How to Implement Image Drag-and-Drop in React

How to Implement Image Drag-and-Drop in React Using Only CSS

React is widely recognized for building interactive UIs. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through creating a drag-and-drop feature for images in React with just CSS.

Step 1: Set Up Your React Project

Start by setting up your React project. You can use create-react-app for an easy setup.

npx create-react-app drag-and-drop

Step 2: Update App.js and App.css

Next, modify the App.js file to create a container for the image and a heading.

import './App.css';

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="App">
      <h2 className="heading">Select Image:</h2>
      <div className="image-area"></div>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In App.css, style the page:

.App {
  text-align: center;
  width: 100vw;
  height: 100vh;
}

.heading {
  font-size: 32px;
  font-weight: 500;
}

Step 3: Create the ImageContainer Component

Create a new file ImageContainer.js and define a basic drag-and-drop container.

import React from 'react';

const ImageContainer = () => {
  return (
    <div className="image-container"></div>
  );
};

export default ImageContainer;

Style this container in ImageContainer.css:

.image-container {
  width: 60%;
  height: 90%;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  border: 2px dashed rgba(0, 0, 0, .3);
}

Step 4: Add Image Upload Functionality

Enhance the ImageContainer with a file input and text instructions for the user.

import React from 'react';
import './ImageContainer.css';

const ImageContainer = () => {
  const [url, setUrl] = React.useState('');

  const onChange = (e) => {
    const files = e.target.files;
    if (files.length > 0) {
      setUrl(URL.createObjectURL(files[0]));
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="image-container">
      <div className="upload-container">
        <input
          type="file"
          className="input-file"
          accept=".png, .jpg, .jpeg"
          onChange={onChange}
        />
        <p>Drag & Drop here</p>
        <p>or</p>
        <p>Click</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default ImageContainer;

And style the upload-container:

.image-container {
  width: 60%;
  height: 90%;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  border: 2px dashed rgba(0, 0, 0, .3);
}

.upload-container {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  background-color: white;
}

.upload-container > p {
  font-size: 18px;
  margin: 4px;
  font-weight: 500;
}

.input-file {
  display: block;
  border: none;
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
  right: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  opacity: 0;
}

Step 5: Preview the Image

Modify the component to conditionally render the uploaded image or the drag-and-drop area.

import React from 'react';
import './ImageContainer.css';

const ImageContainer = () => {
  const [url, setUrl] = React.useState('');

  const onChange = (e) => {
    const files = e.target.files;
    if (files.length > 0) {
      setUrl(URL.createObjectURL(files[0]));
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="image-container">
      {url ? (
        <img className="image-view" style={{ width: '100%', height: '100%' }} src={url} alt="" />
      ) : (
        <div className="upload-container">
          <input
            type="file"
            className="input-file"
            accept=".png, .jpg, .jpeg"
            onChange={onChange}
          />
          <p>Drag & Drop here</p>
          <p>or <span style={{ color: "blue" }}>Browse</span></p>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
};

export default ImageContainer;

Step 6: Import and Run the Application

Finally, import ImageContainer into App.js and run the app.

import './App.css';
import ImageContainer from './ImageContainer';

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="App">
      <h2 className="heading">Select Image:</h2>
      <div className="image-area">
        <ImageContainer />
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Now you can run the app and enjoy coding your image drag-and-drop feature with React and CSS.

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The tutorial covers how to set up a basic drag-and-drop area for images with React, utilizing file input and CSS for styling, and handling the image preview.