Ts migration/ref types 39116

[jnowakow]

Details

This PR is a follow up of the TS migration. It's aim was to figure out way of handling refs in the project as in many places the types were defined as union of React Native's components and HTML elements.

Bug caused by usage of refs was found and fixed. The AutocompleteSuggestions component was handling long press events by overriding onpointerdown handler. But the reference to dom element wasn't ready during useEffect hook and result was that the autocomplete was closing on mobile browsers when suggestion was pressed for longer time. It was fixed by using onPointerDown provided by react-native-web.

Fixed Issues

$
PROPOSAL:

In general we should avoid using DOM elements as ref types. That's React Native Web handles references on web so there's no need to explicitly use types like HTMLDivElement. Exception of this rule is when we explicitly need to use functions available only in DOM and not in React Native, e.g. getBoundingClientRect. It's heavily used in Tooltips and Popovers which are only used on web.

When adding handlers for Pointers and Mouse events the interaction API provided by React Native Web is preferred option. It's generally satisfied across the app.

In general if there is no need to use DOM specific methods then one should use View as ref type. This PR updates types in several places to follow this pattern. Union types like View | HTMLDivElement should be used only in places where DOM api is necessary. Technically components on web have type equal to View & HTMLDivElement because they have methods available on both platforms. But it's not true in case of native components and this is why union should be used. It enforces developer to explicitly check if metod on property exist on the reference object. While it may be a bit cumbersome it prevents runtime bugs.

Unfortunately, union types forces us to use type casting. This is because HTMLDivElement can't be passed to View. It should be done as soon as possible to prevent such types to be propagated. There are utility functions like viewRef defined to achieve that.

Tests

1. Open chat.
2. Start typing emoji name to open autocomplete eg. :app
3. Press and hold one of available options.
4. Modal shouldn't close and keyboard shouldn't loose focus.

• Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

Offline tests

N/A

QA Steps

Same as in Tests

• Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

• I linked the correct issue in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I wrote clear testing steps that cover the changes made in this PR
  • I added steps for local testing in the Tests section
  • I added steps for the expected offline behavior in the Offline steps section
  • I added steps for Staging and/or Production testing in the QA steps section
  • I added steps to cover failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
  • I tested this PR with a High Traffic account against the staging or production API to ensure there are no regressions (e.g. long loading states that impact usability).
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I ran the tests on all platforms & verified they passed on:
  • Android: Native
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: Native
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
  • MacOS: Desktop
• I verified there are no console errors (if there's a console error not related to the PR, report it or open an issue for it to be fixed)
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• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

Android: mWeb Chrome

Before:

android_web_before.mov

After:

android_web_after.mov

iOS: Native

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

MacOS: Desktop