--- title: React Native sidebar_label: React Native description: Build data-intensive mobile apps with React Native. Seamlessly integrate spreadsheets into your app using SheetJS. Securely process and generate Excel files in the field. pagination_prev: demos/static/index pagination_next: demos/desktop/index sidebar_position: 1 sidebar_custom_props: summary: React + Native Rendering --- # Sheets on the Go with React Native import current from '/version.js'; import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem'; import CodeBlock from '@theme/CodeBlock'; [React Native](https://reactnative.dev/) is a mobile app framework. It builds iOS and Android apps that use JavaScript for describing layouts and events. [SheetJS](https://sheetjs.com) is a JavaScript library for reading and writing data from spreadsheets. This demo uses React Native and SheetJS to process and generate spreadsheets. We'll explore how to load SheetJS in a React Native app in a few ways: - ["Fetching Remote Data"](#fetching-remote-data) uses the built-in `fetch` to download and parse remote workbook files. - ["Local Files"](#local-files) uses native libraries to read and write files on the device. The "Complete Example" creates an app that looks like the screenshots below:
iOS Android
![iOS screenshot](pathname:///mobile/rnios3.png) ![Android screenshot](pathname:///mobile/rnand3.png)
:::caution pass **Before testing this demo, follow the official React Native CLI Guide!**[^1] Follow the instructions for iOS (requires macOS) and for Android. They will cover installation and system configuration. You should be able to build and run a sample app in the Android and the iOS (if applicable) simulators. ::: ## Integration Details The [SheetJS NodeJS Module](/docs/getting-started/installation/nodejs) can be imported from any component or script in the app. ### Internal State For simplicity, this demo uses an "Array of Arrays"[^2] as the internal state.
SpreadsheetArray of Arrays
![`pres.xlsx` data](pathname:///pres.png) ```js [ ["Name", "Index"], ["Bill Clinton", 42], ["GeorgeW Bush", 43], ["Barack Obama", 44], ["Donald Trump", 45], ["Joseph Biden", 46] ] ```
Each array within the structure corresponds to one row. This demo also keeps track of the column widths as a single array of numbers. The widths are used by the display component. _Complete State_ The complete state is initialized with the following snippet: ```js const [data, setData] = useState([ "SheetJS".split(""), [5,4,3,3,7,9,5], [8,6,7,5,3,0,9] ]); const [widths, setWidths] = useState(Array.from({length:7}, () => 20)); ``` #### Updating State Starting from a SheetJS worksheet object, `sheet_to_json`[^3] with the `header` option can generate an array of arrays: ```js /* assuming `wb` is a SheetJS workbook */ function update_state(wb) { /* convert first worksheet to AOA */ const wsname = wb.SheetNames[0]; const ws = wb.Sheets[wsname]; const data = utils.sheet_to_json(ws, {header:1}); /* update state */ setData(data); /* update column widths */ setWidths(make_width(data)); } ``` _Calculating Column Widths_ Column widths can be calculated by walking each column and calculating the max data width. Using the array of arrays: ```js /* this function takes an array of arrays and generates widths */ function make_width(aoa) { /* walk each row */ aoa.forEach((r) => { /* walk each column */ r.forEach((c, C) => { /* update column width based on the length of the cell contents */ res[C] = Math.max(res[C]||60, String(c).length * 10); }); }); /* use a default value for columns with no data */ for(let C = 0; C < res.length; ++C) if(!res[C]) res[C] = 60; return res; } ``` #### Exporting State `aoa_to_sheet`[^4] builds a SheetJS worksheet object from the array of arrays: ```js /* generate a SheetJS workbook from the state */ function export_state() { /* convert AOA back to worksheet */ const ws = utils.aoa_to_sheet(data); /* build new workbook */ const wb = utils.book_new(); utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, "SheetJS"); return wb; } ``` ### Displaying Data The demos uses `react-native-table-component` to display the first worksheet. The demos use components similar to the example below: ```jsx import { ScrollView } from 'react-native'; import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; ( {/* Horizontal scroll */} {/* Table container */} {/* Frozen Header Row */} {/* First row */} {/* Scrollable Data Rows */} {/* Remaining Rows */}
