create-react-native-module

create-react-native-module

Tool to create a React Native library module or native view component, with a single command.

See below for command-line usage, example with no view, and example with an extremely simple native view.

This tool based on react-native-create-library, with working example callbacks, optional native view, and more updates added by @brodybits (Christoper J. Brody aka Chris Brody) and other contributors.

LICENSE: MIT

General status

• React Native versions supported:
  • recommended: 0.60 (see known quirks and issues below)
  • 0.59
• Known quirks & issues on React Native 0.60(+):
  • issue #28 - additional pod install step needed for RN 0.60 on iOS
  • issue #29 - View does not work with RN 0.60 on Android (quick patch needed)
• Windows support is likely to be removed (see issue #43)
• Node.js pre-10 support is deprecated and will be removed in the near future (see issue #38)

Why might you need this?

If you are looking to create a native module for React Native, you need some native code for each platform you want to support and then some JavaScript code to bind it all together. Setting this up by yourself can be time-consuming.

This is where this tool comes in. It creates a boilerplate with all current best practices in mind. Why not use react-native new-library? Unfortunately that command doesn't create an up-to-date library, requires an already initialized React Native project and only sets up the iOS side of things.

Alternatives

• react-native-create-library
• react-native-create-bridge

Installation

Requirements: Node 8.0+

Packages required to be installed globally if the recommended example app is generated:

• react-native-cli
• yarn

$ npm install -g react-native-cli yarn

To install this package:

$ npm install -g create-react-native-module

Command-line usage

Navigate into an empty directory to execute the command.

$ create-react-native-module MyFancyLibrary

This will create the folder MyFancyLibrary in which the library will be created in.

Now install dependencies by running this command in the newly created library.

$ npm install

Usage: create-react-native-module [options] <name>

Options:

  -V, --version                             output the version number
  --prefix <prefix>                         The prefix for the library module (Default: ``)
  --module-name <moduleName>                The module library package name to be used in package.json. Default: react-native-(name in param-case)
  --module-prefix <modulePrefix>            The module prefix for the library module, ignored if --module-name is specified (Default: `react-native`)
  --package-identifier <packageIdentifier>  (Android only!) The package name for the Android module (Default: `com.reactlibrary`)
  --platforms <platforms>                   Platforms the library module will be created for - comma separated (Default: `ios,android`)
  --github-account <githubAccount>          The github account where the library module is hosted (Default: `github_account`)
  --author-name <authorName>                The author's name (Default: `Your Name`)
  --author-email <authorEmail>              The author's email (Default: `[e-mail]`)
  --license <license>                       The license type (Default: `MIT`)
  --view                                    Generate the module as a very simple native view component
  --use-cocoapods                           Generate a library with a sample podspec and third party pod usage example
  --generate-example                        Generate an example project and links the library module to it, requires both react-native-cli and yarn to be installed globally
  --example-name <exampleName>              Name for the example project (default: `example`)
  --example-react-native-version <version>  React Native version for the generated example project (default: `react-native@0.59`)
  -h, --help                                output usage information

Programmatic usage

const createLibraryModule = require('create-react-native-module');

createLibraryModule({
  name: 'MyFancyLibraryModule'
}).then(() => {
  console.log('Oh yay! My library module has been created!');
})

Options

{
  name: String, /* The name of the library (Default: Library) */
  prefix: String, /* The prefix for the library (Default: ``) */
  moduleName: String, /* The module library package name to be used in package.json. Default: react-native-(name in param-case) */
  modulePrefix: String, /* The module prefix for the library, ignored if moduleName is specified (Default: react-native) */
  platforms: Array | String, /* Platforms the library will be created for. (Default: ['android', 'ios']) */
  packageIdentifier: String, /* (Android only!) The package name for the Android module (Default: com.reactlibrary) */
  githubAccount: String, /* The github account where the library is hosted (Default: `github_account`) */
  authorName: String, /* The author's name (Default: `Your Name`) */
  authorEmail: String, /* The author's email (Default: `[e-mail]`) */
  license: String, /* The license type of this library (Default: `MIT`) */
  useCocoapods: Boolean, /* Generate a library with a sample podspec and third party pod usage example (Default: false) */
  view: Boolean, /* Generate the module as a very simple native view component (Default: false) */
  generateExample: Boolean, /* Generate an example project and links the library module to it, requires both react-native-cli and yarn to be installed globally (Default: false) */
  exampleName: String, /* Name for the example project (Default: `example`) */
  exampleReactNativeVersion: String, /* React Native version for the generated example project (Default: `react-native@0.59`) */
}

Behavior not tested or supported

• Windows platform support

Examples

Example module with no view

Create the module with no view:

create-react-native-module --prefix CB --package-identifier io.mylibrary --generate-example AliceHelper

The module would be generated in the react-native-alice-helper subdirectory, and the example test app would be in react-native-alice-helper/example.

Then go into the example app subdirectory:

cd react-native-alice-helper/example

Running the example app

Within the example test app subdirectory:

It is recommended to start the Metro Bundler manually (within react-native-alice-helper/example), which would run in the foreground:

npm start

Otherwise, React Native will open its own window to run the Metro Bundler.

To run on Android, do the following command (within react-native-alice-helper/example):

react-native run-android

This assumes that the ANDROID_HOME environmental variable is set properly. Here is a sample command that does not make such an assumption on a mac:

ANDROID_HOME=~/Library/Android/sdk react-native run-android

For iOS:

Extra installation step needed on React Native 0.60(+) (see issue #28):

cd ios && pod install && cd ..

Then to run on iOS:

react-native run-ios

or do the following command to open the iOS project in Xcode:

open ios/example.xcodeproj

Expected result:

The example app shows the following indications:

• STATUS: native callback received
• NATIVE CALLBACK MESSAGE with the number argument and string argument values that are received by the native module

Example view module

Create the module with an extremely simple view:

create-react-native-module --prefix CB --package-identifier io.mylibrary --view --generate-example CarolWidget

The module would be generated in the react-native-carol-widget subdirectory, and the example test app would be in react-native-carol-widget/example.

Note that this needs an adaptation to work on Android on React Native 0.60(+) (see issue #29).

Then go into the example app subdirectory:

cd react-native-carol-widget/example

Within the example test app subdirectory:

It is recommended to start the Metro Bundler manually as described above (within react-native-carol-widget/example):

npm start

To run on Android: do react-native run-android as described for the other example above.

To run on iOS: do pod install in ios subdirectory for React Native 0.60(+) (see above), then do react-native run-ios or open ios/example.xcodeproj as described for the other example above.

Expected result:

• on Android: a check box that is checked (and cannot be changed)
• on iOS: a label with 5 red asterisks

Acknowledgements

• react-native-create-library - original basis of this project
• react-native-share - was acknowledged as "a great source of inspiration" for react-native-create-library