Unlock the Power of Styling in React Native with CSS Modules

Traditional Methods of Styling in React Native

React Native offers two main methods for creating styles: inline styling and using a style prop to style subcomponents. Inline styling is great for quick, small applications and testing code without a full implementation. However, as your app grows, inline styling can lead to duplicated code and make it difficult to maintain.

const styles = {
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center'
  }
};

function App() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text>Hello World!</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

The React Native StyleSheet approach is another popular method, which uses an abstraction similar to traditional CSS StyleSheets. This approach makes code easier to read and adheres to the DRY principle.

import { StyleSheet } from 'eact-native';

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center'
  }
});

function App() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text>Hello World!</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

Introducing CSS Modules: A Game-Changer for React Native Styling

CSS Modules offer a portable, more robust alternative to traditional React Native styles. By using locally scoped styles, you can keep your code clean and readable. CSS Modules enable you to write pure CSS files, which are then converted to JavaScript objects, making them safer to integrate.

A Practical Example of CSS Modules in Action

Let’s take a look at how CSS Modules can be used to style a React Native app. We’ll create a simple app with a text, button, and image elements, as well as an app bar at the top using the react-native-paper package.

/* styles.css */
.container {
  flex: 1;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
}

.app-bar {
  background-color: #333;
  padding: 10px;
  color: #fff;
}

import React from 'eact';
import { View, Text, Button, Image } from 'eact-native';
import { styles } from './styles.css';

function App() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <View style={styles.appBar}>
        <Text>App Bar</Text>
      </View>
      <Text>Hello World!</Text>
      <Button title="Click me!" />
      <Image source={{ uri: 'https://example.com/image.jpg' }} />
    </View>
  );
}

Designing a Full-Scale React Native App with CSS Modules

To get started, we’ll set up a React Native app using the Expo framework and platform. We’ll also install the required libraries, including react-native-css-transformer, babel-plugin-react-native-platform-specific-extensions, and babel-plugin-react-native-classname-to-style.

npx expo init my-app
cd my-app
npm install react-native-css-transformer babel-plugin-react-native-platform-specific-extensions babel-plugin-react-native-classname-to-style

Next, we’ll create a folder for the project and run the command to set up the React Native frontend. We’ll then install the dependencies and configure the babel.config.js, metro.config.js, and app.json files.

The Benefits of Using CSS Modules

By using CSS Modules, you can create locally scoped styles that are highly portable and localized for each component. This approach eliminates the risk of naming conflicts between selector names and makes it easier to maintain your codebase.

• Locally scoped styles: Each component has its own set of styles, reducing the risk of naming conflicts.
• Portable styles: Styles can be easily reused across different components and projects.
• Easier maintenance: With separate files for styles, it’s easier to update and maintain your codebase.

Get Started with CSS Modules Today

With CSS Modules, you can unlock the full power of CSS in your React Native app. By separating your styles into individual files, you can keep your code clean, readable, and easy to maintain. So why not give CSS Modules a try and take your React Native app to the next level?

Learn more about CSS Modules and React Native