) ``` `data.slice(1)` in the `Rows` component returns data starting from the second row. This neatly skips the first header row. ## Fetching Remote Data React Native versions starting from `0.72.0`[^5] support binary data with `fetch`. This snippet downloads and parses : ```js /* fetch data into an ArrayBuffer */ const ab = await (await fetch("https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx")).arrayBuffer(); /* parse data */ const wb = XLSX.read(ab); ``` ### Fetch Demo :::note The Android demo was last tested on 2023 September 03 with RN `0.72.4`. The simulator used Android 13 ("Tiramisu") API 33 on a Pixel 3. The iOS demo was last tested on 2023 September 03 with RN `0.72.4`. The simulator used iOS 16.4 on an iPhone SE (3rd generation). ::: 1) Create project: ```bash npx -y react-native@0.72.4 init SheetJSRNFetch --version="0.72.4" ``` 2) Install shared dependencies: {`\ cd SheetJSRNFetch curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/logo.png npm i -S https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz npm i -S react-native-table-component@1.2.0 @types/react-native-table-component`} 3) Download [`App.tsx`](pathname:///reactnative/App.tsx) and replace: ```bash curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/reactnative/App.tsx ``` **Android Testing** 4) Install or switch to Java 11[^6] :::note pass When the demo was last tested on macOS, `java -version` displayed the following: ``` openjdk version "11.0.20" 2023-07-18 LTS OpenJDK Runtime Environment Zulu11.66+15-CA (build 11.0.20+8-LTS) OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Zulu11.66+15-CA (build 11.0.20+8-LTS, mixed mode) ``` ::: 5) Start the Android emulator: ```bash npx react-native run-android ``` :::caution pass If the initial launch fails with an error referencing the emulator, manually start the emulator and try again. Gradle errors typically stem from a Java version mismatch. Run `java -version` and verify that the Java major version is 11. ::: 6) When opened, the app should look like the "Before" screenshot below. After tapping "Import data from a spreadsheet", verify that the app shows new data:
Before After
![before screenshot](pathname:///reactnative/andfetch1.png) ![after screenshot](pathname:///reactnative/andfetch2.png)
**iOS Testing** :::warning pass iOS testing requires macOS. It does not work on Windows or Linux. ::: 7) Refresh iOS project by running `pod install` from the `ios` subfolder: ```bash cd ios; pod install; cd .. ``` 8) Start the iOS emulator: ```bash npx react-native run-ios ``` 9) When opened, the app should look like the "Before" screenshot below. After tapping "Import data from a spreadsheet", verify that the app shows new data:
Before After
![before screenshot](pathname:///reactnative/iosfetch1.png) ![after screenshot](pathname:///reactnative/iosfetch2.png)
## Local Files :::warning pass React Native does not provide a native file picker or a method for reading and writing data from documents on the devices. A third-party library must be used. Since React Native internals change between releases, libraries may only work with specific versions of React Native. Project documentation should be consulted before picking a library. ::: The following table lists tested file plugins. "OS" lists tested platforms ("A" for Android and "I" for iOS). | File system Plugin | File Picker Plugin | OS | |:---------------------------|:-------------------------------|:----:| | `react-native-file-access` | `react-native-document-picker` | `AI` | | `react-native-blob-util` | `react-native-document-picker` | `AI` | | `rn-fetch-blob` | `react-native-document-picker` | `AI` | | `react-native-fs` | `react-native-document-picker` | `AI` | | `expo-file-system` | `expo-document-picker` | ` I` | ### RN File Picker The "File Picker" library handles two platform-specific steps: 1) Show a view that allows users to select a file from their device 2) Copy the selected file to a location that can be read by the application The following libraries have been tested: #### `react-native-document-picker`
Selecting a file (click to show) The setting `copyTo: "cachesDirectory"` must be set: ```js import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; const f = await pickSingle({ allowMultiSelection: false, // highlight-next-line copyTo: "cachesDirectory", mode: "open" }); const path = f.fileCopyUri; // this path can be read by RN file plugins ```
#### `expo-document-picker`
Selecting a file (click to show) When using `DocumentPicker.getDocumentAsync`, enable `copyToCacheDirectory`: ```js import * as DocumentPicker from 'expo-document-picker'; const result = await DocumentPicker.getDocumentAsync({ // highlight-next-line copyToCacheDirectory: true, type: ['application/vnd.ms-excel', 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet'] }); const path = result.uri; // this path can be read by RN file plugins ```
### RN File Plugins The following libraries have been tested: #### `react-native-blob-util` and `rn-fetch-blob` :::note Historical Context The `react-native-fetch-blob` project was archived in 2019. At the time, there were a number of project forks. The maintainers blessed the `rn-fetch-blob` fork as the spiritual successor. `react-native-blob-util` is an active fork of `rn-fetch-blob` When this demo was last tested, `rn-fetch-blob` and `react-native-blob-util` both worked with the tested iOS and Android SDK versions. The APIs are identical for the purposes of working with files. ::: The `ascii` type returns an array of numbers corresponding to the raw bytes. A `Uint8Array` from the data is compatible with the `buffer` type.
