react-native-swift

Fixes a React Native Xcode project to permit Swift-based native components.

Requirements

XCode 9.0 or newer.
React Native 0.49 or newer (haven't tested it lower than that)

NEW: Add react-native-swift-cli to simplify development!

react-native-swift-cli includes a helper utility for initializing new swift-based components.

yarn global add react-native-swift-cli

To learn how it works:

react-native-swift --help

Adding to your app

Even when not using react-native-swift-cli you can add a Swift-based native module to you app relatively easily.

yarn add myproject
yarn add react-native-swift
react-native link

The react-native-swift package will, via react-native link, take care of compatibility between your react native and the Swift based component. Done!

How it works

Starting in XCode 9.0, you can create static libaries that contain swift code. Just create swift code the way found on the react-native documentation and add it to a static library. For reasons unknown, a couple flags need to get set inside the Xcode project file for the app to work with the library. This package forces that issue by adding a blank swift file to the build phases of the app targets, and setting the swift version flag.

Future versions of Xcode may get less stupid and obviate the need for this package! Hopefully the templates remain a little helpful.

Tips

If you create a swift-based native component on your own (e.g. without react-native-swift init) the best practice is to add "react-native-swift" to the peerDependencies object. Will help others know how to make your module "just work." It will have pretty much no effect if it is buried in the tree.

See the repository react-native-swift-demo-module for an example that uses this as a peerDependency.