The Challenge: The bottleneck of infinite tables
The biggest technical challenge at my workplace was creating complex tables. The process was slow and repetitive, requiring multiple manual steps for every new feature. After hours of investigation, I identified that the problem wasn't just the code, but the lack of efficient abstraction.
My Philosophy: Avoiding Third-Party Libraries
Whenever possible, I avoid using third-party libraries for UI components. My decision to build a native solution with TypeScript Generics was based on three key pillars:
- Full Autonomy: We have complete control over the table's behavior and can quickly adapt it to business needs without relying on external updates.
- Maintainability & Security: Fewer dependencies mean fewer security vulnerabilities and a lighter project (smaller bundle size).
- Technical Consistency: By using only native React and TypeScript features, we ensure that any developer on the team can understand and evolve the tool without learning a new external API.
The Solution: Generic Tables with TypeScript
I implemented a component that uses Generics to accept any type of data. This transformed manual work into a simple passing of configuration parameters.
Practical Example:
// The component uses "T" as a placeholder for any data type
interface TableProps<T> {
items: T[];
config: { key: keyof T; header: string }[];
}
function GenericTable<T>({ items, config }: TableProps<T>) {
return (
<table>
{/* Dynamic and safe mapping with Type Safety */}
</table>
);
}