Reading and Writing snippets (click to show) The snippets use `rn-fetch-blob`. To use `react-native-blob-util`, change the `import` statements to load the module. _Reading Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import RNFetchBlob from 'rn-fetch-blob'; // or react-native-blob-util const { readFile } = RNFetchBlob.fs; const res = await readFile(path, 'ascii'); const wb = XLSX.read(new Uint8Array(res), {type:'buffer'}); ``` :::caution pass On iOS, the URI from `react-native-document-picker` must be massaged: ```js import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; import RNFetchBlob from 'rn-fetch-blob'; // or react-native-blob-util const { readFile, dirs: { DocumentDir } } = RNFetchBlob.fs; const f = await pickSingle({ // highlight-start // Instruct the document picker to copy file to Documents directory copyTo: "documentDirectory", // highlight-end allowMultiSelection: false, mode: "open" }); // highlight-start // `f.uri` is the original path and `f.fileCopyUri` is the path to the copy let path = f.fileCopyUri; // iOS workaround if (Platform.OS === 'ios') path = path.replace(/^.*\/Documents\//, DDP + "/"); // highlight-end const res = await readFile(path, 'ascii'); ``` ::: _Writing Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import RNFetchBlob from 'rn-fetch-blob'; // or react-native-blob-util const { writeFile, readFile, dirs:{ DocumentDir } } = RNFetchBlob.fs; const wbout = XLSX.write(wb, {type:'buffer', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = DocumentDir + "/sheetjsw.xlsx"; const res = await writeFile(file, Array.from(wbout), 'ascii'); ```
#### `react-native-file-access` The `base64` encoding returns strings compatible with the `base64` type:
Reading and Writing snippets (click to show) _Reading Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import { FileSystem } from "react-native-file-access"; const b64 = await FileSystem.readFile(path, "base64"); /* b64 is a Base64 string */ const workbook = XLSX.read(b64, {type: "base64"}); ``` _Writing Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import { Dirs, FileSystem } from "react-native-file-access"; const DDP = Dirs.DocumentDir + "/"; const b64 = XLSX.write(workbook, {type:'base64', bookType:"xlsx"}); /* b64 is a Base64 string */ await FileSystem.writeFile(DDP + "sheetjs.xlsx", b64, "base64"); ```
#### `react-native-fs` The `ascii` encoding returns binary strings compatible with the `binary` type:
Reading and Writing snippets (click to show) _Reading Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import { readFile } from "react-native-fs"; const bstr = await readFile(path, "ascii"); /* bstr is a binary string */ const workbook = XLSX.read(bstr, {type: "binary"}); ``` _Writing Data_ ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import { writeFile, DocumentDirectoryPath } from "react-native-fs"; const bstr = XLSX.write(workbook, {type:'binary', bookType:"xlsx"}); /* bstr is a binary string */ await writeFile(DocumentDirectoryPath + "/sheetjs.xlsx", bstr, "ascii"); ```
#### `expo-file-system` :::caution pass Some Expo APIs return URI that cannot be read with `expo-file-system`. This will manifest as an error: > Unsupported scheme for location '...' The [`expo-document-picker`](#expo-document-picker) snippet makes a local copy. ::: The `EncodingType.Base64` encoding is compatible with `base64` type.
