Getting Started
Bootstraping your nx.js app
This guide assumes that you have a homebrew enabled Switch. If you don't, you can follow the NH Switch Guide to get started.
Node.js must also be installed on your development machine, in order to run the tooling described in this guide.
To get started on creating your nx.js application, it is recommended that you start with one of the templates and modify the source code from there.
Each template is configured with:
- TypeScript types properly configured for your code editor
- A
buildscript which utilizesesbuildto bundle the application into a single file - A
nroscript to package your application into a standalone.nrofile (which can be invoked from the Switch Homebrew menu) - A
nspscript to package your application into a standalone.nspfile (which can be installed to and launched from the homescreen)
Clone a template
Create a new nx.js application by running the create-nxjs-app tool:
You will be prompted with the list of example applications to select from, as well as the name of your application and a few other personalization options.
In the end, you will have a new directory which contains the cloned template for you to begin tinkering with.
Bundle the source code
nx.js evaluates a single JavaScript file at runtime. It does not implement a module loader. Therefore, when separating your application code into multiple files, it is the responsibility of a bundler to combine the source files into a singular "bundle", which is the code that nx.js runs.
All of the example templates are pre-configured to use esbuild, but you can use a different bundler
if you prefer, such as Parcel or Rollup.
Run the build script to bundle the application into the romfs/main.js file, which is the entrypoint
of the nx.js app:
You may place other files within the romfs directory, and they will become embedded within the RomFS
filesystem in the final executable. This is useful for assets such as images, fonts, and other
data files. You can read files from the RomFS partition by using the romfs:/ URL protocol.
Package the executable
Now that the romfs directory is populated with the main app bundle (and possibly other assets), you can
package the application into a standalone .nro file (which can be invoked from the Switch Homebrew menu).
This will result in a <your app name>.nro file in the root directory of your project. You can then upload
this file to Switch via FTP or directly copy it to the SD card, and then launch the app from the homebrew menu.