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NativeScript Command-Line Interface

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Create, build, and run native apps for iOS and Android using JavaScript or TypeScript

The NativeScript CLI lets you create, build, and deploy NativeScript-based projects on iOS and Android devices.

What is NativeScript

NativeScript is a cross-platform JavaScript framework that lets you develop native iOS and Android apps from a single code base. The framework provides JavaScript access to the native APIs, user interface, and rendering engines of iOS and Android. By using JavaScript or TypeScript, you can create one project that builds into an iOS or Android app with completely native user experience.

To learn more about NativeScript, you can check the following resources:

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Supported Platforms

With the NativeScript CLI, you can target the following mobile platforms.

  • Android 4.2 or a later stable official release
  • iOS 7.0 or later stable official release

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System Requirements

You can install and run the NativeScript CLI on Windows, OS X or Linux.

Windows

On Windows systems, you can develop, build, and deploy NativeScript projects that target Android.

Setup Script

To quickly set up your system for the latest NativeScript CLI, paste the following PowerShell script in the Command Prompt and hit Enter:

@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NativeScript/nativescript-cli/production/setup/native-script.ps1'))"

Alternatively, your can paste the following PowerShell setup script in a Windows PowerShell console and hit Enter:

start-process -FilePath PowerShell.exe -Verb Runas -Wait -ArgumentList "-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NativeScript/nativescript-cli/production/setup/native-script.ps1'))"

Both scripts require that you have .NET 4.0 or later installed on your system. You can download .NET 4.6.1 from this link.

Manual Setup

If you have installed Chocolatey, you can complete these steps to set up JDK, and Android SDK.

  1. Run a Windows command prompt.

  2. To install JDK, run the following command.

    choco install java.jdk

  3. If not present, create the following environment variables.

    JAVA_HOME=Path to the jdk* install directory

    For example: JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_66

    ANDROID_HOME=Path to Android installation directory

    For example: ANDROID_HOME=C:\Android\android-sdk

NOTE: This is the directory that contains tools and platform-tools directories.

  1. To install the Android SDK, run the following command.

    choco install android-sdk

  2. To update the Android SDK to 22 or later, run the following command.

    android update sdk

  3. Select all packages for the Android 22 SDK and any other SDKs that you want to install, click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Select Android SDK Build-tools 22.0.0 or later stable version, click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

  5. Select Extras/Local Maven repository for Support Libraries, click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

NOTE: You can install required Android Tools with the following command:

android update sdk --filter tools,platform-tools,android-23,build-tools-23.0.2,sys-img-x86-android-22,extra-android-m2repository,extra-google-m2repository,extra-android-support --all --no-ui

OS X

On OS X systems, you can develop, build, and deploy NativeScript projects that target iOS and Android.

Setup Script

To quickly set up your system for the latest NativeScript CLI, paste the following Ruby script in the Terminal and hit Enter:

sudo ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NativeScript/nativescript-cli/production/setup/native-script.rb)"

Manual Setup

If not present, create the following environment variables.

JAVA_HOME=Path to the jdk* install directory

For example: JAVA_HOME=/usr/bin/java

ANDROID_HOME=Path to Android installation directory

For example: ANDROID_HOME=/usr/local/Cellar/android-sdk/24/

NOTE: This is the directory that contains tools and platform-tools directories.

You can install the required Android tools with the following command:

echo yes | android update sdk --filter tools,platform-tools,android-23,build-tools-23.0.2,sys-img-x86-android-22,extra-android-m2repository,extra-google-m2repository,extra-android-support --all --no-ui

Linux

On Linux systems, you can develop, build, and deploy NativeScript projects that target Android.

If not present, create the following environment variables.

JAVA_HOME=Path to the jdk* install directory

For example: JAVA_HOME=/usr/bin/java

ANDROID_HOME=Path to Android installation directory

For example: ANDROID_HOME=/home/user/android-sdk

NOTE: This is the directory that contains tools and platform-tools directories.

