React Native Development Skill

Overview

This skill provides deep integration with the React Native ecosystem for cross-platform mobile development. It enables execution of React Native CLI commands, component generation, build optimization, and comprehensive debugging capabilities.

Allowed Tools

• bash - Execute React Native CLI, Expo CLI, and npm/yarn commands
• read - Analyze React Native project files, configurations, and components
• write - Generate and modify React Native components and configurations
• edit - Update existing React Native code and configurations
• glob - Search for React Native components and configuration files
• grep - Search for patterns in React Native codebase

Capabilities

Core Development

1. React Native CLI Operations

• Initialize new React Native projects
• Run Metro bundler with custom configurations
• Execute platform-specific builds (iOS/Android)
• Link native dependencies
• Generate native code bridges

1. Expo CLI Operations

• Create and manage Expo projects
• Configure EAS Build and EAS Submit
• Manage Expo config plugins
• Handle over-the-air updates
• Prebuild for bare workflow ejection

1. Component Generation

• Generate TypeScript-based functional components
• Create custom hooks with proper typing
• Implement React Navigation screens and navigators
• Build reusable UI component libraries
• Generate Storybook stories for components

State Management

1. Redux Toolkit Integration

• Generate Redux slices with createSlice
• Configure RTK Query for API caching
• Implement async thunks with proper typing
• Set up Redux DevTools integration
• Create selectors with createSelector

1. Zustand/Jotai/Recoil

• Configure lightweight state stores
• Implement atomic state patterns
• Set up persistence middleware
• Create derived state computations

Navigation

1. React Navigation

• Configure Stack, Tab, and Drawer navigators
• Implement type-safe navigation with TypeScript
• Set up deep linking configurations
• Handle authentication flows
• Implement nested navigation patterns

Performance

1. Performance Optimization

• Configure Hermes JavaScript engine
• Implement FlatList/FlashList optimizations
• Set up React Native Performance monitoring
• Analyze and fix re-render issues
• Implement lazy loading and code splitting

1. Native Module Integration

• Configure TurboModules and JSI
• Bridge native code (Objective-C/Swift/Java/Kotlin)
• Set up Codegen for native modules
• Debug native crashes and issues

Testing

1. Testing Configuration

• Configure Jest with React Native preset
• Set up React Native Testing Library
• Implement component snapshot testing
• Configure Detox for E2E testing
• Mock native modules effectively

Debugging

1. Debug Tools

• Configure Flipper plugins
• Set up Reactotron integration
• Use React DevTools for component inspection
• Debug network requests
• Profile JavaScript performance

Target Processes

This skill integrates with the following processes:

• react-native-app-setup.js - Project initialization and configuration
• cross-platform-ui-library.js - Shared component development
• mobile-testing-strategy.js - Test implementation and coverage
• mobile-performance-optimization.js - Performance tuning

Dependencies

Required

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn package manager
• React Native CLI (npx react-native)
• Watchman (macOS)

Optional

• Expo CLI (npx expo)
• Android Studio with Android SDK
• Xcode (macOS only)
• Flipper
• Reactotron

Configuration

Project Structure

project-root/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── screens/
│   ├── navigation/
│   ├── store/
│   ├── hooks/
│   ├── services/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── types/
├── __tests__/
├── android/
├── ios/
├── metro.config.js
├── babel.config.js
├── tsconfig.json
└── package.json

Metro Configuration

javascript
// metro.config.js
const { getDefaultConfig, mergeConfig } = require('@react-native/metro-config');

const config = {
  transformer: {
    getTransformOptions: async () => ({
      transform: {
        experimentalImportSupport: false,
        inlineRequires: true,
      },
    }),
  },
};

module.exports = mergeConfig(getDefaultConfig(__dirname), config);

Usage Examples

Initialize Project

bash
# Create new React Native project
npx react-native init MyApp --template react-native-template-typescript

# Or with Expo
npx create-expo-app MyApp --template expo-template-blank-typescript

Generate Component

typescript
// src/components/Button/Button.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { TouchableOpacity, Text, StyleSheet, ViewStyle, TextStyle } from 'react-native';

interface ButtonProps {
  title: string;
  onPress: () => void;
  variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary';
  disabled?: boolean;
}

export const Button: React.FC<ButtonProps> = ({
  title,
  onPress,
  variant = 'primary',
  disabled = false,
}) => {
  return (
    <TouchableOpacity
      style={[styles.button, styles[variant], disabled && styles.disabled]}
      onPress={onPress}
      disabled={disabled}
      activeOpacity={0.8}
    >
      <Text style={[styles.text, styles[`${variant}Text`]]}>{title}</Text>
    </TouchableOpacity>
  );
};

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  button: {
    paddingVertical: 12,
    paddingHorizontal: 24,
    borderRadius: 8,
    alignItems: 'center',
  },
  primary: {
    backgroundColor: '#007AFF',
  },
  secondary: {
    backgroundColor: 'transparent',
    borderWidth: 1,
    borderColor: '#007AFF',
  },
  disabled: {
    opacity: 0.5,
  },
  text: {
    fontSize: 16,
    fontWeight: '600',
  },
  primaryText: {
    color: '#FFFFFF',
  },
  secondaryText: {
    color: '#007AFF',
  },
});

Configure Navigation

typescript
// src/navigation/RootNavigator.tsx
import React from 'react';
import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { createNativeStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/native-stack';
import { HomeScreen } from '../screens/HomeScreen';
import { DetailsScreen } from '../screens/DetailsScreen';

export type RootStackParamList = {
  Home: undefined;
  Details: { id: string };
};

const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator<RootStackParamList>();

export const RootNavigator: React.FC = () => {
  return (
    <NavigationContainer>
      <Stack.Navigator initialRouteName="Home">
        <Stack.Screen name="Home" component={HomeScreen} />
        <Stack.Screen name="Details" component={DetailsScreen} />
      </Stack.Navigator>
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
};

Configure Redux Store

typescript
// src/store/store.ts
import { configureStore } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
import { setupListeners } from '@reduxjs/toolkit/query';
import { api } from './api';
import userReducer from './slices/userSlice';

export const store = configureStore({
  reducer: {
    user: userReducer,
    [api.reducerPath]: api.reducer,
  },
  middleware: (getDefaultMiddleware) =>
    getDefaultMiddleware().concat(api.middleware),
});

setupListeners(store.dispatch);

export type RootState = ReturnType<typeof store.getState>;
export type AppDispatch = typeof store.dispatch;

Quality Gates

Code Quality

• TypeScript strict mode enabled
• ESLint with React Native config
• Prettier for code formatting
• No any types in production code

Performance Benchmarks

• App launch time < 2 seconds
• FPS maintained at 60fps during scrolling
• Memory usage within platform limits
• Bundle size optimized with tree shaking

Test Coverage

• Unit test coverage > 80%
• Component test coverage > 70%
• E2E critical paths covered

Error Handling

Common Issues

1. Metro bundler cache issues

bash npx react-native start --reset-cache

1. iOS pod installation failures

bash cd ios && pod install --repo-update

1. Android Gradle sync issues

bash cd android && ./gradlew clean

1. Native module linking issues

bash npx react-native link # Or for newer versions, use autolinking

Related Skills

• flutter-dart - Alternative cross-platform framework
• mobile-testing - Comprehensive testing frameworks
• mobile-perf - Performance profiling and optimization
• push-notifications - Push notification implementation

Version History

• 1.0.0 - Initial release with core React Native capabilities