Setting up

ReactorUI works with latest version of Xamarin Forms. I've tested it on Windows 10 with latest bit of Visual Studio 2019 (Community version is fine) and under macOS Catalina with latest Visual Studio for Mac 2019 .

Required installs

You just need to install the main nuget package of ReactorUI only for the Xamarin.Forms project. NOTE: If you install from the Nuget Package Manager GUI check "Include prerelease" as ReactorUI is still in preview.

Install-Package XamarinReactorUI -IncludePrerelease

Hot Reload feature

To enable hot reload, it's required to install XamarinReactorUI.HotReload package:

Install-Package XamarinReactorUI.HotReload -IncludePrerelease

Visual Studio 2019

You'll also need an extension for Visual Studio 2019 created to streamline the hot reload process. Download and install it from Visual Studio market place:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=adospace.ReactorUI-Xamarinmarketplace.visualstudio.com

or install directly from inside Visual Studio:

ReactorUI Visual Studio Extension

Be sure to add the ReactorUI toolbar (right-click on Visual Studio toolbars area)

You should see the Hot Reload toolbar button:

NOTE: To hot reload the application click the button or press (CTRL+F7)

You may also disable the Edit and Continue feature (this will prevent Visual Studio to warn when edit code while debugging):

Disable Edit and Continue

Is also not useful to have the XAML hot reload feature enabled as well:

Disable the XAML Hot Reload feature

Visual Studio for Mac 2019

ReactorUI hot reload works the same way under Visual Studio for Mac: you just need to install the extension that is available here: https://github.com/adospace/reactorui-xamarin/tree/master/src/XamarinReactorUI.HotReloadVsMacExtension/Versions

Please download the .mpack file and install it using the Extensions menu in Visual Studio: Visual Studio->Extensions->Install from file..->select the .mpack file

Extensions menu under Visual Studio for Mac

Install the extension from file

NOTE: Microsoft may be working to enhance the extensions installing experience for Visual Studio for Mac but for now you have to install or update the extension manually as new versions are published.

To hit the hot reload command press ⌘+F7 or select the menu item under build:

Hot reload command under build menu

NOTE: Sometime can happen than Visual Studio extension is unable to forward to the emulator/device the tcp port used by ReactorUI to hot reload the app. In case just run adb forward tcp:45820 tcp:45820 from the Adb Command Prompt.