This article provides code examples illustrating different use cases of the svgr command, which is used to transform SVG files into React components. The article covers various scenarios, including transforming SVG files into React components, specifying TypeScript or JSX transform, choosing a filename case, and skipping already transformed files. Each code example is accompanied by a motivation for using the specific use case, an explanation of the arguments, and an example output.

1: Transform a SVG file into a React component to stdout

Code:

svgr -- path/to/file.svg

Motivation:

The first use case demonstrates transforming a single SVG file into a React component and outputting it to the standard output (stdout). This can be useful when the React component needs to be used directly in a command-line environment or piped into another process.

Explanation:

• --: Indicates the end of options and the start of the positional arguments.
• path/to/file.svg: Specifies the path to the SVG file.

Example Output:

The SVG file is transformed into a corresponding React component and displayed in the command-line interface.

2: Transform a SVG file into a React component using TypeScript to stdout

Code:

svgr --typescript -- path/to/file.svg

Motivation:

The second use case builds upon the previous one but specifies the --typescript flag, indicating that the generated React component should be written in TypeScript. This is beneficial when working on a TypeScript project or when TypeScript is preferred for type safety and tooling support.

Explanation:

• --typescript: Generates the React component using TypeScript syntax.

Example Output:

The SVG file is transformed into a TypeScript-based React component and displayed in the command-line interface.

3: Transform a SVG file into a React component using JSX transform to stdout

Code:

svgr --jsx-runtime automatic -- path/to/file.svg

Motivation:

The third use case focuses on using the --jsx-runtime flag with the automatic option. This option leverages the automatic JSX transform introduced in React 17, which removes the need to import the React object explicitly in each component file. This simplifies the resulting React component and allows for cleaner code.

Explanation:

• --jsx-runtime automatic: Specifies the JSX transform option, using the automatic runtime import.

Example Output:

The SVG file is transformed into a React component that utilizes the automatic JSX transform with runtime import, and it is displayed in the command-line interface.

4: Transform all SVG files from a directory to React components into a specific directory

Code:

svgr --out-dir path/to/output_directory path/to/input_directory

Motivation:

The fourth use case demonstrates transforming all SVG files from a directory into React components and saving them into a specific output directory. This scenario is useful for bulk transformations, converting multiple SVG files into reusable React components for further usage.

Explanation:

• --out-dir path/to/output_directory: Specifies the directory where the generated React components will be saved.
• path/to/input_directory: Specifies the directory containing the SVG files to be transformed.

Example Output:

All SVG files from the specified input directory are transformed into React components and saved into the designated output directory.

5: Transform all SVG files from a directory to React components into a specific directory skipping already transformed files

Code:

svgr --out-dir path/to/output_directory --ignore-existing path/to/input_directory

Motivation:

The fifth use case enhances the previous example by adding the --ignore-existing flag. This flag allows skipping the transformation of SVG files in the input directory that have already been transformed and are present in the output directory. This can be useful when updating or re-running the command and wanting to avoid unnecessary transformations.

Explanation:

• --ignore-existing: Skips the transformation for SVG files that already exist in the output directory.

Example Output:

All SVG files from the specified input directory that haven’t been previously transformed are transformed into React components and saved into the designated output directory. The already transformed files are skipped to avoid duplicates.

6: Transform all SVG files from a directory to React components into a specific directory using a specific case for filenames

Code:

svgr --out-dir path/to/output_directory --filename-case camel|kebab|pascal path/to/input_directory

Motivation:

The sixth use case allows choosing a specific case for the generated React components’ filenames. The --filename-case argument provides options such as camel, kebab, or pascal for transforming the original SVG filenames into the desired naming convention. This can help maintain a unified naming convention within the project.

Explanation:

• --filename-case camel|kebab|pascal: Specifies the naming convention for the generated React component filenames. The options are camel (camelCase), kebab (kebab-case), and pascal (PascalCase).

Example Output:

All SVG files from the specified input directory are transformed into React components and saved into the designated output directory. The filenames of the generated components follow the chosen naming convention, such as camelCase or kebab-case.

7: Transform all SVG files from a directory to React components into a specific directory without generating an index file

Code:

svgr --out-dir path/to/output_directory --no-index path/to/input_directory

Motivation:

The seventh use case focuses on excluding the generation of an index file when transforming SVG files into React components. The --no-index flag suppresses the creation of an index file (an index.js or index.ts file) that typically exports all the generated components. This can be beneficial when the project structure or requirements dictate a different approach for component imports.

Explanation:

• --no-index: Prevents the creation of an index file exporting all the generated React components.

Example Output:

All SVG files from the specified input directory are transformed into React components and saved into the designated output directory. No index file is generated, allowing for a different approach to component imports within the project.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored several use cases of the svgr command for transforming SVG files into React components. Each example provided code snippets, motivations, explanations for the arguments, and example outputs. With the versatility of the svgr command, developers can easily convert SVG assets into reusable and customizable React components, enhancing their workflow and improving code maintainability.