Скачать или смотреть How to Grab a React Element in a Chrome Extension

Learn effective methods to grab React elements by class in your Chrome extension, overcoming challenges with dynamic class names.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/71734857/ asked by the user 'Kalip' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4699607/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/71734895/ provided by the user 'Quentin' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/19068/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to grab a react element in chrome extension?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Grab a React Element in a Chrome Extension

If you're diving into the world of Chrome extensions and working with websites built using React, you might encounter some challenges when trying to grab elements from the DOM. One common issue developers face is the unpredictability of React class names after every build. In this guide, we'll explore how to effectively grab a React element in a Chrome extension, especially when class names keep changing. We'll break it down into easy-to-understand sections to make the process clear and manageable.

Understanding the Problem

React applications often generate dynamic class names that can change with each new build. For example, you may see a div with a class like:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Relying on these class names is not a good strategy since they can vary each time the application is built, making it essentially impossible to use them reliably for grabbing elements in your Chrome extension.

Key Question:

How can we grab or select a React element when its class names are not predictable?

Solutions to the Problem

1. Finding Elements by Structured Relationships

If the class names of the element you need are inconsistent, you can use the element's position or structure within the DOM. Here’s how you can do this effectively:

Use Sibling Relationships: You might look for an element using its relative position in the DOM. For instance, if you need to grab a div that is the third next sibling of the first h1 tag, your JavaScript code could look something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In the above example, the selector is targeting the third h1 element, which may be located adjacent to your target div.

2. Utilize Specific Attributes

Another useful strategy is to look for specific attributes rather than relying on class names alone. This can be particularly effective if you know certain properties of the elements you want to retrieve. For example:

Data Attributes: If the element has a unique data attribute, use querySelector to grab it:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Using CSS Selectors Effectively

CSS selectors can offer additional grips on selecting elements without relying too heavily on React’s class names. You might use combinations of existing classes or pseudo-selectors:

Example: If your div contains identifiable text or unique styles, you could apply something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This example uses the *= operator to match a class containing a specific string, making it more resilient against changing class names.

Final Thoughts

Grabbing elements from a React application using a Chrome extension can be tricky due to the dynamic nature of class names. By using alternative strategies such as looking at structural relationships, specific attributes, and effective CSS selectors, you can navigate these challenges successfully.

Important Takeaway

When working with React in a Chrome extension, ensure your element selection logic is flexible to adapt to changes in class names. This approach keeps your extension functional, regardless of how often the site's underlying code evolves.

By integrating these methods into your Chrome extension development process, you can streamline your workflow and enhance your abilities to interact with React-based websites.