Mobile UI Components React Native Paper

React Native Paper Patterns

Quick Guide: React Native Paper v5+ provides Material Design 3 (Material You) components for React Native. Wrap your app in PaperProvider (MD3 is the default). Use useTheme() to access colors/fonts. Wrap Dialogs in Portal. Use the babel plugin for production bundle optimization. For BottomNavigation with React Navigation, use BottomNavigation.Bar as a custom tabBar (the old createMaterialBottomTabNavigator is deprecated). On Android 12+, use expo-material3-theme for system dynamic colors.

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST wrap your app root in PaperProvider - all Paper components require the provider context to function)

(You MUST wrap Dialog, Menu, and similar overlay components in Portal - without it they render inline instead of above other content)

(You MUST use useTheme() to access theme colors and fonts in components - never hardcode Material Design color values)

(You MUST add react-native-paper/babel to production plugins for bundle optimization - without it the entire library is included)

Auto-detection: React Native Paper, react-native-paper, PaperProvider, MD3LightTheme, MD3DarkTheme, useTheme, Portal, FAB, Appbar, BottomNavigation, SegmentedButtons, configureFonts, adaptNavigationTheme, Card, Dialog, Snackbar, TextInput, Button mode, Surface, Chip, Searchbar, ActivityIndicator, Banner, Divider, ProgressBar, Switch, RadioButton, Checkbox, DataTable, Tooltip, Badge, Menu, Drawer.Item

When to use:

• Setting up PaperProvider with custom MD3 themes (light, dark, dynamic color)
• Using Paper components (Button, Card, TextInput, FAB, Appbar, Dialog, Snackbar, SegmentedButtons)
• Integrating Paper's BottomNavigation.Bar with React Navigation bottom tabs
• Configuring custom fonts with configureFonts for MD3 typography
• Implementing Android 12+ dynamic color theming
• Bridging Paper and React Navigation themes with adaptNavigationTheme

Key patterns covered:

• PaperProvider setup and MD3 theming (light, dark, custom, dynamic color)
• Component usage: Button modes, Card variants, TextInput modes, FAB sizes/variants, Dialog with Portal
• BottomNavigation.Bar integration with React Navigation v7 bottom tabs
• Custom fonts with configureFonts and TypeScript custom text variants
• Bundle optimization with react-native-paper/babel plugin
• Accessibility patterns (built-in a11y props, screen reader support)

When NOT to use:

• General React Native component architecture (not Paper-specific)
• Navigation patterns beyond BottomNavigation integration (not Paper-specific)
• Custom animations or gestures (not a UI component library concern)

Detailed Resources:

• examples/core.md - PaperProvider setup, theming, custom fonts, babel plugin, dynamic color
• examples/components.md - Button, Card, TextInput, FAB, Appbar, Dialog, Snackbar, SegmentedButtons
• examples/navigation-integration.md - BottomNavigation.Bar with React Navigation, adaptNavigationTheme, Drawer integration
• reference.md - Component decision framework, theme color roles, MD3 typography scale

Philosophy

React Native Paper is a Material Design 3 component library for React Native. It provides pre-built, accessible, and themeable components that follow the Material You design system. The library is maintained by Callstack and is one of the most mature UI libraries in the React Native ecosystem.

Core principles:

1. Theme-driven styling - All components read colors, fonts, and roundness from the theme. Override the theme, not individual component styles, for consistent branding.
2. MD3 by default - v5+ applies Material Design 3 automatically. MD2 is still supported via { version: 2 } but is legacy.
3. Portal for overlays - Dialog, Menu, and similar overlay components must be wrapped in Portal to render above other content.
4. Accessibility built-in - Components include proper accessibilityRole, accessibilityState, and screen reader support out of the box. Don't override these without reason.
5. Bundle optimization required - Add the babel plugin in production to exclude unused components from the bundle.

Mental model: Paper provides the Material Design visual layer. Your app's component architecture, state management, and navigation structure are separate concerns handled by their respective skills.

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: PaperProvider and Theming

Wrap your app root in PaperProvider. MD3 is applied by default. Extend MD3LightTheme or MD3DarkTheme for custom branding. Use useTheme() to access theme values in components.

import {
  MD3LightTheme,
  MD3DarkTheme,
  PaperProvider,
  useTheme,
} from "react-native-paper";
import { useColorScheme } from "react-native";

const lightTheme = {
  ...MD3LightTheme,
  colors: {
    ...MD3LightTheme.colors,
    primary: "#6750A4",
    secondary: "#625B71",
  },
};

const darkTheme = {
  ...MD3DarkTheme,
  colors: {
    ...MD3DarkTheme.colors,
    primary: "#D0BCFF",
    secondary: "#CCC2DC",
  },
};

// In your root component:
const colorScheme = useColorScheme();
const theme = colorScheme === "dark" ? darkTheme : lightTheme;
// <PaperProvider theme={theme}>...</PaperProvider>

Why good: Extends default themes (preserves all MD3 color roles), dynamically switches on system preference, all Paper components pick up the overrides

For typed custom themes, dynamic color with expo-material3-theme, and configureFonts, see examples/core.md.

Pattern 2: Portal for Overlay Components

Dialog, Menu, and overlay components must be wrapped in Portal to render above all other content. Portal teleports children to the nearest Portal.Host (which PaperProvider includes by default).

import { Portal, Dialog, Button, Text } from "react-native-paper";

// Inside a component:
<Portal>
  <Dialog visible={visible}
    <Dialog.Title>Confirm</Dialog.Title>
    <Dialog.Content>
      <Text variant="bodyMedium">Are you sure?</Text>
    </Dialog.Content>
    <Dialog.Actions>
      <Button
      <Button
    </Dialog.Actions>
  </Dialog>
</Portal>

Why good: Portal ensures the dialog renders above all screen content including headers and tabs. Without Portal, the dialog renders inline in the component tree and may be clipped or hidden behind other elements.

Pattern 3: Button Modes

Paper's Button supports five modes with increasing visual emphasis: text, outlined, contained, elevated, and contained-tonal.

import { Button } from "react-native-paper";

<Button mode="text"
<Button mode="outlined"
<Button mode="contained-tonal" Draft</Button>
<Button mode="contained"
<Button mode="elevated"

// With icon and loading state:
<Button mode="contained" icon="camera" loading={isUploading}
  Upload Photo
</Button>

Why good: Modes map directly to MD3 emphasis levels (low to high: text < outlined < contained-tonal < contained). Use the right mode for the action's importance.

See examples/components.md for all component patterns.

Pattern 4: TextInput with Validation

TextInput supports flat and outlined modes, error state, and adornments (icons/affixes) via TextInput.Icon and TextInput.Affix.

import { TextInput } from "react-native-paper";

<TextInput
  mode="outlined"
  label="Email"
  value={email}
 
  error={!!emailError}
  keyboardType="email-address"
  autoCapitalize="none"
  left={<TextInput.Icon icon="email" />}
/>

Why good: error prop automatically applies MD3 error color to outline and label. Adornments via TextInput.Icon and TextInput.Affix are positioned correctly by the component.

Pattern 5: BottomNavigation.Bar with React Navigation

The old createMaterialBottomTabNavigator is deprecated since v5.14. Use @react-navigation/bottom-tabs with BottomNavigation.Bar as a custom tabBar renderer instead.

import { createBottomTabNavigator } from "@react-navigation/bottom-tabs";
import { BottomNavigation } from "react-native-paper";

const Tab = createBottomTabNavigator();

// Pass BottomNavigation.Bar as the tabBar prop:
<Tab.Navigator
  tabBar={({ navigation, state, descriptors, insets }) => (
    <BottomNavigation.Bar
      navigationState={state}
      safeAreaInsets={insets}
      route, preventDefault }) => { /* emit tabPress, navigate */ }}
      renderIcon={({ route, focused, color }) => { /* render tabBarIcon */ }}
      getLabelText={({ route }) => { /* return label */ }}
    />
  )}
>

Why good: Uses React Navigation's latest bottom-tabs API with Paper's MD3-styled bar. Handles tab press events correctly (with canPreventDefault for listeners). Deprecated createMaterialBottomTabNavigator is no longer maintained.

See examples/navigation-integration.md for full implementation including adaptNavigationTheme and drawer integration.

Pattern 6: Bundle Optimization with Babel Plugin

Add react-native-paper/babel to env.production.plugins in babel.config.js. Without it, importing { Button } from react-native-paper includes the entire library. The plugin rewrites imports to per-component paths, reducing bundle size significantly.

Important: Only works with ES2015 import syntax, not require().

See examples/core.md for the babel config snippet.

