How to make Tinder-like card animations with React Native
Tags: reactnative, react, javascript, tutorial
Published: 2019-09-02 19:56:30

---
title: How to make Tinder-like card animations with React Native
published: true 
tags: reactnative, react, javascript, tutorial 
canonical_url: https://blog.logrocket.com/how-to-make-tinder-like-card-animations-with-react-native/
---
**Written by [Paweł Karniej](https://blog.logrocket.com/author/pawelkarniej/)**✏️

![Alt Text](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/o8d91ffljobmoox3dfix.jpeg)

Tinder has definitely changed the way people think about online dating thanks to its original swiping mechanism. Tinder was among the first “swiping apps” that heavily used a swiping motion for choosing the perfect match. Today we’ll build a similar solution in React Native.

## Installation

The easiest way to replicate this swiping mechanism is to use [`react-native-deck-swiper`](https://github.com/alexbrillant/react-native-deck-swiper). This is an awesome npm package opens up many possibilities. Let’s start by installing the necessary dependencies:

```jsx
yarn add react-native-deck-swiper
yarn add react-native-view-overflow
yarn add react-native-vector-icons
```

Although the newest React Native version (0.60.4, which we’re using in this tutorial) introduced [autolinking](https://github.com/react-native-community/cli/blob/master/docs/autolinking.md), two of those three dependencies still have to be linked manually because, at the time of writing, their maintainers haven’t yet updated them to the newest version. So we have to link them the old-fashioned way:

```jsx
react-native link react-native-view-overflow && react-native-link react-native-vector-icons
```

Also, React Native version 0.60.0 and above uses CocoaPods by default for iOS, so one extra step is required to have everything installed correctly:

```jsx
cd ios && pod install && cd ...
```

After installation is complete, we can now run the app:

```jsx
react-native run-ios
```

If you’re having issues running app with the CLI, try opening XCode and build the app through it.

[![LogRocket Free Trial Banner](https://i0.wp.com/blog.logrocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/f760c-1gpjapknnuyhu8esa3z0jga.png?resize=1200%2C280&ssl=1)](https://logrocket.com/signup/)

## Building the `Card.js` component

After the installation is complete and we have the app running on a simulator, we can get to writing some code! We’ll start with a single Card component, which will display the photo and the name of person.

```jsx
import React from 'react'
import { View, Text, Image, ImageSourcePropType } from 'react-native'
import { shape, string, number } from 'prop-types'
import styles from './Card.styles'
const Card = ({ card }) => (
  <View
    activeOpacity={1}
    style={styles.card}
  >
    <Image
      style={styles.image}
      source={card.photo}
      resizeMode="cover"
    />
    <View style={styles.photoDescriptionContainer}>
      <Text style={styles.text}>
        {`${card.name}, ${card.age}`}
      </Text>
    </View>
  </View>
)

Card.propTypes = { 
  card: shape({
    photo: ImageSourcePropType,
    name: string,
    age: number,
  }).isRequired,
}
export default Card
```

I am using `propTypes` in this and in every project I work on in React Native. `propTypes` help a lot with the type safety of `props` passed to our component. Every wrong type of prop (e.g., `string` instead of `number`) will result in a `console.warn` warning inside our simulator.

When using `isRequired` for a specific `propType`, we’ll get an `error` inside a debugging console about missing `props`, which help us identify and fix errors quicker. I really recommend using `propTypes` from the `prop-types` library inside every component we write, using the `isRequired` option with every prop that’s necessary to render a component correctly, and creating a default prop inside `defaultProps` for every prop that doesn’t have to be required.

### Styling our cards

Let’s keep going by styling the `Card` component. Here’s the code for our `Card.styles.js` file:

```jsx
import { StyleSheet, Dimensions } from 'react-native'
import { colors } from '../../constants'
const { height } = Dimensions.get('window')
export default StyleSheet.create({
  card: {
    /* Setting the height according to the screen height, it also could be fixed value or based on percentage. In this example, this worked well on Android and iOS. */
    height: height - 300,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center',
    backgroundColor: colors.white,
    borderRadius: 5,
    shadowColor: colors.black,
    shadowOffset: {
      width: 0,
      height: 2,
    },
    shadowRadius: 6,
    shadowOpacity: 0.3,
    elevation: 2,
  },
  image: {
    borderRadius: 5,
    flex: 1,
    width: '100%',
  },
  photoDescriptionContainer: {
    justifyContent: 'flex-end',
    alignItems: 'flex-start',
    flexDirection: 'column',
    height: '100%',
    position: 'absolute',
    left: 10,
    bottom: 10,
  },
  text: {
    textAlign: 'center',
    fontSize: 20,
    color: colors.white,
    fontFamily: 'Avenir',
    textShadowColor: colors.black,
    textShadowRadius: 10,
  },
})
```

Here’s how our card looks now:

![Styled Card](https://i2.wp.com/blog.logrocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/card-example.png?resize=297%2C427&ssl=1)

## `IconButton.js` component

The second component for our app renders the icon inside a colored, circular button, which is responsible for handling user interactions instead of swipe gestures ( **Like** , **Star** , and **Nope** ).

```jsx
import React from 'react'
import { TouchableOpacity } from 'react-native'
import { func, string } from 'prop-types'
import Icon from 'react-native-vector-icons/AntDesign'
import styles from './IconButton.styles'
import { colors } from '../../constants'
const IconButton = ({ onPress, name, backgroundColor, color }) => (
  <TouchableOpacity
    style={[styles.singleButton, { backgroundColor }]}
    onPress={onPress}
    activeOpacity={0.85}
  >
    <Icon
      name={name}
      size={20}
      color={color}
    />
  </TouchableOpacity>
)
IconButton.defaultProps = {
  color: colors.white,
  backgroundColor: colors.heartColor,
}
IconButton.propTypes = {
  onPress: func.isRequired,
  name: string.isRequired,
  color: string,
  backgroundColor: string,
}
export default IconButton
```

### Styling our buttons

Now let’s get to styling:

```jsx
import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native'

export default StyleSheet.create({
  singleButton: {
    backgroundColor: 'transparent',
    borderRadius: 50,
    alignItems: 'center',
    justifyContent: 'center',
    shadowColor: 'black',
    shadowOffset: {
      width: 0,
      height: 2,
    },
    shadowRadius: 6,
    shadowOpacity: 0.3,
    elevation: 2,
    padding: 15,
  },
})
```

The three buttons will look like this:

![Styled Buttons](https://i1.wp.com/blog.logrocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/styled-buttons.png?resize=400%2C103&ssl=1)

## `OverlayLabel.js` component

The `OverlayLabel` component is simple `Text` inside a `View` component with predefined styles.

```jsx
import React from 'react'
import { View, Text } from 'react-native'
import { string } from 'prop-types'
import styles from './OverlayLabel.styles'

const OverlayLabel = ({ label, color }) => (
  <View style={[styles.overlayLabel, { borderColor: color }]}>
    <Text style={[styles.overlayLabelText, { color }]}>{label}</Text>
  </View>
)

OverlayLabel.propTypes = {
  label: string.isRequired,
  color: string.isRequired,
}

export default OverlayLabel
```

### Styling the `OverlayLabel`

And now the styling:

```jsx
import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native'

export default StyleSheet.create({
  overlayLabel: {
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center',
    padding: 10,
    borderWidth: 2,
    borderRadius: 10,
  },
  overlayLabelText: {
    fontSize: 25,
    fontFamily: 'Avenir',
    textAlign: 'center',
  },
})
```

And here’s the result:

![Styled Overlay Demo](https://i2.wp.com/blog.logrocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/overlay-label-demo.gif?resize=320%2C193&ssl=1)

## Data

After creating those basic components, we have to create an array with objects to fill the `Swiper` component before we can build it. We’ll be using some free random photos found on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/t/people), which we’ll put inside the `assets` folder in the project folder root.

**`photoCards.js`**

```jsx
const photoCards = [
  {
    name: 'Austin Wade',
    age: 22,
    photo: require('../assets/austin-wade-ex6qfO4TPMY-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'caseex6qfO4TPMYyhorner',
  },
  {
    name: 'Aleksander Borzenets',
    age: 28,
    photo: require('../assets/aleksander-borzenets-ozda-XbeP0k-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'ozda-XbeP0k',
  },
  {
    name: 'Don Delfin Espino',
    age: 29,
    photo: require('../assets/don-delfin-espino-nBywXevf_jE-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'nBywXevf_jE-',
  },
  {
    name: 'Eduardo Dutra',
    age: 30,
    photo: require('../assets/eduardo-dutra-ZHy0efLnzVc-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'ZHy0efLnzVc',
  },
  {
    name: 'Wesley Tingey',
    age: 21,
    photo: require('../assets/wesley-tingey-TvPCUHten1o-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'TvPCUHten1o',
  },
  {
    name: 'Gift Habeshaw',
    age: 26,
    photo: require('../assets/gift-habeshaw-dlbiYGwEe9U-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'dlbiYGwEe9U',
  },
  {
    name: 'Henri Pham',
    age: 30,
    photo: require('../assets/henri-pham-Ml4tr2WO7JE-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'Ml4tr2WO7JE',
  },
  {
    name: 'Nico Marks',
    age: 24,
    photo: require('../assets/nico-marks-mFcc5b_t74Q-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: 'mFcc5b_t74Q',
  },
  {
    name: 'Sirio',
    age: 28,
    photo: require('../assets/sirio-Ty4f_NOFO60-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: "Ty4f_NOFO60'",
  },
  {
    name: 'Teymi Townsend',
    age: 30,
    photo: require('../assets/teymi-townsend-AvLHH8qYbAI-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: "AvLHH8qYbAI'",
  },
  {
    name: 'Caique Silva',
    age: 20,
    photo: require('../assets/caique-silva-3ujVzg9i2EI-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: "3ujVzg9i2EI'",
  },
  {
    name: 'David Yanutenama',
    age: 21,
    photo: require('../assets/david-yanutama-5AoO7dBurMw-unsplash.jpg'),
    key: "5AoO7dBurMw'",
  },
]
export default photoCards
```

## Finally, the `Swiper` component

Once we have the array with card data available to use, we can actually use the `Swiper` component.

