Welcome to the second lesson of our course on Mobile App Development with React Native. In this lesson, we will guide you through setting up your development environment for React Native.

Prerequisites #

Before we begin, make sure you have the following installed:

Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager): React Native uses Node.js for package management.
A code editor: You can use any text editor or IDE of your choice. Popular choices include Visual Studio Code, Atom, and Sublime Text.

Step 1: Install React Native CLI #

React Native CLI (Command Line Interface) is a tool that helps you create new projects, manage them, and run them on devices or emulators. To install it, open your terminal or command prompt and type:

npm install -g react-native-cli

Step 2: Install Java Development Kit (JDK) #

React Native requires JDK for Android development. You can download it from the official Oracle website.

Step 3: Install Android Studio #

Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development. It comes with the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) which is required for Android development with React Native. You can download Android Studio from the official Android website.

After installation, open Android Studio and go to Configure -> SDK Manager and ensure that the paths to the SDK platforms and tools are set correctly.

Step 4: Set up Android Device or Emulator #

You can run your React Native app on a physical device or an emulator. If you're using a physical device, enable USB debugging in the developer options.

For emulator setup, go to Tools -> AVD Manager in Android Studio and follow the prompts to create a new Android Virtual Device.

Step 5: Create a New React Native Project #

Now that your environment is set up, you can create a new React Native project. In your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where you want to create your project and type:

npx react-native init MyTestApp

Replace "MyTestApp" with the name of your app.

Step 6: Run Your React Native Project #

Navigate into your project's directory:

cd MyTestApp

Then, run your app on the Android device or emulator using:

npx react-native run-android

Congratulations! You've just set up your development environment for React Native and created your first project. In the next lesson, we will dive into the basics of React Native, including JavaScript ES6 fundamentals and JSX introduction. Stay tuned!

Note: This lesson assumes familiarity with command line operations.