React component and wordpress plugin by AJ Partners Ltd.

A React Component and WordPress Plugin in Action

Greetings to all tech aficionados and developers alike! There are moments in our coding journey when we seek solutions that can seamlessly integrate into our projects, offering both functionality and efficiency. My quest for such a solution led to the development of a unique React component and its subsequent transformation into a WordPress plugin.

Without further ado, let’s dive into a live demonstration of these tools, showcasing their capabilities.

Live Demonstration

Below is an embedded demonstration with all the options enabled to display all the data returned of our newly minted React component and WordPress plugin. Data is supplied by the Coindesk API.

Current Bitcoin Prices – WordPress Plugin:

Updated: Loading…

USD: Loading…

GBP: Loading…

EUR: Loading…

Disclaimer: Loading…

The plugin is highly customisable so you display only specific data, for example:

Updated: Loading…

USD: Loading…
GBP: Loading…
EUR: Loading…

Now that we’ve seen the tools in action, it’s time to embark on a journey detailing the creation and evolution of the npm React Component, which laid the foundation for the WordPress plugin.

Journey to the npm React Component

When we embark on the development path of a new component, especially one that’s intended for broad use, there’s always a balance to strike between functionality, customization, and ease of use. The npm React component for fetching Bitcoin price data was birthed from these very considerations.

The Initial Thought

React has solidified its place as a frontrunner in the realm of UI libraries. The idea was to create a component that could easily plug into any React project, granting developers immediate access to Bitcoin price data in various currencies without the hassle of manual API handling.

Code Anatomy

Here’s a stripped-down version of the component’s core API call to offer some clarity on its construction:

// bitcoinService.ts
import axios, { AxiosError } from "axios";
const API_ENDPOINT = "https://api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice.json";
export const fetchBitcoinPrice = async () => {
  try {
    const response = await axios.get(API_ENDPOINT, {
      timeout: 5000, // 5 seconds timeout
    });
    return {
      data: response.data,
      error: null,
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Failed to fetch Bitcoin price:", error);
    let errorMessage = "An unknown error occurred.";
    if (axios.isAxiosError(error)) {
      const axiosError: AxiosError = error;
      if (axiosError.response) {
        // The request was made and the server responded with a status outside of the 2xx range
        errorMessage = `Server Error: ${axiosError.response.status} - ${axiosError.response.statusText}`;
      } else if (axiosError.request) {
        // The request was made but no response was received
        errorMessage =
          "No response from server. Please check your network connection.";
      } else {
        // Something happened in setting up the request and triggered an error
        errorMessage = axiosError.message;
      }
    }
    return {
      data: null,
      error: errorMessage,
    };
  }
};
  1. State Management: The component’s state keeps track of essential data like the current Bitcoin prices in various currencies, any potential errors, and loading states.
  2. Fetching Data: Leveraging axios, the component fetches real-time data from CoinDesk’s API endpoint, handling any possible errors and ensuring a smooth user experience.
  3. UI Responsiveness: The component also features a debouncing technique to limit potential rapid, unnecessary data fetches, and thereby conserving valuable resources.

Download the component and try for yourself!

You can see the NPM package here with links to the git repository, live demos and more. Build using React and Typescript.

Enhancements & Adaptability

One notable feature is the flexibility the component offers. Developers can choose to display data in USD, GBP, EUR, or all together. Additionally, there are customizations available for labels, buttons, and even UI responsiveness based on data changes.

As this npm React component matured, the realization hit that it could serve an even wider audience. This epiphany sowed the seeds for its evolution into a WordPress plugin, a journey we’ll explore in the upcoming section.

Evolution to the WordPress Plugin

WordPress powers an astonishing percentage of the web, making it an obvious choice for reaching a larger audience beyond just React developers. The mission was clear: transform the React component into a plug-and-play WordPress plugin, granting millions of WordPress users access to live Bitcoin price data on their websites.

Why WordPress?

While the React component is versatile and potent, it does cater to a niche: React developers. But with WordPress’s vast landscape, the potential to reach website owners, bloggers, and businesses without them delving into React was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Bridging React and WordPress

Transitioning a React component to a WordPress plugin isn’t straightforward. There’s a need to ensure the React code is bundled and optimized correctly for WordPress. Moreover, understanding WordPress’s infrastructure, like shortcodes and widgets, becomes paramount.

Technical Deep Dive:

  1. Bundling the React Component: Tools like Webpack and Babel were essential in transpiling and bundling the React code to ensure compatibility with WordPress environments.
  2. Creating the Plugin Infrastructure: The React component now had to live inside the typical structure of a WordPress plugin. This involved crafting PHP files that would manage the plugin’s activation, deactivation, and rendering within WordPress.
  3. Implementation of Shortcodes: To allow users to easily integrate the Bitcoin price display anywhere on their WordPress site, the use of shortcodes was incorporated. This enables a user to drop a simple [bitcoin-price] anywhere on their posts or pages to display the live data.

The Outcome

The end product is a seamless WordPress plugin that website owners can install, activate, and start using without a single line of code. The beauty of this plugin lies in its roots: a robust and flexible npm React component.

Download and install the plugin

The plugin is not yet on the official wordpress plugin repository, but you can see all the code and download the plugin.zip from the github repository


From here, we began to see the potential to expand further, looking at integrations, optimizations, and future prospects. The journey of this project reaffirms one thing: In the world of web development, adaptability is the key.

Final Remarks and Future Prospects

Reflection

The journey from a simple npm React component to a functional WordPress plugin has been both challenging and enlightening. It’s a testament to the fluidity of modern web development tools and frameworks, showcasing how they can interoperate across different ecosystems.

Feedback and Adaptation

After releasing the initial versions of both the npm package and the WordPress plugin, feedback from the community played a crucial role. Responding to user feedback and adapting quickly to any issues ensured the tools remained reliable and met the users’ needs.

The Road Ahead

Looking to the future, several exciting developments are on the horizon:

  1. Feature Expansion: Based on user feedback, there are plans to integrate more cryptocurrency data, allowing users to display prices for alternative coins beyond just Bitcoin.
  2. Performance Optimizations: As with any web tool, performance remains a top priority. Future updates will focus on refining the codebase for even faster load times and responsiveness.
  3. Integration with Other Platforms: Given the success of the WordPress plugin, there’s a consideration for expanding to other popular platforms. Joomla, Drupal, or even e-commerce platforms like Shopify could be potential candidates.
  4. Customization Features: To cater to diverse website themes and styles, upcoming versions may offer more customization options, such as different display styles, themes, or animation effects for price changes.

Closing Thoughts

In the ever-evolving world of web development, innovation is driven by necessity, adaptability, and a touch of inspiration. The journey of the Bitcoin price display—from a React component to a widely accessible WordPress plugin—encapsulates this spirit.

Whether you’re a developer, a website owner, or merely a cryptocurrency enthusiast, tools like these bridge the gap between complex technology and everyday users. Here’s to more such endeavors that make the digital world just a bit more accessible and exciting for all.


Thank you for accompanying me on this exploration. Feedback, suggestions, or queries are always welcomed. Looking forward to the next adventure!

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