First, we import the necessary elements and initialize the `App` function. Then, we use a [`useRef`](https://reactjs.org/docs/hooks-reference.html#useref) Hook, part of the new and awesome React Hooks API. We need this in order to reference the `Swiper` component imperatively by pressing one of the `handles` functions.

```jsx
import React, { useRef } from 'react'
import { View, Text } from 'react-native'
import Swiper from 'react-native-deck-swiper'
import { photoCards } from './constants'
import { Card, IconButton, OverlayLabel } from './components'
import styles from './App.styles'
const App = () => {
  const useSwiper = useRef(null).current
  const handleOnSwipedLeft = () => useSwiper.swipeLeft()
  const handleOnSwipedTop = () => useSwiper.swipeTop()
  const handleOnSwipedRight = () => useSwiper.swipeRight()
```

When using the `useRef` Hook, be sure that the function calling on the actual `ref` (e.g., here, `useSwiper.swipeLeft()`) is wrapped in a previously declared function (e.g., here, `handleOnSwipedLeft`) in order to avoid an `error` on calling a `null object`.

Next, inside a return function, we render the `Swiper` component with the ref set to the `useSwiper` Hook. Inside the `cards` prop, we insert the `photoCards` data array we created earlier and render a single item with a `renderCard` prop, passing a single `item` to a `Card` component.

Inside the `overlayLabels` prop, there are objects to show the `LIKE` and `NOPE` labels while we’re swiping left or right. Those are shown with opacity animation — the closer to the edge, the more visible they are.

```jsx
return (
  <Swiper
    ref={useSwiper}
    animateCardOpacity
    containerStyle={styles.container}
    cards={photoCards}
    renderCard={card => <Card card={card} />}
    cardIndex={0}
    backgroundColor="white"
    stackSize={2}
    infinite
    showSecondCard
    animateOverlayLabelsOpacity
    overlayLabels={{
      left: {
        title: 'NOPE',
        element: <OverlayLabel label="NOPE" color="#E5566D" />,
        style: {
          wrapper: styles.overlayWrapper,
        },
      },
      right: {
        title: 'LIKE',
        element: <OverlayLabel label="LIKE" color="#4CCC93" />,
        style: {
          wrapper: {
            ...styles.overlayWrapper,
            alignItems: 'flex-start',
            marginLeft: 30,
          },
        },
      },
    }}
  />
```

In the last section of the `App.js` component, we render the three buttons for handling the swipe gestures imperatively. By passing name props to the `IconButton` component, we’re using the awesome [`react-native-vector-icons`](https://github.com/oblador/react-native-vector-icons) library to render nice-looking SVG icons.

```jsx
  <View style={styles.buttonsContainer}>
    <IconButton
      name="close"
      onPress={handleOnSwipedLeft}
      color="white"
      backgroundColor="#E5566D"
    />
    <IconButton
      name="star"
      onPress={handleOnSwipedTop}
      color="white"
      backgroundColor="#3CA3FF"
    />
    <IconButton
      name="heart"
      onPress={handleOnSwipedRight}
      color="white"
      backgroundColor="#4CCC93"
    />
  </View>
```

## Summary

And here’s how the end result looks:

![Alt Text](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/2iegkzrythlo1y14nijs.gif)

You can find the [full code for this tutorial in my GitHub](https://github.com/Karniej/TinderLike). The usage of this react-native-deck-swiper component is really smooth and — it definitely helps us save a lot of time. Also, if we tried to implement it from scratch, we’d most likely use the same `react-native-gesture-handler` API that library author used. That’s why I really recommend using it. I hope that you’ll learn something from this article!
* * *
**Editor's note:** Seeing something wrong with this post? You can find the correct version [here](https://blog.logrocket.com/how-to-make-tinder-like-card-animations-with-react-native/).

## Plug: [LogRocket](https://logrocket.com/signup/), a DVR for web apps
 
![LogRocket Dashboard Free Trial Banner](https://i2.wp.com/blog.logrocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1d0cd-1s_rmyo6nbrasp-xtvbaxfg.png?resize=1200%2C677&ssl=1)
 
[LogRocket](https://logrocket.com/signup/) is a frontend logging tool that lets you replay problems as if they happened in your own browser. Instead of guessing why errors happen, or asking users for screenshots and log dumps, LogRocket lets you replay the session to quickly understand what went wrong. It works perfectly with any app, regardless of framework, and has plugins to log additional context from Redux, Vuex, and @ngrx/store.
 
In addition to logging Redux actions and state, LogRocket records console logs, JavaScript errors, stacktraces, network requests/responses with headers + bodies, browser metadata, and custom logs. It also instruments the DOM to record the HTML and CSS on the page, recreating pixel-perfect videos of even the most complex single-page apps.
 
[Try it for free](https://logrocket.com/signup/).
* * *
The post [How to make Tinder-like card animations with React Native](https://blog.logrocket.com/how-to-make-tinder-like-card-animations-with-react-native/) appeared first on [LogRocket Blog](https://blog.logrocket.com).