# ForEach: Rendering Repeated Content

**ForEach** enables array-based rendering of repeated content. It must be used in a container component, and the component it returns must be one allowed inside the container component. For example, for rendering of list items, **ForEach** must be used in the [List](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-container-list.md) component.

For details about API parameters, see [ForEach](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-rendering-control-foreach.md).

> **NOTE**
>
> This API can be used in ArkTS widgets since API version 9.

## Key Generation Rules

During **ForEach** rendering, the system generates a unique and persistent key for each array element to identify the corresponding component. When the key changes, the ArkUI framework considers that the array element has been replaced or modified and creates a component based on the new key.

**ForEach** provides a parameter named **keyGenerator**, which is a function that allows you to customize key generation rules. If no **keyGenerator** function is defined, the ArkUI framework uses the default key generation format **(item: Object, index: number) => { return index + '__' + JSON.stringify(item); }**.

The ArkUI framework follows specific rules for key generation in **ForEach**, which are primarily related to the **itemGenerator** function and the second parameter **index** of the **keyGenerator** function. The specific key generation rule judgment logic is shown in the following figure.

**Figure 1** ForEach key generation rules 
![ForEach-Key-Generation-Rules](figures/ForEach-Key-Generation-Rules.png)

> **NOTE**
>
> The ArkUI framework issues warnings for duplicate keys. If duplicate keys exist during UI re-rendering, the framework may not work properly. For details, see [Unexpected Rendering Results](#unexpected-rendering-results).

## Component Creation Rules

After the key generation rules are determined, the **itemGenerator** function – the second parameter in **ForEach** – creates a component for each array item of the data source based on the rules. Component creation involves two scenarios: [initial rendering](#initial-rendering) and [non-initial rendering](#non-initial-rendering).

### Initial Rendering

When used for initial rendering, **ForEach** generates a unique key for each array item of the data source based on the key generation rules, and creates a component.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<string> = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

  build() {
    Row() {
      Column() {
        ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
          ChildItem({ item: item })
        }, (item: string) => item)
      }
      .width('100%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ChildItem {
  @Prop item: string;

  build() {
    Text(this.item)
      .fontSize(50)
  }
}
```

The figure below shows the effect.

**Figure 2** Initial rendering result for the ForEach data source without duplicate keys 
![ForEach-CaseStudy-1stRender-NoDup](figures/ForEach-CaseStudy-1stRender-NoDup.png)

In the preceding code, the return value of the **keyGenerator** function is **item**. During **ForEach** rendering, keys (**one**, **two**, and **three**) are generated in sequence for the array items, and the corresponding **ChildItem** components are created and rendered to the UI.

When the keys generated for different array items are the same, the behavior of the framework is undefined. For example, in the following code, when data items with the same key **two** are rendered by **ForEach**, only one **ChildItem** component, instead of multiple components with the same key, is created.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<string> = ['one', 'two', 'two', 'three'];

  build() {
    Row() {
      Column() {
        ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
          ChildItem({ item: item })
        }, (item: string) => item)
      }
      .width('100%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ChildItem {
  @Prop item: string;

  build() {
    Text(this.item)
      .fontSize(50)
  }
}
 ```

The figure below shows the effect.

**Figure 3** Initial rendering result for the ForEach data source with duplicate keys 
![ForEach-CaseStudy-1stRender-Dup](figures/ForEach-CaseStudy-1stRender-Dup.png)

In this example, the final key value generation rule is **item**. When **ForEach** iterates over the data source **simpleList**, it creates a component with the key **two** and records it when it encounters the **two** at index 1. When it encounters the **two** at index 2, as the key for the current item is also **two**, no new component is created.

