React Native Word Search: Fixing UI Resets & Ensuring Persistent Word Selection

🚀 Tutorial #11 – Preventing Word Deselection on Empty Grid Touch

📌 SEO Optimization

SEO Title:

“React Native Word Search: Persistent Word Selection & Fixing UI Resets”

Short Meta Description (Max 60 characters):

“Fix UI resets & keep words selected in React Native Word Search.”

Full Meta Description:

“Learn how to prevent selected words from visually resetting when touching empty grid space, ensuring persistent word selection with proper padding in a React Native Word Search game.”

Keywords:

React Native Word Search, Fix UI reset issues, Prevent word deselection, Persistent word selection, React Native touch issues, TypeScript best practices

📌 Introduction

In this tutorial, we will:
✅ Fix the issue where touching empty space inside the grid visually resets selected words.
✅ Ensure words remain visually selected until the user manually clears them.
✅ Modify the grid background style to prevent unintended deselection.
✅ Prevent duplicate selections (e.g., “ABCABC” instead of “ABC”).
✅ Add padding to the grid background for a better touch experience.
✅ Test the fix on both iOS and Android to confirm correct behavior.

By the end of this tutorial, your Word Search game will correctly handle word selection without accidental UI resets! 🚀

📌 Step 1: Understanding the UI Reset Issue

🔴 Why does this happen?

• The grid background is receiving touch events, causing a re-render.
• The app interprets touching the background as starting a new selection, visually resetting the highlight.
• Selected letters still exist in the state (selectedWord), but the UI makes it seem like they’re gone, allowing duplicate selections (e.g., “ABCABC”).

✅ Solution:

• Modify the grid background so touches don’t reset the UI.
• Ensure only actual letter touches update selection.
• Prevent duplicate selections by refining the selection logic.
• Add padding to the grid background to prevent accidental deselection.

📌 Step 2: Modifying wordSearch.tsx to Ignore Background Touches

📍 Location: app/wordSearch.tsx

1️⃣ Preventing Background Touch from Affecting Selection

Modify handleTouch to ignore touches that don’t land on a valid letter.

const handleTouch = (event: GestureResponderEvent) => {
  const { pageX, pageY } = event.nativeEvent;

  const row = Math.floor((pageY - gridLayout.y) / CELL_SIZE);
  const col = Math.floor((pageX - gridLayout.x) / CELL_SIZE);

  // Ensure the touch is within a valid grid cell
  if (row >= 0 && row < GRID_SIZE && col >= 0 && col < GRID_SIZE) {
    const selectedLetter = grid[row][col].letter;

    if (!selectedCells.some((cell) => cell.row === row && cell.col === col)) {
      setSelectedCells([...selectedCells, { row, col }]);
      setSelectedWord((prevWord) => prevWord + selectedLetter);
    }
  }
};

✅ Now, touching empty space inside the grid does nothing.

2️⃣ Preventing Duplicate Word Selection

Modify handleTouch so that a letter cannot be added again if it’s already selected.

const handleTouch = (event: GestureResponderEvent) => {
  const { pageX, pageY } = event.nativeEvent;

  const row = Math.floor((pageY - gridLayout.y) / CELL_SIZE);
  const col = Math.floor((pageX - gridLayout.x) / CELL_SIZE);

  if (row >= 0 && row < GRID_SIZE && col >= 0 && col < GRID_SIZE) {
    const selectedLetter = grid[row][col].letter;

    if (!selectedCells.some((cell) => cell.row === row && cell.col === col)) {
      setSelectedCells([...selectedCells, { row, col }]);
      setSelectedWord((prevWord) => prevWord + selectedLetter);
    }
  }
};

✅ Now, letters remain selected and cannot be selected multiple times.

3️⃣ Ensuring Words Stay Selected Until Cleared

Modify handleTouchEnd so that it does not reset the selection automatically.

const handleTouchEnd = () => {
  setLastSelectedCell(null); // Keep selection but reset tracking
};

✅ Now, words remain selected until the user presses “Clear.”

📌 Step 3: Updating the Grid Background to Prevent Unintended Touches

Modify the grid background styling to prevent unintended UI resets.

1️⃣ Updating globalStyles.ts

📍 Ensure the grid background is a separate layer that does not interfere with letter selection.

wordSearchContainer: {
  position: "relative",
  backgroundColor: "transparent", // Prevents touch interference
  padding: 10, // Adds padding to prevent accidental deselection
},

gridBackground: {
  position: "absolute",
  width: "100%",
  height: "100%",
  backgroundColor: "rgba(0,0,0,0)", // Ensures transparency while blocking unintended touches
  padding: 15, // Extra padding to minimize accidental touches
},

✅ Now, the background no longer interferes with selection.

📌 Step 4: The Final wordSearch.tsx Code

📍 Location: app/wordSearch.tsx

<View style={globalStyles.wordSearchContainer}>
  <View style={globalStyles.gridBackground} /> {/* Prevents UI reset */}

  {grid.map((row, rowIndex) => (
    <View key={rowIndex} style={globalStyles.wordSearchRow}>
      {row.map((cell) => (
        <TouchableOpacity
          key={`${cell.row}-${cell.col}`}
          style={[
            globalStyles.wordSearchCell,
            { width: CELL_SIZE, height: CELL_SIZE },
            selectedCells.some((c) => c.row === cell.row && c.col === cell.col) && globalStyles.foundWord,
          ]}
          onPress={(event) => handleTouch(event)}
        >
          <Text style={globalStyles.wordSearchLetter}>{cell.letter}</Text>
        </TouchableOpacity>
      ))}
    </View>
  ))}
</View>

✅ Now, touching empty grid space does not visually reset the selection.

📌 Step 5: Restart & Test the Fix

1️⃣ Restart the app:

npx expo start

2️⃣ Test the following:

• Tapping a cell selects the correct one.
• Dragging across letters selects multiple cells.
• Touching empty space inside the grid does not deselect words.
• Navigation buttons (‘Options’ and ‘Back’) work correctly.
  3️⃣ Check the console logs for correct letter selection.

Touched Cell: Row 3, Col 5, Letter: "B"

📌 Conclusion

🎯 Now, your Word Search game is fully interactive!
✅ Users can see their selected word in a text box.
✅ They can submit their word for validation.
✅ They can clear their selection at any time.
✅ Letters remain selected until manually cleared.
✅ Touching empty grid space no longer deselects words.
✅ Added padding prevents accidental deselection.

🚀 Now, the Word Search game has accurate word selection, proper validation, and an improved UI! 🎮🔥

Try it out and let me know if the tutorial is clear! 🚀