Fast loading of audio WaveSurfer and PeakJs

Adopting Howler.js in your React application offers numerous advantages that directly address the challenges you’re facing with your current implementation:

1. Performance Improvements: Efficient handling of large audio files through streaming reduces load times and memory usage.
2. Simpler and More Reliable Code: A straightforward API minimizes complexity, making your application more maintainable and less prone to bugs.
3. Better User Experience: Faster playback initiation and responsive controls enhance the overall user experience.
4. Robust Resource Management: Proper cleanup and error handling ensure your application remains stable and performant over time.
5. Cross-Browser Consistency: Howler.js abstracts away browser inconsistencies, providing a uniform experience across different environments.

By leveraging Howler.js, you can create a scalable, efficient, and user-friendly audio playback feature in your React application, resolving the erratic loading behaviors and enhancing overall performance.

Try this code:

If you later decide to incorporate advanced features like waveform visualization, you can integrate specialized libraries (e.g., WaveSurfer.js) alongside Howler.js, maintaining a modular and efficient architecture.

import React, { useState, useRef, useEffect } from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';
import { Howl } from 'howler';

const PlayFileWithHowler = () => {
    const [linkName, setLinkName] = useState('');
    const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
    const [howl, setHowl] = useState(null);
    const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);

    const handleSubmit = async (event) => {
        event.preventDefault();
        setIsLoading(true);

        const formData = new FormData();
        formData.append('link_name', linkName);

        try {
            const response = await axios.post('http://localhost:8000/submitform/', formData, {
                headers: {
                    'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data',
                },
                responseType: 'blob', // Ensure the response is a blob
            });

            const audioBlob = new Blob([response.data], { type: 'audio/mpeg' });
            const audioUrl = URL.createObjectURL(audioBlob);

            const newHowl = new Howl({
                src: [audioUrl],
                html5: true, // Use HTML5 Audio to enable streaming large files
                onend: () => setIsPlaying(false),
                onplay: () => setIsPlaying(true),
                onpause: () => setIsPlaying(false),
                onstop: () => setIsPlaying(false),
                onloaderror: (id, error) => console.error('Load error:', error),
                onplayerror: (id, error) => console.error('Play error:', error),
            });

            setHowl(newHowl);
        } catch (error) {
            console.error('Error submitting the form', error);
            // Optionally, set an error state here to display to the user
        } finally {
            setIsLoading(false);
        }
    };

    const handlePlayPause = () => {
        if (howl) {
            howl.playing() ? howl.pause() : howl.play();
        }
    };

    const handleStop = () => {
        if (howl) {
            howl.stop();
        }
    };

    // Cleanup Howl on unmount
    useEffect(() => {
        return () => {
            if (howl) {
                howl.unload();
            }
        };
    }, [howl]);

    return (
        <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="bg-gradient-to-r from-emerald-100 to-lime-200 flex flex-col lg:flex-row lg:space-x-8 p-6 font-sans py-12 px-6">
            {/* Link Name Input Field */}
            <div className="mb-6 flex-1">
                <label className="font-semibold mb-2 block">Document Link</label>
                <input
                    type="text"
                    value={linkName}
                    onChange={(e) => setLinkName(e.target.value)}
                    className="border rounded w-full py-2 px-3"
                    placeholder="Link to Document"
                    required
                />
            </div>
            <div className="flex items-end">
                <button
                    type="submit"
                    className="bg-black text-white py-3 px-8 rounded w-full"
                    disabled={isLoading}
                >
                    {isLoading ? 'Loading...' : 'Create Podcast'}
                </button>
            </div>

            {/* Show the audio controls if Howl is initialized */}
            {howl && (
                <div className="mt-4 w-full">
                    <div className="flex gap-4">
                        <button
                            type="button"
                            onClick={handlePlayPause}
                            className="bg-green-500 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded"
                        >
                            {isPlaying ? 'Pause' : 'Play'}
                        </button>
                        <button
                            type="button"
                            onClick={handleStop}
                            className="bg-red-500 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded"
                        >
                            Stop
                        </button>
                    </div>
                </div>
            )}
        </form>
    );
};

export default PlayFileWithHowler;