You can install required Android Tools with the following command.

echo yes | android update sdk --filter tools,platform-tools,android-23,build-tools-23.0.2,sys-img-x86-android-22,extra-android-m2repository,extra-google-m2repository,extra-android-support --all --no-ui

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Installation

Install the NativeScript CLI

The NativeScript CLI is available for installing as an npm package.

In the command prompt, run the following command.

OS Node.js installed from http://nodejs.org/ Node.js installed via package manager
Windows npm install nativescript -g npm install nativescript -g
OS X sudo npm install nativescript -g --unsafe-perm npm install nativescript -g
Linux sudo npm install nativescript -g --unsafe-perm npm install nativescript -g

To check if your system is configured properly, run the following command.

tns doctor

Configure Proxy Usage

If you are working with the NativeScript CLI behind a web proxy, you might need to configure your proxy settings.

  1. On your file system, locate the directory where the nativescript npm package is installed.
  2. In a text editor, open config → config.json.
  3. Set USE_PROXY to true.
  4. Set PROXY_PORT.
  5. Set PROXY_HOSTNAME.

Make sure to preserve the quotation marks and commas as in the initial config.json file.

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Quick Start

The Commands

Run tns help to view all available commands in the browser. Run tns help <Command> to view more information about a selected command in the browser.

  • help opens a new browser window and lists all available commands.
  • create <App Name> [--path <Directory>] [--appid <App ID>] [--copy-from <Directory>] creates a new project with the specified settings.
  • init initializes an existing project and prompts for project configuration.
  • platform list lists the current target platforms for your project.
  • platform add <Platform> adds a new target platform to your project.
  • platform remove <Platform> removes the selected platform from the target platforms of the project.
  • platform update <Platform> updates the NativeScript runtime for the specified platform.
  • prepare <Platform> copies cross-platform and selected platform-specific content to the subdirectory for the target platform.
  • build <Platform> builds the project for the selected target platform.
  • emulate <Platform> builds the project for the selected target platform and runs it in the native emulator, if configured.
  • deploy <Platform> [--device <Device ID>] deploys an already built application on connected device.
  • run <Platform> [--device <Device ID>] executes prepare, build, and deploy.
  • livesync <Platform> synchronizes changes from your project to an already deployed application on device.
  • test init configures your project for unit testing with a selected framework.
  • test <Platform> runs your unit tests on a connected device or in the native emulator.
  • device lists connected devices, including any running Android Virtual Devices or Genymotion virtual devices.
  • device log opens the log stream for the selected device.
  • device run runs a selected application on a connected device.
  • device list-applications lists the installed applications on all connected devices.
  • usage-reporting configures anonymous usage reporting.
  • error-reporting configures anonymous error tracking.
  • doctor checks for configuration issues.
  • autocomplete lets you configure your command-line completion settings for zsh and bash profiles.

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Create Project

To create a new cross-platform project from the default template, run the following command.

tns create MyApp

To create a new cross-platform project from an existing NativeScript project, run the following command.

tns create MyApp --copy-from <Directory>

Where is the complete path to the directory that contains your existing project. You can use any NativeScript project, created with the Telerik AppBuilder clients.

The NativeScript creates a new project based on the JavaScript built-in template and sets the application identifier to org.nativescript.myapp.

The CLI places the project in a new directory in the current directory. The newly created directory has the following structure.

MyApp/
├── app
│   ├── app.css
│   ├── app.js
│   ├── bootstrap.js
│   ├── main-page.js
│   ├── main-page.xml
│   ├── App_Resources
│   │   └── ...
│   └── tns_modules
│       └── ...
└── platforms
    └── ...
  • The app directory is the development space for your application. You should modify all common and platform-specific code within this directory. When you run prepare <Platform>, the NativeScript CLI copies relevant content to the platform-specific folders for each target platform.
  • The platforms directory is created empty. When you add a target platform to your project, the NativeScript CLI creates a new subdirectory with the platform name. The subdirectory contains the ready-to-build resources of your app. When you run prepare <Platform>, the NativeScript CLI copies relevant content from the app directory to the platform-specific subdirectory for each target platform.

