Roku Client Builds

This topic shows you how to:

update the Roku client manifest file for local testing
create a zip file of the Roku client files
load the zip file onto your Roku device as a side-channel

You can prepare for local testing through the client build script or manually.

Note

By default, the Roku client is configured to communicate with a Cloud server. To test your Roku app, you must configure the Roku client to communicate with your local app development platform instead, as shown in this topic.

Prepare Your Device

Connect your Roku device to the same network as your development computer.
Put your Roku into developer mode. Take note of your Roku device’s IP address and developer password; you’ll need these below.

Option 1: Run the ‘youi-tv roku-client’ CLI command

Run the following command from your Roku client app folder:

youi-tv roku-client -u rokudev:<roku_password> -l -s <roku_IP_address>

Note

The -l option uses the default network IP address for your development computer. If you need to specify a different IP address (for example, if you have two network interfaces), use --host <networkAddress>[:<port>] to specify the server address, and optional port number, where the Roku device can find the Metro Bundler server running.

You can see a full list of the youi-tv roku-client command options by using youi-tv roku-client -h.

Option 2: Manually Prepare for Local Testing

To manually prepare your device for local testing:

Open the manifest file in your client folder:
Update the manifest file to allow for local testing:
1. Add a host entry with a value of the IP address of your app development platform. The Roku device and your app development platform should be on the same IP subnet. For example, if the Roku device has an IP address of 10.96.148.52, your app development platform might have an IP address of 10.96.148.75.
2. Add a port entry with a value of 54322.
3. Save and close the file.
Zip the client directory to create a new client.zip file containing the updated manifest file. Use the following command, not a GUI utility. From within the extracted client directory, enter:

zip -r client2.zip .
Using the Roku device’s IP address, start a browser session on the Roku device.
If the Roku device already has an app, click Delete to remove it.
Click Upload and select the client2.zip file.

The file name is displayed beside the Upload button.
Click Replace.

The Roku device installs client software with the new manifest file and launches the app. If the app has never been built yet, the attempt launch fails.