Parija Rangnekar – Page 18

React Native is undoubtedly one of the most widely used cross-platform frameworks for creating native-like apps. This framework can be easily used for developing brand-new apps from scratch and even in existing iOS or Android projects. So, it is immensely popular and loved by beginners as well as experienced developers. Consequently, the demand for the development of React Native apps is on the rise. Here are the top benefits it offers to one and all.

Foremost Advantages of using React Native for app Creation

Use of JavaScript and easy learning curve, especially for new developers
Code re-usability for a speedy development process
Pre-built components and third-party plugins to create feature-packed good-quality apps from scratch
Creation of performance-based apps with higher reliability and stability
Technical goodies like modular architecture, declarative coding style, and ‘hot-reload’ feature to enhance the productivity of React Native app developers
Rich and friendly UI/UX design
Powerful and knowledgeable community to support
An easy and direct installation method
Faster time-to-market
Creates solutions that allow adaptation to Android and iOS along with smart TVs, VR devices, etc., since it is a cross-platform framework

With so many outstanding advantages to offer, this framework has a bright future. But like any other framework, there are several challenges or limitations that are inherently associated with developing apps using React Native. Here we have outlined a few of them.

Probable Challenges in the React Native App Creation Process

One of the challenges in this framework is the dependency on native app developers, especially while dealing with complex and heavy computational processes. Another challenge, rather limitation, is that this framework does not support parallel threading or multiprocessing. So the performance of the apps slows down while executing multiple processes simultaneously.

Also, the abstraction layers in React Native have certain limitations. They have a dependency on third-party services and libraries. Finding bugs in abstraction layers is quite difficult; hence resolving them too is time-consuming. Another challenge while using this framework is faced during iOS deployment since testing the iPhone apps on any other testing service except Apple’s TestFlight is quite annoying.

Despite these challenges, React Native is a preferred choice of mobile application development agencies for writing robust and natively rendered applications. Moreover, these challenges can be handled well by experienced developers, whereas, a beginner or an unskilled developer tends to make more mistakes.

So, for the development of a flawless end-product, react native developers, particularly the newbies, must have prior knowledge about these probable errors. Let us have a glimpse of the commonest Development mistakes concerning React Native that could be avoided while building apps using React Native.

React Native App Creation Mistakes to Avoid

Improper image optimization

Image optimization, despite being a crucial step in app development, is commonly ignored by developers. But optimizing the images is necessary for reducing the load time of images. It helps in resizing the images locally and then allows uploading them automatically on the cloud storage like Amazon S3 by the server. After this, the developers get a CDN link that can be returned through the API. This entire process makes the app lightweight and boosts app performance.

Presence of console log statements

Console log statements allow the developers to easily detect bugs while debugging. These make the apps glitch-free during app execution stages. These also help to detect the reasons behind the low performance of the apps. But, in case the developers fail to remove the log statements after completion of the debugging process, it can cause blunders. If the logic and the render methods are kept inside the apps, they can lead to congestion in the JavaScript thread and ultimately slow down the app performance.

Inappropriate Redux store planning

Redux is quite useful in React Native for managing the apps effectively, handling and storing the gathered data correctly, debugging app states, etc. But Redux must be planned well for utilizing it to the fullest, or it may lead to issues, especially in small projects. This is so because Redux demands writing long codes even for the smallest of modifications. So, it isn’t suited much for small-scale projects but is a good choice for larger apps and projects.

Inaccurate or wrong project estimation

The chances of committing mistakes while estimating for project in React Native are higher for various reasons as given below:

The layouts and structures of app pages for iOS and Android are different. Also, several common components can be interchangeably used for development but the design of the app in most cases will not be alike. As a result, estimation for both platforms can be different.
The code to be written in React Native is usually larger as compared to the code required in the development of a Hybrid app on Cordova. In such cases, the assessment of the validation layout also must be considered.
All the endpoints offered by the backend must be checked. Other vitals like understanding the data structure, connecting the entities, handling the logic, etc. must be considered during estimating the project.

