React Native 101: Screens & Layout
3.0 Introduction
On the web you used HTML tags and CSS. In React Native, layout is mostly Flexbox via StyleSheet, and structure is View / Text / Image.
Lesson 3 - Overview
- View, Text, StyleSheet
- Flexbox layout
- ScrollView and SafeAreaView
- Images and icons
- Platform differences (iOS / Android)
Project Overview
- Profile Card — Name, bio, styled card
- Flexbox Playground — Row of colored boxes with space-between
- Scrollable Bio — Long text that scrolls
- Photo Gallery row — Horizontal images
- Platform Badge — Show iOS vs Android label
Screens & Layout
3.1 View, Text, StyleSheet
Prefer StyleSheet.create over giant inline style objects for reusable styles.
Project 3.1: Profile Card
Build a simple profile card with title and bio styles.
Screens & Layout
3.2 Flexbox layout
Default flex direction in RN is column (top to bottom). Common props:
flex: 1— fill available spaceflexDirection: 'row'— left to rightjustifyContent— main axis alignmentalignItems— cross axis alignmentgap— spacing between children (newer RN)
Project 3.2: Flexbox Playground
Three colored boxes in a row with space-between. Then try center and space-around.
Screens & Layout
3.3 ScrollView and SafeAreaView
ScrollView — content taller than the screen. SafeAreaView — avoid notches / home indicators (or use react-native-safe-area-context in Expo).
Project 3.3: Scrollable Bio
Write several paragraphs and scroll them. Confirm nothing hides under the status bar.
Screens & Layout
3.4 Images and icons
Remote images need width/height. For icons, Expo projects often use @expo/vector-icons.
Project 3.4: Photo Gallery row
Horizontal ScrollView with several Image thumbnails.
Screens & Layout
3.5 Platform differences (iOS / Android)
Project 3.5: Platform Badge
Show a badge that says iOS or Android (or web) based on Platform.OS.
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