TypeError: Cannot convert undefined or null to object in react

Question

I am trying to render a simple HTML table to the screen using the following code:

import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import "./App.css";
import { getAllBooks } from "./services/bookService";

function App() {
  const [books, setBooks] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    const loadBooks = async () => {
      try {
        const response = await getAllBooks();
        console.log(response.data.books);
        setBooks(response.data.books);
      } catch (error) {
        console.log(error);
      }
    };
    loadBooks();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div className="container">
      <h1>Simple Inventory Table</h1>
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th></th>
            {Object.keys(books[0]).map((item) => {
              return <th key={item}>{item}</th>;
            })}
          </tr>
        </thead>
        
      </table>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

The array of books I get looks like this :

const books = [
  {
    id: 1,
    Title: "Book One",
    Stock: 4,
    ISBN: "9874223457654",
    ImageURL: null,
    Pages: 281,
    createdAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    updatedAt: "2021-04-30T13:43:07.000Z",
    AuthorId: 1,
    GenreId: 2
},
  {
    id: 2,
    Title: "Book Two",
    Stock: 5,
    ISBN: "9825324716432",
    ImageURL: null,
    Pages: 231,
    createdAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    updatedAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    AuthorId: 3,
    GenreId: 6
}
];

But instead of a row of columns, I get the error: TypeError: Cannot convert undefined or null to object.

This is confusing to me because I have tried getting keys from the output array using Object.keys(books[0]) and it worked, Link to JS Bin. Can someone help me out with this?

On initial render books[0] is undefined as you set the initial state to be [] — evolutionxbox
– evolutionxbox, Commented May 4, 2021 at 13:44

Anoop Joshi P · Accepted Answer · 2021-05-04 13:43:44Z

2

Because the data would not be loaded at the time of rendering. Which will leads to an exception wile trying to access books[0]

Write a condition like this,

{books.length>0&&
 <tr>
        <th></th>
        {Object.keys(books[0]).map((item) => {
          return <th key={item}>{item}</th>;
        })}
      </tr>
}

answered May 4, 2021 at 13:43

Anoop Joshi P

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Comments

snehal gugale · Accepted Answer · 2021-05-04 14:06:12Z

Export the books array from booksService.js to display all the keys

import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import { getAllBooks } from "./bookService";

function App() {
  const [books, setBooks] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    const loadBooks = async () => {
      try {
        const response = await getAllBooks();
        console.log(response);
        setBooks(response);
      } catch (error) {
        console.log(error);
      }
    };
    loadBooks();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div className="container">
      <h1>Simple Inventory Table</h1>
      <table>
        <thead>
          {books.length > 0 && (
            <tr>
              <th></th>
              {Object.keys(books[0]).map((item) => {
                return <th key={item}>{item}</th>;
              })}
            </tr>
          )}
        </thead>
      </table>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

The bookService.js looks like this:

    const books = [
  {
    id: 1,
    Title: "Book One",
    Stock: 4,
    ISBN: "9874223457654",
    ImageURL: null,
    Pages: 281,
    createdAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    updatedAt: "2021-04-30T13:43:07.000Z",
    AuthorId: 1,
    GenreId: 2
  },
  {
    id: 2,
    Title: "Book Two",
    Stock: 5,
    ISBN: "9825324716432",
    ImageURL: null,
    Pages: 231,
    createdAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    updatedAt: "2021-04-30T12:57:52.000Z",
    AuthorId: 3,
    GenreId: 6
  }
];
async function getAllBooks() {
  return books;
}
module.exports = {
  getAllBooks
};

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