Fix React state mutation bug causing textbox issues in search panel #776
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
Problem
When users edited textboxes in the search panel, React would lose cursor position or experience other controlled input issues. This was caused by improper state mutation in the search dialog component.
Root Cause
The
updateExpression,addExpression, anddeleteExpressionmethods inpackages/sanddance-explorer/src/dialogs/search.tsxwere violating React's immutability principle:groupsarray was being shallow-copiedgroupandexpressionsobjects were being directly mutated from stateupdateExpressionmethod used unnecessary deep cloning withSandDance.VegaMorphCharts.util.clone()Example of the problematic pattern:
This caused React's reconciliation to behave unpredictably with controlled inputs, resulting in cursor position loss and focus issues.
Solution
All three methods now properly implement immutable state updates at every nesting level:
Changes
Benefits
Testing
Original prompt
💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.