Simform React Native Open Source: 2022 Year in Review
Exploring the Power of React Native’s Open Source Community
Open source contribution is an excellent way to get involved in software development and make a meaningful contribution to the community. Open source software refers to programs that are developed collaboratively and can be freely used, modified, and distributed by anyone.
Introduction
- We at Simform always believe in professional and personal growth, and to achieve that, we spend some time on open source contributions every year. It also helps everyone improve their logical thinking ability when building components that are going to be used by someone else.
- As an open source contributor, you can help improve existing software, fix bugs, add new features, and even create new projects from scratch. But getting started can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’re new to open source.
This blog will guide you through the fundamentals of contributing to open source projects and how to get started.
One of the main benefits of open source contributions is that it allows developers to collaborate with other like-minded individuals, leading to the creation of high-quality software that can be used by anyone for free.
It also allows developers to work on projects they are passionate about, which can help them build a strong portfolio and gain experience in their field of interest.
Implementation
In Simform, we follow a set of steps when working on a specific open source project.
- The initial step for developers is to conduct research on the library they intend to publish. This includes assessing the potential scope and impact of the library both in the present and in the future.
- By doing this, the team is able to make informed decisions and create a solid foundation for the development process.
Occasionally, when building a component, it may be necessary to use a third-party library. However, this can result in complications, such as missing props that are not included in the library or encountering version compatibility problems. At times, creating a component may be time-consuming due to incorporating a library component.
The second thing to bear in mind is that as we create the library, we must also handle various situations.
- For example, we must manage responsive components, create props to customize everything and make changes to any component so that we can also fix that part.
Sometimes our team leaders suggest adding new features to an existing component. Once a developer creates the component, they submit a pull request for it to be merged into the development branch.
- Once a component has been successfully merged into the development branch, other developers conduct debugging and perform testing at the developer level. This is done to identify any potential issues or bugs that may arise when applying props or customization.
- If any issues are discovered, they are addressed in the bug-fix branch to ensure that the component functions properly in the future. This is the standard process that we follow when releasing a library.
Following are the react-native libraries:
- react-native story-view
- react-native animation-catalog
- react-native-reactions
- react-native-spinner-button
- react-native-skia-catalog
- react-native-radial-slider
- react-native-country-code-select
Let’s have a quick look into the above libraries:
This library enhances the user experience of an application by providing engaging animations whenever a user posts a story on their account, similar to the Instagram story view. The developers have incorporated various animation effects to make the application’s features more impressive.
This library offers a collection of captivating animations to enhance the user’s visual experience. The available animations include the Parallax header, Gradient progress, Animated card, Animated scanner, and Animated wallet. To ensure seamless animation, the developers use the React Native Reanimated library.
This library is built purely on Javascript and utilises react-native-reanimated. It enables users to add reaction features similar to those found on Instagram, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms. Additionally, users can include their preferred emojis.
This library offers impressive loader indicator animations that are commonly used when retrieving data from an API. By using this library instead of the standard activity indicator, you can enhance the user experience.
The Skia catalog offers a variety of impressive animations such as like-dislike, theme-switch (toggle switch), and animated checkmarks. These animations can be created using the React Native Skia library.
The radial slider is similar to a speedometer and comes in two different variants. One variant displays a needle, while the other variant displays marked values along with a needle. For further information, please visit the provided link.
This is a pure javascript library for selecting a country with search and filter functionality, easy to use, and provides you full customization, so you can customize components based on your need.
- We ensure that all published libraries are regularly maintained. If any developer reports an issue or suggests a new feature to be added to an existing library, our developers promptly address the matter and work towards resolving the issue or implementing the suggested feature.
Conclusion:-
Open source contribution plays a crucial role in the development of software and provides an excellent opportunity for developers to collaborate, learn, and showcase their skills. By contributing to open source projects, developers can gain valuable experience, improve their coding skills, and make a meaningful impact on the larger software development community.
To learn more about engineering at Simform, check out the rest of our Engineering Blog, and visit our Simform site. To view and apply to open opportunities, visit our Careers page.
