Thank you for taking a look at this…

Here's my problem; in my react native app I have written a React Context that manages "Header Messages" that I can call anywhere in the code base and attach a message under the Header element of my app (Displayed Globally). This process works and I am able to render my first Header Message that I add using the helper function .addNewMessage('id', 'JSX.Element'); but when I call this again; the previous message is removed and the new message is displayed…

I believe this is happening because because the function .addNewMessage() defined in the context shared below references state… Calling it updates state… then calling it again; its still referencing the original state… See the console logs to see how this plays out with two subsequent calls.

Code Behind the Context; Helper functions are declared in the function…

import * as React from 'react';
import { Text } from 'react-native';

export interface IElements {
  [key: string] : JSX.Element;
}

export interface IState {
  setState : (newState: IState) => void;
  addNewMessage : (id: string, elem: JSX.Element) => void;
  removeMessage : (id: string) => void;
  returnAllMessages : () => JSX.Element[]
  messages : IElements;
}

export interface IProps {
  children : JSX.Element[] | JSX.Element;
}

const defaultValues: IState = {
  setState: () => undefined,
  addNewMessage: () => undefined,
  removeMessage: () => undefined,
  returnAllMessages: () => [],
  messages : {'test1': <Text>FooBarLoremIpsum</Text>},
};

export const HeaderMessagesContext: React.Context<IState> = React.createContext<IState>(defaultValues);

const CTX_HeaderMessages: React.FC<IProps> = (props: IProps) => {
  const [state, updateState] = React.useState(defaultValues);

  // Every time I call this function, it is acting like it is using
  // defaultValues instead of state... I assume this is a weird side effect
  // of defining a function then storing an instance of that function inside
  // the state object itself...? But anytime I try and declare a side effect
  // that would essentially store a new instance of the function; I find myself
  // in an infinite Loop... I'm struggling with the pattern here to make this work :/
  const addNewMessage = (id: string, elem : JSX.Element) => {
    console.log('State Coming into "AddNewMessage"', state);
    const newMessages = {...state.messages};
    newMessages[id] = elem;
    console.log('State Exiting "AddNewMessage"', {...state, messages : newMessages});
    updateState({...state, messages : newMessages});
  };
  const removeMessage = (id: string) => { if(state.messages[id]) {delete state.messages[id]} }
  const returnAllMessages = () => Object.keys(state.messages).map(key => state.messages[key]);

  const val: IState = {
    ...state,
    setState : updateState,
    addNewMessage,
    removeMessage,
    returnAllMessages
  }

  return (
    <HeaderMessagesContext.Provider value={val}>
      {props.children}
    </HeaderMessagesContext.Provider>
  );
};

export default CTX_HeaderMessages;

Chrome Console Logs

These logs show what I am experiencing… I'd like to draw your attention to the value of the messages object. When I call the function the first time; the value is added; when I call the function a second time; Notice the value from the first call (on the previous line) is not present…

State Comming into "AddNewMessage" 
    {messages: {…}, setState: ƒ, addNewMessage: ƒ, removeMessage: ƒ, returnAllMessages: ƒ}
    addNewMessage: ƒ addNewMessage()
    messages: {test1: {…}}
    removeMessage: ƒ removeMessage()
    returnAllMessages: ƒ returnAllMessages()
    setState: ƒ setState()
    __proto__: Object

HeaderMessages.tsx:38 State Exiting "AddNewMessage" 
    {messages: {…}, setState: ƒ, addNewMessage: ƒ, removeMessage: ƒ, returnAllMessages: ƒ}
    addNewMessage: ƒ addNewMessage()
    messages: {test1: {…}, SuggestUpdate_Line78: {…}}
    removeMessage: ƒ removeMessage()
    returnAllMessages: ƒ returnAllMessages()
    setState: ƒ setState()
    __proto__: Object

HeaderMessages.tsx:35 State Comming into "AddNewMessage" 
    {messages: {…}, setState: ƒ, addNewMessage: ƒ, removeMessage: ƒ, returnAllMessages: ƒ}
    addNewMessage: ƒ addNewMessage()
    messages: {test1: {…}}
    removeMessage: ƒ removeMessage()
    returnAllMessages: ƒ returnAllMessages()
    setState: ƒ setState()
    __proto__: Object

HeaderMessages.tsx:38 State Exiting "AddNewMessage" 
    {messages: {…}, setState: ƒ, addNewMessage: ƒ, removeMessage: ƒ, returnAllMessages: ƒ}
    addNewMessage: ƒ addNewMessage()
    messages: {test1: {…}, SuggestUpdate_Line79: {…}}
    removeMessage: ƒ removeMessage()
    returnAllMessages: ƒ returnAllMessages()
    setState: ƒ setState()
    __proto__: Object