Reading and Writing snippets (click to show) _Reading Data_ Calling `FileSystem.readAsStringAsync` with `FileSystem.EncodingType.Base64` encoding returns a promise resolving to a string compatible with `base64` type: ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import * as FileSystem from 'expo-file-system'; const b64 = await FileSystem.readAsStringAsync(uri, { encoding: FileSystem.EncodingType.Base64 }); const workbook = XLSX.read(b64, { type: "base64" }); ``` _Writing Data_ The `FileSystem.EncodingType.Base64` encoding accepts Base64 strings: ```js import * as XLSX from "xlsx"; import * as FileSystem from 'expo-file-system'; const b64 = XLSX.write(workbook, {type:'base64', bookType:"xlsx"}); /* b64 is a Base64 string */ await FileSystem.writeAsStringAsync(FileSystem.documentDirectory + "sheetjs.xlsx", b64, { encoding: FileSystem.EncodingType.Base64 }); ```
### Demo :::note This demo was tested on an Intel Mac on 2023 July 02 with RN `0.72.1`. The iOS simulator runs iOS 16.2 on an iPhone 14. The Android simulator runs Android 12 (S) Platform 31 on a Pixel 5. ::: :::warning pass There are many moving parts and pitfalls with React Native apps. It is strongly recommended to follow the official React Native tutorials for iOS and Android before approaching this demo.[^7] Details including Android Virtual Device configuration are not covered here. ::: This example tries to separate the library-specific functions. 1) Create project: ```bash npx react-native init SheetJSRN --version="0.72.1" ``` 2) Install shared dependencies: {`\ cd SheetJSRN curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/logo.png npm i -S https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz npm i -S react-native-table-component@1.2.0 react-native-document-picker@8.2.0`} Refresh iOS project by running `pod install` from the `ios` subfolder: ```bash cd ios pod install cd .. ``` 3) Download [`index.js`](pathname:///mobile/index.js) and replace: ```bash curl -LO https://docs.sheetjs.com/mobile/index.js ``` Start the iOS emulator: ```bash npx react-native run-ios ``` You should see the skeleton app: ![React Native iOS App](pathname:///mobile/rnios1.png) 4) Pick a filesystem library for integration: Install `react-native-blob-util` dependency: ```bash npm i -S react-native-blob-util@0.17.1 ``` Add the highlighted lines to `index.js`: ```js title="index.js" import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; // highlight-start import { read, write } from 'xlsx'; import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; import { Platform } from 'react-native'; import RNFetchBlob from 'react-native-blob-util'; async function pickAndParse() { const f = await pickSingle({allowMultiSelection: false, copyTo: "documentDirectory", mode: "open" }); let path = f.fileCopyUri; if (Platform.OS === 'ios') path = path.replace(/^.*\/Documents\//, RNFetchBlob.fs.dirs.DocumentDir + "/"); const res = await (await fetch(path)).arrayBuffer(); // RN >= 0.72 // const res = await RNFetchBlob.fs.readFile(path, 'ascii'); // RN < 0.72 return read(new Uint8Array(res), {type: 'buffer'}); } async function writeWorkbook(wb) { const wbout = write(wb, {type:'buffer', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = RNFetchBlob.fs.dirs.DocumentDir + "/sheetjsw.xlsx"; await RNFetchBlob.fs.writeFile(file, Array.from(wbout), 'ascii'); return file; } // highlight-end const make_width = ws => { ``` Install `react-native-file-access` dependency: ```bash npm i -S react-native-file-access@2.6.0 ``` Add the highlighted lines to `index.js`: ```js title="index.js" import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; // highlight-start import { read, write } from 'xlsx'; import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; import { Platform } from 'react-native'; import { Dirs, FileSystem } from 'react-native-file-access'; async function pickAndParse() { const f = await pickSingle({allowMultiSelection: false, copyTo: "documentDirectory", mode: "open" }); let path = f.fileCopyUri; const res = await (await fetch(path)).arrayBuffer(); return read(new Uint8Array(res), {type: 'buffer'}); } async function writeWorkbook(wb) { const wbout = write(wb, {type:'base64', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = Dirs.DocumentDir + "/sheetjsw.xlsx"; await FileSystem.writeFile(file, wbout, "base64"); return file; } // highlight-end const make_width = ws => { ``` Install `rn-fetch-blob` dependency: ```bash npm i -S rn-fetch-blob@0.12.0 ``` Add the highlighted lines to `index.js`: ```js title="index.js" import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; // highlight-start import { read, write } from 'xlsx'; import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; import { Platform } from 'react-native'; import RNFetchBlob from 'rn-fetch-blob'; async function pickAndParse() { const f = await pickSingle({allowMultiSelection: false, copyTo: "documentDirectory", mode: "open" }); let path = f.fileCopyUri; if (Platform.OS === 'ios') path = path.replace(/^.