Native App Prerequisites and Troubleshooting

Last modified: December 14, 2023

1 Introduction

While developing Mendix apps, you will need to test and iterate to make the best products possible. You may also occasionally run into issues which require troubleshooting. This guide addresses both of those needs:

2 Getting the Make It Native App

The Make It Native app allows developers to preview, test, and debug native mobile apps in conjunction with Mendix Studio Pro. This app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Depending on the Mendix version used to build your app, you have to use a different version of Make It Native. Please note that you can use the Make It Native 9 app until 10.5.x. We updated the app’s React Native in 10.6, resulting in a changed MIN app version.

The following list explains which version to use:

For information on which mobile operating systems are supported by the Make It Native app, see the Mobile Operating Systems section of System Requirements.

For Make it Native 10 apps, download the following Android or iOS Make It Native apps directly using these QR codes:

Android iOS
Android QR Code
iOS QR Code
Link Link

3 Troubleshooting Common Mobile Issues

Mendix strives to make building and running native mobile apps as simple as possible. But because some complexity is inherent in making apps, problems can come up. If you are having issues while building or running native mobile apps, please consult the sections below to see if your issue has already been solved.

3.1 Make It Native App

To troubleshoot issues related to the Make it Native app, see the sections below.

3.1.1 Port Issues

Mendix recommends keeping the Runtime port in your configuration on 8080. If you change it, do not change it to 8083, because that is designated for app packaging.

3.1.2 Wifi Network Settings

If you are using Windows, make sure your WiFi network is set to Private. Windows often sets WiFi to Public by default, which blocks incoming connections.

3.1.3 Error: Unable to Load Script

Depending on your device settings and network characteristics, the Make it Native app can fail to connect to the runtime. If so, the Make it Native app can show the following error messages:

  • Unable to load script:

    unable to load script
  • Cannot detect your runtime:

    cannot detect runtime

These failures are often caused by a firewall blocking your device from accessing your laptop. In such cases, attempts to open the runtime URL from a mobile browser will also fail. To mitigate these issues, please make sure your firewall allows incoming traffic to your laptop on the runtime and native packing ports (8080 and 8083 by default). Instructions on how to do this differ per firewall. Mendix recommends you consult your firewall administrator.

For the Windows Defender firewall, the most common firewall, do the following:

  1. Make sure that your computer and the mobile device are connected to the same network.

  2. Make sure that incoming connections are allowed by doing the following:

    1. Open Firewall & Network Protection settings in Windows.
    2. Go to Advanced Settings.
    3. Select the Inbound Rules and scroll to the Node.js entries.
    4. For each Node.js entry, note their values in the Program column. They should all have a green check mark in front of them.
    5. If the Program column shows a Mendix installation directory, then there should be a green icon in front of the entry. If this is not the case, double-click the entry and select Allow the connection:
    inbound rules
  3. Windows distinguishes between two types of networks: private and public. Windows Defender Firewall applies stricter regulations for public networks. If, and only if, you are connected to a trusted network, configure the network as Private on your computer.

3.1.4 Error: Unable to Detect Studio Pro

If your port forwarding settings are correct but you still get an error that the Make It Native app cannot detect Studio Pro, please reinstall the Make It Native app on your mobile device.

3.1.5 Strict Company Policies Prevent Your Connection

If your company has strict network policies which do not allow you to open the ports Mendix requires, here are 3 alternate approaches you can try:

  • Connect your PC via Wifi to a personal hotspot on your mobile phone, then look up your PC’s IP address and connect to http://{YOUR PC'S IP ADDRESS}:8080 from the mobile phone

  • Install the Make It Native app or a custom developer app on an Android emulator (for example BlueStacks), then connect to http://localhost:8080

  • Tunnel the ports from your desktop to your Android device via USB by executing the following commands from your shell (requires Android Studio):

    adb reverse tcp:8080 tcp:8080
    adb reverse tcp:8083 tcp:8083
    

3.1.6 Use Make It Native 9 with an Older Version of Mendix 9

The latest version of Make It Native 9 is only compatible with versions of Mendix 9.24.0 and above. To develop with older versions of Mendix 9, you can create a custom developer app by following this guide. Note that a custom developer app can be used to develop multiple older Mendix apps as long as no custom dependencies are introduced.

3.2 Configure Parallels

To use Studio Pro on a Mac device, you will first need to install and configure Parallels. For more information, see Configuring Parallels.

3.3 Avoid Network or Cloud Folders

Storing a Mendix project on a network drive or in a cloud folder (such as those provided by OneDrive or Dropbox) is not recommended. Storing your projects in such folders will significantly slow down Studio Pro and cause errors when trying to run projects containing a native mobile profile. Note also that projects with a native mobile profile can only be started from drive C:.

If your home directory is managed by OneDrive, create a new folder on your computer outside of your home directoy (for example C:\Mendix) and place the Mendix projects in there.