Expo Router Patterns

Stack Navigator Configuration

Root Layout Setup

Use screenOptions on the Stack component to set defaults for all screens. Do NOT explicitly list every screen – routes are auto-discovered from the file structure.

// app/_layout.tsx
import { Stack } from 'expo-router';

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <Stack screenOptions={{ headerShown: false }} />
  );
}

Per-Screen Configuration

Individual screens configure their own options using <Stack.Screen> within the component file:

// app/lesson/[id].tsx
import { Stack } from 'expo-router';

export default function LessonScreen() {
  return (
    <View>
      <Stack.Screen
        options={{
          title: 'Lesson',
          headerShown: true,
          headerBackTitle: 'Back',
        }}
      />
      {/* Screen content */}
    </View>
  );
}

Dynamic Header Configuration

Use useNavigation with setOptions for dynamic header content like buttons:

import { useNavigation } from 'expo-router';
import { useLayoutEffect } from 'react';

export default function Screen() {
  const navigation = useNavigation();

  useLayoutEffect(() => {
    navigation.setOptions({
      headerRight: () => (
        <Pressable onPress={handlePress}>
          <Ionicons name="add" size={28} />
        </Pressable>
      ),
    });
  }, [navigation]);

  return <View>{/* content */}</View>;
}

Native Tabs (expo-router/unstable-native-tabs)

Native tabs provide platform-native tab bar with SF Symbols on iOS:

// app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx
import { Icon, Label, NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" options={{ title: 'Home' }}>
        <Icon sf="house.fill" drawable="custom_android_drawable" />
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Key Principles

1. File-based routing: Routes are auto-discovered from the app/ directory structure
2. Minimal configuration: Only configure what you need to override
3. Screen-level options: Screens configure their own headers/options using <Stack.Screen> within the component
4. Layout files: _layout.tsx files define navigation structure for their directory
5. Route groups: Parentheses like (tabs) create route groups without affecting the URL path

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t list every screen explicitly in Stack – they’re auto-discovered
• Don’t use screenOptions for route-specific settings – use <Stack.Screen> in the route file
• Don’t nest navigators deeply – use file-based routing for cleaner structure