Step 4: Enhance the User Experience with BigDesign

BigDesign (opens in a new tab) plays a pivotal part in the BigCommerce control panel and ecosystem. App developers are encouraged to use BigDesign to develop apps that have a native BigCommerce look and feel.

This step focuses on expanding functionality and integrating advanced design elements available as part of the BigDesign library.

Create the Products List route

From the pages/api folder, open the products folder.
In the products folder, create a list.ts file. The list.ts file will be routed to /api/list and treated as an API endpoint, instead of a regular component.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports list.ts

import { NextApiRequest, NextApiResponse } from 'next';
import { bigcommerceClient, getSession } from '../../../lib/auth';

Add the logic to call the Products endpoint of BigCommerce's Catalog API. You can view list.ts (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Add logic list.ts

export default async function list(req: NextApiRequest, res: NextApiResponse) {
    try {
        const { accessToken, storeHash } = await getSession(req);
        const bigcommerce = bigcommerceClient(accessToken, storeHash);
        // Optional: pass in API params here
        const params = new URLSearchParams({ limit: '11' }).toString();
 
        const { data } = await bigcommerce.get(`/catalog/products?${params}`);
        res.status(200).json(data);
    } catch (error) {
        const { message, response } = error;
        res.status(response?.status || 500).json({ message });
    }
}

Update custom hooks

In the lib folder, open the hooks.ts file.
Add the isLoading property to the useProducts custom hook.

Add isLoading hooks.ts

export function useProducts() {
    const encodedContext = useSession()?.context;
    // Request is deduped and cached; Can be shared across components
    const { data, error } = useSWR(encodedContext ? ['/api/products', encodedContext] : null, fetcher);
 
    return {
        summary: data,
        isLoading: !data && !error,
        isError: error,
    };
}

Add the useProductList custom hook. You can view hooks.ts (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Add useProductList hooks.ts

export function useProductList() {
    const encodedContext = useSession()?.context;
    // Use an array to send multiple arguments to fetcher
    const { data, error, mutate: mutateList } = useSWR(encodedContext ? ['/api/products/list', encodedContext] : null, fetcher);
 
    return {
        list: data,
        isLoading: !data && !error,
        isError: error,
        mutateList,
    };
}

Create the Products page

In the pages folder, create a products folder.
In the products folder, create an index.tsx file.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports index.tsx

import { Button, Dropdown, Panel, Small, StatefulTable, Link as StyledLink } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
import { MoreHorizIcon } from '@bigcommerce/big-design-icons';
import Link from 'next/link';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import { ReactElement } from 'react';
import { useProductList } from '../../lib/hooks';

Resolve Link namespace collision

Because BigDesign and Next.js both have a component called Link, you need to import BigDesign's Link as StyledLink to avoid TypeScript errors.

Add the Products functional component. The Products component uses the BigDesign's StatefulTable (opens in a new tab), a wrapper of the Table (opens in a new tab) component that supports pagination, row selection, and sorting. You can view index.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component index.tsx

const Products = () => {
    const router = useRouter();
    // Retrieve data from the catalog/products endpoint
    const { isError, isLoading, list = [] } = useProductList();
    // Properly format data for BigDesign's StatefulTable
    const tableItems = list.map(({ id, inventory_level: stock, name, price }) => ({
        id,
        name,
        price,
        stock,
    }));
    // When rendering table headers, you can return a string or a React component:
    const renderName = (id: number, name: string): ReactElement => (
        <Link href={`/products/${id}`}>
            <StyledLink>{name}</StyledLink>
        </Link>
    );
 
    const renderPrice = (price: number): string => (
        new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: 'USD' }).format(price)
    );
 
    const renderStock = (stock: number): ReactElement => (stock > 0
        ? <Small>{stock}</Small>
        : <Small bold marginBottom="none" color="danger">0</Small>
    );
 
    const renderAction = (id: number): ReactElement => (
        <Dropdown
            items={[ { content: 'Edit product', onItemClick: () => router.push(`/products/${id}`), hash: 'edit' } ]}
            toggle={<Button iconOnly={<MoreHorizIcon color="secondary60" />} variant="subtle" />}
        />
    );
 
    return (
        <Panel>
            <StatefulTable
                columns={[
                    { header: 'Product name', hash: 'name', render: ({ id, name }) => renderName(id, name), sortKey: 'name' },
                    { header: 'Stock', hash: 'stock', render: ({ stock }) => renderStock(stock), sortKey: 'stock' },
                    { header: 'Price', hash: 'price', render: ({ price }) => renderPrice(price), sortKey: 'price' },
                    { header: 'Action', hideHeader: true, hash: 'id', render: ({ id }) => renderAction(id), sortKey: 'id' },
                ]}
                items={tableItems}
                itemName="Products"
                stickyHeader
            />
        </Panel>
    );
};
 
export default Products;

