Pete Barber from C#, C++, Windows & other ramblings
Apple announced tvOS yesterday. Downloading Xcode 7.1 Beta comes with the SDK and simulator for tvOS apps. The official documentation starts to run through how to create a basic app but is doesn't mention where to place and load the JS from and the same for the TVML.Fortunately and vert quickly Jamerson Quave put together a tutorial.
I followed the Apple docs but checked Jameson's tutorial to verify the missing declaration of
var appController: TVApplicationController?
from AppDelegate and also for the JS and then TVML loading. I don't understand and the docs don't seem to see where the JS & TVML should be loaded from. They seem to suggest it should be remote, i.e. not part of the App Bundle but I don't know why. Anyhow I thought I'd see if I could.
The following assumes you've got to the end of Jameson's tutorial.
Loading the JS file; that then loads the TVML is easy. Add main.js to your application and change the lines within application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions in AppDelegate.swift from:
let jsFilePath = NSURL(string: "http://localhost:8000/main.js") let javascriptURL = jsFilePath! appControllerContext.javaScriptApplicationURL = javascriptURL!
To
guard let jsUrl = NSBundle.mainBundle().URLForResource("main", withExtension: "js") else
{
return false
}
This just loads the Javascript file (main.js) from the bundle instead. It's not a great improvement but it removes one dependency on the local web server.
I then tried to add hello.tvml to the bundler and modify main.js to create the fetched (via XmlHttpRequest). Unfortunately I couldn't create the Document in the JS. It seems that the normally (I've not done JS in a long time so what do I know) available document object isn't available to more documents and/or elements can't be created.
An attempt to create one, i.e.
var otherDoc = Document()
gives
015-09-10 21:53:50.213 tv1[55699:1483712] ITML <Error>: Document is not a function. (In 'Document()', 'Document' is an instance of IKDOMDocumentConstructor) - file:///Users/pete/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/C2E7E5BD-1823-48BF-89E9-D3A499EE778A/data/Containers/Bundle/Application/F9C514E1-1A95-46A8-83D1-1BC96BC9A220/tv1.app/main.js - line:18:25
The objects mentioned in the TVJS documentation don't seem to be able to create one either.
Anyway, hopefully another small step. Full source on github.
A good be being dumb here and another look at the docs & samples suggests that writing apps. via JS is just one way and that a more iOS like app. can be written. Perhaps this is similar to Windows Metro that had both a JS and .Net (C#) version of WinRT; & C++ for completion.
Anyway, hopefully another small step. Full source on github.
A good be being dumb here and another look at the docs & samples suggests that writing apps. via JS is just one way and that a more iOS like app. can be written. Perhaps this is similar to Windows Metro that had both a JS and .Net (C#) version of WinRT; & C++ for completion.
