Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Getting Started with React Native
    Getting Started with React Native
    Getting Started with React Native
    Ebook290 pages1 hour

    Getting Started with React Native

    By Ethan Holmes and Bray Tom

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Learn to build modern native iOS and Android applications using JavaScript and the incredible power of React

    About This Book

    - Learn to design and build a fully-featured application using the newest cutting-edge framework from Facebook
    - Leverage your JavaScript skills to become a native app developer
    - Develop custom UI components, implement smooth navigation, and access native features such as geolocation and local storage

    Who This Book Is For

    This book is for web developers who want to learn to build fast, good-looking, native mobile applications using the skills they already have. If you already have some JavaScript knowledge or are using React on the web, then you will be able to quickly get up and running with React Native for iOS and Android.

    What You Will Learn

    - Set up the React Native environment on both devices and emulators
    - Gain an in-depth understanding of how React Native works behind the scenes
    - Write your own custom native UI components
    - Learn the ins and outs of screen navigation
    - Master the art of layout and styles
    - Work with device-exclusive data such as geolocation
    - Develop native modules in Objective-C and Java that interact with JavaScript
    - Test and deploy your application for a production-ready environment

    In Detail

    React Native is a game-changing approach to hybrid mobile development. Web developers can leverage their existing skills to write mobile applications in JavaScript that are truly native without using cross-compilation or web views. These applications have all of the advantages of those written in Objective-C or Java, combined with the rapid development cycle that JavaScript developers are accustomed to.
    Web developers who want to develop native mobile applications face a high barrier to entry, because they are forced to learn platform-specific languages and frameworks. Numerous hybrid technologies have tried to simplify this process, but have failed to achieve the performance and appearance that users expect.
    This book will show you all the advantages of true native development that React Native has without the steep learning curve, leveraging the knowledge you already have. We do this by getting you up and running quickly with a sample application. Next, we’ll introduce you to the fundamentals of creating components and explain how React Native works under the hood. Once you have established a solid foundation, you will dive headfirst into developing a real-world application from start to finish. Along the way, we will demonstrate how to create multiple screens and navigate between them,use layout and style native UI components, and access native APIs such as local storage and geolocation. Finally, we tackle the advanced topic of Native modules, which demonstrates that there are truly no limits to what you can do with React Native.

    Style and approach

    This book provides a simple and easy way to build mobile applications in JavaScript. Each topic takes you through the life cycle of creating a fully-functional native app, with detailed explanations of the entire process.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPackt Publishing
    Release dateDec 18, 2015
    ISBN9781785886232
    Getting Started with React Native
    Author

    Ethan Holmes

    Ethan Holmes is the author of six books including the novels, Earth's Blood, Water and The Keystone. He is also the author of two collections of short stories, A Multi-Pack of Brain Flakes and Shorts and Other Laundry.. Currently residing in Northern Arizona, he enjoys hiking, playing twelve string guitar, reading, writing and participation in most active sports.

    Read more from Ethan Holmes

    Related to Getting Started with React Native

    Related ebooks

    Programming For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      GO Inside Parsing – How Go Handles The Code

      Jul 30, 2019

      This tutorial has two aspects: a theoretical one and a practical one. In the theoretical part, you will learn about parsing, grammar and regular expressions; this is how languages are built and therefore understood in terms of construction and usage.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Access Your Mac Anywhere

      Nov 8, 2022

      Access Your Mac Anywhere
      2 min read

    • Article

      DJANGO Create A Database-driven Website

      Jun 4, 2019

      The Django web framework was named after the famous guitarist Django Reinhardt and was first created by web developers at a small newspaper in Kansas. The main goals of Django is to enable fast development of complex websites with database needs. It

      7 min read

    • Article

      Best New Apps

      Jul 26, 2021

      Best New Apps
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Shift

      Mar 30, 2017

      As iOS becomes more sophisticated, our apps are beginning to disappear. I don’t mean that we’re downloading fewer apps; on the contrary, we’re downloading more than ever, and Apple recently made its largest quarterly developer payout in App Store his

      2 min read

    • Article

      FLASK Web Frameworks

      Jun 4, 2019

      The main focus of Python has always been to get you cracking on with your coding – the language was never made for web programming. However, this has just made it more interesting to extend the language for the web, or to create an interface to web-b

      9 min read

    • Article

      Build It Like A Coder

      Aug 19, 2019

      Build It Like A Coder
      3 min read

    • Article

      Contact

      Jul 26, 2022

      Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com I have been a subscriber to MacFormat now for about 15 months and as yet haven’t seen anything about personal finance apps. Having run Microsoft Money for 15 years or so, I found that I c

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Best Free PC Software

      Sep 2, 2019

      The Best Free PC Software
      12 min read

    • Article

      Interview//

      Nov 30, 2018

      Interview//
      9 min read

    • Article

      Interview//

      Dec 3, 2020

      Interview//
      9 min read

    • Article

      Create A Webpage Or Blog

      Mar 26, 2020

      Create A Webpage Or Blog
      12 min read

    • Article

      Backups Are Dead, Long Live Backups!

