Programming Tutorials

  Migrating legacy applications or integrating robust third-party libraries often forces a collision between two opposing philosophies: React's declarative state management and jQuery's imperative DOM manipulation. The most common symptom when dropping jQuery DataTables into a React 18 application is the "Cannot reinitialise DataTable" error or finding two pagination bars rendered on the screen. This is not a bug in the library; it is a fundamental conflict between the Virtual DOM and the browser DOM, exacerbated by React 18’s Strict Mode. The Root Cause: The Mutation War To understand the fix, you must understand the conflict. React's Job:  React maintains a Virtual DOM. When you render a  <table> , React believes it owns that DOM node and its children. It calculates diffs and applies updates batch-style. DataTables' Job:  When you initialize  $(selector).DataTable() , jQuery bypasses React entirely. It modifies the DOM directly—injecting search inputs,...

  Integrating legacy giants like jQuery DataTables into a modern React application is a notorious source of frustration. You have likely encountered the specific scenario: the table renders perfectly on the first load, but the moment you change state or filter data, the application crashes with an   Invariant Violation ,   NotFoundError , or the table simply stops responding to interactions. This isn't just a syntax error; it is an architectural collision between two libraries fighting for control of the same DOM elements. The Root Cause: The DOM Mutability War To solve this, you must understand the underlying conflict. React's Strategy (Virtual DOM):  React maintains an internal representation of the UI (Virtual DOM). When state changes, it diffs the new state against the old, calculates the minimal required changes, and patches the real DOM. React assumes it is the  only  entity manipulating these nodes. DataTables' Strategy (Direct DOM Manipulation): ...