Practical application of advanced React Native concepts
Aleksei Fomushkin · Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen) · 2019
The purpose of this thesis is to briefly explain what ReactJS and React Native are and what new and advanced development techniques can be utilized in cross-platform mobile development. In practice, the techniques were applied when developing a functional application from start until finishing. The study covers the key features of ReactJS and React Native and the reasons to choose the framework for developing the cross-platform application which was designed for the project described here. The advanced concepts which were researched and implemented into the application source code are relatively new or not covered enough. They include TypeScript support for static type checking and better development flow in general, React hooks and Context API for a new way to manage the global application state, and Animated API for providing better user experience to users. Due to constraints, some features such as audio support, background mode, native iOS and Android modules, performance optimizations and publishing of the applications are not dealt with in the thesis, but can be observed in the application itself and accessed through Apple and Google stores. The final practical project, which utilized the React Native concepts, was successfully launched on both main mobile platforms. The concepts also allowed building and integrating new features, such as an alternative dark theme, faster and with less effort. Due to modern development techniques, it came out to be performant even on dated mobile devices with smooth transitions and animations.