### Non-Initial Rendering

When **ForEach** is used for re-rendering (non-initial rendering), it checks whether the newly generated key already exists in the previous rendering. If the key does not exist, a new component is created. If the key exists, no new component is created, and the component corresponding to the key is re-rendered. For example, in the following code snippet, changing the value of the array's third item to **"new three"** through clicking triggers non-initial rendering by **ForEach**.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<string> = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

  build() {
    Row() {
      Column() {
        Text('Click to change the value of the third array item')
          .fontSize(24)
          .fontColor(Color.Red)
          .onClick(() => {
            this.simpleList[2] = 'new three';
          })

        ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
          ChildItem({ item: item })
            .margin({ top: 20 })
        }, (item: string) => item)
      }
      .justifyContent(FlexAlign.Center)
      .width('100%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ChildItem {
  @Prop item: string;

  build() {
    Text(this.item)
      .fontSize(30)
  }
}
```

The figure below shows the effect.

**Figure 4** Re-rendering with ForEach 
![ForEach-Non-Initial-Render-Case-Effect](figures/ForEach-Non-Initial-Render-Case-Effect.gif)

This example demonstrates that @State can observe changes to the items of a primitive data type array, such as **simpleList**.

1. When any item in **simpleList** changes, **ForEach** is triggered for re-rendering.
2. **ForEach** iterates through the new data source **['one', 'two', 'new three']** and generates the corresponding keys **one**, **two**, and **new three**.
3. For keys **one** and **two** that exist in the previous rendering, **ForEach** reuses the corresponding components and re-renders them. For the third array item **"new three"**, since its generated key **new three** does not exist in the previous rendering, **ForEach** creates a component for it.

## Use Cases

**ForEach** is typically used in several cases: [static data source](#static-data-source), [changes of data source array items](#changes-of-data-source-array-items) (for example, insertions or deletions), and [property changes in data source array items](#property-changes-in-data-source-array-items).

### Static Data Source

If the data source remains unchanged, it can of a primitive data type. For example, when implementing loading states, you can render skeleton screens using a static list.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct ArticleList {
  @State simpleList: Array<number> = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

  build() {
    Column() {
      ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: number) => {
        ArticleSkeletonView()
          .margin({ top: 20 })
      }, (item: number) => item.toString())
    }
    .padding(20)
    .width('100%')
    .height('100%')
  }
}

@Builder
function textArea(width: number | Resource | string = '100%', height: number | Resource | string = '100%') {
  Row()
    .width(width)
    .height(height)
    .backgroundColor('#FFF2F3F4')
}

@Component
struct ArticleSkeletonView {
  build() {
    Row() {
      Column() {
        textArea(80, 80)
      }
      .margin({ right: 20 })

      Column() {
        textArea('60%', 20)
        textArea('50%', 20)
      }
      .alignItems(HorizontalAlign.Start)
      .justifyContent(FlexAlign.SpaceAround)
      .height('100%')
    }
    .padding(20)
    .borderRadius(12)
    .backgroundColor('#FFECECEC')
    .height(120)
    .width('100%')
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.SpaceBetween)
  }
}
```

The figure below shows the effect.

**Figure 5** Skeleton screen 
![ForEach-SkeletonScreen](figures/ForEach-SkeletonScreen.png)

In this example, the data item is used as the key generation rule. Because the array items of the data source **simpleList** are different, the uniqueness of the keys can be ensured.

### Changes of Data Source Array Items

If data source array item changes, for example, when an array item is inserted or deleted, or has its index changed, the data source should be of the object array type, and a unique ID of the object is used as the key.

```ts
class Article {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  brief: string;

  constructor(id: string, title: string, brief: string) {
    this.id = id;
    this.title = title;
    this.brief = brief;
  }
}

@Entry
@Component
struct ArticleListView {
  @State isListReachEnd: boolean = false;
  @State articleList: Array<Article> = [
    new Article('001', 'Article 1', 'Abstract'),
    new Article('002', 'Article 2', 'Abstract'),
    new Article('003', 'Article 3', 'Abstract'),
    new Article('004', 'Article 4', 'Abstract'),
    new Article('005', 'Article 5', 'Abstract'),
    new Article('006', 'Article 6', 'Abstract')
  ];

  loadMoreArticles() {
    this.articleList.push(new Article('007', 'New article', 'Abstract'));
  }

  build() {
    Column({ space: 5 }) {
      List() {
        ForEach(this.articleList, (item: Article) => {
          ListItem() {
            ArticleCard({ article: item })
              .margin({ top: 20 })
          }
        }, (item: Article) => item.id)
      }
      .onReachEnd(() => {
        this.isListReachEnd = true;
      })
      .parallelGesture(
        PanGesture({ direction: PanDirection.Up, distance: 80 })
          .onActionStart(() => {
            if (this.isListReachEnd) {
              this.loadMoreArticles();
              this.isListReachEnd = false;
            }
          })
      )
      .padding(20)
      .scrollBar(BarState.Off)
    }
    .width('100%')
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ArticleCard {
  @Prop article: Article;

  build() {
    Row() {
      // 'app.media.icon' is only an example. Replace it with the actual one in use. Otherwise, the imageSource instance fails to be created, and subsequent operations cannot be performed.
      Image($r('app.media.icon'))
        .width(80)
        .height(80)
        .margin({ right: 20 })

      Column() {
        Text(this.article.title)
          .fontSize(20)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })
        Text(this.article.brief)
          .fontSize(16)
          .fontColor(Color.Gray)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })
      }
      .alignItems(HorizontalAlign.Start)
      .width('80%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .padding(20)
    .borderRadius(12)
    .backgroundColor('#FFECECEC')
    .height(120)
    .width('100%')
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.SpaceBetween)
  }
}
```

