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
• Supported Platforms
• System Requirements
• Installation
• Quick Start
  • The Commands
  • Create Project
  • Add Platforms
  • Develop Your Project
  • Prepare for Build
  • Build Your Project
  • Deploy Your Project
  • Emulate Your Project
  • Run Your Project
• Known Issues
• How to Contribute
• License

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:

• The NativeScript web page
• NativeScript - a Technical Overview
• Development with NativeScript
• Announcing NativeScript - cross-platform framework for building native mobile applications
• The NativeScript Documentation Wiki
• The NativeScript API Reference
• The NativeScript FAQ
• On NativeScript for Android

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

• Windows
• OS X
• Linux

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

• Windows Vista or later
• Node.js 0.10.26 or a later stable official release
• (Optional) Chocolatey
• JDK 7 or a later stable official release
• Apache Ant 1.8 or a later stable official release
• Android SDK 19 or a later stable official release
• (Optional) Genymotion

If you want to develop for Android, verify that you have added the following paths in the PATH system environment variable.

Path to the bin directory in the Apache Ant installation folder
Path to tools directory in the Android SDK installation folder
Path to platform-tools directory in the Android SDK installation folder

For example: PATH=...;...;C:\tools\apache-ant-1.9.4\bin;C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\tools;C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools;

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

1. Run a Windows command prompt.

2. To install JDK, run the following command.

   choco install java

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

   JAVA_HOME=Path to the jdk* install folder
   

   For example: JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_11

4. To install Apache Ant, run the following command.

   choco install ant

5. If not present, add the following file path to the PATH system environment variable.

   Path to the bin directory in the Apache Ant installation folder
   

   For example: PATH=...;...;C:\tools\apache-ant-1.9.4\bin

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

   choco install android-sdk

7. If not present, add the following file path to the PATH system environment variable.

   Path to tools directory in the Android SDK installation folder
   Path to platform-tools directory in the Android SDK installation folder
   

   For example: PATH=...;...;C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\tools;C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools

8. To update the Android SDK to 19 or later, run the following command.

   android update sdk

9. Select all packages for the Android 19 SDK and any other SDKs that you want to install and click Install.

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

• OS X Mavericks
• Node.js 0.10.26 or a later stable official release
• For iOS development
  • Latest Xcode
  • Xcode command-line tools
  • (Optional for working with third-party libraries) 64-bit Mono installed via Homebrew
• For Android development
  • JDK 7 or a later stable official release
  • Apache Ant 1.8 or a later stable official release
  • Android SDK 19 or a later stable official release
  • (Optional) Genymotion

If you want to develop for Android, verify that you have added the following paths in your PATH in ~/.bash_profile.

Path to the bin subdirectory in the Apache Ant installation directory
Path to the tools subdirectory in the Android SDK installation directory
Path to the platform-tools subdirectory in the Android SDK installation directory

For example:

export PATH=${PATH}:/ant/apache-ant-1.9.4/bin:/Applications/Android Studio.app/sdk/tools:/Applications/Android Studio.app/sdk/platform-tools

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

• Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

• Node.js 0.10.26 or a later stable official release
  If installed via sudo apt-get install, use the nodejs-legacy package.

   sudo apt-get install nodejs-legacy

• G++ compiler

   sudo apt-get install g++

• On 64-bit systems only

  • The runtime libraries for the ia32/i386 architecture.

     sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0 libstdc++6:i386

• JDK 7 or a later stable official release

• Apache Ant 1.8 or a later stable official release

• Android SDK 19 or a later stable official release

• (Optional) Genymotion

Verify that you have added the following paths in your PATH.

Path to the bin subdirectory in the Apache Ant installation directory
Path to the tools subdirectory in the Android SDK installation directory
Path to the platform-tools subdirectory in the Android SDK installation directory

For example:

export PATH=${PATH}:/ant/apache-ant-1.9.4/bin:/Applications/Android Studio.app/sdk/tools:/Applications/Android Studio.app/sdk/platform-tools

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

In the command prompt, run the following command.

npm install nativescript -g

On OS X and Linux systems, you might need to run this command using sudo.

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• The Commands
• Create Project
• Add Platforms
• Develop Your Project
• Prepare for Build
• Build Your Project
• Deploy Your Project
• Emulate Your Project
• Run Your Project

Run tns help to list all available commands. Run or tns <Command> --help to view more information about a selected command.

• help lists all available commands.
• create <App Name> [--path <Directory>] [--appid <App ID>] [--copy-from <Directory>] creates a new project with the specified settings.
• 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.
• library add <Platform> <Library Path> adds a locally stored native library to the current project.
• 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.
• 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.
• feature-usage-tracking configures anonymous feature usage tracking.

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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/
|-- |-- App_Resources/
|-- |-- |-- Android/
|-- |-- `-- iOS/ 
|-- |-- tns_modules/
|-- |-- `-- .../
|-- |-- LICENSE
|-- |-- package.json
|-- `-- README.md
|-- platforms/
`-- .tnsproject

• 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.
  In the platforms directory, you can safely modify configuration files such as AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist.

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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.

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• Development with NativeScript
• Development in app
• Development in platforms

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

• The NativeScript Documentation Wiki
• The NativeScript API Reference

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.

In platforms, you can safely modify files which are part of the native project structure and do not have a corresponding source located in the app directory in the root. For example, AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist.

Do not modify files and resources that have a corresponding file in the app directory in the root, such as application scripts, icons, and splash screens. The NativeScript CLI overrides such files during the prepare <Platform> operation with the content from app.

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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.

IMPORTANT: Always run prepare <Platform> before running build <Platform>, deploy <Platform>, or emulate <Platform>. This ensures that the NativeScript CLI will build an application package with your latest code and resources.

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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, if the --device flag is not set, the NativeScript CLI builds your project for the native emulator and saves the application package as an APP in platforms → ios → build → emulator. If the --device flag is set, the NativeScript CLI builds your project for device and saves the application package 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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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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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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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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• 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 firewal 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.

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

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