17 December 2024 Leave a comment Tech-Help
Encountering a “Duplicate Resources” error when creating a release APK in React Native can be frustrating. This error typically arises during the build process when there are conflicting resource files, such as images or other assets, within your Android project. This guide provides a step-by-step solution to address this issue effectively.
Understanding the Issue
The “Duplicate Resources” error usually occurs because the build process detects multiple files with the same name across different directories. This is common when bundling assets, such as images, that are used in your React Native project. The error message may look something like this:
[drawable-mdpi-v4/assets_mario] /path/to/project/android/app/src/main/res/drawable-mdpi/assets_mario.png
[drawable-mdpi-v4/assets_mario] /path/to/project/android/app/build/generated/res/react/release/drawable-mdpi-v4/assets_mario.png: Error: Duplicate resources
Proposed Solutions
Below are some effective solutions to resolve the duplicate resources error. These solutions have been tested and proven to work across different React Native versions.
Solution 1: Clean the Drawable Folders
The simplest and most direct solution is to remove the duplicate drawable resources before building the APK.
rm -rf ./android/app/src/main/res/drawable-*
rm -rf ./android/app/src/main/res/raw
These commands will remove the duplicated resources from your Android project’s directory. After executing these commands, you can proceed to build your APK.
Solution 2: Update React Gradle File
Another solution involves modifying the react.gradle file to automatically handle duplicate resources during the build process. This approach requires adding a script to move resources after bundling.
doLast {
def moveFunc = { resSuffix ->
File originalDir = file("$buildDir/generated/res/react/release/drawable-${resSuffix}");
if (originalDir.exists()) {
File destDir = file("$buildDir/../src/main/res/drawable-${resSuffix}");
ant.move(file: originalDir, tofile: destDir);
}
}
moveFunc.curry("ldpi").call()
moveFunc.curry("mdpi").call()
moveFunc.curry("hdpi").call()
moveFunc.curry("xhdpi").call()
moveFunc.curry("xxhdpi").call()
moveFunc.curry("xxxhdpi").call()
}
This script ensures that resources are correctly placed and avoids duplication by reorganizing the directories during the build.
Additional Considerations
If you’re using a version control system like Git, ensure that your build artifacts are not included in your repository. This can prevent conflicts when switching branches or collaborating with others.
Streamlining Your React Native Testing with Repeato
Creating and maintaining a robust testing environment for React Native apps can be challenging. This is where Repeato can be a valuable asset. As a no-code test automation tool, Repeato allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests for your React Native applications efficiently. Its reliance on computer vision and AI ensures that your tests are both fast and reliable, reducing the time and effort required to manage your app’s testing lifecycle.
