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Usama
Usama

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✨ Add Sorting Feature to Your React Packing List App

Ever wanted your React packing list to feel smarter and more user-friendly? 😎
In this post, we’ll add a simple yet powerful sorting feature that lets users reorder their items by input order, description, or packed status — all with one fun dropdown! 🎒


🧠 The Idea

When building a packing list, it’s easy to lose track of things as your list grows.
That’s why sorting is so helpful! We’ll give users three options:

  • 📝 Sort by Input Order – items appear in the order you added them
  • 🔤 Sort by Description – alphabetical order
  • 🎒 Sort by Packed Status – packed items grouped together

It’s a small feature that makes a huge difference in usability and polish. 💎


⚙️ The Logic Behind It

We’ll use a simple React state to handle sorting:

const [sortBy, setSortBy] = useState("input");
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Then, based on the user’s choice, we’ll apply a different sorting method:

if (sortBy === "input") sortedItems = items;
if (sortBy === "description") sortedItems = items.slice().sort(...);
if (sortBy === "packed") sortedItems = items.slice().sort(...);
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Whenever the user changes the dropdown, the component re-renders and displays the updated order — instantly and smoothly


🎨 The Sorting Dropdown

Below your list, just add a dropdown for sorting options:

<select>
  <option value="input">📝 Sort by Input Order</option>
  <option value="description">🔤 Sort by Description</option>
  <option value="packed">🎒 Sort by Packed Status</option>
</select>
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Now your users can control how they view their list — and it looks great too! ✨


🎉 Final Result

Your packing list app now supports:

  • 🧺 Easy sorting
  • 🔤 Clean alphabetical order
  • 🎒 Grouped packed items

A simple dropdown turns a basic app into a polished experience that feels professional and satisfying to use. 🙌


❤️ Wrap-Up

This sorting feature is proof that small touches can elevate your app’s UX.
You don’t always need big frameworks or complex libraries — just thoughtful interaction and clean logic.

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