      Aug 25, 2020

      No one needs to back up any more. Yes, after decades of tech “journalists” telling you to back up your systems, modern ways of working have made the backup obsolete. No, wait, don’t go! We’re not obsolete, just yet. It’s true enough that many of us a

      1 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Cheap Out

      Jan 27, 2020

      Don’t Cheap Out
      1 min read

    • Article

      Write A Novel On Your Mac

      Apr 22, 2021

      Write A Novel On Your Mac
      11 min read

    • Article

      25 Apps For Geeks

      Aug 7, 2022

      25 Apps For Geeks
      12 min read

    • Article

      Putting Your Words In Order

      Jun 3, 2021

      Putting Your Words In Order
      5 min read

    • Article

      Poisoning The Well

      Jan 11, 2022

      Poisoning The Well
      4 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Cheap Out

      Oct 15, 2019

      Don’t Cheap Out
      1 min read

    • Article

      Mailserver

      Nov 19, 2019

      Mailserver
      2 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      May 11, 2022

      I’d like to ask Computeractive a question: why are you so obsessed with Windows 11? Every other news story you publish seems to be about new tools added to it, and yet interest in the operating system seems lukewarm at best. It makes me wonder whethe

      6 min read

    • Article

      Family History In The AI Era

      Apr 12, 2024

      Family History In The AI Era
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Getting Started with React Native

    4/5

    3 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Getting Started with React Native - Ethan Holmes

      Table of Contents

      Getting Started with React Native

      Credits

      About the Authors

      About the Reviewer

      www.PacktPub.com

      Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

      Why subscribe?

