I have a react native app with a search function. The search function works fine. But the problem I am facing is that after search a user can not go back anymore to the mainscreen.Even when the search field is empty.

What I have tried? I searched for reload component react native. And I found the useFocusEffect hook

useFocusEffect

That if the screen(searchfield) is not focues you can do something.

code:

SearchAnimalContext

/* eslint-disable prettier/prettier */

import React, { createContext, useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";

import { CategoryNavigator } from "/src/infrastructure/navigation/category.navigator";
import { fetchAnimalData } from "./animal/animal.service";
import useDebounce from "../hooks/use-debounce";
import { useFocusEffect } from "@react-navigation/native";

export const SearchAnimalContext = createContext();
export const SearchAnimalContextProvider = ({ children, navigation }) => {
    const [searchAnimal, setSearchAnimal] = useState([]);
    const [results, setResults] = useState([]);
    const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
    const [error, setError] = useState(null);
    const [input, setInput] = useState("");
    const debounce = useDebounce(searchAnimal, 500);

    useFocusEffect(
        useCallback(() => {
            // Do something when the screen is focused
            return () => {
                
                setInput("");
                navigation.navigate(CategoryNavigator());               
            };
        }, [])
    );

    useEffect(() => {
        fetchAnimalData();
    }, [debounce]);

    const performSearch = async (text) => {
        setLoading(true);
        setError(null);
        setTimeout(() => {
            fetchAnimalData(text)
                .then((response2) => {
                    setResults(response2);
                    setLoading(false);
                })
                .catch((err) => {
                    setLoading(false);
                    setError(err);
                });
        });
    };
    return (
        <SearchAnimalContext.Provider
            value={{
                results,
                setResults,
                searchAnimal,
                setSearchAnimal,
                input,
                setInput,
                performSearch,
                loading,
                error,
            }}>
            {children}
        </SearchAnimalContext.Provider>
    );
};

Component that is using searchContext:

/* eslint-disable prettier/prettier */

import { ActivityIndicator, MD2Colors } from "react-native-paper";
import { FlatList, TouchableOpacity } from "react-native";
import React, { useContext } from "react";

import { AccordionItemsContext } from "../../../services/accordion-items.context";
import { AnimalDetailToggle } from "../../../components/general/animal-detail-toggle-view";
import { CategoryContext } from "../../../services/category/category.context";
import { CategoryInfoCard } from "../components/category-info-card.component";
import { CategoryNavigator } from "/src/infrastructure/navigation/category.navigator";
import { SafeArea } from "../../../components/utility/safe-area.component";
import { SearchAnimalContext } from "../../../services/search-animal.context";
import { Searchbar } from "react-native-paper";
import { Spacer } from "../../../components/spacer/spacer.component";
import styled from "styled-components/native";

export const CategoryList = styled(FlatList).attrs({
    contentContainerStyle: {
        padding: 15,
    },
})``;

export const LoadingContainer = styled.View`
    position: absolute;
    top: 50%;
    left: 50%;
`;

export const CategoryScreen = ({ navigation }) => {
    useContext(AccordionItemsContext);
    const { loading, categoryList } = useContext(CategoryContext);
    const { performSearch, results, setInput, input } = useContext(SearchAnimalContext);

    return (
        <SafeArea>
            {loading && (
                <LoadingContainer>
                    <ActivityIndicator animating={true} color={MD2Colors.blue500} />
                </LoadingContainer>
            )}
            <Searchbar
                placeholder="search animalll"
                onChangeText={(text) => {
                    if (text.length === 0) {
                        navigation.navigate("Dieren");
                    }
                    setInput(text.substring(0));
                    performSearch(text);
                }}
                value={input}
            />

            
        </SafeArea>
    );
};

And the main screen has a button Dieren

<Tab.Navigator screenOptions={createScreenOptions}>
 <Tab.Screen name="Dieren" component={CategoryNavigator} /> 
</Tab.Navigator>

And CategoryNavigator looks:

/* eslint-disable prettier/prettier */

import { createStackNavigator } from "@react-navigation/stack";
import { CategoryScreen } from "../../features/animalGroup/screens/category.screen";
import React from "react";
import { SubCategoryScreen } from "../../features/animalGroup/screens/category-sub.screen";

const CategoryStack = createStackNavigator();

export const CategoryNavigator = () => {
    return (
        <CategoryStack.Navigator screenOptions={{ headerShown: false }}>
            <CategoryStack.Screen name="dieren" component={CategoryScreen} />

            <CategoryStack.Screen name="groepen" component={SubCategoryScreen} />
        </CategoryStack.Navigator>
    );
};

Question: how to go back to CategoryNavigator when searchfield is empty?