*\/Documents\//, RNFetchBlob.fs.dirs.DocumentDir + "/"); const res = await (await fetch(path)).arrayBuffer(); // RN >= 0.72 // const res = await RNFetchBlob.fs.readFile(path, 'ascii'); // RN < 0.72 return read(new Uint8Array(res), {type: 'buffer'}); } async function writeWorkbook(wb) { const wbout = write(wb, {type:'buffer', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = RNFetchBlob.fs.dirs.DocumentDir + "/sheetjsw.xlsx"; await RNFetchBlob.fs.writeFile(file, Array.from(wbout), 'ascii'); return file; } // highlight-end const make_width = ws => { ``` Install `react-native-fs` dependency: ```bash npm i -S react-native-fs@2.20.0 ``` Add the highlighted lines to `index.js`: ```js title="index.js" import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; // highlight-start import { read, write } from 'xlsx'; import { pickSingle } from 'react-native-document-picker'; import { writeFile, readFile, DocumentDirectoryPath } from 'react-native-fs'; async function pickAndParse() { const f = await pickSingle({allowMultiSelection: false, copyTo: "cachesDirectory", mode: "open" }); const bstr = await readFile(f.fileCopyUri, 'ascii'); return read(bstr, {type:'binary'}); } async function writeWorkbook(wb) { const wbout = write(wb, {type:'binary', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = DocumentDirectoryPath + "/sheetjsw.xlsx"; await writeFile(file, wbout, 'ascii'); return file; } // highlight-end const make_width = ws => { ``` :::warning pass At the time of testing, Expo Modules were incompatible with Android projects. ::: Install `expo-file-system` and `expo-document-picker` dependencies: ```bash npx install-expo-modules npm i -S expo-file-system expo-document-picker ``` Add the highlighted lines to `index.js`: ```js title="index.js" import { Table, Row, Rows, TableWrapper } from 'react-native-table-component'; // highlight-start import { read, write } from 'xlsx'; import { getDocumentAsync } from 'expo-document-picker'; import { documentDirectory, readAsStringAsync, writeAsStringAsync } from 'expo-file-system'; async function pickAndParse() { const result = await getDocumentAsync({copyToCacheDirectory: true}); const path = result.uri; const res = await readAsStringAsync(path, { encoding: "base64" }); return read(res, {type: 'base64'}); } async function writeWorkbook(wb) { const wbout = write(wb, {type:'base64', bookType:"xlsx"}); const file = documentDirectory + "sheetjsw.xlsx"; await writeAsStringAsync(file, wbout, { encoding: "base64" }); return file; } // highlight-end const make_width = ws => { ``` 5) Refresh the app: ```bash cd ios pod install cd .. ``` Once refreshed, the development process must be restarted: ```bash npx react-native run-ios ``` **iOS Testing** The app can be tested with the following sequence in the simulator: - Download - In the simulator, click the Home icon to return to the home screen - Click on the "Files" icon - Click and drag `pres.numbers` from a Finder window into the simulator. ![save file iOS](pathname:///mobile/quasar7a.png) - Make sure "On My iPhone" is highlighted and select "Save" - Click the Home icon again then select the `SheetJSRN` app - Click "Import data" and select `pres`: ![pick file iOS](pathname:///mobile/rnios2.png) Once selected, the screen should refresh with new contents: ![read file iOS](pathname:///mobile/rnios3.png) - Click "Export data". You will see a popup with a location: ![write file iOS](pathname:///mobile/rnios4.png) - Find the file and verify the contents are correct: ```bash find ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator -name sheetjsw.xlsx | while read x; do echo "$x"; npx xlsx-cli "$x"; done ``` Once testing is complete, stop the simulator and the development process. **Android Testing** There are no Android-specific steps. Emulator can be started with: ```bash npx react-native run-android ``` ![React Native Android App](pathname:///mobile/rnand1.png) The app can be tested with the following sequence in the simulator: - Download - Click and drag `pres.numbers` from a Finder window into the simulator. - Click "Import data" and select `pres.numbers`: ![pick file Android](pathname:///mobile/rnand2.png) Once selected, the screen should refresh with new contents: ![read file Android](pathname:///mobile/rnand3.png) - Click "Export data". You will see a popup with a location: ![write file Android](pathname:///mobile/rnand4.png) - Pull the file from the simulator and verify the contents: ```bash adb exec-out run-as com.sheetjsrn cat files/sheetjsw.xlsx > /tmp/sheetjsw.xlsx npx xlsx-cli /tmp/sheetjsw.xlsx ``` [^1]: Follow the ["React Native CLI Quickstart"](https://reactnative.dev/docs/environment-setup) and select the appropriate "Development OS". [^2]: See ["Array of Arrays" in the API reference](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-of-arrays) [^3]: See ["Array Output" in "Utility Functions"](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-output) [^4]: See ["Array of Arrays Input" in "Utility Functions"](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-of-arrays-input) [^5]: React-Native commit [`5b597b5`](https://github.com/facebook/react-native/commit/5b597b5ff94953accc635ed3090186baeecb3873) added the final piece required for `fetch` support. It landed in version `0.72.0-rc.1` and is available in official releases starting from `0.72.0`. [^6]: When the demo was last tested, the Zulu11 distribution of Java 11 was installed through the macOS Brew package manager. [Direct downloads are available at `azul.com`](https://www.azul.com/downloads/?version=java-11-lts&package=jdk#zulu) [^7]: Follow the ["React Native CLI Quickstart"](https://reactnative.dev/docs/environment-setup) for Android (and iOS, if applicable)