      Free access for Packt account holders

      Preface

      What this book covers

      What you need for this book

      Who this book is for

      Conventions

      Reader feedback

      Customer support

      Downloading the example code

      Downloading the color images of this book

      Errata

      Piracy

      Questions

      1. Exploring the Sample Application

      Installing Xcode

      Running the sample application

      A sneak peek at the sample application

      Experimenting with the sample application

      Summary

      2. Understanding React Native Fundamentals

      The Virtual DOM

      Components

      Creating your first component

      JSX

      Back to our first component

      Props and states

      Props

      Validating props

      State

      Summary

      3. Beginning with the Example Application

      Generating the projects

      Xcode and the iOS simulator

      The Android SDK and emulator

      Modifying the React Native starter template

      Structuring the application

      Creating the SimpleButton component

      Navigation

      The Navigator component

      Navigator.NavigationBar

      The NoteScreen – first pass

      Summary

      4. Working with Styles and Layout

      React CSS

      Style Sheet

      Styling the SimpleButton component

      Layout and Flexbox

      Flex container

      Flex items

      Horizontal and vertical centering

      Absolute positioning

      Styling the NavigationBar component

      Changing the Android Material Theme

      Styling the NoteScreen

      Summary

      5. Displaying and Saving Data

      Lists

      Understanding props

      Using state

      Passing callbacks in props

      Creating new notes

      Using AsyncStorage

      Deleting notes

      Summary

      6. Working with Geolocation and Maps

      Introducing the Geolocation API

      The location permission in iOS

      Tagging notes with geolocation

      NoteLocationScreen

      MapView

      Summary

      7. Integrating Native Modules

      Adding images to notes

      Installing react-native-camera on iOS

      Searching for Native Modules

      Using the camera component

      Viewing images

      The image component

      Deleting images

      Connecting the final pieces

      Summary

      8. Releasing the Application

      Generating the static bundle in iOS

      Testing the static bundle in iOS

      Creating an iOS release in Xcode

      Generating the Android APK

      Summary

      Index

      Getting Started with React Native

      Getting Started with React Native

      Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

      Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

      Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

      First published: December 2015

      Production reference: 1101215

      Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

      Livery Place

      35 Livery Street

      Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

      ISBN 978-1-78588-518-1

      www.packtpub.com

      Credits

      Authors

      Ethan Holmes

      Tom Bray

      Reviewer

      Soliury

      Content Manager

      Wilson Dsouza

      Acquisition Editor

      Aaron Lazar

      Content Development Editor

      Divij Kotian

      Technical Editor

      Naveenkumar Jain

      Copy Editor

      Sneha Singh

      Project Coordinator

      Nikhil Nair

      Proofreader

      Safis Editing

      Indexer

      Hemangini Bari

      Graphics

      Kirk D'Penha

      Production Coordinator

      Shantanu N. Zagade

      Cover Work

      Shantanu N. Zagade

      About the Authors

      Ethan Holmes is a Software Engineer from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He obtained a B.Sc. in computer science from Simon Fraser University. He has primarily been a full-stack web developer working and creating applications for start-ups in the Silicon Beach area. Currently, he is stationed at Cargomatic, disrupting the freight industry. After learning React for the web, learning React Native complemented the skills he obtained as a web developer and allowed him to quickly make the transition to mobile development.

      You can follow him on Twitter at @sherclockholmes.

      I'd like to thank Tom for being such a great ol' chap and for giving me the opportunity to work on this book with him. Big thanks to the friends and colleagues I have met throughout my many years of software development. Shout out to my Bengal cat, Whiskey!

      Tom Bray has been developing for the web since the browser wars of the late 90s when DHTML was the buzzword of the day. Creating great user experiences using the cutting edge technologies of the day has always been his passion, from Flash to Flex to Adobe AIR to React, and React Native.

      He has created sophisticated software that has been used by large companies, such as Adobe, MySpace, Cisco, Informatica, and Dell; it has been a key contributor to numerous start-ups where he has worn many hats and gained a broad skill set. He currently serves as the Principal Software Architect with Cargomatic where he has designed a system to orchestrate the movement of ocean freight to and from America's ports—a solution that leveraged React Native to assign work to truck drivers and track their progress.

      You can follow him on Twitter at @tombray.

      I would like to dedicate this book to my wonderful wife, Amy, and my amazing son, Tyler. They have put up with me working late at night and on weekends, and I couldn't have written this book without their love and support. They bring me great joy and I'm so grateful to have them in my life.

      I also want to thank my co-author, Ethan Holmes, who is a fantastic developer, a great writer, and an exemplary Canadian. His hard work and dedication were crucial in making this book a reality in a short amount of time. Thank you, Ethan!

      About the Reviewer

      Soliury is a frontend engineer from China. He is now working in Meituan and he loves JavaScript. He is excited to see that React Native is getting more and more popular. He also writes react-native apps for http://cnodejs.org. His GitHub ID is https://github.com/soliury.

      I would like to thank my girlfriend, Jennifer, who has supported my work and also understands me. I would also like to thank Nikhil for helping me when I am busy.

      www.PacktPub.com

      Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

      For support files and downloads related to your book, please visit www.PacktPub.com.

      Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.com and, as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy. Get in touch with us at for more details.

      At www.PacktPub.com, you can also read a collection of free technical articles, sign up for a range of free newsletters and receive exclusive discounts and offers on Packt books and eBooks.

      https://www2.packtpub.com/books/subscription/packtlib

      Do you need instant solutions to your IT questions? PacktLib is Packt's online digital book library. Here, you can search, access, and read Packt's entire library of books.

      Why subscribe?

      Fully searchable across every book published by Packt

      Copy and paste, print, and bookmark content

      On demand and accessible via a web browser

      Free access for Packt account holders

      If you have an account with Packt at www.PacktPub.com, you can use this to access PacktLib today and view 9 entirely free books. Simply use your login credentials for immediate access.

      Preface

      Why are there so many alternatives to using native languages to write mobile apps? And, more importantly, why does the world need yet another approach? Obviously, there must be a problem that hasn't been solved.

      Developers want to use just one language to develop for both iOS and Android. Web developers want to reuse their existing JavaScript knowledge and leverage the web frameworks they already know and love. This is why Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) exists. By wrapping a web browser in a native app, developers can package their HTML, CSS, and JavaScript applications in a native shell, but why aren't all mobile applications based on Cordova?

      Users expect native performance, with a native user experience. Hybrid apps don't solve the user's problems, they solve the developer's problems. We need a technology that can do both!

      React Native changes the game with applications that are truly native. It doesn't use a WebView or transpile JavaScript to native languages. Think of it as native UI components being controlled by a JavaScript brain. The result is a user experience that is indistinguishable

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1