How to Create Instagram Explore Grid Layout with React Native
Tags: reactnative, grid, mobile
Published: 2024-03-03 07:22:09


![Instagram Explore Grid](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/w0ryzp6npeg86q3x9k57.jpg)

This tutorial will guide you on how to replicate Instagram Explore Grid layout in React Native application.

### Introduction
Instagram Explore page exemplifies the complexities of grid layouts in mobile app design, it features an engaging mix of images and videos in varying sizes for an immersive user experience. In React Native, replicating this dynamic grid layout presents challenges, particularly when dealing with items of uneven sizes. `react-native-flexible-grid` simplifies this process and can effortlessly create responsive, captivating grid layouts. It addresses common issues related to item size variability, enabling developers to achieve an Instagram-like mosaic with minimal effort.

### Setup

Ensure you have `react-native-flexible-grid` installed in your project:

```bash
npm install react-native-flexible-grid
```

Or, if you prefer using Yarn:

```bash
yarn add react-native-flexible-grid
```

### Implementing the Instagram Explore Layout
Let's dive into the code required to create this layout. We'll start by preparing our data source and then move on to rendering the grid.

#### Data Preparation
First, define an array of objects representing the images you want to display. Each object can contain an `imageUrl` which will be used in `renderItem` for the image, and optionally, `widthRatio` and `heightRatio` to control the size of each item in the grid.

```javascript
const data = [
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=1',
  },
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=2',
  },
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=3',
    widthRatio: 1,
    heightRatio: 2,
  },
  // Add more items...
];
```

#### Rendering the Grid
Using the ResponsiveGrid component from `react-native-flexible-grid`, you can easily render this data into a grid layout.
Here's a full example:

```javascript
import * as React from 'react';
import { StyleSheet, View, Text, Image } from 'react-native';
import { ResponsiveGrid } from 'react-native-flexible-grid'; 

export default function InstagramExploreExample() {

const data = [
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=1',
  },
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=2',
  },
  {
    imageUrl: 'https://picsum.photos/200/300?random=3',
    widthRatio: 1,
    heightRatio: 2,
  },
];

  // Repeat data to fill the grid for demonstration
  const repeatedData = Array(5).fill(data).flat();

  const renderItem = (item, index) => (
    <View style={styles.boxContainer}>
      <Image
       source={{ uri: item.imageUrl }} 
       style={styles.box} resizeMode="cover" />
    </View>
  );
  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <ResponsiveGrid
        maxItemsPerColumn={3}
        data={repeatedData}
        renderItem={renderItem}
        style={{ padding: 5 }}
      />
    </View>
  );

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  boxContainer: {
    flex: 1,
    margin: 1,
  },
  box: {
    width: '100%',
    height: '100%',
    backgroundColor: 'transparent',
  },
  });
}
```

### Grid Configuration
The `ResponsiveGrid` component configuration for creating an Instagram Explore-like layout is straightforward. The `maxItemsPerColumn` prop specifies the maximum number of items per column, ensuring a uniform appearance across different device sizes. The `data` prop feeds the grid with a list of items to display, while the `renderItem` function determines how each item is rendered. Lastly, the `style` prop allows for additional styling of the grid parent container, such as padding, to fine-tune its appearance on the screen.

<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iNerdStack/react-native-flexible-grid/main/example/assets/gifs/instagram-explore-example.gif" alt="Instagram Explore Example" width="180px" height="360px"  />

### Conclusion
With react-native-flexible-grid, creating a dynamic and responsive grid layout like the Instagram Explore page is straightforward. By adjusting the `widthRatio` and `heightRatio` for your items, you can achieve varied item sizes, contributing to an engaging and visually appealing layout

The full implementation of this Instagram Explore-like grid layout example file is available [here.](https://github.com/iNerdStack/react-native-flexible-grid/blob/main/example/src/InstagramExploreExample.tsx)