If the developers handling the React Native framework are not aware of these differences, they can estimate incorrect dates for project completion, leading to hassle in the later stages.

Utilization of stateless components

A stateless component means that the components don’t extend any class. These always render the same thing and print out only what is provided to them through props. These are also known as dumb components. But, stateless components can be implemented faster, reduce the amount of boilerplate code to be written, and enable easy testing. In the app creation process, it is advisable to use pure components instead of stateless components. This is so because, for stateless components, rendering happens after the re-rendering of the parent component. But for pure components, re-rendering takes place when a change is detected in the states or props.

Not verifying external module codes

The app developers working with React Native commonly use external modules as this makes the development faster and easier and thus, saves time. But these modules may not work as expected or even break at times. Hence, the developers must read and verify external module codes before using them.

Not considering unit testing

One of the most common mistakes developers can commit while crafting apps using React Native is not writing a unit test. The apps can still function irrespective of whether unit tests are conducted or not, but such apps may not provide a great experience to the users and could be less competent in the market. Unit testing enables assessing different parts and functionalities of the apps and ensure they work as expected. It also helps to detect bugs in advance and make sure that the app segments run independently.

Are You Interested in Building a Top-Class Website or Mobile App?

Final Words:

React Native has the potential to become “The Best” framework amongst all the available frameworks in the market. It is already being used by big players like Facebook, Delivery.com, UberEats, Bloomberg, Skype, Instagram, Tesla, and many more. It has some downsides as well, but those can be minimized to a great extent if every React Native app development firm trains its developers on diligently handling the common mistakes well in advance.

We hope this blog was helpful to you! Let us know your vital thoughts on this. Please feel free to comment here or drop us a mail at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com!

Angular is one of the most popular MVC pattern MVVM frameworks of the 21st century. Developed by Google, Angular is significantly used for building dynamic mobile, web, desktop apps using TypeScript, and HTML. The initial version of Angular was Angular JS. AngularJS development had created ripples in the software world when it released. Furthermore, this proactive team kept releasing updated versions at regular intervals to keep up with changing times. Recently, its latest version Angular10 was released in the market which created a buzz in the software world.

But to meet the high-end requirements of modern-day users, it is essential to not only use the next-gen framework like Angular but also follow a certain set of standard development practices. So in this blog, we have enlisted some of the top Angular app development practices that developers can learn and follow. But before we get started, let us have a quick look at the benefits of following these practices, rather tips.

Noticeable Benefits of Following the Angular Development Best Practices

Helps in Creating a Clean Code
Aids in Maintaining the Coding Standards
Helps in Minimizing the Developmental Time
Ensures a Minimal Score on the Bugs and Issues
Ensures Improved Performance of the End-product
Makes Code Management and Debugging Easier

Highlights of the Top Angular App Development Practices

Rules to follow for Angular Coding Styles

Following certain standard coding styles instead of the common styles during Angular app development can ensure the writing of simple and adaptable code and a good user-experience. Here are the rules to be followed for Angular coding styles:

The code per function shouldn’t exceed 75 lines
The code per file should not exceed 400 lines
It is good to declare the values of variables with ‘const’ if those values are intact
While sharing feature area for all slider components, developers should use a custom prefix
You can use shortcuts for files with similarly naming conventions. For instance, you may use hero.component.ts|html|css|spec for naming different files with the same names
In case you usually prefix the names for database, table, field, etc., avoid this practice for Interface names like AbastractShape and iShape
Apply single responsibility symbol to services, components, and symbols since it allows to create a more readable and cleaner app format.

