README.md

Integrating React with Marionette

See ReactComponentView and BackboneModelWatchMixin, below.

Notes

The BackboneModelWatchView could use some additional methods to allow adding/removing watched models after the component is created.

Example

// marionette_ticket_view.js

var Marionette = require("marionette"),
    ReactComponentView = require("./mixins/react_component_view"),
    TicketViewComponent = require("./ticket_view_component");

module.exports = Marionette.View.extend(ReactComponentView).extend({
  initialize: function(options) {
    this.ticket = options.model;
  },

  getReactComponent: function() {
    return TicketViewComponent({ticket: this.ticket});
  }
});

// ticket_view_component.js

var React = require("react"),
    BackboneModelWatchMixin = require("./mixins/backbone_model_watch_mixin"),
    Ticket = require("./models/ticket");

var MyReactComponent = React.createClass({
  mixins: [BackboneModelWatchMixin],

  propTypes: {
    ticket: React.PropTypes.instanceOf(Ticket).isRequired
  },

  getBackboneModels: function() {
    return [this.props.ticket, this.props.ticket.get("comments")];
  },

  render: function() {
    if (this.props.ticket.isComplete()) {
      return <div>...</div>;
    } else {
      return <div onClick={this.completeTicket}>...</div>;
    }
  },

  completeTicket: function() {
    this.props.ticket.complete();
  }
});

module.exports = MyReactComponent;

backbone_model_watch_mixin.js

/**
 * Automatically re-render a React component when one or more backbone
 * models emit any events. Automatically binds and unbinds during the normal
 * React component lifecycle hooks.
 *
 *   React.createClass({
 *     mixins: [BackboneModelWatchMixin],
 *
 *     getBackboneModels: function() {
 *       return [this.props.model, someOtherModel];
 *     }
 *   });
 *
 */

var _ = require("underscore");

module.exports = {
  componentDidMount: function() {
    this._watchedBackboneModels = this.getBackboneModels();

    _.each(this._watchedBackboneModels, function(model) {
      model.on("all", this._doBackboneUpdate);
    }, this);
  },

  componentWillUnmount: function() {
    _.each(this._watchedBackboneModels, function(model) {
      model.off("all", this._doBackboneUpdate);
    }, this);
  },

  _doBackboneUpdate: function() {
    if (this.isMounted()) this.forceUpdate();
  },
};

react_component_view.js

/**
 * Easily create a Marionette view that contains a React component and mount/unmount
 * it as appropriate in `onShow`/`onClose`.
 *
 *  Marionette.View.extend(ReactComponentView).extend({
 *    initialize: function(options) {
 *      this.model = options.model;
 *    },
 *
 *    getReactComponent: function() {
 *      return SomeComponent({model: this.model});
 *    }
 *  });
 *
 */

var React = require("react");

module.exports = {
  onShow: function() {
    if (this._reactMountEl) {
      React.unmountComponentAtNode(this._reactMountEl);
    }

    this._reactMountEl = this.$el[0];
    var component = this.getReactComponent();
    React.renderComponent(component, this._reactMountEl);
  },

  onClose: function() {
    if (this._reactMountEl) {
      React.unmountComponentAtNode(this._reactMountEl);
    }
  }
};