Decision Framework

Component Selection

What type of action does the user perform?
├─ Primary action on screen → FAB (icon="plus" or extended with label)
├─ High-emphasis button → Button mode="contained"
├─ Medium-emphasis button → Button mode="outlined" or "contained-tonal"
├─ Low-emphasis button → Button mode="text"
└─ Segmented choice → SegmentedButtons

What type of content container?
├─ Tappable entry point → Card mode="elevated" with onPress
├─ Informational group → Card mode="outlined" (non-interactive)
├─ Elevated surface → Surface elevation={2}
└─ Dismissable message → Snackbar (with optional action)

What type of text input?
├─ Dense form (many fields) → TextInput mode="flat"
├─ Prominent input (few fields) → TextInput mode="outlined"
└─ Search → Searchbar component

What type of navigation bar?
├─ Top of screen → Appbar.Header with Appbar.Content + Appbar.Action
├─ Bottom tabs (with React Navigation) → BottomNavigation.Bar as tabBar
└─ Screen header with back → Appbar.Header with Appbar.BackAction

Theming Decision

Do you need custom brand colors?
├─ YES → Extend MD3LightTheme/MD3DarkTheme with your colors
└─ NO → Use default PaperProvider (MD3 applied automatically)

Do you need Android 12+ system colors?
├─ YES → Use expo-material3-theme's useMaterial3Theme hook
└─ NO → Use your static custom theme

Do you need custom fonts?
├─ YES → Use configureFonts({ config: fontConfig })
│   └─ Need custom text variants? → Use customText<'myVariant'>()
└─ NO → Default MD3 typography (Roboto/System/sans-serif) is applied

Do you need to bridge Paper + React Navigation themes?
├─ YES → Use adaptNavigationTheme() to unify color schemes
└─ NO → Configure each provider's theme independently

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Missing PaperProvider at app root - All Paper components silently fall back to unstyled defaults without the provider. Symptoms: wrong colors, missing ripples, broken Dialogs.
• Dialog without Portal wrapper - Dialog renders inline in the component tree and gets clipped by parent containers or hidden behind navigation headers.
• Hardcoding MD3 color values - Use theme.colors.primary, theme.colors.surface, etc. via useTheme(). Hardcoded hex values break when the theme changes (dark mode, dynamic color, brand update).
• Missing babel plugin in production - Without react-native-paper/babel, the entire library is bundled regardless of which components you import.
• Using deprecated createMaterialBottomTabNavigator - Deprecated since v5.14. Use @react-navigation/bottom-tabs with BottomNavigation.Bar as custom tabBar instead.

Medium Priority Issues:

• Using require() instead of ES2015 import for Paper components - the babel plugin only optimizes import statements
• Not providing onDismiss callback on Dialog - users cannot close the dialog with back button or outside tap
• Overriding component accessibilityRole without reason - Paper components have correct roles by default
• Using mode="contained" for all buttons - use appropriate emphasis levels (text, outlined, contained-tonal, contained)
• Not switching theme based on system color scheme - leads to always-light or always-dark UI regardless of user preference

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• useTheme() returns the default theme if called outside PaperProvider - no error thrown, just wrong colors
• TextInput label floats over outline in some edge cases (known issue) - apply outlineStyle padding workaround
• Snackbar renders at bottom of its parent by default - wrap in Portal to display as a true overlay above tab bars
• Dialog does not support scrollable content by default - use Dialog.ScrollArea for long content instead of wrapping in ScrollView
• Card.Cover images have no default aspect ratio - set explicit height or use resizeMode
• Android StatusBar does not automatically adapt to Paper theme - manually set StatusBar backgroundColor / barStyle
• Variable fonts may not render correctly on all platforms - install each weight as a separate .ttf file
• FAB.Group visibility: set visible={true} explicitly - it defaults to true but can silently become false if parent re-renders with stale props
• MD2 mode (version: 2) and MD3 cannot coexist in the same provider - choose one per PaperProvider
• react-native-safe-area-context is a required peer dependency since v5 - install it even if not using SafeAreaView directly

CRITICAL REMINDERS

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md

(You MUST wrap your app root in PaperProvider - all Paper components require the provider context to function)

(You MUST wrap Dialog, Menu, and similar overlay components in Portal - without it they render inline instead of above other content)

(You MUST use useTheme() to access theme colors and fonts in components - never hardcode Material Design color values)

(You MUST add react-native-paper/babel to production plugins for bundle optimization - without it the entire library is included)

Failure to follow these rules will cause unstyled components, invisible dialogs, broken dark mode, and bloated bundles.