The following figure shows the initial screen (on the left) and the screen after a pull-to-refresh gesture (on the right).

**Figure 6** Effect when the data source is changed 
![ForEach-DataSourceArrayChange](figures/ForEach-DataSourceArrayChange.png)

In this example, the **ArticleCard** component serves as a child component of the **ArticleListView** component and receives an **Article** object through the @Prop decorator to render article cards.

1. When the list scrolls to the bottom with a swipe distance exceeding 80 vp, the **loadMoreArticles()** function is invoked. This function appends new elements to the **articleList** data source, increasing its length.
2. Because the data source is decorated by @State, the ArkUI framework can detect changes in the data source length and trigger **ForEach** for re-rendering.

### Property Changes in Data Source Array Items

When the items in the data source decorated with @State are of a complex data type (for example, objects), the ArkUI framework cannot detect changes to the properties of the items in the data source. As a result, modifying certain properties of the items will not trigger re-rendering of **ForEach**. To achieve re-rendering of **ForEach** in such cases, use the @Observed and @ObjectLink decorators. The following example illustrates a typical use case, where clicking the like icon on an article card updates the like count of the article.

```ts
@Observed
class Article {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  brief: string;
  isLiked: boolean;
  likesCount: number;

  constructor(id: string, title: string, brief: string, isLiked: boolean, likesCount: number) {
    this.id = id;
    this.title = title;
    this.brief = brief;
    this.isLiked = isLiked;
    this.likesCount = likesCount;
  }
}

@Entry
@Component
struct ArticleListView {
  @State articleList: Array<Article> = [
    new Article('001', 'Article 0', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('002', 'Article 1', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('003', 'Article 2', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('004', 'Article 4', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('005', 'Article 5', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('006', 'Article 6', 'Abstract', false, 100),
  ];

  build() {
    List() {
      ForEach(this.articleList, (item: Article) => {
        ListItem() {
          ArticleCard({
            article: item
          })
            .margin({ top: 20 })
        }
      }, (item: Article) => item.id)
    }
    .padding(20)
    .scrollBar(BarState.Off)
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ArticleCard {
  @ObjectLink article: Article;

  handleLiked() {
    this.article.isLiked = !this.article.isLiked;
    this.article.likesCount = this.article.isLiked ? this.article.likesCount + 1 : this.article.likesCount - 1;
  }

  build() {
    Row() {
      // 'app.media.icon' is only an example. Replace it with the actual one in use. Otherwise, the imageSource instance fails to be created, and subsequent operations cannot be performed.
      Image($r('app.media.icon'))
        .width(80)
        .height(80)
        .margin({ right: 20 })

      Column() {
        Text(this.article.title)
          .fontSize(20)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })
        Text(this.article.brief)
          .fontSize(16)
          .fontColor(Color.Gray)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })

        Row() {
          // 'app.media.iconLiked' and 'app.media.iconUnLiked' are only an example. Replace it with the actual one in use. Otherwise, the imageSource instance fails to be created, and subsequent operations cannot be performed.
          Image(this.article.isLiked ? $r('app.media.iconLiked') : $r('app.media.iconUnLiked'))
            .width(24)
            .height(24)
            .margin({ right: 8 })
          Text(this.article.likesCount.toString())
            .fontSize(16)
        }
        .onClick(() => this.handleLiked())
        .justifyContent(FlexAlign.Center)
      }
      .alignItems(HorizontalAlign.Start)
      .width('80%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .padding(20)
    .borderRadius(12)
    .backgroundColor('#FFECECEC')
    .height(120)
    .width('100%')
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.SpaceBetween)
  }
}
```

