React UI Patterns

Core Principles

1. Never show stale UI - Loading spinners only when actually loading
2. Always surface errors - Users must know when something fails
3. Optimistic updates - Make the UI feel instant
4. Progressive disclosure - Show content as it becomes available
5. Graceful degradation - Partial data is better than no data

Loading State Patterns

The Golden Rule

Show loading indicator ONLY when there's no data to display.

// CORRECT - Only show loading when no data exists
const { data, loading, error } = useGetItemsQuery();

if (error) return <ErrorState error={error} onRetry={refetch} />;
if (loading && !data) return <LoadingState />;
if (!data?.items.length) return <EmptyState />;

return <ItemList items={data.items} />;

// WRONG - Shows spinner even when we have cached data
if (loading) return <LoadingState />; // Flashes on refetch!

Loading State Decision Tree

Is there an error?
  → Yes: Show error state with retry option
  → No: Continue

Is it loading AND we have no data?
  → Yes: Show loading indicator (spinner/skeleton)
  → No: Continue

Do we have data?
  → Yes, with items: Show the data
  → Yes, but empty: Show empty state
  → No: Show loading (fallback)

Skeleton vs Spinner

Error Handling Patterns

The Error Handling Hierarchy

1. Inline error (field-level) → Form validation errors
2. Toast notification → Recoverable errors, user can retry
3. Error banner → Page-level errors, data still partially usable
4. Full error screen → Unrecoverable, needs user action

Always Show Errors

CRITICAL: Never swallow errors silently.

// CORRECT - Error always surfaced to user
const [createItem, { loading }] = useCreateItemMutation({
  onCompleted: () => {
    toast.success({ title: 'Item created' });
  },
  onError: (error) => {
    console.error('createItem failed:', error);
    toast.error({ title: 'Failed to create item' });
  },
});

// WRONG - Error silently caught, user has no idea
const [createItem] = useCreateItemMutation({
  onError: (error) => {
    console.error(error); // User sees nothing!
  },
});

Error State Component Pattern

interface ErrorStateProps {
  error: Error;
  onRetry?: () => void;
  title?: string;
}

const ErrorState = ({ error, onRetry, title }: ErrorStateProps) => (
  <div className="error-state">
    <Icon name="exclamation-circle" />
    <h3>{title ?? 'Something went wrong'}</h3>
    <p>{error.message}</p>
    {onRetry && (
      <Button onClick={onRetry}>Try Again</Button>
    )}
  </div>
);

Button State Patterns

Button Loading State

<Button
  onClick={handleSubmit}
  isLoading={isSubmitting}
  disabled={!isValid || isSubmitting}
>
  Submit
</Button>

Disable During Operations

CRITICAL: Always disable triggers during async operations.

// CORRECT - Button disabled while loading
<Button
  disabled={isSubmitting}
  isLoading={isSubmitting}
  onClick={handleSubmit}
>
  Submit
</Button>

// WRONG - User can tap multiple times
<Button onClick={handleSubmit}>
  {isSubmitting ? 'Submitting...' : 'Submit'}
</Button>

Empty States

Empty State Requirements

Every list/collection MUST have an empty state:

// WRONG - No empty state
return <FlatList data={items} />;

// CORRECT - Explicit empty state
return (
  <FlatList
    data={items}
    ListEmptyComponent={<EmptyState />}
  />
);

Contextual Empty States

// Search with no results
<EmptyState
  icon="search"
  title="No results found"
  description="Try different search terms"
/>

// List with no items yet
<EmptyState
  icon="plus-circle"
  title="No items yet"
  description="Create your first item"
  action=
how to use react-ui-patterns
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use react-ui-patterns on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add react-ui-patterns
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --skill react-ui-patternscopy
The skills CLI fetches react-ui-patterns from GitHub repository davila7/claude-code-templates and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/react-ui-patterns
Reload or restart Cursor to activate react-ui-patterns. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /react-ui-patterns) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?