Expo Images Picker

Fully customizable image picker for react native, to select one or multiple images

Nice features for 4.7.0 version! More information at the bottom

Installation

Install with expo

  expo install expo-image-multiple-picker react-native-svg expo-media-library

or npm

  npm i expo-image-multiple-picker react-native-svg expo-media-library

or yarn

  yarn add expo-image-multiple-picker react-native-svg expo-media-library

Usage/Examples

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
    />
  )
}

This will show the image picker to select the album and then select the images

The image picker calls onSave when the user selects the images and calls onCancel when don't have permissions or the user wants to go back without select

Multiple Selection

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      multiple
    />
  )
}

The multiple property will allow multiple selection

Select from all sources

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      noAlbums
    />
  )
}

The noAlbums property will open the gallery without selecting album, showing all the images on the phone

Selection limit

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      limit={5}
    />
  )
}

The limit property will limit the number of images selected

Common usage

Usually, you want render the picker conditionally inside your logic, there is an example:

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)

  if (open) {
    return (
      <ImagePicker
        onSave={(assets) => {
          doWhatEverWithTheAssets(assets)
          setOpen(false)
        }}
        onCancel={() => {
          doWhatEverWhenYourUserSucks()
          setOpen(false)
        }}
      />
    )
  }

  return (
    <View>
      <Text>Hello Mars!</Text>
    </View>
  )
}

Important Note

React Native doesn't provide fixed containers. Then, obviously, ensure when you render the picker, is the unique element on the phone. For stack screens you will need the headerShown: false

(Advanced) Track album and selected assets

We can know and track the album and selected assets. And also call the picker which specific Album or selected assets. There is a common way to do that:

import { ImagePicker, Album, Asset } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
  const [album, setAlbum] = useState<Album | undefined>()
  const [assets, setAssets] = useState<Asset[]>([])

  if (open) {
    return (
      <ImagePicker
        onSave={(assets) => {
          setAssets(assets)
          setOpen(false)
        }}
        onCancel={() => {
          setAssets([])
          setAlbum(undefined)
          setOpen(false)
        }}
        onSelectAlbum={(album) => setAlbum(album)}
        selected={assets}
        selectedAlbum={album}
      />
    )
  }

  return (
    <View>
      <Text>Hello Pluto!</Text>
    </View>
  )
}

Important Note

React Native doesn't provide fixed containers. Then, obviously, ensure when you render the picker, is the unique element on the phone. For stack screens you will need the headerShown: false

Customizing

Change number of columns in the album or photo viewer

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      galleryColumns={3}
      albumColumns={3}
    />
  )
}

The galleryColumns property will change the number of columns in the image viewer

The albumColumns property will change the number of columns in the album viewer

Obviously, there is no selection limit, this is how the image selector looks like with 32 columns (and it works):

Theming

Let's make a Whats App style image picker theme

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      theme={{
        header: WhatsAppHeader,
        album: WhatsAppAlbum,
        check: WhatsAppCheck,
      }}
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      galleryColumns={4}
      multiple
    />
  )
}

Looks like

---

The theme property will take three optionals components:

• header

It is the navigator, and its props is the HeaderData interface

type Album = MediaLibrary.Album

interface HeaderData {
  view: Views
  goToAlbum?: () => void
  imagesPicked: number
  multiple: boolean
  picked: boolean
  album?: Album
  noAlbums: boolean
  save?: () => void
}

Important note: The header must have a fixed height, if it resizes when selected the first time, you will experience a nasty scroll top

• album

It is the one who renders the images of the album viewer, and its props is the AlbumData interface

type Asset = MediaLibrary.Asset
type Album = MediaLibrary.Album

interface AlbumData {
  thumb: Asset
  album: Album
  goToGallery: (album: Album) => void
}

Important note: If the album doesn't have a fixed height, it just won't show.

