Consider leveraging React Native Test App

[thymikee]

Describe the feature

RNTA https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-test-app is a project allowing library developers to add examples for various platforms. I wonder if it would make sense to use it by Bob? I don't have any opinions about it right now, just shooting an idea for discussion.

cc @tido64 @kelset – would be great to have your perspective as well :D

Motivation

Maybe there's an opportunity to offload some work to RNTA project, which would make Bob easier to maintain.

[tido64]

We discussed this briefly on Discord. Personally, I would love to have more people use RNTA. If Bob (or any other libraries for that matter) wants to integrate it, I'll try to assist in any way I can.

I also understand that people want/need the ability to customize it further. I'm hoping that adding support for @expo/config-plugins will help with that: microsoft/react-native-test-app#1033

[kelset]

+1 on this and what Tommy said.

It's something that we think would help a lot of folks, so we are 👍 in supporting this happening :)

[shamilovtim]

Hi guys! I recently had to upgrade the bob / create-react-native-app shell of a library I built 3+ years ago with bob. That meant:

1. I had to upgrade all of the build tools and package management (deps versions, node, npm, ruby, yarn, podspec, scripts, cocoapods, ruby, etc.)
2. I had to upgrade 6 react native major versions of the test app

While 1. was fine and took maybe a couple of hours, I found 2. to be an unmaintainable burden given the velocity of changes in the underlying RN code. Once I got to the native files it was a disaster probably no faster than upgrading 1 major version at a time by hand in the example app (in fact I regretted not bumping one major at a time). My strategy was to run a brand new npx create-react-native-library and then one by one replace native files. I think RN test app like Expo CNG would've made this a whole lot easier.

I'm wondering if there are any plans to roll in React Native Test App or Expo CNG? Also curious about compatibility. If I were to go off on my own and implement one of these upon the example app in a standalone bob project would it break some of the symlinking going on with the iOS "Development Pod" or the Android development project?