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React Native Academy · Lesson

Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params

Use navigation.navigate to move between screens, pass parameters in the second argument, and read them with route.params on the destination screen.

Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params is a free React Native Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the React Native Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

The navigation Prop in Screens

Every component registered as a screen in a React Navigation navigator automatically receives a navigation prop. This object provides methods to move between screens, go back, and manage the navigation stack. You can also access it in nested components using the useNavigation hook.

function HomeScreen({ navigation }) {
  // navigation.navigate, navigation.goBack, etc.
  return <View />;
}

Navigating with navigation.navigate

Call navigation.navigate('ScreenName') to move to another screen. If the screen is already in the stack and you navigate to it again, React Navigation will go to the existing instance rather than adding a duplicate. Use navigation.push('ScreenName') to always push a new instance.

function HomeScreen({ navigation }) {
  return (
    <Button
      title='Go to Details'
      onPress={() => navigation.navigate('Details')}
    />
  );
}

Going Back with navigation.goBack

Call navigation.goBack() to pop the current screen off the stack and return to the previous one. On iOS the swipe-back gesture is enabled by default. On Android, the hardware back button calls goBack automatically. Use navigation.popToTop() to jump all the way back to the first screen.

function DetailsScreen({ navigation }) {
  return (
    <Button
      title='Go Back'
      onPress={() => navigation.goBack()}
    />
  );
}

Passing Params When Navigating

Pass a second argument to navigation.navigate to send parameters to the destination screen. The params object can contain any serializable data — IDs, strings, booleans. Avoid passing complex non-serializable objects like class instances or functions.

function HomeScreen({ navigation }) {
  return (
    <Button
      title='View Post'
      onPress={() =>
        navigation.navigate('Details', {
          postId: 42,
          title: 'React Navigation Deep Dive',
        })
      }
    />
  );
}

Reading Params with route.params

The destination screen receives a route prop alongside the navigation prop. Access the parameters you passed via route.params. Always provide defaults in case a screen is opened without params, for example when it is the initial screen.

function DetailsScreen({ route, navigation }) {
  const { postId, title } = route.params ?? {};
  return (
    <View>
      <Text>Post ID: {postId}</Text>
      <Text>Title: {title}</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

Default Params on Stack.Screen

Set initialParams on a Stack.Screen to provide default parameter values. These defaults merge with any params passed at runtime, so the screen always has a complete set of values to work with, even when opened as the initial route.

<Stack.Screen
  name='Details'
  component={DetailsScreen}
  initialParams={{ postId: 0, title: 'Unknown' }}
/>

Updating Params from a Screen

A screen can update its own params using navigation.setParams. This is useful when an action on the current screen (like editing a form field) should be reflected in the navigation header title. The params update triggers a re-render of the screen.

function DetailsScreen({ route, navigation }) {
  const { title } = route.params;

  return (
    <Button
      title='Update Title'
      onPress={() => navigation.setParams({ title: 'Updated Title' })}
    />
  );
}

Using useNavigation Hook

Deep child components that are not registered screens do not receive the navigation prop automatically. Use the useNavigation() hook from React Navigation to access the navigation object anywhere inside the navigator tree without prop drilling.

import { useNavigation } from '@react-navigation/native';

function MyButton() {
  const navigation = useNavigation();
  return (
    <Button
      title='Go to Profile'
      onPress={() => navigation.navigate('Profile')}
    />
  );
}

Using useRoute Hook

Similarly, use the useRoute() hook to access route.params in a non-screen component. This is useful when you have a deeply nested component that needs to read the current screen's parameters without threading the route prop through every level.

import { useRoute } from '@react-navigation/native';

function PostHeader() {
  const route = useRoute();
  const { title } = route.params ?? {};
  return <Text style={{ fontWeight: 'bold' }}>{title}</Text>;
}

Setting the Header Title from Params

You can dynamically set the navigation header title based on route params by passing a function to the options prop. The function receives the route object, allowing you to use param values as the screen title without extra state.

<Stack.Screen
  name='Details'
  component={DetailsScreen}
  options={({ route }) => ({ title: route.params.title ?? 'Details' })}
/>

Navigating Back and Sending Data Back

To send data from a child screen back to its parent, use navigation.navigate with the parent screen's name and include the return data as params. The parent screen will receive the updated params. Alternatively, pass a callback function as a param to the child screen and call it before going back.

// In child screen
navigation.navigate('Home', { selectedItem: 'apple' });

// In parent screen — read route.params.selectedItem

Quick Check

Test your understanding of React Navigation screen navigation and params from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: use navigation.navigate to move to another screen, pass params as the second argument to navigate, and read params with route.params in the destination screen. Next up we explore the Bottom Tab Navigator.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params” is free to read here on the web, and the React Native Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the React Native Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params”?

Use navigation.navigate to move between screens, pass parameters in the second argument, and read them with route.params on the destination screen. You practise React Native Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start React Native Academy?

No prior experience is required. React Native Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this React Native Academy lesson?

Yes. Every React Native Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Installing and Configuring React Navigation
  2. Navigating Between Screens and Passing Params
  3. Bottom Tab Navigator
  4. Drawer Navigator and Nested Navigators
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