Estimated reading time: More than 10 minutes
Introduction
In this section, you will see how to create a React Native application using the @ledgerhq/react-native-hid (Only on Android).
For this project some general prerequisites are mandatory and you can find them here.
Then you can now go through the prerequisite for Android development below.
Prerequisites
Android Studio Installation
Download and install Android Studio, choose the version of your operating system.
When Android Studio is installed, open it.
Fig. 1: Android Studio Window
Go to Settings => Appearance & Behaviour => System Settings => Android SDK and check the “Show Package Details” checkbox on the bottom right of the windows.
Fig. 2: Android Studio Settings
Install the latest SDK version. To do so, select the packages shown below and click apply.
Fig. 3: Android Studio SDK Settings
Install Homebrew
Homebrew is a package manager for macOS. When it needs to install software from third-party websites. To install it, run:
ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/uninstall)"
Install watchman
React Native uses watchman to detect real-time code changes and it automatically builds and pushes the update to your device without manually refreshing.
Install Java JRE and JDK
There is a risk of react-native build failure if you don’t have a complete installation of Java. Downloading Android Studio is not enough since it comes bundled with its own JRE.
brew install --cask adoptopenjdk/openjdk/adoptopenjdk8
Install React Native
With React Native, you can write an application in Javascript and then the React Native Compiler will convert your Javascript code into native code for iOS and Android environments.
React Native command line interface can be installed using npm as below.
npm install -g react-native-cli
Set the environnement variables
If you are using bash, put the environment variable into the bash_profile as below:
cd ~/
touch ~/.bash_profile;
open -e .bash_profile
export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Library/Android/sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
Do the same if you are using zsh or anything else. Remember the file will be named differently (eg. zsh => .zprofile)
Android App Build
Now that we have set up the prerequisites, you can now create the application.
In this integration, we will use the ethereum application.
Project Initialization
First, open a terminal and create a new project. For this tutorial the project will be named “myApp”.
Run:
react-native init myApp
cd myApp
Tip
During the initialization, required 'CocoaPods' dependencies are installed and it may take time.
Code Implementation
Run:
touch App.js
touch polyfill.js
Open your folder in a code editor, it must look like this.
Fig. 4: Folder of the Application
polyfill.js
In polyfill.js copy-paste the following code:
global.Buffer = require("buffer").Buffer;
index.js
Then import the “polyfill.js” in “index.js” as shown below:
/**
* @format
*/
import "./polyfill"; //import this
import {AppRegistry} from 'react-native';
import App from './App';
import {name as appName} from './app.json';
AppRegistry.registerComponent(appName, () => App);
App.js
In App.js copy-paste the following code:
import React, { Component } from "react";
import { StyleSheet, Text, View } from "react-native";
import { listen } from "@ledgerhq/logs";
import TransportHID from "@ledgerhq/react-native-hid";
import AppEth from "@ledgerhq/hw-app-eth";
// This is helpful if you want to see BLE logs. (only to use in dev mode)
class App extends Component {
state = {
transport: null
};
onSelectDevice = async () => {
try {
const transport = await TransportHID.create();
listen(log => console.log(log));
const eth = new AppEth(transport);
const path = "44'/60'/0'/0/0"; // HD derivation path
const { address } = await eth.getAddress(path, false);
this.setState({ transport: address });
await eth.getAddress(path, true);
} catch (e) {
throw new Error(e);
return null;
}
};
render() {
const { transport } = this.state;
if(!transport){
return (
<View style={styles.header}>
<Text style={styles.headerTitle}>Scanning for Ledger...</Text>
<Text style={styles.headerSubtitle} onPress={() => {this.onSelectDevice()}}>
Power up your Ledger and enter your pin. Then tap the screen
</Text>
</View>
);
}else{
return (<View style={styles.header}>
<Text style={styles.title}>Ledger Live Ethereum Account 1</Text>
<Text style={styles.headerTitle}>
{transport}
</Text>
</View>
);
}
};
}
export default App;
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
header: {
paddingTop: 80,
paddingBottom: 36,
alignItems: "center"
},
headerTitle: {
fontSize: 22,
marginBottom: 16
},
headerSubtitle: {
fontSize: 12,
color: "#999"
},
list: {
flex: 1
},
errorTitle: {
color: "#c00",
fontSize: 16,
marginBottom: 16
}
});
Dependencies Installation
Run:
npm install --save buffer
npm install --save @ledgerhq/logs
npm install --save @ledgerhq/hw-app-eth
npm install --save @ledgerhq/hw-transport-webusb
Package.json dependencies
Now that the dependencies are installed you can find them in the “package.js”.
This is how your “package.json” must look like.
{
"name": "myApp",
"version": "0.0.1",
"private": true,
"scripts": {
"android": "react-native run-android",
"ios": "react-native run-ios",
"start": "react-native start",
"test": "jest",
"lint": "eslint ."
},
"dependencies": {
"@ledgerhq/hw-app-eth": "^6.15.2",
"@ledgerhq/logs": "^6.10.0",
"@ledgerhq/react-native-hid": "^6.11.2",
"buffer": "^6.0.3",
"react": "17.0.2",
"react-native": "0.66.3"
},
"devDependencies": {
"@babel/core": "^7.16.0",
"@babel/runtime": "^7.16.3",
"@react-native-community/eslint-config": "^3.0.1",
"babel-jest": "^27.3.1",
"eslint": "^8.3.0",
"jest": "^27.3.1",
"metro-react-native-babel-preset": "^0.66.2",
"react-test-renderer": "17.0.2"
},
"jest": {
"preset": "react-native"
}
}
Build.gradle Modification
In “build.gradle”, in the “android” folder change minSdkVersion = 21 to minSdkVersion = 24.
Fig. 5: Build.gradle Modify the minSdkVersion
You can now test the application you have built.
Android App Test
The app testing will be executed on your smartphone because the android studio environment does not allow you to use either Bluetooth or USB connexion.
Enable Developer Settings
To integrate an application on your android smartphone you have to enable the developer role.
To do that go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number, and tap 7 times on build number to enable the developer settings.
Then go to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options and enable the “USB debugging” as well as “Install via USB”
Connect your phone to your computer, and run the below command to see if your device is connected:
If all goes well, the list of devices is displayed as shown below:
Fig. 6: Device Connected On The Machine
Tip
For more information about enabling the developer settings on your android device go to android studio docs .
Start the Development Server
You can now open a terminal, navigate to your “myApp” folder, and start the server by running:
Install the App on Device
Keep the terminal where “metro” is running open and open a new terminal.
In this new terminal go to your app folder:
Run the command below to install the application on your android device. It’s assumed that your device is recognized by the command adb devices as the Previous Step mentioned.
A window will pop up on your android device to install the application. Click on “Yes” to install it and run it.
When launching the application it will be displayed like the image below.
Fig. 7: Application Displayed on Smartphone
Plug Your Nano
Connect your Ledger Nano to your android device, unlock it and open the ethereum application.
The steps are described below.
Fig. 8: Nano Enter Code Pin
Fig. 9: Embedded Application
Fig. 10: Nano Run Application
Now that the two devices are connected, the address will be displayed as shown below:
Fig. 11: Address Account Displayed on Smartphone
Congratulations you have successfully built your first application connected with Ledger!