react-native

# React Native Patterns

Performance and architecture patterns for React Native + Expo apps. Rules ranked by impact — fix CRITICAL before touching MEDIUM.

This is a starting point. The skill will grow as you build more mobile apps.

## When to Apply

- Building new React Native or Expo apps
- Optimising list and scroll performance
- Implementing animations
- Reviewing mobile code for performance issues
- Setting up a new Expo project

## 1. List Performance (CRITICAL)

Lists are the #1 performance issue in React Native. A janky scroll kills the entire app experience.

| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| **ScrollView for data** | `<ScrollView>` renders all items at once | Use `<FlatList>` or `<FlashList>` — virtualised, only renders visible items |
| **Missing keyExtractor** | FlatList without `keyExtractor` → unnecessary re-renders | `keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}` — stable unique key per item |
| **Complex renderItem** | Expensive component in renderItem re-renders on every scroll | Wrap in `React.memo`, extract to separate component |
| **Inline functions in renderItem** | `renderItem={({ item }) => <Row onPress={() => nav(item.id)} />}` | Extract handler: `const handlePress = useCallback(...)` |
| **No getItemLayout** | FlatList measures every item on scroll (expensive) | Provide `getItemLayout` for fixed-height items: `(data, index) => ({ length: 80, offset: 80 * index, index })` |
| **FlashList** | FlatList is good, FlashList is better for large lists | `@shopify/flash-list` — drop-in replacement, recycling architecture |
| **Large images in lists** | Full-res images decoded on main thread | Use `expo-image` with placeholder + transition, specify dimensions |

### FlatList Checklist

Every FlatList should have:
```tsx
<FlatList
  data={items}
  keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
  renderItem={renderItem}           // Memoised component
  getItemLayout={getItemLayout}     // If items are fixed height
  initialNumToRender={10}           // Don't render 100 items on mount
  maxToRenderPerBatch={10}          // Batch size for off-screen rendering
  windowSize={5}                    // How many screens to keep in memory
  removeClippedSubviews={true}      // Unmount off-screen items (Android)
/>
```

## 2. Animations (HIGH)

Native animations run on the UI thread. JS animations block the JS thread and cause jank.

| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| **Animated API for complex animations** | `Animated` runs on JS thread, blocks interactions | Use `react-native-reanimated` — runs on UI thread |
| **Layout animation** | Item appears/disappears with no transition | `LayoutAnimation.configureNext(LayoutAnimation.Presets.easeInEaseOut)` |
| **Shared element transitions** | Navigate between screens, element teleports | `react-native-reanimated` shared transitions or `expo-router` shared elements |
| **Gesture + animation** | Drag/swipe feels laggy | `react-native-gesture-handler` + `reanimated` worklets — all on UI thread |
| **Measuring layout** | `onLayout` fires too late, causes flash | Use `useAnimatedStyle` with shared values for instant response |

### Reanimated Basics

```tsx
import Animated, { useSharedValue, useAnimatedStyle, withSpring } from 'react-native-reanimated';

function AnimatedBox() {
  const offset = useSharedValue(0);
  const style = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    transform: [{ translateX: withSpring(offset.value) }],
  }));

  return (
    <GestureDetector gesture={panGesture}>
      <Animated.View style={[styles.box, style]} />
    </GestureDetector>
  );
}
```

## 3. Navigation (HIGH)

| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| **Expo Router** | File-based routing (like Next.js) for React Native | `app/` directory with `_layout.tsx` files. Preferred for new Expo projects. |
| **Heavy screens on stack** | Every screen stays mounted in the stack | Use `unmountOnBlur: true` for screens that don't need to persist |
| **Deep linking** | App doesn't respond to URLs | Expo Router handles this automatically. For bare RN: `Linking` API config |
| **Tab badge updates** | Badge count doesn't update when tab is focused | Use `useIsFocused()` or refetch on focus: `useFocusEffect(useCallback(...))` |
| **Navigation state persistence** | App loses position on background/kill | `onStateChange` + `initialState` with AsyncStorage |

### Expo Router Structure

```
app/
├── _layout.tsx          # Root layout (tab navigator)
├── index.tsx            # Home tab
├── (tabs)/
│   ├── _layout.tsx      # Tab bar config
│   ├── home.tsx
│   ├── search.tsx
│   └── profile.tsx
├── [id].tsx             # Dynamic route
└── modal.tsx            # Modal route
```

## 4. UI Patterns (HIGH)

| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| **Safe area** | Content under notch or home indicator | `<SafeAreaView>` or `useSafeAreaInsets()` from `react-native-safe-area-context` |
| **Keyboard avoidance** | Form fields hidden behind keyboard | `<KeyboardAvoidingView behavior={Platform.OS === 'ios' ? 'padding' : 'height'}>` |
| **Platform-specific code** | iOS and Android need different behaviour | `Platform.select({ ios: ..., android: ... })` or `.ios.tsx` / `.android.tsx` files |
| **Status bar** | Status bar overlaps content or wrong colour | `<StatusBar style="auto" />` from `expo-status-bar` in root layout |
| **Touch targets** | Buttons too small to tap | Minimum 44x44pt. Use `hitSlop={{ top: 10, bottom: 10, left: 10, right: 10 }}` |
| **Haptic feedback** | Taps feel dead | `expo-haptics` — `Haptics.impactAsync(Haptics.ImpactFeedbackStyle.Light)` on important actions |

## 5. Images and Media (MEDIUM)

| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| **Image component** | `<Image>` from react-native is basic | Use `expo-image` — caching, placeholder, transition, blurhash |
| **Remote images without dimensions** | Layout shift when image loads | Always specify `width` and `height`, or use `aspectRatio` |
| **Large images** | OOM