• check

It is the component that is displayed when a photo has been selected, has no props

---

Here it is the code of the components for the WhatsApp Theme:

const WhatsAppHeader = (props: HeaderData) => {
  return (
    <View
      style={{
        paddingTop: 40,
        padding: 10,
        height: 80,
        width: '100%',
        backgroundColor: '#252f39',
        flexDirection: 'row',
        justifyContent: 'space-between',
        alignItems: 'center',
      }}
    >
      {props.view == 'album' && (
        <Text style={{ color: 'white', fontSize: 20 }}>Select an album</Text>
      )}
      {props.view == 'gallery' && (
        <>
          <TouchableOpacity onPress={props.goToAlbum}>
            <IonIcon name='arrow-back' size={30} color='#EDF8F5' />
          </TouchableOpacity>
          {props.imagesPicked > 0 && (
            <>
              <Text style={{ color: 'white', fontSize: 20 }}>
                {props.imagesPicked} selected
              </Text>
              <TouchableOpacity onPress={props.save}>
                <Text style={{ color: 'white', fontSize: 16 }}>OK</Text>
              </TouchableOpacity>
            </>
          )}
        </>
      )}
    </View>
  )
}

const WhatsAppAlbum = (props: AlbumData) => {
  return (
    <TouchableOpacity
      onPress={() => props.goToGallery(props.album)}
      style={{ flex: 1, height: 200 }}
    >
      <Image
        source={{ uri: props.thumb.uri }}
        style={{ width: '100%', height: '100%' }}
        blurRadius={10}
      ></Image>
      <View
        style={{
          position: 'absolute',
          width: '100%',
          height: '100%',
          backgroundColor: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.2)',
          justifyContent: 'flex-end',
        }}
      >
        <View style={{ padding: 5, flexDirection: 'row' }}>
          <EntypoIcon name='folder' color='white' size={16} />
          <Text
            style={{
              color: 'white',
              fontSize: 16,
              marginLeft: 5,
            }}
          >
            {props.album.title}
          </Text>
        </View>
      </View>
    </TouchableOpacity>
  )
}

const WhatsAppCheck = () => {
  return (
    <View
      style={{
        width: '100%',
        height: '100%',
        alignItems: 'center',
        justifyContent: 'center',
        backgroundColor: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.4)',
      }}
    >
      <FeatherIcon color='white' name='check' size={32} />
    </View>
  )
}

4.7.0 Features

It had been a while without updating the library or touching react native code. But when i realized that the community really uses this library, with the downloads increasing, issues, feedback, pull request. Was amazing. I love that feedback.

Then, after writing a lot of sweet things, there is the updates:

+ Performance

With the new version of expo-media-library (15.0.0) fetching assets is more faster! And with that, for every fetch, the picker can fetch until 70 images per time! x3.5 more than old version fetching 20 images per time... (Anyway, its more noticeable with a large number of galleryColumns) (use the last version of expo-media-library if you want this speed)

Video Support

Yes! We needed that from the start

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      video
    />
  )
}

The video property will make it possible to select videos in addition to images

Also, the component rendered in a video asset is customizable. The theme property will receive video param. This param accept a function with an asset argument returning the JSX.Element

Time Slider

Do you remember when you select an asset. Then you need uncheck that asset but hey. You don't remember where is it. Then you need search in the gallery where is it.

Say GOODBYE to the old times. Now we have a Time Slider

Similar to google photos time slider, but with a difference, shows the current assets picked and their position, to find them in an easy way

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      timeSlider
    />
  )
}

The timeSlider will enable the default time slider for the picker

If you want use your own custom time slider, there is some tips:

import { ImagePicker } from 'expo-image-multiple-picker'

function App() {
  return (
    <ImagePicker
      onSave={(assets) => console.log(assets)}
      onCancel={() => console.log('no permissions or user go back')}
      timeSlider
      timeSliderHeight={500}
    />
  )
}

The timeSliderHeight will adjust the height for the slider

Build your own Custom Slider:

interface SliderItem {
  date: Date
  top: number
  styles?: ViewStyle
}

interface SliderBalloon extends SliderItem {
  quantity: number
}

export interface SliderData {
  balloons: SliderBalloon[]
  button?: SliderItem
  height: number
  isMoving: boolean
  buttonProps?: ViewProps
}

The theme property will receive slider param. This param accept a function with an SliderData argument returning the JSX.Element

Under the hood

This image picker uses expo-media-library under the hood to fetch the photos from the phone

Then it uses FlatList to render the images and does mathematical calculations according to the columns to know what size they will be

The most important thing in the development was to avoid unnecessary rendering and to minimize the rendered components while scrolling

Finally, if I am doing the documentation, it is because it has had an acceptable performance