Skip to content
Merged
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension


Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
321 changes: 321 additions & 0 deletions .agents/skills/building-native-ui/SKILL.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,321 @@
---
name: building-native-ui
description: Complete guide for building beautiful apps with Expo Router. Covers fundamentals, styling, components, navigation, animations, patterns, and native tabs.
version: 1.0.1
license: MIT
---

# Expo UI Guidelines

## References

Consult these resources as needed:

```
references/
animations.md Reanimated: entering, exiting, layout, scroll-driven, gestures
controls.md Native iOS: Switch, Slider, SegmentedControl, DateTimePicker, Picker
form-sheet.md Form sheets in expo-router: configuration, footers and background interaction.
gradients.md CSS gradients via experimental_backgroundImage (New Arch only)
icons.md SF Symbols via expo-image (sf: source), names, animations, weights
media.md Camera, audio, video, and file saving
route-structure.md Route conventions, dynamic routes, groups, folder organization
search.md Search bar with headers, useSearch hook, filtering patterns
storage.md SQLite, AsyncStorage, SecureStore
tabs.md NativeTabs, migration from JS tabs, iOS 26 features
toolbar-and-headers.md Stack headers and toolbar buttons, menus, search (iOS only)
visual-effects.md Blur (expo-blur) and liquid glass (expo-glass-effect)
webgpu-three.md 3D graphics, games, GPU visualizations with WebGPU and Three.js
zoom-transitions.md Apple Zoom: fluid zoom transitions with Link.AppleZoom (iOS 18+)
```

## Running the App

**CRITICAL: Always try Expo Go first before creating custom builds.**

Most Expo apps work in Expo Go without any custom native code. Before running `npx expo run:ios` or `npx expo run:android`:

1. **Start with Expo Go**: Run `npx expo start` and scan the QR code with Expo Go
2. **Check if features work**: Test your app thoroughly in Expo Go
3. **Only create custom builds when required** - see below

### When Custom Builds Are Required

You need `npx expo run:ios/android` or `eas build` ONLY when using:

- **Local Expo modules** (custom native code in `modules/`)
- **Apple targets** (widgets, app clips, extensions via `@bacons/apple-targets`)
- **Third-party native modules** not included in Expo Go
- **Custom native configuration** that can't be expressed in `app.json`

### When Expo Go Works

Expo Go supports a huge range of features out of the box:

- All `expo-*` packages (camera, location, notifications, etc.)
- Expo Router navigation
- Most UI libraries (reanimated, gesture handler, etc.)
- Push notifications, deep links, and more

**If you're unsure, try Expo Go first.** Creating custom builds adds complexity, slower iteration, and requires Xcode/Android Studio setup.

## Code Style

- Be cautious of unterminated strings. Ensure nested backticks are escaped; never forget to escape quotes correctly.
- Always use import statements at the top of the file.
- Always use kebab-case for file names, e.g. `comment-card.tsx`
- Always remove old route files when moving or restructuring navigation
- Never use special characters in file names
- Configure tsconfig.json with path aliases, and prefer aliases over relative imports for refactors.

## Routes

See `./references/route-structure.md` for detailed route conventions.

- Routes belong in the `app` directory.
- Never co-locate components, types, or utilities in the app directory. This is an anti-pattern.
- Ensure the app always has a route that matches "/", it may be inside a group route.

## Library Preferences

- Never use modules removed from React Native such as Picker, WebView, SafeAreaView, or AsyncStorage
- Never use legacy expo-permissions
- `expo-audio` not `expo-av`
- `expo-video` not `expo-av`
- `expo-image` with `source="sf:name"` for SF Symbols, not `expo-symbols` or `@expo/vector-icons`
- `react-native-safe-area-context` not react-native SafeAreaView
- `process.env.EXPO_OS` not `Platform.OS`
- `React.use` not `React.useContext`
- `expo-image` Image component instead of intrinsic element `img`
- `expo-glass-effect` for liquid glass backdrops

## Responsiveness

- Always wrap root component in a scroll view for responsiveness
- Use `<ScrollView contentInsetAdjustmentBehavior="automatic" />` instead of `<SafeAreaView>` for smarter safe area insets
- `contentInsetAdjustmentBehavior="automatic"` should be applied to FlatList and SectionList as well
- Use flexbox instead of Dimensions API
- ALWAYS prefer `useWindowDimensions` over `Dimensions.get()` to measure screen size

## Behavior

- Use expo-haptics conditionally on iOS to make more delightful experiences
- Use views with built-in haptics like `<Switch />` from React Native and `@react-native-community/datetimepicker`
- When a route belongs to a Stack, its first child should almost always be a ScrollView with `contentInsetAdjustmentBehavior="automatic"` set
- When adding a `ScrollView` to the page it should almost always be the first component inside the route component
- Prefer `headerSearchBarOptions` in Stack.Screen options to add a search bar
- Use the `<Text selectable />` prop on text containing data that could be copied
- Consider formatting large numbers like 1.4M or 38k
- Never use intrinsic elements like 'img' or 'div' unless in a webview or Expo DOM component

# Styling

Follow Apple Human Interface Guidelines.