The following figure shows the initial screen (on the left) and the screen after the like icon of Article 1 is clicked (on the right).

**Figure 7** Effect when properties of data source array items are changed 
![ForEach-DataSourceArraySubpropertyChange](figures/ForEach-DataSourceArraySubpropertyChange.png)

In this example, the **Article** class is decorated by the @Observed decorator. The parent component **ArticleListView** passes an **Article** instance to the child component **ArticleCard**, which receives the instance using the @ObjectLink decorator.

1. When the like icon of Article 1 is clicked, the **handleLiked** function of the **ArticleCard** component is triggered. This function changes the values of the **isLiked** and **likesCount** properties of the **article** instance in the component pertaining to Article 1.
2. The article instance is an @ObjectLink decorated state variable. Changes to its property values trigger the re-rendering of the **ArticleCard** component, which then reads the new values of **isLiked** and **likesCount**.

### Drag-and-Drop Sorting
By using **ForEach** within a List component and setting up the **onMove** event, you can implement drag-and-drop sorting. When the drag-and-drop gesture is released, if any item's position changes, the **onMove** event is triggered, which reports the original index and target index of the relocated item. In the **onMove** event, the data source must be updated based on the reported start index and target index. Before and after the data source is modified, the key value of each item must remain unchanged to ensure that the drop animation can be executed properly.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct ForEachSort {
  @State arr: Array<string> = [];

  build() {
    Column() {
      // Clicking this button triggers re-rendering of ForEach.
      Button('Add one item')
        .onClick(() => {
          this.arr.push('10');
        })
        .width(300)
        .margin(10)

      List() {
        ForEach(this.arr, (item: string) => {
          ListItem() {
            Text(item.toString())
              .fontSize(16)
              .textAlign(TextAlign.Center)
              .size({ height: 100, width: "100%" })
          }.margin(10)
          .borderRadius(10)
          .backgroundColor("#FFFFFFFF")
        }, (item: string) => item)
          .onMove((from: number, to: number) => {
            // The following two lines ensure that the order of components on the screen matches the order of items in the array arr.
            // If these lines are commented out, after the first drag-and-drop sorting and subsequent addition of an item to the end of arr, the on-screen component order will align with the arr item sequence—rather than the order established by the initial drag-and-drop. This results in the loss of drag-and-drop sorting after re-rendering.
            let tmp = this.arr.splice(from, 1);
            this.arr.splice(to, 0, tmp[0]);
          })
      }
      .width('100%')
      .height('100%')
      .backgroundColor("#FFDCDCDC")
    }
  }