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Add Platforms

After you have created your project, you can start adding target platforms to it. To be able to build your project into an application package for a selected target platform, you need to add the platform to your project first. Currently, you can target Android and iOS with your NativeScript projects.

Navigate to the directory that contains your newly created project and run the following commands.

tns platform add android
tns platform add ios

platform add creates the android and the ios subdirectories in the platforms directory. These subdirectories have the platform-specific project structure required for native development with the native SDKs for the platform.

...
platforms/
|-- android/
|-- |-- assets/
|-- |-- gen/
|-- |-- libs/
|-- |-- node_modules/
|-- |-- res/
|-- |-- src/
|-- |-- .project
|-- |-- AndroidManifest.xml
|-- |-- build.xml
|-- |-- local.properties
|-- |-- proguard-project.txt
|-- `-- project.properties
|-- ios/
|-- |-- libTNSBridge.a
|-- |-- node_modules
`-- |-- MyApp/
	`-- MyApp.xcodeproj
...

For more information about the structure of Android native projects, see Android Projects.

For more information about the structure iOS native projects, see Code Organization in Xcode Projects.

TIP: The NativeScript team provides experimental support for the latest versions of iOS and Android. You can choose which platform runtime to use in your project by running tns platform add <platform>@<Version>
To list all available versions for android, run $ npm view tns-android versions
To list only experimental versions for android, run $ npm view tns-android dist-tags To list all available versions for ios, run $ npm view tns-ios versions
To list only experimental versions for ios, run $ npm view tns-ios dist-tags

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Develop Your Project

Development with NativeScript

For more information about working with NativeScript, see the following resources.

Development in app

The app directory in the root of the project is the development space for your project. Place all your common and platform-specific code in this directory. When you run prepare <Platform>, the NativeScript CLI copies relevant content to the platform-specific folders for each target platform.

In the app directory, you can use platform-specific files to provide customized functionality and design for each target platform. To indicate that a file is platform-specific, make sure that the file name is in the following format: name.ios.extension or name.android.extension. For example: main.ios.js or main.android.js.

You can develop shared functionality or design in common files. To indicate that a file is common, make sure that the file name does not contain a .android. or .ios. string.

Development in platforms

IMPORTANT: Avoid editing files located in the platforms subdirectory because the NativeScript CLI overrides such files during the prepare <Platform> using the contents of the app directory.

Modifying Configuration Files

The NativeScript CLI respects any platform configuration files placed inside app/App_Resources. Those files are respectively app/App_Resources/AndroidManifest.xml for Android and app/App_Resources/Info.plist for iOS.

Additionaly, you can modify app/App_Resources/build.xcconfig and app/App_Resources/app.gradle for adding/removing additional build properties for iOS and Android, respectively.

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Prepare for Build

When you run build, the NativeScript CLI uses the resources from the platform-specific subdirectory in the platforms directory. To populate the platform-specific subdirectory with the correct application assets, you need to run prepare.

tns prepare android
tns prepare ios

prepare <Platform> takes content from app, analyzes it and copies it to the platform-specific subdirectory in platforms. This operation copies common and relevant platform-specific content that applies to the selected platform. This ensures that your Android or iOS application contain only the correct assets.

Keep in mind that prepare overrides changes made to the platform-specific subdirectory in platforms. For more information, see Development in platforms.

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Build Your Project

After you have prepared your project, you can build it for your target mobile platforms.

tns build android
tns build ios

The NativeScript CLI calls the SDK for the selected target platform and uses it to build your app locally.

When you build for Android, the NativeScript CLI saves the application package as an APK in platforms → android → bin.

When you build for iOS, the NativeScript CLI will either build for a device, if there's a device attached, or for the native emulator if there are no devices attached. To trigger a native emulator build when a device is attached, set the --emulator flag.

