REACT create TabSet

[Hirn]

I’m trying to create a TabSet in React with dynamically created Tabs.
Here’s my simple example:

<TabSet ID="templatesTabSet" width="100%" height="*" paneMargin="0">
  {isTabs &&
    <tabs>
      {this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => (
        <Tab
          title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
          key={index}
          templates={templates}
          pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}
        />
      ))}
    </tabs>
  }
</TabSet>

When I run it, I get an error.
I found that without the <tabs> node, the TabSet renders without errors, so I tried this version:

<TabSet ID="templatesTabSet" width="100%" height="*" paneMargin="0">
  {(this.templatesDS.cacheData && this.templatesDS.cacheData.length > 0) &&
    <tabs>
      {this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => (
        <Tab
          title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
          key={index}
          templates={templates}
          pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}
        />
      ))}
    </tabs>
  }
</TabSet>

But I still get an error when creating the TabSet. What should I do?

PS: The error occurs if this.templatesDS.cacheData = [].

[Isomorphic]

Step #1 would be to tell us what the error is? Right it looks like it might be an error just in your React code, before creation of a TabSet is even attempted.

[Hirn]

I get the following error

_5.add is not a function TypeError: _5.add is not a function at _3.isc_Canvas_addChild [as addChild]
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Core.js:3877:366) at _3.isc_TabSet_makeTabBar [as makeTabBar]
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Containers.js:342:160) at _3.isc_TabSet_initWidget [as initWidget]
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Containers.js:337:6) at _3.isc_Canvas_init [as init]
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Core.js:3598:6) at _3.isc_Class_completeCreation [as completeCreation]
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Core.js:401:6) at Object.isc_c_Class_create
(http://localhost:3000/shared/isomorphic/system/modules/ISC_Core.js:261:47) at TabSet.__createSCInstance
(http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:44764:27) at http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:45055:32 at Array.forEach (<anonymous>) at VLayout.getPropertyValue (http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:45002:25) at VLayout._getComponentConfigWithChildren
(http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:44931:32) at VLayout.getComponentConfigWithChildren (http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:44894:17) at VLayout._createSCInstance (http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:44747:23) at VLayout.componentDidMount
(http://localhost:3000/static/js/bundle.js:44690:10) at ki (http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:104072) at bi
(http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:103857) at yi (http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:103401) at
http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:115069 at ws (http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:115571) at ls
(http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:108137) at S (http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:1399) at MessagePort.T
(http://localhost:3000/shared/js/react-dom.js:2:1931)

[Isomorphic]

The problem is that when this.templatesDS.cacheData is an empty array, the React code creates an empty <tabs> element which gets passed as an invalid structure to the SmartClient framework.

The SmartClient React integration expects the tabs property to either be:
1. Not present at all (undefined)
2. An array of Tab configurations

When you conditionally render <tabs>, but the array is empty, you're creating an empty container that doesn't translate to a valid tabs array.

Solution: Don't render the <tabs> element at all when the array is empty:

  <TabSet ID="templatesTabSet" width="100%" height="*" paneMargin="0">
    {this.templatesDS.cacheData && this.templatesDS.cacheData.length > 0 && (
      <tabs>
        {this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => (
          <Tab
            title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
            key={index}
            templates={templates}
            pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}
          />
        ))}
      </tabs>
    )}
  </TabSet>

Or even simpler, just skip the <tabs> wrapper entirely when mapping:

  <TabSet ID="templatesTabSet" width="100%" height="*" paneMargin="0">
    {this.templatesDS.cacheData && this.templatesDS.cacheData.length > 0 &&
      this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => (
        <Tab
          title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
          key={index}
          templates={templates}
          pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}
        />
      ))
    }
  </TabSet>

The key is to ensure that when there are no tabs to render, you don't create any JSX structure at all - just let the conditional return false or null.

In the meantime though, we'll make the code bulletproof here so even an empty <tabs> declaration works.

[Isomorphic]

We've now bulletproofed the framework so that <tabs></tabs> no longer crashes. Will be available for tomorrow's builds, it would be great if you could confirm it works with your original code.

[Hirn]

With this construction, when isTabs == false, I get an error in the browser console.