Add the InnerHeader component

In the components folder, create an innerHeader.tsx file.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports innerHeader.tsx

import { Box, Button, H1, HR, Text } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
import { ArrowBackIcon } from '@bigcommerce/big-design-icons';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import { useProductList } from '../lib/hooks';
import { TabIds, TabRoutes } from './header';

Define the InnerHeader functional component. You use it for the Product Edit page, a subpage of products (/products/[pid]), whereas the main Header component is used for the main pages such as / and /products. You can view innerHeader.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component innerHeader.tsx

const InnerHeader = () => {
    const router = useRouter();
    const { pid } = router.query;
    const { list = [] } = useProductList();
    const { name } = list.find(item => item.id === Number(pid)) ?? {};
 
    const handleBackClick = () => router.push(TabRoutes[TabIds.PRODUCTS]);
 
    return (
        <Box marginBottom="xxLarge">
            <Button iconLeft={<ArrowBackIcon color="secondary50" />} variant="subtle" onClick={handleBackClick}>
                <Text bold color="secondary50">Products</Text>
            </Button>
            {name &&
                <H1>{name}</H1>
            }
            <HR color="secondary30" />
        </Box>
    );
};
 
export default InnerHeader;

The InnerHeader component uses BigDesign's Button component with the variant property set to subtle. By setting the variant type to subtle, you remove the button's border and simultaneously add a hover effect. To learn more about the BigDesign's Button component, see Buttons Design Guidelines (opens in a new tab).

The ArrowBackIcon component is part of the BigDesign's Icons package. You can modify the look of the icon by setting its color and size. To learn more about BigDesign's Icons, see Icons (opens in a new tab).

Update the Header component

In this step, you incorporate the BigDesign's Tabs component into your app. You use the Tabs component to organize and navigate between content types. To learn more, see Tabs Developer Docs (opens in a new tab).

In the components folder, open the header.tsx file and update the imports.

Add imports header.tsx

import { Box, Tabs } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import InnerHeader from './innerHeader';

Declare TabIds, TabRoutes, InnerRoutes, and HeaderTypes variables.

Declare variables header.tsx

export const TabIds = {
    HOME: 'home',
    PRODUCTS: 'products',
};
 
export const TabRoutes = {
    [TabIds.HOME]: '/',
    [TabIds.PRODUCTS]: '/products',
};
 
const InnerRoutes = [
    '/products/[pid]',
];
 
const HeaderTypes = {
    GLOBAL: 'global',
    INNER: 'inner',
};

Update the Header functional component. You can view header.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component header.tsx

const Header = () => {
    const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<string>('');
    const [headerType, setHeaderType] = useState<string>(HeaderTypes.GLOBAL);
    const router = useRouter();
    const { pathname } = router;
 
    useEffect(() => {
        if (InnerRoutes.includes(pathname)) {
            // Use InnerHeader if route matches inner routes
            setHeaderType(HeaderTypes.INNER);
        } else {
            // Check if new route matches TabRoutes
            const tabKey = Object.keys(TabRoutes).find(key => TabRoutes[key] === pathname);
 
            // Set the active tab to tabKey or set no active tab if route doesn't match (404)
            setActiveTab(tabKey ?? '');
            setHeaderType(HeaderTypes.GLOBAL);
        }
 
    }, [pathname]);
 
    useEffect(() => {
        // Prefetch products page to reduce latency (doesn't prefetch in dev)
        router.prefetch('/products');
    });
 
    const items = [
        { id: TabIds.HOME, title: 'Home' },
        { id: TabIds.PRODUCTS, title: 'Products' },
    ];
 
    const handleTabClick = (tabId: string) => {
        setActiveTab(tabId);
 
        return router.push(TabRoutes[tabId]);
    };
 
    if (headerType === HeaderTypes.INNER) return <InnerHeader />;
 
    return (
        <Box marginBottom="xxLarge">
            <Tabs
                activeTab={activeTab}
                items={items}
                onTabClick={handleTabClick}
            />
        </Box>
    );
};
 
export default Header;

The Header functional component uses the useEffect React hook to perform side effects and enhance performance. Notably, performance enhancement is only visible in a production or production-like environment (integration or staging). router.prefetch() does not prefetch the products page while in the development mode.

