App info and capabilities

The Desktop object tells your code which platform it runs on and what the shell can do there, so you can show a feature only where it works.

React TSX

import {
  Desktop,
  capabilities,
  isDesktopAvailable,
} from '@react-native-gpui/core/desktop';

Reading app info

Desktop.getInfo() resolves with the platform, the CPU architecture and the capabilities:

TypeScript

const { platform, arch, capabilities } = await Desktop.getInfo();

platform() returns the host platform synchronously (macos, windows or linux), and null in an app that has no desktop shell. It is the same value as Platform.OS.

Capabilities

capabilities() reads the capabilities synchronously and never touches the main thread. Without a desktop shell every capability is false.

Capability	Meaning
nativeAppMenu	The application menu is the platform's own.
nativeContextMenu	The platform can show its own context menu.
tray	Tray icons are supported.
trayPopoverAnchored	A tray popover is anchored to the icon.
windowPosition	Windows can be positioned from code.
alwaysOnTop	A window can stay above others.
visibleOnAllWorkspaces	A window can be shown on every Space or workspace. macOS only for now; elsewhere the option is ignored.
transparentTitlebar	A window can draw under its title bar.
clientDecorations	A frameless window can still be resized, so you can draw your own caption buttons. Always true on macOS and Windows; on Linux it follows what the compositor granted.
menuBarInWindow	The menu bar is drawn in the window, so hiding it has an effect.

React TSX

if (capabilities().menuBarInWindow) {
  return <HideMenuBarToggle />;
}

Detecting the shell

isDesktopAvailable is true when the desktop shell is installed. Code shared with an Android or iOS app can check it before calling the desktop modules.

Errors

The desktop modules reject with a DesktopError. Its code is one of:

Code	Meaning
unsupported	The operating system, or this app, cannot perform the operation.
invalid_argument	An argument was not valid.
not_found	The window or item does not exist.
reloaded	The JavaScript bundle reloaded before the call finished.
failed	The operation failed for another reason. See the message.