• Make sure you have installed dependencies. Just run vnext\scripts\rnw-dependencies.ps1 in an elevated PowerShell session.
• Install Git if you don't have it installed in your development machine

Build Steps

• Clone the repo

  git clone https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-windows.git
  cd react-native-windows
  

• Install dependencies, and run JS build steps

  yarn
  

Note that react-native-windows is a monorepo and relies on monorepo tools like yarn and lage. See this page for more details.

Running the Playground app

There are two ways to run the app. In a fully managed easy way, or by manually running all the required steps:

Automatic

The playground app can be run in a completely automatic way by doing:

cd packages\playground
yarn windows --sln windows\playground.sln

Manual

Run the bundle server:

cd packages\playground
yarn start

Build solution

• Using MSBuild

  MSBuild.exe [/p:Platform=$(TargetPlatform)] [/p:Configuration=$(TargetConfiguration)]
  

• Using Visual Studio IDE

  1. Open Playground.sln.
  2. Set your Platform to x86 or x64 and Configuration to Debug.
  3. Select Project / Build Solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)

Ensure debugger is running

Open Chrome and navigate to http://localhost:8081/debugger-ui/ in a new tab. Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I in Chrome to open its Developer Tools.

Run the app

• In Visual Studio, set Playground as the StartUp Project.

• Run project (F5 or Debug / Start Debugging).

You now see your new app and Chrome should have loaded http://localhost:8081/debugger-ui/ in a new tab. Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I in Chrome to open its Developer Tools.

Load a sample bundle

• Press the "Load" button on the left side of the Windows 10 application window that appears.

The selected React Native component (defaulted to Bootstrap) should get loaded in the bottom of the application window

Try out the various samples by selecting from the comboboxes at the top of the application window and pressing "Load".