Advanced Guide to React Native: In-Depth Topics and Optimization Techniques

This guidebook on React Native, written by @anisurrahman072, offers an extensive look into more than 70 advanced topics in the field. The book is structured into 12 chapters and maintains a focus on RN v0.71.

Ultimate Guides for React Native Development

Each chapter in the book is titled as the "Ultimate Guide" on various React Native topics, ensuring that readers receive comprehensive information and instructions for each subject.

Chapter 001: New Architecture

The first chapter dives deep into React Native's new architecture, covering:

  • Codegen: For generating native code.
  • JSI (JavaScript Interface): Improves communication between JavaScript and native code.
  • Hermes Engine: A new JavaScript compiler aimed at improving performance.
  • Turbo Modules: Represent the next generation of native modules.
  • Fabric: A new rendering engine for React Native.
  • Yoga: A cross-platform layout engine that React Native uses for UI layout.

Chapter 002: Debugging and Optimization

The book continues with a guide on debugging and profiling, where readers can learn about:

  • Development menus for iOS and Android.
  • Chrome Dev Tools and Performance Monitor.
  • Understanding React Native's four threads.
  • Using Flipper for JavaScript context tracking.
  • Profiling tools in Xcode Instruments for iOS.
  • Android Profiler in Android Studio for Android app profiling.

Chapter 003: Component Testing with RNTL and Jest

The third chapter focuses on testing in React Native, highlighting the React Native Testing Library (RNTL) and Jest configurations. It discusses:

  • Various APIs for rendering, user events, firing events, etc.
  • Functionality of jest.fn() and jest.mock() for mocking behaviors.
  • Testing strategies for host and composite components.

Chapter 004: Hermes & Static Hermes

This chapter provides insights into:

  • Bundle release procedures and the relationship between the bundle and Hermes.
  • What Hermes bytecode (.hbc) is and how to enable the Hermes engine.
  • Instructions for enabling Hermes in older React Native versions and what Static Hermes entails.

Chapter 005: Enabling New Architecture

An important guide for enabling the new architecture, including:

  • Setting up the development environment.
  • Npx commands for both Android and iOS platforms.
  • Confirming the action of the new architecture within projects.

Chapter 006: Performance Optimization

Further, the guidebook discusses several strategies to optimize React Native performance such as:

  • The use of the new architecture and specific components like FlatList and SectionList.
  • Tips to avoid unnecessary console logs, implement cache mechanisms, and optimize images and animations.
  • Memory usage monitoring and navigation optimization practices.

Chapter 007: Virtualization Optimization

This chapter offers advice on how to optimize the virtualization of lists in React Native through:

  • VirtualizedList, FlatList, SectionList, and ScrollView optimizations.

Chapter 008: FlashList Optimization

It introduces FlashList and cell re-cycling as a performance-enhancing technique, discussing:

  • The RecyclerListView component.
  • How cell re-cycling differs from blank cells.
  • Effective implementation and performance monitoring of FlashList.

Chapter 009: Nested Virtualization Anti-Patterns

The book addresses common issues with nested virtualization and provides:

  • Explanations of the nested VirtualizedLists error.
  • Solutions to anti-pattern problems.

Chapter 010: Component Call Anti-Patterns

This chapter sheds light on best practices for component calls, detailing:

  • The differences between functional and React-specific ways of component calling.
  • Analysis of common errors and violations of React Hooks rules.

Chapter 011: In-App Purchase Guides

An invaluable resource for implementing in-app purchases, with topics like:

  • The basic flow of payment gateways.
  • Testing and implementation instructions for both Google and iOS in-app purchases.

Chapter 012: High-Level Component Patterns

Lastly, the guide touches on high-level component patterns and custom hooks covering:

  • Higher Order Component and Render Props patterns.
  • Comparing custom hooks with HOCs.
  • Scenario-based usage of custom hooks in state management.

Anticipation for Future Content

The book teases upcoming guides on C++ and JSI modules for readers to look forward to.

Contributions and Endorsements

The guidebook encourages community engagement through contributions and pull requests for enhancing the content. It has received endorsements from figures within the React Native community, including names from the RN Radio Podcast and Callstack.

End note: This book is positioned as a helpful resource for intermediate to advanced developers looking to deepen their knowledge of React Native, optimize performance, and create robust applications.


Tags

  • #ReactNative
  • #AdvancedGuide
  • #PerformanceOptimization
  • #NewArchitecture

https://github.com/anisurrahman072/React-Native-Advanced-Guide

Streamlining IntelliJ for Performance

Overview of IntelliJ IDE

IntelliJ IDEA is a feature-rich Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed for efficient software development. It offers an array of functionalities such as advanced code refactoring, efficient code navigation, comprehensive debugging tools, robust searching capabilities, and seamless source control integration.

Making IntelliJ Lightweight

Transforming IntelliJ into a more lightweight editor can enhance its speed, though individual experiences and needs may vary.

Reducing Interface Elements

Minimizing Visual Clutter

  • Toolbar and Status Bar: These UI elements can be hidden to simplify the view.
    • To hide them, deselect Toolbar and Status Bar from the View menu.

Breadcrumbs

  • Usage: Breadcrumbs show the file path within the UI and may introduce unnecessary complexity.
    • Disable breadcrumbs via the Settings (ctrl-alt-s) by searching for them and toggling the option off.

Line Numbers

  • Controversial Aspect: The presence of line numbers is a disputed choice, with some developers choosing to disable them.
    • This can be managed in the Settings by searching for 'line numbers'.

Code Folding

  • Subjective Value: Code folding can be turned off as it may or may not be useful depending on personal preference.
    • Within Settings, searching for 'code folding' allows users to uncheck options related to default collapsing.

Structure View Optimization

  • Utility: The structure view is essential for navigating files’ class and method layout.
    • To optimize workspace, the Structure tab can be repositioned, for example, to the right side of the IDE window.

Synchronizing Views

  • Coordinated Navigation: Keeping the project and structure views in sync with file navigation can aid in orientation.
    • Enable 'Autoscroll to Source' and 'Autoscroll from Source' in both the Project and Structure views.

Theme Customization

  • Darcula Theme: To reduce eye strain, the Darcula theme can be activated.
    • Change the theme through Settings under Appearance & Behavior > Appearance.

Plugin Management

  • Removing Unused Plugins: Inactive plugins might still consume resources unnecessarily.
    • Disable unneeded plugins in the Settings under the 'Plugins' category.

Choosing the Right Edition

  • Community vs Ultimate: The two editions of IntelliJ vary mainly in the plugins offered. If web development is not a priority, the Community Edition is a leaner choice with fewer pre-installed plugins.

Adjusting VM Options

  • Memory Allocation: The default heap size may be increased from the values:
    -Xms128m
    -Xmx750m
    
    • Adjusting these values might improve performance.

Conclusion

Tailoring IntelliJ IDEA into a more streamlined and potentially faster IDE involves tweaking its interface, managing code visibility features, synchronizing project views, customizing themes, curating plugins, selecting the appropriate edition, and fine-tuning memory settings. These adjustments can potentially improve the user's coding experience with a lighter and swifter environment.


Tags:

  • #IntelliJIDEA
  • #PerformanceOptimization
  • #IDEConfiguration
  • #DevelopmentTools

https://github.com/flutter/flutter/wiki/IntelliJ—Flutter-Setup-Tips-and-Tricks

Swiss Basements and the State of Frontend Development

Modern web development has grown complex with the increasing expectations for dynamic and interactive websites. This complexity often comes with a cost – not in the form of a Swiss basement, but in the size and weight of web pages that must be shipped over networks. This presents a vexing problem for frontend developers, balancing the desire to create responsive, feature-rich sites with the need for performance and accessibility across different devices and network conditions.

The Evolution of Web Development: From PHP to Dynamic Rendering

In the early days of web development, PHP reigned supreme, enabling developers to generate dynamic HTML pages by integrating backend data. This was a significant step up from static HTML, offering users personalized, real-time content.

Despite its advantages, PHP's server-side rendering was primarily about presenting information, not interacting with it.

The Power Shift to Browsers and the Rise of SPAs

Two transformative developments reshaped the web: the improvement of JavaScript and the empowerment of browsers. The former allowed for robust client-side logic, while the latter turned browsers into powerful platforms capable of more than just displaying content.

This shift gave birth to the era of Single-Page Applications (SPAs) and Client-Side Rendering (CSR). The result was a more interactive web experience where browsers handled most of the rendering using downloaded JavaScript and other assets.

The Challenge: Balancing UX, Performance, and Complexity

While SPAs and CSR provided a leap forward in the user experience for those with high-speed, stable connections, they introduced problems for users on slower or unstable mobile networks. The heavy JavaScript bundles necessary for these dynamic sites led to slow loading times and poor interactivity until the page fully rendered.

Back to Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

The solution to these challenges is a return to server-side rendering. SSR allows developers to move the heavy lifting of rendering from the client to more capable and consistent server environments. The performance and compatibility gains of SSR can be significant, avoiding the complexity and user frustration of large JavaScript bundles and slow client-side interactivity.

The Concept of Islands Architecture and Fresh Rendering

An innovative approach to SSR is the islands architecture, a method that separates the rendering of individual components, permitting them to be served and rendered independently. This minimizes the JavaScript overhead and quickens interactivity.