The native emulator build is saved as an APP in platforms → ios → build → emulator. The device build is saved as an IPA in platforms → ios → build → device.

IMPORTANT: To build your app for an iOS device, you must configure a valid certificate and provisioning profile pair, and have that pair present on your system for code signing your application package. For more information, see iOS Code Signing - A Complete Walkthrough.

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Deploy Your Project

You can test your work in progress on connected Android or iOS devices.

To verify that the NativeScript CLI recognizes your connected devices, run the following command.

tns device

The NativeScript CLI lists all connected physical devices and running Android Virtual Devices.

After you have listed the available devices, you can deploy your app on all devices from the selected target platform.

tns deploy android
tns deploy ios

The NativeScript CLI calls the SDK for the selected target platform and uses it to build your app locally. After the build is complete, the NativeScript CLI downloads and installs the application package on your connected devices.

On Android devices, the app runs automatically.

On iOS devices, the app does not run automatically. To run the app, tap the app icon.

IMPORTANT: To deploy your app on iOS devices, you need to configure a valid pair of certificate and provisioning profile for code signing your application package. For more information, see iOS Code Signing - A Complete Walkthrough.

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Emulate Your Project

If you do not have any physical devices on which to test your app or if you have not configured any certificates and provisioning profiles for iOS, you can run your app in the native emulator of your target platform.

tns emulate android
tns emulate ios

This operation calls the SDK for the selected target platform, builds your app locally, launches the native device emulator for the selected target platform, and runs your project on the virtual device.

For Android, the NativeScript CLI runs your app in the earliest created virtual device or the currently running Android Virtual Device. Before running your app in the Android native emulator, make sure that you have configured at least one virtual device in the Android Virtual Device manager.

For iOS, the NativeScript CLI runs your app in the iOS Simulator.

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Run Your Project

You can quickly run your app on connected devices, including all running Android Virtual Devices. The following command is shorthand for prepare, build, and deploy.

tns run android
tns run ios

You can quickly deploy your app in the native emulators. The following command is shorthand for prepare, build, and emulate.

tns run android --emulator
tns run ios --emulator

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Extending the CLI

The NativeScript CLI lets you extend its behavior and customize it to fit your needs by using hooks.

When you run one of the extendable commands (for example, tns build), the CLI checks for hooks and executes them. Plugins can also use hooks to control the compilation of the application package.

For more information, see the Extending the CLI document

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Troubleshooting

If the NativeScript CLI does not behave as expected, you might be facing a configuration issue. For example, a missing JAVA path. To check if your system is configured properly for the NativeScript CLI, run the following command.

tns doctor

This command prints warnings about current configuration issues and provides basic information about how to resolve them.

If addressing the configuration issues does not resolve your problem, you can report an issue or post in the NativeScript page in Google Groups.

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Known Issues

  • You cannot synchronize changes to apps on Android 4.3 devices and on some Samsung devices using the livesync android command.
    Workaround: Upgrade to a later version of Android to be able to use the livesync command. If you need to develop for Android 4.3 devices, re-build and re-deploy your app to get your latest changes on device.

  • On OS X systems with configured firewall or web proxy, when you run a command, the operation might not release the command line and you might not be able to run other commands until you break the current operation.
    If you have enabled feature usage tracking for the NativeScript CLI, but you have not authenticated with the firewall or web proxy on your OS X system, the NativeScript CLI might not release the command line after you run a command. To continue working with the NativeScript CLI, you need to break the current operation by pressing Ctrl+C.
    Workaround: Authenticate with the firewall or web proxy.

    1. Close the terminal.
    2. Run Safari.
    3. Attempt to open a web page.
    4. Provide your authentication credentials for accessing the Internet.
    5. Run the terminal and continue working with the NativeScript CLI.

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How to Contribute

To learn how to log a bug that you just discovered, click here.

To learn how to suggest a new feature or improvement, click here.

To learn how to contribute to the code base, click here.

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License

This software is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, quoted here.

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Command-line interface for building NativeScript apps

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