How to render HTML string as real HTML?

How to Render HTML String as Real HTML 🖌️

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you have an HTML string, but it's rendered as plain text instead of being treated as HTML? It can be frustrating, especially when you expect the HTML elements to be parsed and displayed correctly.

In this blog post, we will explore a common issue where HTML strings are displayed as text and provide you with easy solutions to render them as real HTML. 🤔💡

The Problem 😓

Let's start by understanding the problem at hand. In the given context, the code snippet attempts to render an HTML string using the dangerouslySetInnerHTML property. However, it only works when the HTML string is directly passed as a prop, as shown in the first example:

<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: "<h1>Hi there!</h1>" }} />

But, when attempting to render the HTML string from the this.props.match.description prop, it fails:

<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: this.props.match.description }} />

Instead of seeing the expected HTML output, you encounter a string representation of the HTML content. 😕

The Solution(s) 🚀

Luckily, there are a few simple solutions to get your HTML string rendered as real HTML:

Sanitize the HTML String 🧼💦

Sometimes, the HTML string may contain malicious or potentially harmful code. By sanitizing the string before rendering it, you can ensure security and proper rendering. There are numerous libraries available, like DOMPurify, that can help you sanitize HTML strings. Here's an example of how you can use DOMPurify with React:

import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';

const sanitizedHtml = DOMPurify.sanitize(this.props.match.description);

// Render the sanitized HTML
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: sanitizedHtml }} />

Use a Third-Party Library 📚🔌

Sometimes, relying on external libraries can save you time and effort. Libraries like react-render-html can help you render HTML strings as actual HTML components effortlessly. Here's an example of how you can use the react-render-html library:

npm install react-render-html
import ReactHtmlParser from 'react-html-parser';

// Render the HTML string
<div>{ReactHtmlParser(this.props.match.description)}</div>

By utilizing a third-party library, you can easily convert the HTML string into a valid HTML structure. 🎉

Take It a Step Further 🚀📈

Now that you know how to render HTML strings as real HTML, why stop here? Level up your React skills by exploring more about handling dynamic HTML content, like inserting event handlers or customizing the rendered output of specific tags.

Remember, learning is a journey, and the more you explore, the more you grow! 😉

Share Your Experience and Feedback 📣💬

We hope this guide helped you overcome the frustrating problem of rendering HTML strings as plain text. If you have any questions, comments, or alternative solutions, we would love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Share your experiences, tips, and tricks with our vibrant community. Together, we can empower fellow developers to solve similar challenges and improve their coding skills. Let's grow and learn together! 🌱✨

Happy coding! 💻✌️

How to render HTML string as real HTML?