## General Styling Rules

- Prefer flex gap over margin and padding styles
- Prefer padding over margin where possible
- Always account for safe area, either with stack headers, tabs, or ScrollView/FlatList `contentInsetAdjustmentBehavior="automatic"`
- Ensure both top and bottom safe area insets are accounted for
- Inline styles not StyleSheet.create unless reusing styles is faster
- Add entering and exiting animations for state changes
- Use `{ borderCurve: 'continuous' }` for rounded corners unless creating a capsule shape
- ALWAYS use a navigation stack title instead of a custom text element on the page
- When padding a ScrollView, use `contentContainerStyle` padding and gap instead of padding on the ScrollView itself (reduces clipping)
- CSS and Tailwind are not supported - use inline styles

## Text Styling

- Add the `selectable` prop to every `<Text/>` element displaying important data or error messages
- Counters should use `{ fontVariant: 'tabular-nums' }` for alignment

## Shadows

Use CSS `boxShadow` style prop. NEVER use legacy React Native shadow or elevation styles.

```tsx
<View style={{ boxShadow: "0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05)" }} />
```

'inset' shadows are supported.

# Navigation

## Link

Use `<Link href="/path" />` from 'expo-router' for navigation between routes.

```tsx
import { Link } from 'expo-router';

// Basic link
<Link href="/path" />

// Wrapping custom components
<Link href="/path" asChild>
<Pressable>...</Pressable>
</Link>
```

Whenever possible, include a `<Link.Preview>` to follow iOS conventions. Add context menus and previews frequently to enhance navigation.

## Stack

- ALWAYS use `_layout.tsx` files to define stacks
- Use Stack from 'expo-router/stack' for native navigation stacks

### Page Title

Set the page title in Stack.Screen options:

```tsx
<Stack.Screen options={{ title: "Home" }} />
```

## Context Menus

Add long press context menus to Link components:

```tsx
import { Link } from "expo-router";

<Link href="/settings" asChild>
<Link.Trigger>
<Pressable>
<Card />
</Pressable>
</Link.Trigger>
<Link.Menu>
<Link.MenuAction
title="Share"
icon="square.and.arrow.up"
onPress={handleSharePress}
/>
<Link.MenuAction
title="Block"
icon="nosign"
destructive
onPress={handleBlockPress}
/>
<Link.Menu title="More" icon="ellipsis">
<Link.MenuAction title="Copy" icon="doc.on.doc" onPress={() => {}} />
<Link.MenuAction
title="Delete"
icon="trash"
destructive
onPress={() => {}}
/>
</Link.Menu>
</Link.Menu>
</Link>;
```

## Link Previews

Use link previews frequently to enhance navigation:

```tsx
<Link href="/settings">
<Link.Trigger>
<Pressable>
<Card />
</Pressable>
</Link.Trigger>
<Link.Preview />
</Link>
```

Link preview can be used with context menus.

## Modal

Present a screen as a modal:

```tsx
<Stack.Screen name="modal" options={{ presentation: "modal" }} />
```

Prefer this to building a custom modal component.

## Sheet

Present a screen as a dynamic form sheet:

```tsx
<Stack.Screen
name="sheet"
options={{
presentation: "formSheet",
sheetGrabberVisible: true,
sheetAllowedDetents: [0.5, 1.0],
contentStyle: { backgroundColor: "transparent" },
}}
/>
```

- Using `contentStyle: { backgroundColor: "transparent" }` makes the background liquid glass on iOS 26+.

## Common route structure

A standard app layout with tabs and stacks inside each tab:

```
app/
_layout.tsx — <NativeTabs />
(index,search)/
_layout.tsx — <Stack />
index.tsx — Main list
search.tsx — Search view
```

```tsx
// app/_layout.tsx
import { NativeTabs, Icon, Label } from "expo-router/unstable-native-tabs";
import { Theme } from "../components/theme";

export default function Layout() {
return (
<Theme>
<NativeTabs>
<NativeTabs.Trigger name="(index)">
<Icon sf="list.dash" />
<Label>Items</Label>
</NativeTabs.Trigger>
<NativeTabs.Trigger name="(search)" role="search" />
</NativeTabs>
</Theme>
);
}
```

Create a shared group route so both tabs can push common screens:

```tsx
// app/(index,search)/_layout.tsx
import { Stack } from "expo-router/stack";
import { PlatformColor } from "react-native";

export default function Layout({ segment }) {
const screen = segment.match(/\((.*)\)/)?.[1]!;
const titles: Record<string, string> = { index: "Items", search: "Search" };

return (
<Stack
screenOptions={{
headerTransparent: true,
headerShadowVisible: false,
headerLargeTitleShadowVisible: false,
headerLargeStyle: { backgroundColor: "transparent" },
headerTitleStyle: { color: PlatformColor("label") },
headerLargeTitle: true,
headerBlurEffect: "none",
headerBackButtonDisplayMode: "minimal",
}}
>
<Stack.Screen name={screen} options={{ title: titles[screen] }} />
<Stack.Screen name="i/[id]" options={{ headerLargeTitle: false }} />
</Stack>
);
}
```
Loading
Loading