I want to create an iOS app that contains Unity3D elements. I also want to control these elements, to change colors and set specific properties on them.
I want to do this controlling from UIKit elements, so that I can create my interface easily (using native elements such as UINavigationController).
Is there a way to integrate a Unity3D view as a subview in a native (or Xamarin) app?
I have found a way to take the exported build code from Unity and put it inside another project so that I can instantiate that UIWindow and display it when I need it, but I have not found a way to interact with it or use it as a subview in my view hierarchy.
Does anyone have some experience with this? Or a way to do this?
Edit: I have a structure in my mind: create a unity app, take the main window (or even the view that is contained inside it, if that does not mess with the contents), and then use the view in the view hierarchy as I like. I think I might be able to use the Native Plugin Interface to talk to my Unity view then.
Edit2: I found a video explaining the entire process I had in mind: https://vimeo.com/145572230
This interaction will require iOS plugin to be written for Unity. A bit tough job but definitely possible.
Have a look here should answer your questions.
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/PluginsForIOS.html
Define your extern method in the C# file as follows:
[DllImport ("__Internal")]
private static extern float FooPluginFunction();
Set the editor to the iOS build target
Add your native code source files to the generated Xcode project’s “Classes” folder (this folder is not overwritten when the project is updated, but don’t forget to backup your native code).
If you are using C++ (.cpp) or Objective-C++ (.mm) to implement the plugin you must ensure the functions are declared with C linkage to avoid name mangling issues.
extern "C" {
float FooPluginFunction();
}
to call Unity from native code
UnitySendMessage("GameObjectName1", "MethodName1", "Message to send");
Hope that helps
Related
I am working on a project with SwiftUI and it originally started with creating a new project as an "App" (Xcode, clicked on file, new, project, click on "App") but was then later asked to put it into a pod as a framework. I did it successfully (Xcode, clicked on file, new project, click on "Framework"), however I am unsure what the differences are and I'm unsure why I would want to do that. To me they look very similar, except that I'm unable to launch my project as a framework in the simulator. Luckily SwiftUI offers the canvas preview window however it is a bit finicky when it comes to certain button interactions, which is why I am wanting to use the simulator.
Two places of confusion:
What is the difference between an app and a framework project?
Why is it more advantageous to have my project as a framework?
An App is a standalone application that can be launched and run. For example, all of the apps that you have on your phone are just that -- apps. You tap on them and they launch and run, presenting a user interface, accepting input, etc.
A framework is something else entirely. It's a collection of code that is bundled together into a package that is used by another framework or by an app. Some frameworks are provided by the system -- for example, SwiftUI is a framework that it sounds like you're using in your app. Other frameworks are provided by 3rd parties. For example, you can find many frameworks via CocoaPods or the Swift Package Manager -- Alamofire is a common example. Also, you can make your own frameworks and use them in your own code as a form of organization and separation of responsibilities.
Why is it more advantageous to have my project as a framework?
It is not -- they are two almost completely different concepts (besides both ultimately being collections of code and resources). If you intend to build an app that is launch-able on someone's device, your only choice is to make an app. If you intend to make a collection of reusable code for use in your or someone else's app, than you would make a framework.
Excellent answer (and upvoted) by #jnpdx. Let me give you a physical example:
(1) Create a project in Xcode that is a framework. Call it "MyAppKit". Inside it create, well, basically anything - a View, UIView, or more likely a function that will be shared by several views. (Let's go with that.)
public func setLoginName(_ login:String) -> String {
return ""Hello, " + login + "!";
}
Pretty simple. Call it, pass in something, and it returns a string saying hello. Please note the public piece. It matters. (And there's much more there. This is a simple example.)
(2) Now we get to your app or apps. Let's say you have two apps that need to use this (again, very simple) code. One is SwiftUI, one is UIKit. (It doesn't matter except for syntax.) Sine my forte is UIKit I'll use that. (And it can be several dozen apps too.)
import MyAppKit
let myLoginMessage = setLoginName("World").
Pretty much, it's "Hello, World!'
Again, this is really a nonsensical example. But it should get you started on what the difference in Xcode is between a Framework project and an App project is.
This seems like a basic request, but I can't find the answer to it anywhere. I want to wrap some existing iOS code that I wrote, in a Appcelerator module. That's it. Important points:
I am NOT wrapping a pre-existing 3rd party iOS SDK.
I wrote the iOS code being wrapped.
Code is verified as working within xcode.
There are no .a files. There are 2x .h files and 2x .m files though.
There are no UI elements in the iOS code as it is only designed to connect the native bluetooth hardware to the app.
I have created a generic appcelerator iOS module project, built it, and successfully called the generic ID function within my app.
I cannot figure out how to successfully edit the generic module so that it utilizes my code. Every attempt results in it refusing to compile, and it's maddening.
