Data Visualization and Dropdowns made simple in Vite React: Chart.js, React-Chartjs-2, and React-Select

Introduction

When building dashboards or data-centric applications, visualizations and interactive elements like dropdowns play a significant role.
So In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through integrating Chart.js, React-Chartjs-2, and React-Select into a Vite React project.

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Setting Up Your Vite React Project

Start by creating a new Vite React project. Run the following command:

npm create vite@latest cov-dashboard -- --template react

Navigate into the project folder:

cd cov-dashboard

Install dependencies:

npm install

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Installing Chart.js, React-Chartjs-2, and React-Select

To include these libraries in your project, install them with:

npm install chart.js react-chartjs-2 react-select

📝 Note: Ensure you use npm instead of yarn if you prefer a consistent package management approach.

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Creating a Simple Bar Chart

Here’s how you can create a Bar Chart using react-chartjs-2:

Component: BarChart.jsx

import React from 'react';
import { Bar } from 'react-chartjs-2';
import Chart from 'chart.js/auto';

const data = {
  labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar'],
  datasets: [
    {
      label: 'Sales',
      data: [30, 50, 70],
      backgroundColor: ['rgba(75, 192, 192, 0.6)'],
    },
  ],
};

const BarChart = () => <Bar data={data} />;

export default BarChart;

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Adding a Dynamic Dropdown

Let’s add a dropdown menu with react-select:

Component: Dropdown.jsx

import React from 'react';
import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'chocolate', label: 'Chocolate' },
  { value: 'vanilla', label: 'Vanilla' },
  { value: 'strawberry', label: 'Strawberry' },
];

const Dropdown = () => <Select options={options} />;

export default Dropdown;

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Integrating the Components

Import and use the components in your main App.jsx:

Main App:

import React from 'react';
import BarChart from './BarChart';
import Dropdown from './Dropdown';

const App = () => (
  <div>
    <h1>Dashboard</h1>
    <BarChart />
    <Dropdown />
  </div>
);

export default App;

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Conclusion

With this simple minimal setup, you’ve learnt how to successfully add powerful tools for visualizations and interactive UI components in your Vite React project.

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