  aboutToAppear(): void {
    for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
      this.arr.push(i.toString());
    }
  }
}
```

**Figure 8** Effect of ForEach drag-and-drop sorting 
![ForEach-Drag-Sort](figures/ForEach-Drag-Sort.gif)  

If the two lines in the **onMove** event handler are commented out, the effect of clicking **Add one item** and triggering re-rendering is shown in the following figure. 

**Figure 9** ForEach drag-and-drop sorting effect not preserved after re-rendering 
![ForEach-Drag-Sort](figures/ForEach-Drag-Sort2.PNG)

## Recommendations

- To ensure key uniqueness for object data, use a unique **id** property from the object data as the key.
- Do not use the data item **index** as the key, as this can cause [unexpected rendering results](#unexpected-rendering-results) and [reduced rendering performance](#reduced-rendering-performance). If **index** must be used (for example, for conditional rendering based on **index**), be aware that data source changes will force **ForEach** to re-create components, incurring a performance cost.
- For arrays of primitive data types, which do not have a unique ID property: If using the data item itself as the key, ensure that no duplicate values exist. For mutable data sources, convert the array to objects with unique ID properties, then use the ID as the key.
- The **index** parameter serves as a fallback to ensure key uniqueness. When modifying a data item, since the **item** parameter in **itemGenerator** is immutable, use **index** to update the data source and trigger UI re-rendering.
- Within [List](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-container-list.md), [Grid](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-container-grid.md), [Swiper](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-container-swiper.md), and [WaterFlow](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-container-waterflow.md) containers, do not use **ForEach** together with [LazyForEach](./arkts-rendering-control-lazyforeach.md).  
- When dealing with a large number of child components, **ForEach** can lead to performance issues such as lag or jank. In such cases, consider using [LazyForEach](./arkts-rendering-control-lazyforeach.md) instead. For details about the best practice, see [Performance Optimization Using LazyForEach](https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/en/doc/best-practices/bpta-lazyforeach-optimization).
- When array items are objects, do not replace old items with new objects of the same content. If an item changes but the key remains the same, the framework may not detect the change, leading to [unrendered data updates](#data-changes-failing-to-trigger-rendering).
## Common Pitfalls

Incorrect usage of **ForEach** keys can lead to functional and performance issues, causing unexpected rendering behavior. For detailed examples, see [Unexpected Rendering Results](#unexpected-rendering-results) and [Reduced Rendering Performance](#reduced-rendering-performance).

### Unexpected Rendering Results

In this example, the **KeyGenerator** function, which is the third parameter of **ForEach**, is set to use the string-type **index** property of the data source as the key generation rule. When **Insert Item After First Item** in the parent component **Parent** is clicked, an unexpected result is displayed.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<string> = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

  build() {
    Column() {
      Button() {
        Text('Insert Item After First Item').fontSize(30)
      }
      .onClick(() => {
        this.simpleList.splice(1, 0, 'new item');
      })

      ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
        ChildItem({ item: item })
      }, (item: string, index: number) => index.toString())
    }
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.Center)
    .width('100%')
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ChildItem {
  @Prop item: string;

  build() {
    Text(this.item)
      .fontSize(30)
  }
}
```

The following figure shows the initial screen and the screen after **Insert Item After First Item** is clicked.

**Figure 10** Unexpected rendering result 
![ForEach-UnexpectedRenderingResult](figures/ForEach-UnexpectedRenderingResult.gif)

When **ForEach** is used for initial rendering, the created keys are **0**, **1**, and **2** in sequence.

After a new item is inserted, the data source **simpleList** changes to ['one','new item', 'two', 'three']. The ArkUI framework detects changes in the length of the @State decorated data source and triggers **ForEach** for re-rendering.

**ForEach** traverses items in the new data source. When it reaches array item **one**, it generates key **0** for the item, and because the same key already exists, no new component is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **new item**, it generates key **1** for the item, and because the same key already exists, no new component is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **two**, it generates key **2** for the item, and because the same key already exists, no new component is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **three**, it generates key **3** for the item, and because no same key exists, a new component **three** is created.

In the preceding example, the final key generation rule includes **index**. While the expected rendering result is **['one','new item', 'two', 'three']**, the actual rendering result is **['one', 'two', 'three', 'three']**. Therefore, to avoid unexpected rendering results, avoid using index-based keys for **ForEach**.

### Reduced Rendering Performance

In this example, the **KeyGenerator** function, which is the third parameter of **ForEach**, is omitted. According to the description in [Key Generation Rules](#key-generation-rules), the framework uses the default key format **index + '__' + JSON.stringify(item)**. Clicking the **Insert Item After First Item** button triggers component re-creation for the second array item and all subsequent items.

```ts
@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<string> = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

  build() {
    Column() {
      Button() {
        Text('Insert Item After First Item').fontSize(30)
      }
      .onClick(() => {
        this.simpleList.splice(1, 0, 'new item');
        console.info(`[onClick]: simpleList is [${this.simpleList.join(', ')}]`);
      })

      ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
        ChildItem({ item: item })
      })
    }
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.Center)
    .width('100%')
    .height('100%')
    .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
  }
}

@Component
struct ChildItem {
  @Prop item: string;

  aboutToAppear() {
    console.info(`[aboutToAppear]: item is ${this.item}`);
  }

  build() {
    Text(this.item)
      .fontSize(50)
  }
}
```

The following figure shows the initial screen and the screen after **Insert Item After First Item** is clicked.