I do not have access to Hyperloop.
Once I can successfully build the wrapped module, I would call an initialization function which triggers a native bluetooth hardware search. Once connected, there are functions within the module to send commands to the hardware and receive data back. This is the official documentation I've followed so far:
http://docs.appcelerator.com/platform/latest/#!/guide/iOS_Module_Quick_Start
That helped me build the blank module, include it in the app, and ensure that it worked by calling the built in test property. From there it stops short of actually telling me what I need to know. These are the closest things I've found so far, while still not being what I need:
http://docs.appcelerator.com/platform/latest/#!/guide/iOS_Module_Project-section-43288810_iOSModuleProject-AddaThird-PartyFramework
appcelerator module for existing ios project sdk
Heck, I still don't even know if I can do this within studio or if I have to edit the generic module in Xcode. Help! :) Many thanks in advance.
so first of all, this is not best practice and will cause possible problems in the future when the SDK changes and your module still relies on outdated core API's.
Regarding your question, you could either create a new component that subclasses the existing class, e.g.
class TiMyModuleListViewProxy : TiUiListViewProxy {
}
and call it with
var myList = MyModule.createListView();
or you write a category to extend the existing API with your own logic, e.g.
#interface TiUIListViewProxy (MyListView)
- (void)setSomethingElse:(id)value;
#end
#implementation TiUIListViewProxy (MyListView)
- (void)setSomethingElse:(id)value
{
// Set the value of "somethingElse" now
}
#end
I would prefer the second option since it matches a better Objective-C code-style, but please still be aware of the possible core-changes that might effect your implementation in the feature. Thanks!
I want to build a swift framework which can be added to hosting applications and run some logic
It basically show a new screen with web view which does some things (among other JS bridging)
After creating the logic as a regular app (with invocation button) i am now trying to convert it to a framework which can be added easily to existing projects
Is this the right way to do it? my code contain a ViewController which should be segue to
How do i start converting it to a framework? can a framework contain ViewControllers? how to test it? I see for example that a regular UIView dont exist is not available in the view adder
I am looking for a possibility of loading Obj C based source dynamically and show the view in my iOS application. For example: I have a set of code written for showing a view, i want to dynamically load this code and show this view.
Some thing like,
I'll have a service running in the background of my iOS app.
It will get a set of Obj C code from my server in text format
This dynamic Obj C code should get executed dynamically and show the respective iOS view
From Comments Not released in the appstore.. its for internal
Is this possible?
Short answer: No
Not so short answer:
You could—in theory—include either the C, or C++ interface to the Clang compiler toolchain in your project, have that library compile the code you download, and then (through either NSBundle or direct interaction with dlopen) link that compiled code into your app.
In practice, if what you want to achieve is submitting to the App Store, this is explicitly prohibited by the Terms and Conditions.
You can't do this for deployment to the app store.
You wouldn't use plain text for this, you'd use a bundle (NSBundle). A bundle can contain both file (graphics, NIBs) resources and code so you can create your view classes and any associated NIBs, compile the bundle and then store it on your server. The app can then download the bundle and load it at runtime.
You can do it for non-app store apps. I have not tried this approach.
From Apple Docs:
The key to loading code from an external bundle is finding an
appropriate entry point into the bundle’s executable file. As with
other plug-in schemes, this requires some coordination between the
application developer and the plug-in developer. You can publish a
custom API for bundles to implement or define a formal plug-in
interface. In either case, once you have an appropriate bundle or
plug-in, you use the NSBundle class (or the CFBundleRef opaque type)
to access the functions or classes implemented by the external code.
Loading Objective-C Classes If you are writing a Cocoa application,
you can load the code for an entire class using the methods of
NSBundle. The NSBundle methods for loading a class are for use with
Objective-C classes only and cannot be used to load classes written in
C++ or other object-oriented languages.
I'm doing a series of book apps for a client. There's a lot of books in the series, and each one will be a separate app. Instead of making changes to all the apps every time they want something tweaked in all of them, like the position of a button or something, I'd like to make a universal "framework" (library?) that I can import to a project, just as I would do for one of the iOS SDK's frameworks. The framework would have all the universal components of the apps, which would include a controller class I would subclass in each app to do the app-specific things. Then when I need to make changes to all of them, I could just change the code in the framework, and it would affect all the apps that use it. I'd also like to be able to include common images and other media.
Do I want to use the "Cocoa Touch Static Library" template in Xcode? I also saw this project in github: https://github.com/kstenerud/iOS-Universal-Framework; would this be a better fit for what I'm trying to do?
For your purposes, the simplest approach would simply be to set it up as a static library project. Then, for each application you want to use it, drag the project into your workspace and add the static library product as a dependent target.
As far as I am aware, the current leading method for building a framework on iOS is Jeff Verkoeyen's iOS-Framework.