I’m currently working on implementing a search functionality using the React Query library in my application. While I have a basic implementation in place, I’m seeking advice on how to optimize the handling of search queries effectively.

hook:

// getAppointmentsSearchAsync function
async function getAppointmentsSearchAsync({ search }) {
  let url = "/appointment/search";
  if (search && search !== "") {
    url = url + `?appointmentSearch=${search}`;
  }
  const { data } = await authFetch(url);
  return data;
}

// useGetAppointmentsSearch hook
export function useGetAppointmentsSearch({
  search,
  debounce = 1500,
  inputRef,
}) {
  const debouncedSearchQuery = useDebounce(search, debounce);
  if (inputRef.current) {
    inputRef.current.focus();
  }
  const query = useQuery({
    queryKey: ["appointments", debouncedSearchQuery ?? ""],
    queryFn: () => getAppointmentsSearchAsync({ search: debouncedSearchQuery }),
    keepPreviousData: true,
  });

  return query;
}

SearchPage component

const SearchPage = () => {
  const [search, setSearch] = useState("");
  const inputRef = useRef(null);
  const navigate = useNavigate();
  const { data, error, status } = useGetAppointmentsSearch({
    search,
    inputRef,
  });

  useEffect(() => {
    const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
    const querySearchTerm = searchParams.get("search");
    if (querySearchTerm) {
      setSearch(querySearchTerm);
    }
  }, [location]);

  const handleInputChange = (e) => {
    setSearch(e.target.value);
    navigate(`/appointments?search=${search}`);
  };

  return (
    <div className="appointment-list search-list">
      {status === "pending" ? (
        <Loader />
      ) : status === "error" ? (
        <span>Error: {error.message}</span>
      ) : data && data.appointments && data.appointments.length > 0 ? (
        data.appointments.map((appointment, index) => (
          <AppointmentItem key={index} {...appointment} />
        ))
      ) : (
        <h3>No Appointment Data..</h3>
      )}
    </div>
  );
};

export default SearchPage;

I expected that updating the query parameter on every keystroke might result in frequent server requests, potentially impacting the application’s performance.

By considering the integration of a debounce mechanism, I aimed to enhance the search experience by reducing the number of server requests while ensuring timely updates to the search results displayed to the user.