react-photo-album/README.md

Responsive photo gallery component for React

# React Photo Album

React Photo Album is a responsive photo gallery component for React. React Photo
Album supports rows, columns, and masonry layouts. Inspired by
[react-photo-gallery](https://github.com/neptunian/react-photo-gallery),
re-engineered from the ground up.

## Overview

[![NPM Version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/react-photo-album.svg?color=blue)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-photo-album)
[![Bundle Size](https://img.shields.io/bundlephobia/minzip/react-photo-album.svg?color=blue)](https://bundlephobia.com/package/react-photo-album)
[![License MIT](https://img.shields.io/npm/l/react-photo-album.svg?color=blue)](https://github.com/igordanchenko/react-photo-album/blob/main/LICENSE)

- **Built for React:** works with React 18+
- **SSR friendly:** produces server-side rendered markup that looks
  pixel-perfect on the client even before hydration
- **Responsive images:** responsive images with automatic resolution switching
  are supported out of the box
- **Feature-packed:** supports 3 layout options (rows, columns, and masonry),
  responsive images, custom data attributes, and is fully configurable and
  customizable
- **TypeScript:** type definitions come built-in with the package
- **Performance:** built with performance in mind to support large photo albums

## Layouts

### Rows

![Rows layout](https://images.react-photo-album.com/layouts/rows.jpg)

### Columns

![Columns layout](https://images.react-photo-album.com/layouts/columns.jpg)

### Masonry

![Masonry layout](https://images.react-photo-album.com/layouts/masonry.jpg)

## Documentation

[https://react-photo-album.com/documentation](https://react-photo-album.com/documentation)

## Examples

[https://react-photo-album.com/examples](https://react-photo-album.com/examples)

## Changelog

[https://github.com/igordanchenko/react-photo-album/releases](https://github.com/igordanchenko/react-photo-album/releases)

## Installation

```shell
npm install react-photo-album
```

## Requirements

- React 18+
- Node 18+
- modern ESM-compatible bundler

## Minimal Setup Example

```tsx
import { RowsPhotoAlbum } from "react-photo-album";
import "react-photo-album/rows.css";

const photos = [
  { src: "/image1.jpg", width: 800, height: 600 },
  { src: "/image2.jpg", width: 1600, height: 900 },
];

export default function Gallery() {
  return <RowsPhotoAlbum photos={photos} />;
}
```

## How It Works

### Rows Layout

Rows layout fills the container space by arranging photos into rows that are
similar in height, with the height of each row being as close to the
`targetRowHeight` as possible. This layout is inspired by the Knuth and Plass
line-breaking algorithm and uses dynamic programming to find optimal row breaks
in a DAG (directed acyclic graph) where photo indices are nodes and each
possible row is an edge connecting its first and last photo. The cost of each
edge is a weighted squared deviation from the `targetRowHeight`. This algorithm
produces rows that are similar in height and photos that are not stretched or
abnormally shrunk (as happens in a naive implementation). It solves the issue of
panoramas shrinking rows, stragglers, or stretched images in the last row.

### Columns Layout

Columns layout fills the container space by arranging photos into a predefined
number of columns, determined by the `columns` parameter. This layout uses a
dynamic programming algorithm to find the optimal partition of photos into the
specified number of groups (columns) that produces the most balanced layout.
Column widths are then adjusted proportionally based on their content's aspect
ratios so that all columns render at equal height.

### Masonry Layout

Masonry layout arranges photos into columns of equal width by placing each photo
into the shortest column. This layout does not fill the container space flush to
its bottom edge, but the columns end up being as close in height to each other
as possible.

### Responsive Images

React Photo Album can automatically produce `sizes` and `srcset` image
attributes. In the case of SSR, React Photo Album includes `sizes` and `srcset`
image attributes in the server-rendered markup, allowing browsers to pick images
of the most appropriate resolution depending on the end-user viewport size. To
utilize images with automatic resolution switching, provide images of different
resolutions in the photo `srcSet` attribute. To further improve app
responsiveness and bandwidth utilization, you can specify the `sizes` prop that
describes the width of the photo album in various viewports.

```tsx
import { RowsPhotoAlbum } from "react-photo-album";
import "react-photo-album/rows.css";

const photos = [
  {
    src: "/image1_800x600.jpg",
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    srcSet: [
      { src: "/image1_400x300.jpg", width: 400, height: 300 },
      { src: "/image1_200x150.jpg", width: 200, height: 150 },
    ],
  },
  {
    src: "/image2_1600x900.jpg",
    width: 1600,
    height: 900,
    srcSet: [
      { src: "/image2_800x450.jpg", width: 800, height: 450 },
      { src: "/image2_400x225.jpg", width: 400, height: 225 },
    ],
  },
];

export default function Gallery() {
  return (
    <RowsPhotoAlbum
      photos={photos}
      sizes={{
        size: "1168px",
        sizes: [
          {
            viewport: "(max-width: 1200px)",
            size: "calc(100vw - 32px)",
          },
        ],
      }}
    />
  );
}
```

### SSR

React Photo Album extensively uses CSS flexbox and CSS `calc` functions to
calculate images' dimensions on the client. Thanks to this approach, server-side
rendered markup looks pixel-perfect on the client even before hydration. To
enable server-side rendering, specify the `defaultContainerWidth` prop.
Otherwise, React Photo Album produces empty markup on the server and renders on
the client only after hydration. Please note that unless your photo album is of
constant width that always matches the `defaultContainerWidth` value, you will
most likely see a layout shift immediately after hydration. Alternatively, you
can provide a fallback skeleton in the `skeleton` prop that will be rendered in
SSR and swapped with the actual photo album markup after hydration. Please also
refer to the
[Server-Side Rendering](<https://react-photo-album.com/documentation#Server-SideRendering(SSR)>)
documentation for a comprehensive list of available solutions.

## Sponsors

This project is supported by the following companies, organizations, and
individuals who help make its continued development and maintenance possible.

<p align="center">
  <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/igordanchenko/sponsors/sponsors.svg">
    <img alt="Sponsors" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/igordanchenko/sponsors/sponsors.svg"/>
  </a>
</p>

Support this project by becoming a
[sponsor](https://github.com/sponsors/igordanchenko). Both recurring and
one-time contributions are very much appreciated.

## Credits

Thanks to Sandra G (aka [neptunian](https://github.com/neptunian)) for authoring
the original
[react-photo-gallery](https://github.com/neptunian/react-photo-gallery) library
that served as inspiration and foundation for
[react-photo-album](https://github.com/igordanchenko/react-photo-album).

## License

MIT © 2021 [Igor Danchenko](https://github.com/igordanchenko)