Using margin and padding to control spacing between components introduces too many ways to accomplish the same goal. React Native Spacing System seeks to standardize your React Native code and increase legibility though the usage of spacing components.
Factory method are provided so that you can use your own spacing key instead of raw value.
TypeScript and Flow are both supported!
npm install react-native-spacing-system
or
yarn add react-native-spacing-system
Inspired by Nathan Curtis’s Medium article Space In Design Systems and this react-spacing library by Nathan Winder, I figured I’d do something similar for React Native with slight tweaks.
For the full sentiment and rationalization, please check out my Medium blog post: Enforcing Component Spacing in React & React Native.
Stack
is a vertical spacing component, think of a pile of plates at a buffet.
Stack takes size: number
, debug?: boolean
and debugOptions?: {color?: string, border?: boolean, borderColor?: string, opacity?: number}
.
import * as React from "react";
import { View } from 'react-native';
import { Stack } from "react-native-spacing-system";
import { BuffetPlates } from "./BuffetPlates";
import { KitchenCounter } from "./KitchenCounter";
/*
Creates a vertical space with size of 16 between
<BuffetPlates /> and <KitchenCounter /> components.
*/
const QueueExample = () => {
return (
<View>
<BuffetPlates />
<Stack size={16} />
<BuffetPlates />
<Stack size={16} />
<KitchenCounter />
</View>
);
Queue
is a horizontal spacing component, think of people queueing for that new bubbletea joint.
Queue takes size: number
, debug?: boolean
and debugOptions?: {color?: string, border?: boolean, borderColor?: string, opacity?: number}
.
import * as React from "react";
import { View } from "react-native";
import { Queue } from "react-native-spacing-system";
import { BubbleTeaJoint } from "./BubbleTeaJoint";
import { PatientPatron } from "./PatientPatron";
/*
Creates a horizontal space with size of 16 between
<BubbleTeaJoint /> and <PatientPatron /> components.
Only works when flex direction is row.
*/
const StackExample = () => {
return (
<View style={{ flexDirection: "row" }}>
<BubbleTeaJoint />
<Queue size={16} />
<PatientPatron />
<Queue size={16} />
<PatientPatron />
</View>
);
};
Inset
is a boundary spacing component, think of adding frames around a picture (the child).
Inset takes children: ReactNode
, debug?: boolean
, debugOptions?: {color?: string}
, flex?: number
, and paddings: PaddingCombinations
.
The allowed PaddingCombinations
are as follows:
{all: number}
{horizontal: number, vertical: number}
{horizontal: number, bottom?: number, top?: number}
{vertical: number, left?: number, right?: number}
{left?: number, top?: number, right?:number, bottom: number}
import * as React from "react";
import { Inset } from "react-native-spacing-system";
import { PictureNeedingAFrame } from "./PictureNeedingAFrame";
/*
Creates a padding of size 16 around
the <PictureNeedingAFrame /> component.
*/
const InsetExample = () => {
return (
<Inset all={16}>
<PictureNeedingAFrame />
</Inset>
);
};
Create your own spacing component with custom keys by passing in the space mapping object into the factory method provided.
stackFactory()
queueFactory()
insetFactory()
import { stackFactory } from "react-native-spacing-system";
const spacing = {
tall: 8,
grande: 12,
venti: 16
};
const Stack = stackFactory(spacing);
<Stack size={16}/> // Error
<Stack size="venti"/> // Works
spacingFactory
If the spacing object is expected to be used in all Stack
, Queue
, and Inset
, spacingFactory
can be used to create the components in one function.
import { spacingFactory } from "react-native-spacing-system";
const spacing = {
tall: 8,
grande: 12,
venti: 16,
};
const { Stack, Queue, Inset } = spacingFactory(spacing);
Depending on your version of flow, you may have to pass in the type of your space object.
/* @flow */
import { stackFactory } from "react-native-spacing-system";
type SpacingKey = 'tall' | 'grande' | 'venti'
type Spacing = {[key: SpacingKey]: number}
const spacing: Spacing = {
tall: 8,
grande: 12,
venti: 16
};
const Stack = stackFactory<Spacing>(spacing);
<Stack size={16}/> // Error
<Stack size="venti"/> // Works
Each component supports a debug mode where their spacing is highlighted.
Import the DebugContext
and use the Provider
to toggle debug mode on and off.
import * as React from "react";
import { DebugContext } from "react-native-spacing-system";
import ComponentWithSpacingSystemComponents from "./ComponentWithSpacingSystemComponents";
const SomeComponent = () => {
return (
<DebugContext.Provider value={{ debug: booleanValue }}>
<ComponentWithSpacingSystemComponents />
</DebugContext.Provider>
);
};
You can also control debug mode of each type of spacing component as well as their border highlighting.
type DebugContextProps = {
debug: boolean;
inset?: {
debug?: boolean;
color?: string;
};
queue?: {
debug?: boolean;
color?: string;
border?: boolean;
borderColor?: string;
opacity?: number;
};
stack?: {
debug?: boolean;
color?: string;
border?: boolean;
borderColor?: string;
opacity?: number;
};
};
type DebugContextProps = {|
debug: boolean,
inset?: {|
debug?: boolean,
color?: string,
|},
queue?: {|
debug?: boolean,
color?: string,
border?: boolean,
borderColor?: string,
opacity?: number,
|},
stack?: {|
debug?: boolean,
color?: string,
border?: boolean,
borderColor?: string,
opacity?: number,
|},
|};
Author: hirokazutei
GitHub: https://github.com/hirokazutei/react-native-spacing-system
#react-native #react #mobile-apps