React Native for Absolute Beginners 👶 - Full Course 2025

Introduction

This tutorial is designed for absolute beginners interested in learning React Native through a hands-on approach. By following the steps outlined, you will understand fundamental concepts, set up a project, and build a functional to-do app. This guide emphasizes practical application, making it easy to grasp React Native's capabilities.

Step 1: Understanding React Native and Setting Up the Project

• React Native is a framework that allows you to build mobile applications using JavaScript and React.
• To get started, ensure you have Node.js installed on your machine.
• Install the React Native CLI by running:

  npm install -g react-native-cli
  

• Create a new project by executing:

  npx react-native init TodoApp
  

• Navigate into your project directory:

  cd TodoApp
  

• Start the development server:

  npx react-native start
  

• Run the app on an emulator or physical device:

  npx react-native run-android  # For Android
  npx react-native run-ios      # For iOS
  

Step 2: Exploring React Native Basics and Implementing Tab Navigation

• Familiarize yourself with core components such as View, Text, and TextInput.
• Install React Navigation to manage navigation:

  npm install @react-navigation/native
  npm install @react-navigation/bottom-tabs
  

• Set up navigation in your app by creating a Tab Navigator:

  import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
  import { createBottomTabNavigator } from '@react-navigation/bottom-tabs';
  
  const Tab = createBottomTabNavigator();
  
  function MyTabs() {
    return (
      <Tab.Navigator>
        <Tab.Screen name="Home" component={HomeScreen} />
        <Tab.Screen name="Settings" component={SettingsScreen} />
      </Tab.Navigator>
    );
  }
  
  export default function App() {
    return (
      <NavigationContainer>
        <MyTabs />
      </NavigationContainer>
    );
  }
  

Step 3: Implementing Dark/Light Mode with useTheme

• Create a custom hook to manage theme settings.
• Define your themes:

  const lightTheme = {
    backgroundColor: '#ffffff',
    color: '#000000',
  };
  
  const darkTheme = {
    backgroundColor: '#000000',
    color: '#ffffff',
  };
  

• Use the useContext hook to toggle between themes in your components.

Step 4: Setting Up Backend with Convex

• Use Convex for backend services. Visit the Convex website and follow the setup instructions to create an account and a new project.
• Integrate Convex with your React Native app by installing the Convex library:

  npm install convex
  

• Create API functions for managing your to-do items.

Step 5: Styling and Creating the Header Component

• Use StyleSheet to create styles for your components:

  const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    header: {
      backgroundColor: '#f8f8f8',
      padding: 20,
      textAlign: 'center',
    },
  });
  

• Implement the Header component to display the app’s title.

Step 6: Building the Todo Input Component

• Create a functional component for to-do input:

  const TodoInput = ({ onAddTodo }) => {
    const [text, setText] = useState('');
    
    const handleAdd = () => {
      onAddTodo(text);
      setText('');
    };
    
    return (
      <View>
        <TextInput
          value={text}
          onChangeText={setText}
          placeholder="Add a new todo"
        />
        <Button title="Add" onPress={handleAdd} />
      </View>
    );
  };
  

Step 7: Fetching Todos and Managing State

• Use FlatList to display the list of todos.
• Fetch todos from your backend and display them in the FlatList component.
• Implement toggle functionality to mark todos as completed.

Step 8: Deleting and Editing Todos

• Add functionality to delete or edit existing todos.
• Create buttons in the FlatList for each todo item to handle these actions.

Step 9: Building the Settings Screen

• Create a separate screen for app settings.
• Allow users to toggle between light and dark modes from this screen.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to set up a React Native project, implement navigation, manage themes, and create a functional to-do application. These foundational skills will serve you well as you continue to explore mobile app development. For further learning, consider diving deeper into React Native documentation or expanding your projects with additional features.