Unstable APIs

Use with existing React DOM components

React Native for Web exports a web-specific module called unstable_createElement, which can be used to wrap React DOM components. This allows you to use React Native’s accessibility and style optimizations. Since this is a web-specific export it should always be imported from the react-native-web package.

In the example below, Video will now accept common React Native props such as accessibilityLabel, accessible, style, and even the Responder event props.

import { unstable_createElement } from 'react-native-web';
const Video = (props) => unstable_createElement('video', props);

This also works with composite components defined in your existing component gallery or dependencies (live example).

import RaisedButton from 'material-ui/RaisedButton';
import { unstable_createElement, useLocaleContext } from 'react-native-web';
import { StyleSheet, } from 'react-native';

const CustomButton = (props) => {
  const { direction } = useLocaleContext();
  return unstable_createElement(RaisedButton, {
    ...props,
    style: [ styles.button, props.style ]
  });
}, { writingDirection: direction });

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  button: {
    padding: 20
  }
});

Remember that React Native styles are not the same as React DOM styles, and care needs to be taken not to pass React DOM styles into your React Native wrapped components.

Use as a library framework

The React Native (for Web) building blocks can be used to create higher-level components and abstractions. In the example below, a styled function provides an API inspired by styled-components (live example).

import { unstable_createElement } from 'react-native-web';
import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

/**
 * styled API
 */
const styled = (Component, styler) => {
  const isDOMComponent = typeof Component === 'string';

  class Styled extends React.Component {
    static contextTypes = {
      getTheme: React.PropTypes.func
    };

    render() {
      const theme = this.context.getTheme && this.context.getTheme();
      const localProps = { ...this.props, theme };
      const nextProps = { ...this.props }
      const style = typeof styler === 'function' ? styler(localProps) : styler;
      nextProps.style = [ style, this.props.style ];

      return (
        isDOMComponent
          ? unstable_createElement(Component, nextProps)
          : <Component {...nextProps} />
      );
    }
  }
  return Styled;
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    alignItems: 'center',
    backgroundColor: '#2196F3',
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: 'center'
  }
});

const StyledView = styled(View, styles.container);