How Server-Side Rendering Works

SSR involves creating and manipulating the DOM on the server side, utilizing the same JavaScript code that runs on the client side but responding differently based on the context. The server handles the initial rendering and sends out a fully interactive page to the client.

Using Templating Libraries Like Handlebars with Deno

With server-side frameworks such as Oak for Deno, developers can utilize templating libraries like Handlebars to simplify the creation of HTML templates. Through these libraries, servers can process templates and data models to produce HTML that gets sent to the client, delivering a full-fledged page without waiting for JavaScript bundling and execution.

Enhancing Templating with Interactive Elements

Developers can add interactivity to templated pages by using JavaScript for client-side enhancements. This can be seen in implementations where server templates provide the structure, while client-side scripts manage user interactions and dynamic content updates.

Combining Clients and Servers with Isomorphic JavaScript

Utilizing strategies like isomorphic JavaScript bridges the gap between client-side and server-side implementations, providing a unified codebase that executes differently depending on whether it runs on the server or the browser. This flexibility ensures a more cohesive rendering process and improves the overall developer experience.

The Future of SSR: Tools like Fresh and Deno Deploy

The drive towards improved SSR practices is exemplified by tools and frameworks like Fresh and platforms such as Deno Deploy. These tools focus on optimizing server-side rendering by making it easier to maintain and deploy, allowing developers to construct resilient applications capable of handling varied network conditions and device capabilities.

Conclusion: Harnessing SSR for Better Web Development

The complexity of modern web applications necessitates solutions like SSR to ensure a consistent experience across all user scenarios. This approach simplifies the web development process, yielding benefits such as enhanced performance, compatibility, and a maintainable codebase. As frontend development continues to evolve, the movement back to the server, reminiscent of those Swiss basements, seems to maintain its relevance and importance in providing robust and user-friendly web applications.


Tags: #WebDevelopment, #ServerSideRendering, #FrontendChallenges, #PerformanceOptimization

https://deno.com/blog/the-future-and-past-is-server-side-rendering

Maximizing Quality User Experience: The Role of Frontend Testing in Tech Businesses

Modern businesses bank heavily on technology to offer their services and products, which makes it critical to ensure that these solutions are high-performing and optimized for the best user experience. In this context, frontend testing stands out as a significant factor to ensure usability, effective bandwidth consumption, optimal loading speed, and generally quality user experience.

In this write-up, we delve deeper into frontend testing, its importance, it’s application, and best practices.

Understanding Frontend Testing

Frontend, in the simplest terms, refers to the development of a website’s graphical user interface (GUI). This involves using diverse technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create an interactive user interface.

Frontend testing, therefore, is the series of validations performed to test the application’s GUI’s functionality and usability. It includes the validation of various application elements visible to end-users, like menus, forms, and buttons.

The Criticality of Frontend Testing

Frontend tests provide your app with robust defense against regression. It validates that the new code you deploy will not crash any other part of the application. This balance between adding new features and maintaining the existing ones only becomes more challenging as the complexity of the application increases.

Frontend tests yield live documentation since they need a proper description of the specific test and the component of your application it relates to. This information then serves as guidelines for other developers in the future.

Frontend Testing Challenges

When executing frontend tests, a couple of challenges might be encountered including

  • Determining the most crucial frontend elements to test
  • Simulate the real-world environment
  • Selection of suitable testing tools
  • Accounting for human factors

Practices To Follow in Frontend Testing

The F.I.R.S.T. principles (Fast, Isolated/Independent, Repeatable, Self-validating, Thorough) provide a useful framework in ensuring frontend testing is appropriately done. Tests should be done speedily, isolated from untested components, be easily repeatable, and able to validate themselves.

Types of Frontend Tests

Frontend testing provides different types of tests that can help provide comprehensive insights into your applications. These include unit testing, acceptance testing, visual regression testing, accessibility testing, performance testing, end-to-end (E2E) testing, integration testing, and cross-browser testing.

Tools for Frontend Testing

Effective frontend testing requires the use of various testing tools and kits. Some of the most popular include Jest, Selenium WebDriver, Cypress, WebDriverIO, WebDriverJS, and TestCafe.

Frontend Testing Plan

It’s useful to define a budget and choose suitable tools before you start testing. Afterward, set a realistic timeline for the project and, equally crucial, define the scope of your project.

In conclusion, frontend testing is a vital aspect of the software development cycle. It assures that the end products delivered to the customers are functional and provide the best user experience.

Tags: #SoftwareTesting, #FrontendTesting, #UserExperience, #PerformanceOptimization, #TechnologyServices

Reference Link