react-native-share

What is react-native-share?

The react-native-share package allows you to share content such as text, images, and files from your React Native app to other apps on the user's device. It supports both Android and iOS platforms.

What are react-native-share's main functionalities?

Share Text

This feature allows you to share plain text messages. The code sample demonstrates how to share a simple text message using the react-native-share package.

import Share from 'react-native-share';

const shareText = async () => {
  const shareOptions = {
    message: 'Hello, this is a text message!',
  };
  try {
    await Share.open(shareOptions);
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Error =>', error);
  }
};

Share Image

This feature allows you to share images. The code sample demonstrates how to share an image using a base64 encoded string.

import Share from 'react-native-share';

const shareImage = async () => {
  const shareOptions = {
    url: 'data:image/png;base64,<base64_encoded_image>',
  };
  try {
    await Share.open(shareOptions);
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Error =>', error);
  }
};

Share File

This feature allows you to share files. The code sample demonstrates how to share a file from a given file path.

import Share from 'react-native-share';

const shareFile = async () => {
  const shareOptions = {
    url: 'file://path/to/your/file.pdf',
  };
  try {
    await Share.open(shareOptions);
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Error =>', error);
  }
};

Share with Social Media

This feature allows you to share content directly to specific social media apps. The code sample demonstrates how to share a message directly to WhatsApp.

import Share from 'react-native-share';

const shareToWhatsApp = async () => {
  const shareOptions = {
    message: 'Hello, sharing this via WhatsApp!',
    social: Share.Social.WHATSAPP,
  };
  try {
    await Share.shareSingle(shareOptions);
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Error =>', error);
  }
};

Other packages similar to react-native-share

react-native-social-share

The react-native-social-share package allows you to share content to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. It is more focused on social media sharing compared to react-native-share, which offers a broader range of sharing options.

react-native-share-menu

The react-native-share-menu package allows your app to receive content shared from other apps. While react-native-share focuses on sharing content from your app, react-native-share-menu is designed to handle incoming shared content.

expo-sharing

The expo-sharing package is part of the Expo ecosystem and allows you to share files with other apps. It is simpler to use within Expo-managed projects but may not offer as many customization options as react-native-share.

README

react-native-share

React Native Share, a simple tool for share message and file to other apps.

Sponsors

---

If you use this library on your commercial/personal projects, you can help us by funding the work on specific issues that you choose by using IssueHunt.io!

This gives you the power to prioritize our work and support the project contributors. Moreover it'll guarantee the project will be updated and maintained in the long run.

Getting started

---

If you are using react-native >= 0.60.0 please use react-native-share >= 2.0.0

Automatic Way

---

yarn add react-native-share

or if you're using npm

npm install react-native-share --save

---

Important:

Linking is not needed anymore. react-native@0.60.0+ supports dependencies auto linking. For iOS you also need additional step to install auto linked Pods (Cocoapods should be installed):

cd ios && pod install && cd ../

---

If you are using react-native <= 0.59.10 please use react-native-share <= 1.2.1:

If you are having any problems with this library, or need to use >= 2.0.0 please refer to: jetifier.

After installing jetifier, runs a npx jetify -r and test if this works by running a react-native run-android.

Automatic Way

---

yarn add react-native-share
react-native link react-native-share

or if you're using npm

npm install react-native-share --save
react-native link react-native-share

---

We recommend using the releases from npm, however you can use the master branch if you need any feature that is not available on NPM. By doing this you will be able to use unreleased features, but the module may be less stable. yarn:

yarn add react-native-share@git+https://[e-mail]/react-native-community/react-native-share.git

Manual install

iOS Install

1. yarn add react-native-share
2. In XCode, in the project navigator, right click Libraries ➜ Add Files to [your project's name]
3. Go to node_modules ➜ react-native-share ➜ ios and add RNShare.xcodeproj
4. In XCode, in the project navigator, select your project. Add libRNShare.a to your project's Build Phases ➜ Link Binary With Libraries
5. In XCode, in the project navigator, select your project. Add Social.framework and MessageUI.framework to your project's General ➜ Linked Frameworks and Libraries
6. In iOS 9 or higher, You should add app list that you will share. If you want to share Whatsapp and Mailto, you should write LSApplicationQueriesSchemes in info.plist

   <key>LSApplicationQueriesSchemes</key>
   <array>
     <string>whatsapp</string>
     <string>mailto</string>
   </array>
   

7. (Optional) Also following lines allows users to save photos, add them in info.plist

   <key>NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription</key>
   <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) wants to save photos</string>
   

8. Run your project (Cmd+R)

iOS Install(using Pods)

If you wish, you can use cocopoads to use react-native-share.

You just need to add to your Podfile the react-native-share dependency.

  # React-Native-Share pod
  pod 'RNShare', :path => '../node_modules/react-native-share'

After that, just run a pod install or pod udpate to get up and running with react-native-share.

Then run a react-native link react-native-share, and doing the steps 6 and 7.

You can also see our example to see how you need to setup your podfile.

Btw, We also recommend reading this (amazing article)[https://shift.infinite.red/beginner-s-guide-to-using-cocoapods-with-react-native-46cb4d372995] about how pods and rn work together. =D

Android Install

1. yarn add react-native-share

2. Open up android/app/src/main/java/[...]/MainApplication.java

   • Add import cl.json.RNSharePackage; and import cl.json.ShareApplication; to the imports at the top of the file
   • Add new RNSharePackage() to the list returned by the getPackages() method

3. Append the following lines to android/settings.gradle:

   include ':react-native-share'
   project(':react-native-share').projectDir = new File(rootProject.projectDir, 	'../node_modules/react-native-share/android')
   

4. Insert the following lines inside the dependencies block in android/app/build.gradle:

     compile project(':react-native-share')
   

5. (Optional) Follow this for implementing Provider

Windows Install

Read it! :D

1. yarn add react-native-share
2. In Visual Studio add the RNShare.sln in node_modules/react-native-share/windows/RNShare.sln folder to their solution, reference from their app.
3. Open up your MainPage.cs app

• Add using Cl.Json.RNShare; to the usings at the top of the file
• Add new RNSharePackage() to the List<IReactPackage> returned by the Packages method

Methods

---

open(options)

Open Simple share dialog

Returns a promise that fulfills or rejects as soon as user successfully open the share action sheet or cancelled/failed to do so. As a result you might need to further handle the rejection while necessary. e.g.

*For share multiple files, you must using option urls instead of url to share multiple files/images/docs. Example could be found in Example folder

  Share.open(options)
    .then((res) => { console.log(res) })
    .catch((err) => { err && console.log(err); });

Supported options:

Name	Type	Description
url	string	URL you want to share (only support base64 string in iOS & Android ).
urls	Array[string]	array of base64 string you want to share (only support iOS & Android).
type	string	File mime type (optional)
message	string
title	string	(optional)
subject	string	(optional)
excludedActivityTypes	string	(optional)
failOnCancel	boolean	(defaults to true) Specifies whether promise should reject if user cancels share dialog (optional)
showAppsToView	boolean	(optional) only android

Url format when sharing a file

***Share base 64 file

When share a base 64 file, please follow the format below:

url: "data:<data_type>/<file_extension>;base64,<base64_data>"

***Share file directly

When share a local file directly, please follow the format below:

url: "file://<file_path>",

---

shareSingle(options) (in iOS & Android)

Open share dialog with specific application

This returns a promise too.

Supported options:

Name	Type	Description
url	string	URL you want to share
type	string	File mime type (optional)
message	string
title	string	(optional)
subject	string	(optional)
social	string	supported social apps: List
forceDialog	boolean	(optional) only android. Avoid showing dialog with buttons Just Once / Always. Useful for Instagram to always ask user if share as Story or Feed

NOTE: If both message and url are provided, url will be concatenated to the end of message to form the body of the message. If only one is provided it will be used

---

isPackageInstalled() (in Android)

It's a method that checks if an app (package) is installed on Android. It returns a promise with isInstalled. e.g.

Checking if Instagram is installed on Android.