              {isTabs &&
                <tabs>
                  {this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => (
                    <Tab
                      title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
                      key={index}
                      templates={templates}
                      pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}
                    />
                  ))}
                </tabs>
              }

TypeError: _5.add is not a function
at _3.isc_Canvas_addChild [as addChild] (ISC_Core.js:3877:366)
at _3.isc_TabSet_makeTabBar [as makeTabBar] (ISC_Containers.js:342:160)
at _3.isc_TabSet_initWidget [as initWidget] (ISC_Containers.js:337:6)
at _3.isc_Canvas_init [as init] (ISC_Core.js:3598:6)
at _3.isc_Class_completeCreation [as completeCreation] (ISC_Core.js:401:6)
at Object.isc_c_Class_create (ISC_Core.js:261:47)

[Isomorphic]

This looks like it's a problem with something outside of the code block you've shown. It might be that, with that shorthand conditional, you are basically providing the string "false" in the middle of your JSX, which is invalid.

[Hirn]

Here’s an example of using conditions in JSX from your documentation, and I used it similarly.

https://smartclient.com/smartclient-.....reactSupport

Conditional JSX
We support JSX that contains conditional child elements, such as:

 <DynamicForm ID="form1" width="621">
     <fields>
        <TextItem name="text" title="Text" hint="A plain text field" defaultValue="" wrapHintText="false" />
        {showPicker && <ColorItem title="Color Picker" name="colorPicker" />}
        <TextAreaItem name="textArea" title="TextArea" /> </fields> </DynamicForm>

[Hirn]

I took the liberty of modifying your code in ReactComponent.js, and after that the version

              <tabs>
                {this.templatesDS.cacheData.map((templates, index) => {
                  return (
                    <Tab
                      title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
                      key={index}
                      templates={templates}
                      pane={this.createTabPane(templates)}>
                    </Tab>
                  );
                })}
              </tabs>

started working when this.templatesDS.cacheData = [].
Here are my changes:

    _shouldInsertTypeDeclaration(typeName, child) {
        let children = child.props.children;
        if (!children) return;
        let outerDesc = this._getClassPropertyDescriptor(typeName, child.type);
        if (!outerDesc) return;
        const isChildrenArray = isc.isAn.Array(children); // for me
        if((isChildrenArray && !children.length) || !children.type) return; // for me
        let propName = isChildrenArray ? children[0].type : children.type; // for me

[Isomorphic]

You've provided some context lines above your proposed patch, but none below. Just to confirm, your JSX code snippet works fine while retaining the original source lines below "let propName = ..." right?

Also, we ask that when a bug is reported, you include the SmartClient version that you're using. Can you please provide the result of isc.version (i.e. evaluated in the browser console)?

[Hirn]

Sorry that I wasn’t clear about my code changes.
Here’s the full version of the _shouldInsertTypeDeclaration function:

    _shouldInsertTypeDeclaration(typeName, child) {
        let children = child.props.children;
        if (!children) return;
        let outerDesc = this._getClassPropertyDescriptor(typeName, child.type);
        if (!outerDesc) return;
        const isChildrenArray = isc.isAn.Array(children); // for me
        if((isChildrenArray && !children.length) || !children.type) return; // for me
        let propName = isChildrenArray ? children[0].type : children.type; // for me
        if (propName == "value") return;
        let className = outerDesc.className;
        return isc.isA.String(propName) && propName[0] >= 'a' && propName[0] <= 'z' &&
            (this._getClassPropertyDescriptor(className, propName) ||
                this._getNumericPropertyType(className, propName));
    }

I noticed that when calling the construction

              <tabs>
                {[].map((templates, index) => {
                  return (
                    <Tab
                      title={templates[CONSTANT.TITLE]}
                      key={index}
                    </Tab>
                  );
                })}
              </tabs>

the child parameter has child.props.children = [] and no children.type, so I excluded such cases.
While debugging, I also noticed that in constructions like <items>, <tabs>, or <members>, children.type is undefined. However, child.props.type is not empty and has the value 'items', 'tabs', or 'members' respectively. But these are just my observations...

Also, sorry for not specifying the isc version earlier.
Here it is now:

Version v13.1p_2025-09-13/Pro Deployment (2025-09-13)

[Isomorphic]

We applied a fix to avoid crashing in your scenario back to SC 13.1, based on your original code snippet (thanks for confirming the end of the function need not change).

This should be present in the nightly builds published this week (2025-09-22 and beyond).