Best Security Practices in Angular

Security is of utmost importance in any application. In Angular, security lapses can result in a dangerous threats, for instance, cross-site scripting. This issue can result in the passing of controls on the client side resulting in the alteration of the web pages. For avoiding such attacks, the developers should be aware of some security practices in the Angular framework as mentioned below:

Maintain the Angular Libraries on Regular Intervals
Update Angular libraries for every new update from Google
Prevent the XSS cross-site security issues

For doing this, it is necessary to consider the measures like DOM sanitization service, Offline template compiler, sanitization and security contexts, context security policy, etc. These will help to keep the attackers away from client-side apps ensuring higher security.

Routing in Angular and related Practices to Consider

Routing in Angular is performed to either display or hide components as and when needed by the users. Routing makes the components available for the development process whenever required, thus reducing constant trips to the server. However, bad routing practices can result in disorganized Angular apps at some point. So, for ensuring these issues don’t exist, the developers need to understand some basics about adding templates and components into the app along with the appropriate functioning of the routes. Have a glance at the best practices concerning Angular routing:

Developing the routes module wise
Routing with lazy loading
Organizing routes guards
Lazy loading routes with Preload

Preventing Observable Memory Leaks

Unlike any other framework, Angular, too, has observable memory leaks. Observables are of great use in Angular as they help in streamlining important data. But at the same time, leaks in observables can cause critical issues in mobile app development. Please follow the below-mentioned tips to avoid these leaks:

Use ‘async pipe’: these are built-in attributes that come in handy when the developers need to mark the components for emitted values. Also, they unsubscribe automatically from observables and thus prevent unnecessary memory leakages.
Use ‘take(1)’: This is an operator that allows you to get the data just once and helps to easily avoid memory leaks.
Use ‘takeUntil’: This is another operator that should be used when you wish to monitor second Observables and destroy the subscription; once the Observables gets completed or emits the value; thus, preventing the Observables to be leaked.

Usage of Template Directive

In Angular, ‘ngFor’ comes as a built-in template directive and is used for building new templates in the applications for every item. So, the Angular developers can rather use ‘trackBy’ directive every time they use ngFor. So, instead of rendering the complete DOM tree, ‘trackBy’ will help in creating customized and unique identifiers for every item.

Utilizing the most powerful accessibility tool- Angular CLI

Angular Command-Line Interface (CLI) already follows all the standard practices during Angular app development. It eases out the development process. It helps to test, debug, maintain, and deploy the applications. So, the developers should use it for developing an initial-level structure for the Angular app. They must use Angular CLI for the generation of new modules, directives, services, components, pipes, classes, etc. while creating any files and folders, instead of doing it manually. The usage of this interface decreases JavaScript fatigue and complexity.

Here is a detailed blog on other vital tools used in Angular for creating an outstanding application.

A Few Other Recommended Practices

Naming Conventions for readability and maintainability
Maintaining the folder structure properly
Utilizing service workers for ensuring that the apps become highly responsive
Isolating all the API hacks in one place
Breaking down the larger components into multiple smaller components
Ensuring proper documentation of code, every variable, and the methods used
Using state management libraries for managing state transitions

In our upcoming blog, we will explain these practices in detail and also include some more tips and practices that all the Angular development services should follow. Also, here is our blog on the “Potential mistakes that developers must avoid during Angular development!”

Are You Interested in Building a Top-Class Website or Mobile App?

Key Takeaways:

For designing a comprehensive application that becomes lucrative as well as popular, it is essential to implement the best developmental methods. So here, we have mentioned some of these methods which are tried and tested by the experienced Angular developers who have worked on versatile projects for years. Every Angular/Angular JS app development company should consider these tips and train their developers beforehand to refrain from any major mistakes in the projects.

With this, we come to the end!

We hope this blog was an insightful read for you and the practices mentioned here will make your Angular app development quite simpler and interesting.

If you have any such practices to share with us, do comment below.

We would like to hear about your experiences too!

Parija Rangnekar, Page 18 Author

React Native App Development: Benefits, Challenges and Mistakes to Avoid!