**Figure 11** Reduced rendering performance 
![ForEach-RenderPerformanceDecrease](figures/ForEach-RenderPerformanceDecrease.gif)

After **Insert Item After First Item** is clicked, DevEco Studio displays logs as shown in the figure below.

**Figure 12** Logs indicating reduced rendering performance 
![ForEach-RenderPerformanceDecreaseLogs](figures/ForEach-RenderPerformanceDecreaseLogs.png)

After a new item is inserted, **ForEach** creates the corresponding **ChildItem** components for the **new item**, **two**, and **three** array items, and executes the [aboutToAppear()](../../reference/apis-arkui/arkui-ts/ts-custom-component-lifecycle.md#abouttoappear) callback. Here are the reasons:

1. During initial rendering, **ForEach** generates keys **0__one**, **1__two**, and **2__three** for the initial data source ['one', 'two', 'three'].
2. After a new item is inserted, the data source **simpleList** changes to ['one','new item', 'two', 'three']. The ArkUI framework detects changes in the length of the @State decorated data source and triggers **ForEach** for re-rendering.
3. **ForEach** traverses items in the new data source. When it reaches array item **one**, it generates key **0__one** for the item, and because the same key already exists, no new component is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **new item**, it generates key **1__new item** for the item, and because no same key exists, a new component **new item** is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **two**, it generates key **2__two** for the item, and because no same key exists, a new component **two** is created. When **ForEach** reaches array item **three**, it generates key **3__three** for the item, and because no same key exists, a new component **three** is created.

Although the UI rendering results in this example meet expectations, **ForEach** will re-create components for the inserted item and all subsequent items every time a new item is inserted into the middle of the array. When the data source is large or components are complex, this inability to reuse components leads to performance degradation. Therefore, avoid omitting the third parameter (**KeyGenerator**) and do not use the data index (**index**) as the key.

The correct way to use **ForEach** for optimal rendering and efficiency is as follows:
```ts
ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: string) => {
  ChildItem({ item: item })
}, (item: string) => item)  // Ensure that the key is unique.
```
With the use of **KeyGenerator** function, different keys are generated for different data items of the data source, and the same key is generated for the same data item each time.

### Data Changes Failing to Trigger Rendering
When the **Like/Unlike first article** button is clicked, the first component toggles the like gesture and updates the like count. However, if the **Replace first article** button is clicked first, the **Like/Unlike first article** button does not take effect. The reason is that replacing **articleList[0]** changes the state variable **articleList**, triggering re-rendering of **ForEach**. However, since the key for the new articleList[0] remains unchanged, **ForEach** does not update the data to the child component. As a result, the first component remains bound to the old **articleList[0]**. When the property of the new **articleList[0]** is changed, the first component cannot detect the change and does not trigger re-rendering. Clicking the like icon can trigger rendering. This is because the property of the array item bound to the component is changed, the component detects the change and renders it again.

```ts
@Observed
class Article {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  brief: string;
  isLiked: boolean;
  likesCount: number;

  constructor(id: string, title: string, brief: string, isLiked: boolean, likesCount: number) {
    this.id = id;
    this.title = title;
    this.brief = brief;
    this.isLiked = isLiked;
    this.likesCount = likesCount;
  }
}

@Entry
@Component
struct ArticleListView {
  @State articleList: Array<Article> = [
    new Article('001', 'Article 0', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('002', 'Article 1', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('003', 'Article 2', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('004', 'Article 4', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('005', 'Article 5', 'Abstract', false, 100),
    new Article('006', 'Article 6', 'Abstract', false, 100),
  ];

  build() {
    Column() {
      Button('Replace first article')
        .onClick(() => {
          this.articleList[0] = new Article('001', 'Article 0', 'Abstract', false, 100);
        })
        .width(300)
        .margin(10)

      Button('Like/Unlike first article')
        .onClick(() => {
          this.articleList[0].isLiked = !this.articleList[0].isLiked;
          this.articleList[0].likesCount =
            this.articleList[0].isLiked ? this.articleList[0].likesCount + 1 : this.articleList[0].likesCount - 1;
        })
        .width(300)
        .margin(10)

      List() {
        ForEach(this.articleList, (item: Article) => {
          ListItem() {
            ArticleCard({
              article: item
            })
              .margin({ top: 20 })
          }
        }, (item: Article) => item.id)
      }
      .padding(20)
      .scrollBar(BarState.Off)
      .backgroundColor(0xF1F3F5)
    }
  }
}

@Component
struct ArticleCard {
  @ObjectLink article: Article;

  handleLiked() {
    this.article.isLiked = !this.article.isLiked;
    this.article.likesCount = this.article.isLiked ? this.article.likesCount + 1 : this.article.likesCount - 1;
  }

  build() {
    Row() {
      // 'app.media.icon' is only an example. Replace it with the actual one in use. Otherwise, the imageSource instance fails to be created, and subsequent operations cannot be performed.
      Image($r('app.media.icon'))
        .width(80)
        .height(80)
        .margin({ right: 20 })

      Column() {
        Text(this.article.title)
          .fontSize(20)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })
        Text(this.article.brief)
          .fontSize(16)
          .fontColor(Color.Gray)
          .margin({ bottom: 8 })

        Row() {
          // 'app.media.iconLiked' and 'app.media.iconUnLiked' are only examples. Replace them with the actual ones in use. Otherwise, the imageSource instance fails to be created, and subsequent operations cannot be performed.
          Image(this.article.isLiked ? $r('app.media.iconLiked') : $r('app.media.iconUnLiked'))
            .width(24)
            .height(24)
            .margin({ right: 8 })
          Text(this.article.likesCount.toString())
            .fontSize(16)
        }
        .onClick(() => this.handleLiked())
        .justifyContent(FlexAlign.Center)
      }
      .alignItems(HorizontalAlign.Start)
      .width('80%')
      .height('100%')
    }
    .padding(20)
    .borderRadius(12)
    .backgroundColor('#FFECECEC')
    .height(120)
    .width('100%')
    .justifyContent(FlexAlign.SpaceBetween)
  }
}
```
**Figure 13** Data changes failing to trigger rendering 
![ForEach-StateVarNoRender](figures/ForEach-StateVarNoRender.PNG)

### Unnecessary Memory Consumption
If no **keyGenerator** function is defined, the ArkUI framework uses the default key generation format **(item: Object, index: number) => { return index + '__' + JSON.stringify(item); }**. When **item** is a complex object, serializing it to a JSON string results in a long string that consumes more memory.

```ts
class Data {
  longStr: string;
  key: string;

  constructor(longStr: string, key: string) {
    this.longStr = longStr;
    this.key = key;
  }
}

@Entry
@Component
struct Parent {
  @State simpleList: Array<Data> = [];

  aboutToAppear(): void {
    let longStr = '';
    for (let i = 0; i < 2000; i++) {
      longStr += i.toString();
    }
    for (let index = 0; index < 3000; index++) {
      let data: Data = new Data(longStr, 'a' + index.toString());
      this.simpleList.push(data);
    }
  }

  build() {
    List() {
      ForEach(this.simpleList, (item: Data) => {
        ListItem() {
          Text(item.key)
        }
      }
        // If the keyGenerator function is not defined, the ArkUI framework uses the default key value generation function.
        , (item: Data) => {
          return item.key;
        }
      )
    }.height('100%')
    .width('100%')
  }
}
```

A comparison of memory usage between the default and custom **keyGenerator** implementations shows a reduction of approximately 70 MB when a custom function is used. 

**Figure 14** Memory usage with default key generation 
![ForEach-StateVarNoRender](figures/ForEach-default-keyGenerator.PNG)

**Figure 15** Memory usage with custom key generation 
![ForEach-StateVarNoRender](figures/ForEach-defined-keyGenerator.PNG)