In Next.js, Server Actions are not limited to form submissions; they can be integrated into various parts of your application, such as event handlers and React hooks. This allows for dynamic server-side operations in response to user interactions or lifecycle events.
You can invoke Server Actions from event handlers like onClick. This is useful for operations that need to modify server-side data in response to user actions, such as updating a like count, changing user settings, or other interactive features.
A button in your UI could increment a like count stored on the server. The new like count is then fetched from the server and updated in the client's state.
For events that may be triggered frequently, such as onChange in text inputs, debouncing is recommended. This approach minimizes the number of server calls by delaying the execution of the Server Action until a certain amount of inactivity is detected.
The useEffect hook can be used to automatically invoke Server Actions when a component mounts. This is ideal for fetching initial data or performing setup tasks that are contingent on server-side data or actions.
When a component displaying view counts loads, it might automatically increment and fetch the view count from the server, ensuring that each page view is recorded.
React's useTransition hook allows developers to mark state updates as transitions. This can help keep the UI responsive by treating certain updates as non-urgent. Updates marked as transitions won't block urgent updates, such as typing in an input field.
In a tabbed interface, switching tabs might fetch new data for each tab. Using useTransition ensures that the UI remains responsive, even if the data fetch is slow. The user can switch tabs without delay, and data for each tab loads without causing the UI to freeze.