How can install roku SDK and how can I use VS code extension to build my own roku channel?

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1

Hi there
I’m new to Roku channel development. I was able to enable developer mode on my streaming stick and I was able to install the hello world app but I’m not sure how to debug and How to create my own project on VS code with extension to build and debug my own channel on Roku and I don’t see SDK option or IDE setup for development on the official document.

Can you please help me or can you provide some resource which might be helpful. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

2

Hey @Twisha how are you?

If you install VSCode and install the ‘Brightscript’ Extension you should be able to run the sample app using Run (F5) which allows you to build a ‘launch.json’ file which allows your VSCode to build a zip file from your code then push the zip file to your Roku TV in order to run the app.

Once you have this step working, you can then add breakpoints in your code to view variables etc and debug your code

You can also run a shell and view debug output which is created in code using the ‘print’ command in your brightscript code and is viewed from the shell using

telnet <> 8085

Links

Add brightscript extension

https://rokucommunity.github.io/vscode-brightscript-language/installation.html

View output either in VSCode (automatic) or you can launch a separate shell

https://developer.roku.com/en-gb/docs/developer-program/getting-started/hello-world.md

Samples

https://github.com/rokudev/samples/tree/master/getting%20started

Hope that helps

Phil

3

Thanks Phil

But I’m still unable to debug from vs code using extension it’s not recognizing the command also I can find how can I setup and run sample projects but I cannot find any source which explains how to create project from beginning also as there any course available on Udemy for Roku channel development?

Thanks in advance
Twisha

4

If you want a tool to create an SDK channel without VS code

You can try the new wizard tool that should alleviate some of the anxiety of converting a Direct Publisher channel to a SceneGraph channel or creating a new SDK channel. The tool can be found on GitHub. https://github.com/rrirower/DP2SceneGraphWizard

5

OK so there are a couple of things you can try

Firstly are you able to find the IP address of your Roku TV. You should be able to find this in Roku Settings, Network, About

Secondly using Chrome browser are you able to navigate to this IP address? http://<>

Thirdly if you take a sample project and manually zip (compress) it on your computer, are you able to upload it to the Roku TV and get the sample app to run? You click ‘Upload’ to find the ZIP you created, then click ‘Replace with Zip’ to run the sample app

Note : when you are zipping up the sample project, don’t zip the parent folder but zip the files in the folder instead

So you are bypassing VSCode completely just to be sure you can run a sample app

Roku resources are scarce

Thanks

Phil

6

Hi @Twisha

Sorry I had created a draft reply but hadn’t posted it! (Just done that!)

Anyway I wanted to ask you how did you get on in the end - did you progress or not?

Yes sorry about the lack of Udemy or other courses etc on Roku - as far as I know there are none … there is a business space for someone, for sure :slightly_smiling_face:

Thanks

Phil

:slightly_smiling_face:

7

Finally @Twisha I want to invite you to the Roku Developers Slack where you can post and get answers much more quickly than on the web forum here … if you post respectful and short questions, you tend to get high quality replies in a short space of time

The invite link is

https://join.slack.com/t/rokudevelopers/shared_invite/zt-27308pu2t-KtlL3XBkazqyrmS0yUOoiw

and you can post your questions in the General channel to begin with .

8

@philanderson777 I’m newly retired and was going to try my hand at creating a Roku app/channel. I’ve installed VS Code and the Brightscript extension, but I’m still at a bit of a loss where to begin. I have some experience with programming using VB6 and was getting accustomed to VB.NET when I lost my data source and discontinued the projects I had been creating. That was about 20 years ago, so I’m basically starting over now.

I tried joining Stack but it appears one needs an invite and an email address in the tantawowa.com domain. Looking over the Roku documentation site they really don’t mention anything about building a network connection and using that connection to find a server (I’m planning on a DLNA player app).

Any suggestions on where to begin would be appreciated. :slightly_smiling_face: