Creating a Custom React Native Component with Dynamic Prop Types in TypeScript

Learn how to create a custom reusable component in React Native that dynamically assigns prop types using TypeScript, similar to the FlatList component.
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Creating a Custom React Native Component with Dynamic Prop Types in TypeScript

Creating reusable components can significantly enhance the maintainability of your code in React Native. However, type handling in TypeScript, especially when dealing with dynamic data, can sometimes be a bit tricky. In this post, we’ll explore how to assign prop types to a custom component prop in React Native using TypeScript. We’ll draw inspiration from the popular FlatList component, which serves as a great reference for handling prop types dynamically.

The Problem: Dynamic Prop Types

Imagine you want to create a custom component that can accept another component as a prop, just like FlatList does. You would typically want to ensure the types passed to that prop are dynamically typed based on the data you provide. This is particularly useful when the data structure needs to be reconciled with the type system of TypeScript.

For example, you have the following FlatList usage:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

You want to create a similar component, MyComponent, that can handle an array of objects for data and render each item appropriately.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Solution: Using Generic Parameters

The way to achieve this is by utilizing generic types in TypeScript, which allows your component to be flexible while ensuring type safety. Here’s how you can define your component:

Step 1: Define Prop Types with Generics

Start by defining the type for your component's props using generics. This encompasses the data and renderItem properties:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Create Your Functional Component

Next, create your functional component, MyComponent, which takes generic parameters. You'll destructure data and renderItem from the props in the functional component:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Implementation of Rendering Logic

In the body of your component, you can then loop through the data array and render each item using the renderItem function passed in as a prop:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Here’s the Complete Example

Putting it all together, here’s how your MyComponent would look:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Using TypeScript with generics allows you to create flexible and type-safe components in React Native. By following the pattern laid out in this article, you can now create your own custom reusable components that handle dynamic prop types just like FlatList. This helps maintain clarity and robustness in your code, ensuring that data is consistently used in accordance with its type.

Happy coding!