Roku SDK reference
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Last edited: May 12, 2023
A context is a generalized way of referring to the people, services, machines, or other resources that encounter feature flags in your product.
Code samples on this page are from the two most recent SDK versions where they differ. To learn more about upgrading, read Roku SDK 1.x to 2.0 migration guide.
Overview
This topic documents how to get started with the client-side Roku SDK, and links to reference information on all of the supported features. The Roku SDK is written in BrightScript.
LaunchDarkly's SDKs are open source. In addition to this reference guide, we provide source, API reference documentation, and a sample application:
Resource | Location |
---|---|
SDK API documentation | None |
GitHub repository | roku-client-sdk |
Sample application | Roku |
Published module | available through GitHub releases |
Getting started
After you complete the Getting Started process, follow these instructions to start using the LaunchDarkly SDK in your Roku Application.
We provide releases on GitHub. Download the latest release and extract the provided files into your source tree. You may need to rename the paths inside LaunchDarklyTask.xml
depending on your project structure.
For SceneGraph usage add a LaunchDarklyTask
node to your scene.
To create a client instance, you need your environment's mobile key. This authorizes your application to connect to a particular environment within LaunchDarkly. Your mobile key is available in the Projects tab of your Account settings page.
Mobile keys are not secret and you can expose them in your client-side code without risk. However, never embed a server-side SDK key into a client-side application.
Here's how:
REM get a reference to the tasklaunchDarklyNode = m.top.findNode("my-node-name")REM create configurationconfig = LaunchDarklyConfig("mobile-key-123abc", launchDarklyNode)REM create a contextcontext = LaunchDarklyCreateContext({"key": "user-key-123abc", "kind": "user"})REM initialize the clientLaunchDarklySGInit(config, context)
For each SceneGraph component you want to use the SDK in you need to initialize an interface to talk to the SceneGraph. This interface provides all the expected client functionality, such as evaluation.
Here's how:
REM create the scenegraph communication wrapperlaunchDarkly = LaunchDarklySG(launchDarklyNode)REM use the clientvalue = launchDarkly.boolVariation("flag-key-123abc", false)
It's important to create a single client instance. The client instance maintains internal state that allows LaunchDarkly to serve feature flags without making any remote requests. Do not instantiate a new client with every request.
You must make feature flags available to mobile SDKs before the SDK can evaluate those flags. If an SDK tries to evaluate a feature flag that is not available, the context will receive the fallback value for that flag.
To make a flag available to this SDK, check the SDKs using Mobile key checkbox during flag creation, or on the flag's Settings tab. To make all of a project's flags available to this SDK by default, check the SDKs using Mobile key checkbox in your project Settings.
Creating a client outside of the SceneGraph API is similar. In the legacy API you do not need LaunchDarklySGInit
or the LaunchDarklySG
functions.
Here's how:
REM get a reference to the tasklaunchDarklyNode = m.top.findNode("my-node-name")REM create configurationconfig = LaunchDarklyConfig("mobile-key-123abc", launchDarklyNode)REM create a contextcontext = LaunchDarklyCreateContext({"key": "user-key-123abc", "kind": "user"})REM create message portmessagePort = createObject("roMessagePort")REM initialize the clientlaunchDarkly = LaunchDarkly(config, context, messagePort)REM use the clientvalue = launchDarkly.boolVariation("flag-key-123abc", false)
If not using the SceneGraph you need to poll events to drive the client in your standard event loop:
while (true)REM do not wait forever or timers will breakmsg = wait(3000, messagePort)if launchDarkly.handleMessage(msg) thenREM this message was for the clientelseREM handle non client messagesend ifend while
Supported features
This SDK supports the following features: