the reconciliation phase of the React lifecycle. This can make the process of updating the SectionList more efficient, leading to better overall performance.

4. Reduced Memory Usage: PureComponents can help reduce memory usage by avoiding unnecessary re-renders, which can be particularly beneficial when working with large datasets in a SectionList.

Here's an example of how you might implement PureComponents with a SectionList:

javascript
// MedicineRow.js
import React, { PureComponent } from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';

class MedicineRow extends PureComponent {
  render() {
    const { name, mg, capsules } = this.props;
    return (
      <View>
        <Text>{name}</Text>
        <Text>{mg}</Text>
        <Text>{capsules}</Text>
      </View>
    );
  }
}

export default MedicineRow;

// HomeScreen.js
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import { SectionList, SafeAreaView } from 'react-native';
import MedicineRow from './MedicineRow';

class HomeScreen extends Component {
  render() {
    return (
      <SafeAreaView>
        <SectionList
          renderItem={({ item, index, section }) => (
            <MedicineRow
              key={index}
              name={item.name}
              mg={item.mg}
              capsules={item.capsules}
            />
          )}
          renderSectionHeader={({ section: { title } }) => (
            <SectionTitle title={title} />
          )}
          sections={this.props.filteredMedications}
          keyExtractor={(item, index) => item + index}
        />
      </SafeAreaView>
    );
  }
}

export default HomeScreen;

In this example, the `MedicineRow` component is implemented as a `PureComponent`, which can significantly improve the performance of the SectionList by reducing unnecessary re-renders of the list items.

Additionally, the search results suggest other performance optimization techniques, such as using the `getItemLayout` prop, `initialNumToRender`, `maxToRenderPerBatch`, and `windowSize` to further enhance the performance of the SectionList component.

Citations:
[1] https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/14348
[2] https://github.com/facebook/react-native/issues/16968
[3] https://dev.to/m4rcoperuano/react-native-best-practices-when-using-flatlist-or-sectionlist-4j41
[4] https://vectoscalar.com/how-to-improve-the-performance-of-a-react-native-app/
[5] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47678959/react-native-flatlist-performance-problems-with-large-list