Getting Started

 with Native Player SDK for iOS

1. Create a new Xcode project

In Xcode, create a new iOS project using Objective-C or Swift. Use BBNativePlayerExample as the project name.

2. Add the BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit-iOS to the Xcode project

Note CocoaPods: version 8.64 is the last version on CocoaPods and gets no further updates. Move to Swift Package Manager; the migration guide has the steps.

2a. Installing the BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit using Swift Package Manager

Swift Package Manager (SPM) is integrated into Xcode and packages can be added directly to a project through the Xcode UI. For more information on adding packages, see the Apple documentation. The package needs iOS 14.0 or later. It brings the shared module, Google IMA, Google User Messaging Platform and Google Cast, so you do not add those yourself.

Note The names of buttons and menu items may vary slightly between Xcode versions.

1. In Xcode, go to File > Add Package Dependencies.
2. In the search field, enter the URL of the BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit: https://github.com/bluebillywig/bbnativeplayerkit-cocoapod. This shows the bbnativeplayerkit-cocoapod package.
3. Set Dependency Rule to Exact Version and enter 8.63.2 or a later version. A new SDK version can contain breaking changes even when only the middle number goes up. See the list of versions.
4. Click Add Package. Xcode downloads the package and its dependencies, which may take some time.
5. Xcode lists the two products of the package. Pick one:
   • BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit-iOS: Google Cast with Bluetooth.
   • BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit-iOS-NoBluetooth: Google Cast without Bluetooth.

   Set Add to Target to your app target for the product you pick, and to None for the other one.

Note Add exactly one product, never both. Each one contains its own copy of Google Cast. If your app uses Google Cast without Bluetooth, pick the -NoBluetooth product. The <version>-no-bluetooth branches are deprecated and 8.64 is the last version that gets one. Pinned to such a branch? Switch to the -NoBluetooth product with Exact Version 8.63.2 or later, or a version rule that floats.

The name bbnativeplayerkit-cocoapod dates from when CocoaPods was the first dependency manager we supported. The repository is the Swift package with the compiled BBNativePlayerKit framework.

2b. Add the Google Cast keys to your Info.plist

<key>NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription</key>
<string>${PRODUCT_NAME} needs local area network access for google chromecast device discovery.</string>
<key>NSBonjourServices</key>
<array>
<string>_lnp._tcp</string>
<string>_googlecast._tcp</string>
<string>_1F61A3A5._googlecast._tcp</string>
</array>
<key>NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
<string>${PRODUCT_NAME} uses Bluetooth to discover nearby Cast devices.</string>
<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
<string>${PRODUCT_NAME} uses Bluetooth to discover nearby Cast devices.</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>${PRODUCT_NAME} uses microphone access to listen for ultrasonic tokens
when pairing with nearby Cast devices.</string>

Please change the the strings starting with “${PRODUCT_NAME}” so they are appropriate for your app. If you use the BlueBillywigNativePlayerKit-iOS-NoBluetooth product, omit the Bluetooth strings.

3. Import the BBNativePlayerKit

Next, add the BBNativePlayerKit framework to the ViewController using an import statement beneath the existing imports.

import UIKit
import BBNativePlayerKit
import bbnativeshared

class ViewController: UIViewController {

4. Create a BBNativePlayerView

In the ViewOnLoad method in the ViewController add the following code to create a BBPlayerView and add it to the current view. Use your own embed url as jsonUrl parameter

private var bbPlayerView: BBNativePlayerView? = nil

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()

    // create player view using the embed url
    bbPlayerView = BBNativePlayer.createPlayerView(uiViewController: self, frame: view.frame, jsonUrl: "https://bb.dev.bbvms.com/p/default/c/1092747.json")

    // add player to the view
    view.addSubview(bbPlayerView!)

    // use constraints to place and size the player view
    bbPlayerView?.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    bbPlayerView?.leftAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.leftAnchor).isActive = true
    bbPlayerView?.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.topAnchor, constant: 0 ).isActive = true
    bbPlayerView?.widthAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.widthAnchor).isActive = true
    bbPlayerView?.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.layoutFrame.width * 9/16).isActive = true
}

5. Implement the BBNativePlayerViewDelegate

override func viewDidLoad() {
    .
    .
    .
    .
    // set class to delegate of player view
    bbPlayerView?.delegate = self
}

6. Implement BBNativePlayerViewDelegate to receive all API events

We will implement the delegate in an extension. You don’t have to use an extension but it keeps your code organized
Just a few methods are implemented here as an example. See the documentation for a full list.

extension ViewController: BBNativePlayerViewDelegate {
    func bbNativePlayerView(didTriggerPlaying playerView: BBNativePlayerView) {
        print("Blue Billlywig Player: didTriggerPlaying")
    }

    func bbNativePlayerView(didTriggerPause playerView: BBNativePlayerView) {
        print("Blue Billlywig Player: didTriggerPause")
    }
}

8. Build and run the project

For more information and example code, check out our demo app at https://github.com/bluebillywig/bbnativeplayerkit-demo