Getting started
The following sections describe the architecture for developing nRF Connect for Desktop apps.
Prerequisites
nRF Connect for Desktop is based on Electron, React, and Redux.
You need to be familiar with React and Redux to create apps. At the very least, you must understand concepts like JSX, props, actions, reducers, and immutable state.
Development is mostly done in TypeScript, with the tooling provided for such purpose.
Installing development tools
Install the following tools:
- Node.js (at least version 20)
- Git
- An editor with good TypeScript support (e.g. VS Code, Atom, WebStorm)
Installing nRF Connect
If you only want to develop (existing or new) apps, it is sufficient to have nRF Connect for Desktop installed as a binary. If you do not have it installed already, follow the instructions on how to install nRF Connect for Desktop.
Architecture of nRF Connect for Desktop
nRF Connect for Desktop is structured around two main blocks: the core and the apps. There are also some other projects that aid the development of apps for nRF Connect for Desktop.
The core
The core resides in the two projects: pc-nrfconnect-launcher and pc-nrfconnect-shared.
pc-nrfconnect-launcher
pc-nrfconnect-launcher
contains the following parts:
- Launcher from which the apps are installed and launched; the launcher also coordinates access to shared resources, for example if multiple apps use the same serial port to access the same device.
- Electron shell in which the launcher and the apps run
pc-nrfconnect-shared
pc-nrfconnect-shared
contains the common code for all apps: UI elements and code to give lower-level
access to hardware.
Note: Some common libraries are not only provided during development and then bundled into the apps. The launcher also provides these libraries during runtime, so that the individual apps do not have to include the shared code themselves. This has two advantages for the apps:
- The apps can be smaller.
- The apps are usually platform independent, as the only platform specific parts are in the core.
However, this approach means also that the core is platform-dependent and a platform-specific variant must be downloaded or compiled.
pc-nrfconnect-shared also contains code to use
nRF Util, the command line tool
used by nRF Connect for Desktop to list devices and in some cases to interact with them.
There is code to install the core of nRF Util as well as needed commands in
specific versions in sandbox, so they are independent of other versions
installed in the system.
Besides common code pc-nrfconnect-shared also provides common package
dependencies, scripts and configurations for all official applications and the
core. For example, it includes configurations for esbuild,
ESLint and Jest as well as scripts to
run them.
The apps
Nordic Semiconductors provides several apps to work with the development kits or dongles from Nordic Semiconductor. They are all installed and run through the launcher provided by the core.
Besides using the officially distributed apps, you are also able to run your own apps. This is described in Everyday app development.
The rest
The following projects aid the development of apps for nRF Connect for Desktop:
pc-nrfconnect-boilerplate- a minimal app that can be used as a template for new apps.pc-nrfconnect-docs- the repo that contains the pages you are reading.nrf-jlink-js- for checking if the user has the version of SEGGER J-Link installed that is currently recommended for nRF Connect for Desktop; this library allows for downloading the recommended version.
Next steps
You are now set up to develop a new app, work on an existing app or work on the core of nRF Connect for Desktop.