Test your app

Your app should now display two tabs: Home and Products. Click on the Products tab. You should see a list of products from your test store.

Products page

Latency

When loading the products page for the first time, the latency you notice only happens in the development mode. In production or a production-like environment, router.prefetch() prefetches the products page reducing the latency.

To test your app in a production or a production-like environment (integration or staging), run npm run build instead of npm run dev in your terminal. This builds and compiles your local code. Then, run npm run start to get the performance enhancements traditionally not available in the development mode.

Keep in mind that any changes you make to your code after running npm run build need to go through the build process to be captured.

Create the ErrorMessage component

To surface error messages to the app's users, add an error message component. You can call this component from any page or component.

In the components folder, add the error.tsx file.
Copy and paste the following code to create the ErrorMessage component. You can view error.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component error.tsx

import { H3, Panel } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
 
interface ErrorMessageProps {
    error?: Error;
}
 
const ErrorMessage = ({ error }: ErrorMessageProps) => (
    <Panel>
        <H3>Failed to load</H3>
        {error && error.message}
    </Panel>
);
 
export default ErrorMessage;

Create the Loading component

The Loading component makes use of the BigDesign's indeterminant ProgressCircle indicator. The indeterminant ProgressCircle (opens in a new tab) represents an unknown amount of time for a task to complete. To learn more about BigDesign's progress indicators, see Progress Circle Developer Docs (opens in a new tab).

In the components folder, create a loading.tsx file. You can view loading.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component loading.tsx

import { Flex, H3, Panel, ProgressCircle } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
 
const Loading = () => (
    <Panel>
        <H3>Loading...</H3>
        <Flex justifyContent="center" alignItems="center">
            <ProgressCircle size="large" />
        </Flex>
    </Panel>
);
 
export default Loading;

Add system checks

Now that you have created the ErrorMessage and Loading components, you can add them to the Products component.

In the /pages/products folder, open the index.tsx file.
Import the ErrorMessage and Loading components.

Add imports index.tsx

import ErrorMessage from '../../components/error';
import Loading from '../../components/loading';

Inside the Products functional component, above the return statement, add the logic to return ErrorMessage and Loading components. isLoading checks when the page or component is loading and isError checks for API errors. You can view index.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

System check components index.tsx

if (isLoading) return <Loading />;
if (isError) return <ErrorMessage />;

Update TypeScript definitions

In the types folder, open the data.ts file.
Export FormData and StringKeyValue TypeScript definitions. You can view data.ts (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Export types data.ts

export interface FormData {
    description: string;
    isVisible: boolean;
    name: string;
    price: number;
    type: string;
}
 
export interface StringKeyValue {
    [key: string]: string;
}

Create the Form component

You use the BigDesign's Form component to display and edit individual product information.

The BigDesign's Form component comes with built-in support for accessibility, validation, and handling errors. It supports various input types, including Input, Checkbox, Radio, Select, and Textarea. To learn more, see Form Developer Docs (opens in a new tab).

In the components folder, add the form.tsx file.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports form.tsx

import { Button, Checkbox, Flex, FormGroup, Input, Panel, Select, Form as StyledForm, Textarea } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
import { ChangeEvent, FormEvent, useState } from 'react';
import { FormData, StringKeyValue } from '../types';

Add the FormProps TypeScript definition.

Define FormProps form.tsx

interface FormProps {
    formData: FormData;
    onCancel(): void;
    onSubmit(form: FormData): void;
}

Declare the FormErrors variable.

Declare FormErrors form.tsx

const FormErrors = {
    name: 'Product name is required',
    price: 'Default price is required',
};

Declare and export the Form functional component. You can view form.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component form.tsx

const Form = ({ formData, onCancel, onSubmit }: FormProps) => {
    const { description, isVisible, name, price, type } = formData;
    const [form, setForm] = useState<FormData>({ description, isVisible, name, price, type });
    const [errors, setErrors] = useState<StringKeyValue>({});
 
    const handleChange = (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement | HTMLTextAreaElement>) => {
        const { name: formName, value } = event?.target;
        setForm(prevForm => ({ ...prevForm, [formName]: value }));
 
        // Add error if it exists in FormErrors and the input is empty, otherwise remove from errors
        !value && FormErrors[formName]
            ? setErrors(prevErrors => ({ ...prevErrors, [formName]: FormErrors[formName] }))
            : setErrors(({ [formName]: removed, ...prevErrors }) => ({ ...prevErrors }));
    };
 
    const handleSelectChange = (value: string) => {
        setForm(prevForm => ({ ...prevForm, type: value }));
    };
 
    const handleCheckboxChange = (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
        const { checked, name: formName } = event?.target;
        setForm(prevForm => ({ ...prevForm, [formName]: checked }));
    };
 
    const handleSubmit = (event: FormEvent<EventTarget>) => {
        event.preventDefault();
 
        // If there are errors, do not submit the form
        const hasErrors = Object.keys(errors).length > 0;
        if (hasErrors) return;
 
        onSubmit(form);
    };
 
    return (
        <StyledForm onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
            <Panel header="Basic Information">
                <FormGroup>
                    <Input
                        error={errors?.name}
                        label="Product name"
                        name="name"
                        required
                        value={form.name}
                        onChange={handleChange}
                    />
                </FormGroup>
                <FormGroup>
                    <Select
                        label="Product type"
                        name="type"
                        options={[
                            { value: 'physical', content: 'Physical' },
                            { value: 'digital', content: 'Digital' }
                        ]}
                        required
                        value={form.type}
                        onOptionChange={handleSelectChange}
                    />
                </FormGroup>
                <FormGroup>
                    <Input
                        error={errors?.price}
                        iconLeft={'$'}
                        label="Default price (excluding tax)"
                        name="price"
                        placeholder="10.00"
                        required
                        type="number"
                        step="0.01"
                        value={form.price}
                        onChange={handleChange}
                    />
                </FormGroup>
                <FormGroup>
                    <Checkbox
                        name="isVisible"
                        checked={form.isVisible}
                        onChange={handleCheckboxChange}
                        label="Visible on storefront"
                    />
                </FormGroup>
            </Panel>
            <Panel header="Description">
                <FormGroup>
                    {/* Using description for demo purposes. Consider using a wysiwig instead (e.g. TinyMCE) */}
                    <Textarea
                        label="Description"
                        name="description"
                        placeholder="Product info"
                        value={form.description}
                        onChange={handleChange}
                    />
                </FormGroup>
            </Panel>
            <Flex justifyContent="flex-end">
                <Button
                    marginRight="medium"
                    type="button"
                    variant="subtle"
                    onClick={onCancel}
                >
                    Cancel
                </Button>
                <Button type="submit">Save</Button>
            </Flex>
        </StyledForm>
    );
};
 
export default Form;

Create dynamic product routes

Next.js allows you to create dynamic routes by adding brackets to a page; for example, [pid]. Any route similar to products/123 or products/abc is matched by pages/products/[pid].tsx. To learn more about defining dynamic routes in Next.js, see Dynamic Routes (opens in a new tab).

Navigate to the /pages/products folder and create a [pid].tsx file.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports [pid].tsx

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import ErrorMessage from '../../components/error';
import Form from '../../components/form';
import Loading from '../../components/loading';
import { useSession } from '../../context/session';
import { useProductList } from '../../lib/hooks';
import { FormData } from '../../types';

Declare and export the ProductInfo functional component. You can view [pid].tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Functional component ProductInfo [pid].tsx

const ProductInfo = () => {
    const router = useRouter();
    const encodedContext = useSession()?.context;
    const { pid } = router.query;
    const { isError, isLoading, list = [], mutateList } = useProductList();
    const product = list.find(item => item.id === Number(pid));
    const { description, is_visible: isVisible, name, price, type } = product ?? {};
    const formData = { description, isVisible, name, price, type };
 
    const handleCancel = () => router.push('/products');
 
    const handleSubmit = async (data: FormData) => {
        try {
            const filteredList = list.filter(item => item.id !== Number(pid));
            const { description, isVisible, name, price, type } = data;
            const apiFormattedData = { description, is_visible: isVisible, name, price, type };
 
            // Update local data immediately (reduce latency to user)
            mutateList([...filteredList, { ...product, ...data }], false);
 
            // Update product details
            await fetch(`/api/products/${pid}?context=${encodedContext}`, {
                method: 'PUT',
                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
                body: JSON.stringify(apiFormattedData),
            });
 
            // Refetch to validate local data
            mutateList();
 
            router.push('/products');
        } catch (error) {
            console.error('Error updating the product: ', error);
        }
    };
 
    if (isLoading) return <Loading />;
    if (isError) return <ErrorMessage />;
 
    return (
        <Form formData={formData} onCancel={handleCancel} onSubmit={handleSubmit} />
    );
};
 
export default ProductInfo;

The ProductInfo functional component uses the Form component defined in /components/form. When you click on a product from the products list, it takes you to the corresponding page containing information about that particular product.

⚠️

Avoid unnecessary Catalog API calls

Because you fetch all product data with the initial Catalog API call, you do not need to make additional calls to retrieve individual product data.

The following image illustrates the Form input types:

Form input types

Integrate dynamic routes with the internal API

Navigate to the /pages/api/products folder.
In the products folder, create a [pid].ts file.
At the top of the file, import the following packages:

Add imports [pid].ts

import { NextApiRequest, NextApiResponse } from 'next';
import { bigcommerceClient, getSession } from '../../../lib/auth';

Add the function to update individual products based on the data passed in a PUT request. You can view [pid].ts (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Update handler logic [pid].ts

export default async function products(req: NextApiRequest, res: NextApiResponse) {
    const {
        body,
        query: { pid },
    } = req;
 
    try {
        const { accessToken, storeHash } = await getSession(req);
        const bigcommerce = bigcommerceClient(accessToken, storeHash);
 
        const { data } = await bigcommerce.put(`/catalog/products/${pid}`, body);
        res.status(200).json(data);
    } catch (error) {
        const { message, response } = error;
        res.status(response?.status || 500).json({ message });
    }
}

Test your app

Pick a product from the products list and try changing its information such as name or price.
Save your changes. The changes should appear on the Products page.

Style the home page

In the pages folder, open the index.tsx file.
Update the imported packages.

Add imports index.tsx

import { Box, Flex, H1, H4, Panel } from '@bigcommerce/big-design';
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';
import ErrorMessage from '../components/error';
import Loading from '../components/loading';
import { useSession } from '../context/session';
import { useProducts } from '../lib/hooks';

In the Flex (opens in a new tab) component, extend the styles of the Box (opens in a new tab) component by specifying the border, borderRadius, marginRight, and padding attributes. Replace the Text component with H4 and H1 components. To learn more about BigDesign's typographic palette, see Typography (opens in a new tab). You can view index.tsx (GitHub) (opens in a new tab).

Extend Box styles index.tsx

const Index = ({ context }: { context: string }) => {
    const { isError, isLoading, summary } = useProducts();
    const { setContext } = useSession();
 
    useEffect(() => {
        if (context) setContext(context);
    }, [context, setContext]);
 
    if (isLoading) return <Loading />;
    if (isError) return <ErrorMessage />;
 
    return (
        <Panel header="Homepage">
            <Flex>
                <StyledBox border="box" borderRadius="normal" marginRight="xLarge" padding="medium">
                    <H4>Inventory count</H4>
                    <H1 marginBottom="none">{summary.inventory_count}</H1>
                </StyledBox>
                <StyledBox border="box" borderRadius="normal" marginRight="xLarge" padding="medium">
                    <H4>Variant count</H4>
                    <H1 marginBottom="none">{summary.variant_count}</H1>
                </StyledBox>
                <StyledBox border="box" borderRadius="normal" padding="medium">
                    <H4>Primary category</H4>
                    <H1 marginBottom="none">{summary.primary_category_name}</H1>
                </StyledBox>
            </Flex>
        </Panel>
    );
};
 
const StyledBox = styled(Box)`
    min-width: 10rem;
`;
 
export const getServerSideProps = async ({ query }) => ({
    props: { context: query?.context ?? '' }
});
 
export default Index;

Test your app

Your home page should now look similar to the following:

Styled home page

Start the app

To compile all of the production code for this project and start the app in the production environment, run the following commands in your terminal:

npm run build
npm run start

You should now have a fully functional app that pulls data from BigCommerce's Catalog API and allows you to update each product individually, all in one convenient location.

Home page view

Styled home page

Products page view

Products page

Individual product page view

Individual product page

This concludes our Next.js Sample App tutorial. To continue developing with BigCommerce, consider working through these supplemental materials:

Managing Apps in the Developer Portal

Did you find what you were looking for?

Step 3: Integrate BigCommerce APIs and add a database Optimizing multi-storefront apps