React Navigation Plugin in TypeScript

[henrymoulton]

Description

When installing the React Navigation plugin in a TypeScript project it fails to typecheck const { createNavigationContainer } = Bugsnag.getPlugin('reactNavigation')

TS2339: Property 'createNavigationContainer' does not exist on type 'BugsnagPluginReactNavigationResult | undefined'.

Describe the solution you'd like

Better typings in the package or some docs on how to workaround

https://docs.bugsnag.com/platforms/react-native/react-native/navigation-libraries/
https://github.com/bugsnag/bugsnag-js/blob/next/packages/plugin-react-navigation/react-navigation.js

    "@bugsnag/plugin-react-navigation": "^7.10.0",
    "@bugsnag/react-native": "^7.10.5",

[johnkiely1]

Hi @henrymoulton,

The best way to work around this would be by adding a ! at the end of the line so it becomes:
const { createNavigationContainer } = Bugsnag.getPlugin('reactNavigation')!

We are considering making some Typescript specific changes to the docs to better clarify this and I'll let you know of updates on that.

[henrymoulton]

Thanks @johnkiely1 that's not an ideal workaround I think for now I'm going to avoid Bugsnag plugins and just replicate the functionality.

Feedback is: I'm a big fan of your SDK and bring it to every client I can, but just feel like the docs/work around plugins (at least for React Native) doesn't feel like it has the polish of other React Native specific things that you guys support e.g. CodePush.

Another example but separate issue is Jest Mocking / TypeScript support for the the .createErrorBoundary plugin

   TypeError: Cannot read property 'createErrorBoundary' of undefined

      21 | };
      22 | export const AppProviders = () => {
    > 23 |   const ErrorBoundary = Bugsnag.getPlugin("react").createErrorBoundary(React);

Obviously separate issue but just wanted to illustrate that it feels like plugins could be super useful but lack a bit of love.

Don't worry my love for Bugsnag endures ❤️

[xljones]

👋. Just wanted to clarify why this workaround is the right thing to do. There's two scenarios that can occur:

• before Bugsnag.start() is called, where plugins are undefined, and
• after Bugsnag.start(), where plugins are defined (as something non-undefined).

So, whilst the addition of ! forces the TS compiler to ignore the TypeError, additionally adding a guard around the instantiation of the plugin will allow you to see whether the plugin is actually ready to be started. The current types are correct as plugins can exist in more than one state.

A simple method for guarding against the error boundary plugin (for example) was discussed here, although this was under a slightly different context, the same method can be applied), the point being, if you guard against this and start to see plugins undefined, it means they're being applied to early and this timing should be addressed.

Hope this helps solve your issue and allow you to continue using the Bugsnag plugins :)

[henrymoulton]

@xander-jones sorry for dropping this - great explanation.

[henrymoulton]

@xander-jones going to continue discussion in #1112.