Unable to invoke focus on touchable ref

[ivodaveiga]

Description

The focus() function throws an error (No command found with name "focus") when invoked on a touchable ref.
Tested on "Apple TV" simulator.

React Native version:

System:
    OS: macOS 11.2
    CPU: (8) x64 Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8257U CPU @ 1.40GHz
    Memory: 498.71 MB / 16.00 GB
    Shell: 5.8 - /bin/zsh
  Binaries:
    Node: 12.19.0 - /usr/local/bin/node
    Yarn: 1.22.10 - /usr/local/bin/yarn
    npm: 7.0.3 - /usr/local/bin/npm
    Watchman: 4.9.0 - /usr/local/bin/watchman
  Managers:
    CocoaPods: 1.10.0 - /usr/local/bin/pod
  SDKs:
    iOS SDK:
      Platforms: iOS 14.4, DriverKit 20.2, macOS 11.1, tvOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2
    Android SDK: Not Found
  IDEs:
    Android Studio: Not Found
    Xcode: 12.4/12D4e - /usr/bin/xcodebuild
  Languages:
    Java: Not Found
    Python: 2.7.16 - /usr/bin/python
  npmPackages:
    @react-native-community/cli: Not Found
    react: 16.13.1 => 16.13.1 
    react-native: Not Found
    react-native-macos: Not Found
    react-native-tvos:  0.63.4-0 
  npmGlobalPackages:
    *react-native*: Not Found

Steps To Reproduce

Use the reproducible demo below

1. Press Button 1

Expected Results

Button 2is focused

Snack, code example, screenshot, or link to a repository:

https://github.com/ivodaveiga/react-native-tvos-focus-test

[douglowder]

The Touchable components do not have a focus() method -- that is a TextInput method. If you want to programmatically change focus, you should set the hasTVPreferredFocus prop on the component you want to focus.

[ivodaveiga]

Thanks. Shouldn't that be reflected in typescript as it identifies the focus() function as a valid function inherited from the interface NativeMethods?
(I've updated the example repository to use typescript)

[douglowder]

@ivodaveiga I do see that the focus() method is there in the types -- maybe that is a bug in in @types/react-native. Checking the official docs at https://reactnative.dev, it does not appear that the method exists in any core components except TextInput.