React Native Gradle Plugin

---

A gradle plugin for React Native Android that simplifies and standardises build configurations (including versioning) for both Projects & React Native modules.

Current Features

• Android app / React Native module auto-versioning using the version defined in your package.json
• Standardise overriding android/gradle/tools SDK versions of React Native Modules
• Standardise overriding dependency versions of React Native Modules, e.g. Firebase Android SDKs
• Built-in inspections (warning logs & suggested solutions) for common build mistakes/errors, e.g. duplicate dex

Installation

Add the plugin to your build.gradle;

Groovy:

plugins {
  id "io.invertase.gradle.build" version "1.3"
}

Kotlin:

plugins {
  id("io.invertase.gradle.build") version "1.3"
}

This must be added after your buildscript block.

Usage

For Projects & React Native Modules

Versioning Overrides

Add a versions configuration to your app build gradle, for example;

project.ext {
  set('react-native', [
    versions: [
      // Android version section can be automatically applied by calling 
      // ReactNative.module.applyAndroidVersions()
      //    or
      // ReactNative.project.applyAndroidVersions()
      // android version section supports legacy behavior e.g.:
      //    project.ext.compileSdkVersion
      android           : [
        minSdk    : 16,
        targetSdk : 28,
        compileSdk: 28,
        // optional as gradle.buildTools comes with one by default
        // buildTools: "28.0.3"
      ],

      googlePlayServices: [
        base: "16.0.1",
        // additional version sub sections as defined by native module authors
        // e.g maps:
        maps: "16.0.1",
      ],

      // additional version sections can be defined by
      // native module authors, e.g. React Native Firebase:
      firebase          : [
        functions: "16.1.3"
      ],
    ],
  ])
}

These additionally form the default versions when used in a react native module.

Example: Using a version

dependencies {
  api project(':@react-native-firebase/app')
  // getVersion() first looks for the overridden version defined in the consumers project
  // if non is found; it falls back to the default version defined in the React Native modules' build.gradle, as above
  implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-functions:${ReactNative.ext.getVersion("firebase", "functions")}"
  implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-base:${ReactNative.ext.getVersion("googlePlayServices", "base")}"
}

---

Android build versioning using package.json version

Android builds can specify a build code and version name, e.g.:

android {
  defaultConfig {
    versionCode 1
    versionName "1.0"
  }
}

Updating this every time you need to publish your app can be avoided by having it default to using the version defined in your projects package.json file, the process is explained here in-depth by @AndrewJack.

This can be automated with this gradle plugin by adding the following to your app (or RN module) build.gradle:

ReactNative.shared.applyPackageVersion()

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Excluding common META-INF files

META-INF files can cause 'duplicate file' build failures if they're not excluded, this plugin allows excluding the most common types of these files by adding the following to your app (or RN module) build.gradle:

ReactNative.shared.applyDefaultExcludes()

For reference this will inject the following config:

android {
  packagingOptions {
    exclude 'META-INF/-no-jdk.kotlin_module'
    exclude 'META-INF/DEPENDENCIES'
    exclude 'META-INF/NOTICE'
    exclude 'META-INF/LICENSE'
    exclude 'META-INF/LICENSE.txt'
    exclude 'META-INF/NOTICE.txt'
  }
}

---

For React Native Modules

Auto apply Android SDK versions

ReactNative.module.applyAndroidVersions()

This will apply the default versions or the user overridden versions of the android SDK versions specified in react-native -> versions -> android { }.

This removes the need for the following (that most RN modules are currently doing):

android {
  compileSdkVersion rootProject.hasProperty('compileSdkVersion') ? rootProject.compileSdkVersion : DEFAULT_COMPILE_SDK_VERSION
  buildToolsVersion rootProject.hasProperty('buildToolsVersion') ? rootProject.buildToolsVersion : DEFAULT_BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION
  defaultConfig {
    minSdkVersion rootProject.hasProperty('minSdkVersion') ? rootProject.minSdkVersion : DEFAULT_MIN_SDK_VERSION
    targetSdkVersion rootProject.hasProperty('targetSdkVersion') ? rootProject.targetSdkVersion : DEFAULT_TARGET_SDK_VERSION
  }
}

applyAndroidVersions() is backwards compatible with the old format as above and internally checks for these as well as the new format.

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Auto locate and add React Native as a dependency

This adds the React Native custom maven repository like normal, but; with support for various scenarios whilst developing your android module locally without an app;

• automatically finds the right location of node_modules/react-android when opening your React Native Android module standalone in Android Studio
• mono-repo support for the above, e.g. React Native at the root package as a dev dependency
• specifying an exact location via options (reactNativeAndroidDir) - useful when testing your module against a fork of React Native located outside of your project or building React Native from sources

// accepts "api" or "implementation" as dependency type arg
ReactNative.module.applyReactNativeDependency("api")

Example: Specify exact location via options:

project.ext {
  set('react-native', [
    // ... other configs e.g. versions
    options: [
      reactNativeAndroidDir: "/../../../../my-react-native-fork/android"
    ]
  ])
}

---

Planned Features

• Support for injecting Java constants (buildConfigField) into your app from a JS script, package.json or app.json
• Support for injecting Android Resources (resValue) into app from a JS script, package.json or app.json

React Native modules using this plugin

• React Native Firebase

Submit a PR to add your React Native module(s) here.

License

• See LICENSE

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