Error Handling in React Native Apps

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In complex React Native applications, unexpected rendering issues can occur due to bugs or data. To prevent full crashes or blank screens, WaveMaker introduced a global Error Boundary system. This system catches render-time errors, logs them, and shows a fallback UI; this ensures users remain in control even when something goes wrong.

What Is Error Boundary?

Error boundaries are React components that catch JavaScript errors during rendering, log them, and display a fallback UI instead of letting the app crash. They maintain stability and prevent broken or frozen screens.

Key Aspects of Error Boundaries

• Catch render-time errors using:
  • getDerivedStateFromError(error) to update state and trigger fallback UI
  • componentDidCatch(error, info) to log error details locally or remotely
• Prevent full crashes by intercepting errors and showing a controlled interface
• Fallback UI can be a message, error page, or recovery mechanism
• Limitations:
  • Cannot catch event handler errors (e.g., button clicks)
  • Cannot catch async errors (setTimeout, fetch, async/await)
  • Cannot catch server-side rendering errors
  • Cannot catch errors inside the error boundary itself

Implementation

WaveMaker introduced a global Error Boundary component that wraps critical parts of the application. If a rendering error occurs, it is caught and a fallback screen is displayed instead of letting the entire app crash.

Fallback Screen

The fallback UI:

• Well-handled unexpected errors
• Clearly informs the user about the issue
• Allows error stack copying so users can share details with support
• Offers recovery actions:
  • Navigate back to the previous page
  • Redirect to the home screen

This ensures continuity even when issues occur.

Error Boundary contains render-time errors without degrading the user experience. With a fallback UI, recovery options, and error reporting, it makes the app fault-tolerant, and user-friendly during unexpected failures.