Build TVApp with ReactNative

React TVApp in react native

Building a TV app with React Native involves creating a project, designing the user interface, handling navigation, and integrating with any backend services if necessary. Here’s a basic guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Set Up Your Development Environment

Make sure you have Node.js and npm installed on your machine. You can install React Native CLI globally using:

npm install -g react-native-cli

Step 2: Create a New React Native Project

Create a new React Native project using the following command:

npx react-native init YourTVApp
cd YourTVApp

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install the necessary dependencies for navigation and TV support:

npm install @react-navigation/native @react-navigation/stack react-native-screens react-native-gesture-handler react-native-tvos-support

Introduction of TV App in React Native:

• To implement a TV app with react native we will use react-native-tvos library. TV OS apps are quite difficult to develop compared to mobile apps.
• React native has a separate repository for tv apps which is react-native-tvos.
• React-native-tvos is public version based on react native version 0.63.1

npx react-native init MyTVApp — version=react-native@npm:react-native-tvos@latest

• After running the above command a new react native project is created and then run below commands.

npm install

cd ios

pod install

• Now we are ready to run the application. Follow the steps as below.

Open X code and select TV app as target and also select the TV emulator like below screenshot.

2. Click on play button and run app in emulator, you will see app run like below screenshot.

3. For android open TV emulator and run the below command in the terminal and the app will run.

npx react-native run-android

How to interact with TV App using simulator:

• Mouse won’t work here so we need to follow these steps.
• For navigation use keyboard arrow keys. Go ahead and try scrolling the table down with the arrow down key.
• Press the return key in order to interact with selected elements. This is like a mouse click but for TV. Try opening the selected link by pressing return.
• Press Esc in order to go back.
• Use the ⌘+⇧+R shortcut to open the Apple TV remote control simulator. Hold the Option key on your Mac keyboard while moving the mouse cursor over the touch surface of the remote control. Click the touch surface in order to interact with the selected element.
• Use the ⌘+R shortcut in case you want to reload your Apple TV app.
• Use the ⌘+D shortcut to open the Developer menu.

Below is the screenshot for the demo for react native tv OS:

• Run the below command in terminal to create project

npx react-native init TVappDemo — template=react-native-tvos@latest

• Open TVappDemo.xcworkspace, select TVappDemo-tvOS & then select Apple TV & click on run like below screenshot.

• After running the application, the TV simulator will look like the below screenshot.

• For android, open the android folder in android studio and run in the TV emulator like below screenshot.

• After running the application you will see the android TV like below screenshot.
• Styling for TV: Consider adjusting styles to be TV-friendly, such as using larger fonts and focusing on TV-friendly navigation.
• Remote Control Handling: You may need to handle remote control events for navigating through your app. React Native provides react-native-tvos-remote for this purpose.
• Testing on a TV Device: If possible, test your app on an actual TV device to ensure a better user experience.

This is a basic setup, and depending on your app’s requirements, you might need to integrate additional libraries, handle focus management, and customize the UI for TV screens.

Building For TV Devices · React Native

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