Where to dispatch multiple actions in redux

When you want to dispatch multiple actions simultaneously, Redux itself does not provide a direct method for doing so because each dispatch call typically handles only one action. However, several patterns can achieve similar effects:

1. Sequential Dispatch

The simplest approach is to call dispatch multiple times sequentially, with each call dispatching one action.

javascript
dispatch(actionCreator1());
dispatch(actionCreator2());
dispatch(actionCreator3());

This method may cause multiple re-renders if each action changes the Redux state.

2. Batch Dispatch (Middleware)

You can use middleware to extend Redux's functionality, such as redux-batch, which bundles multiple actions into a single batch action that the middleware then expands and dispatches sequentially.

javascript
import { batchDispatchMiddleware } from 'redux-batch';

// Apply middleware
const store = createStore(
  reducer,
  applyMiddleware(batchDispatchMiddleware)
);

// Dispatch batch actions
store.dispatch(batchActions([actionCreator1(), actionCreator2(), actionCreator3()]));

This approach reduces unnecessary re-renders because state updates occur only after all actions are processed.

3. Dispatch in Promise

For asynchronous actions, you can chain them within a Promise using Promise.all or async/await. However, this only applies to asynchronous actions and processes them sequentially, not truly simultaneously.

javascript
Promise.all([
  dispatch(asyncActionCreator1()),
  dispatch(asyncActionCreator2()),
  dispatch(asyncActionCreator3()),
]);

Or using async/await:

javascript
async function dispatchMultipleActions() {
  await dispatch(asyncActionCreator1());
  await dispatch(asyncActionCreator2());
  await dispatch(asyncActionCreator3());
}

4. Custom Action Creators

You can create an action creator that returns a function (thunk) rather than an action object, which dispatches multiple actions.

javascript
const compositeAction = () => (dispatch, getState) => {
  dispatch(actionCreator1());
  dispatch(actionCreator2());
  dispatch(actionCreator3());
};

// Then use
dispatch(compositeAction());

This approach is typically used with the redux-thunk middleware.

In practical applications, sequential dispatch is the simplest and most direct method. However, to avoid multiple re-renders, batch dispatch or encapsulating actions is more effective. It's important to evaluate your application's performance requirements and the complexity of state updates to choose the most suitable approach.

According to the recommended method in the documentation here, you can implement it within the action creator as follows:

javascript
function actionCreator(payload) {
    return dispatch => {
        dispatch(action1(payload))
        dispatch(action2(payload))
    }
}

Then, you might want to attach the action creator as a prop and use the example provided in mapDispatchToProps here. So it looks like this:

javascript
const mapDispatchToProps = dispatch => ({
   action1: some_payload => dispatch(action1(some_payload))
   action2: some_payload => dispatch(action2(some_payload))
})

// your component
export default connect(mapStateToProps, mapDispatchToProps)(YourApp)

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