Share.isPackageInstalled('com.instagram.android')
  .then(({ isInstalled }) => console.log(isInstalled))

NOTE: in iOS you can use Linking.canOpenURL(url)

---

Static Values for social

These can be assessed using Share.Social property For eg.

import Share from 'react-native-share';

const shareOptions = {
    title: 'Share via',
    message: 'some message',
    url: 'some share url',
    social: Share.Social.WHATSAPP
};
Share.shareSingle(shareOptions);

Name	Android	iOS	Windows
FACEBOOK	yes	yes	no
PAGESMANAGER	yes	no	no
WHATSAPP	yes	yes	no
INSTAGRAM	yes	yes	no
GOOGLEPLUS	yes	yes	no
EMAIL	yes	yes	no
PINTEREST	yes	no	no
SMS	yes	no	no
SNAPCHAT	yes	no	no
MESSENGER	yes	no	no
LINKEDIN	yes	no	no

How it looks:

	Android	IOS	Windows
Simple Share
UI Component			TODO

---

Troubleshooting

---

Share Remote PDF File with Gmail & WhatsApp (iOS)

When sharing a pdf file with base64, there are two current problems.

1. On WhatsApp base64 wont be recognized => nothing to share
2. In the GmailApp the file extension is wrong (.dat).

Therefore we use this "workaround" in order to handle pdf sharing for iOS Apps to mentioned Apps

1. Install react-native-fetch-blob
2. Set a specific path in the RNFetchBlob configurations
3. Download the PDF file to temp device storage
4. Share the response's path() of the donwloaded file directly

Code:

static sharePDFWithIOS(fileUrl, type) {
  let filePath = null;
  let file_url_length = fileUrl.length;
  const configOptions = {
    fileCache: true,
    path:
      DIRS.DocumentDir + (type === 'application/pdf' ? '/SomeFileName.pdf' : '/SomeFileName.png') // no difference when using jpeg / jpg / png /
  };
  RNFetchBlob.config(configOptions)
    .fetch('GET', fileUrl)
    .then(async resp => {
      filePath = resp.path();
      let options = {
        type: type,
        url: filePath // (Platform.OS === 'android' ? 'file://' + filePath)
      };
      await Share.open(options);
      // remove the image or pdf from device's storage
      await RNFS.unlink(filePath);
    });
}

Nothing to do on Android. You can share the pdf file with base64

static sharePDFWithAndroid(fileUrl, type) {
  let filePath = null;
  let file_url_length = fileUrl.length;
  const configOptions = { fileCache: true };
  RNFetchBlob.config(configOptions)
    .fetch('GET', fileUrl)
    .then(resp => {
      filePath = resp.path();
      return resp.readFile('base64');
    })
    .then(async base64Data => {
      base64Data = `data:${type};base64,` + base64Data;
      await Share.open({ url: base64Data });
      // remove the image or pdf from device's storage
      await RNFS.unlink(filePath);
    });
}

Adding your implementation of FileProvider

Android guide.

• applicationId should be defined in the defaultConfig section in your android/app/build.gradle:

• File: android/app/build.gradle

  defaultConfig {
      applicationId "com.yourcompany.yourappname"
      ...
  }
  

• Add this <provider> section to your AndroidManifest.xml

  File: AndroidManifest.xml

  <application>
      <provider
          android:name="androidx.core.content.FileProvider"
          android:authorities="${applicationId}.provider"
          android:grantUriPermissions="true"
          android:exported="false">
          <meta-data
              android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS"
              android:resource="@xml/filepaths" />
      </provider>
  </application>
  

• Create a filepaths.xml under this directory: android/app/src/main/res/xml.

  In this file, add the following contents:

  File: android/app/src/main/res/filepaths.xml

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <paths xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <external-path name="myexternalimages" path="Download/" />
  </paths>
  

• Edit your MainApplication.java class to add implements ShareApplication and getFileProviderAuthority

• The getFileProviderAuthority function returns the android:authorities value added in the AndroidManifest.xml file

• applicationId is defined in the defaultConfig section of your android/app/build.gradle and referenced using BuildConfig.APPLICATION_ID

  import cl.json.ShareApplication
  public class MainApplication extends Application implements ShareApplication, ReactApplication {
  
       @Override
       public String getFileProviderAuthority() {
              return BuildConfig.APPLICATION_ID + ".provider";
       }
  
       // ...Your own code
  
  }