claude-skills/building-native-ui/references/form-sheet.md

Form Sheets in Expo Router

This skill covers implementing form sheets with footers using Expo Router's Stack navigator and react-native-screens.

Overview

Form sheets are modal presentations that appear as a card sliding up from the bottom of the screen. They're ideal for:

• Quick actions and confirmations
• Settings panels
• Login/signup flows
• Action sheets with custom content

Requirements:

• Expo Router Stack navigator

Basic Usage

Form Sheet with Footer

Configure the Stack.Screen with transparent backgrounds and sheet presentation:

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

export default function Layout() {
  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="index" />
      <Stack.Screen
        name="about"
        options={{
          presentation: "formSheet",
          sheetAllowedDetents: [0.25],
          headerTransparent: true,
          contentStyle: { backgroundColor: "transparent" },
          sheetGrabberVisible: true,
        }}
      >
        <Stack.Header style={{ backgroundColor: "transparent" }}></Stack.Header>
      </Stack.Screen>
    </Stack>
  );
}

Form Sheet Screen Content

Requires Expo SDK 55 or later.

Use flex: 1 to allow the content to fill available space, enabling footer positioning:

// app/about.tsx
import { View, Text, StyleSheet } from "react-native";

export default function AboutSheet() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      {/* Main content */}
      <View style={styles.content}>
        <Text>Sheet Content</Text>
      </View>

      {/* Footer - stays at bottom */}
      <View style={styles.footer}>
        <Text>Footer Content</Text>
      </View>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
  },
  content: {
    flex: 1,
    padding: 16,
  },
  footer: {
    padding: 16,
  },
});

Key Options

Option	Type	Description
presentation	string	Set to 'formSheet' for sheet presentation
sheetGrabberVisible	boolean	Shows the drag handle at the top of the sheet
sheetAllowedDetents	number[]	Array of detent heights (0-1 range, e.g., [0.25] for 25%)
headerTransparent	boolean	Makes header background transparent
contentStyle	object	Style object for the screen content container
title	string	Screen title (set to '' for no title)

Common Detent Values

• [0.25] - Quarter sheet (compact actions)
• [0.5] - Half sheet (medium content)
• [0.75] - Three-quarter sheet (detailed forms)
• [0.25, 0.5, 1] - Multiple stops (expandable sheet)

Complete Example

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

export default function Layout() {
  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="index" options={{ title: "Home" }} />
      <Stack.Screen
        name="confirm"
        options={{
          contentStyle: { backgroundColor: "transparent" },
          presentation: "formSheet",
          title: "",
          sheetGrabberVisible: true,
          sheetAllowedDetents: [0.25],
          headerTransparent: true,
        }}
      >
        <Stack.Header style={{ backgroundColor: "transparent" }}>
          <Stack.Header.Right />
        </Stack.Header>
      </Stack.Screen>
    </Stack>
  );
}

// app/confirm.tsx
import { View, Text, Pressable, StyleSheet } from "react-native";
import { router } from "expo-router";

export default function ConfirmSheet() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <View style={styles.content}>
        <Text style={styles.title}>Confirm Action</Text>
        <Text style={styles.description}>
          Are you sure you want to proceed?
        </Text>
      </View>

      <View style={styles.footer}>
        <Pressable style={styles.cancelButton} onPress={() => router.back()}>
          <Text style={styles.cancelText}>Cancel</Text>
        </Pressable>
        <Pressable style={styles.confirmButton} onPress={() => router.back()}>
          <Text style={styles.confirmText}>Confirm</Text>
        </Pressable>
      </View>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
  },
  content: {
    flex: 1,
    padding: 20,
    alignItems: "center",
    justifyContent: "center",
  },
  title: {
    fontSize: 18,
    fontWeight: "600",
    marginBottom: 8,
  },
  description: {
    fontSize: 14,
    color: "#666",
    textAlign: "center",
  },
  footer: {
    flexDirection: "row",
    padding: 16,
    gap: 12,
  },
  cancelButton: {
    flex: 1,
    padding: 14,
    borderRadius: 10,
    backgroundColor: "#f0f0f0",
    alignItems: "center",
  },
  cancelText: {
    fontSize: 16,
    fontWeight: "500",
  },
  confirmButton: {
    flex: 1,
    padding: 14,
    borderRadius: 10,
    backgroundColor: "#007AFF",
    alignItems: "center",
  },
  confirmText: {
    fontSize: 16,
    fontWeight: "500",
    color: "white",
  },
});

Troubleshooting

Content not filling sheet

Make sure the root View uses flex: 1:

<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>{/* content */}</View>

Sheet background showing through

Set contentStyle: { backgroundColor: 'transparent' } in options and style your content container with the desired background color instead.