Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

WaterUI CLI Workflow

WaterUI ships a first-party CLI named water. Install it from the workspace checkout so that every example in this book can be scaffolded, run, and packaged without leaving your terminal.

cargo install --path cli --locked

Scaffold a Project

Create a new playground app with the runtime backends you need:

water create --name "Water Demo" \
  --bundle-identifier com.example.waterdemo \
  --backend swiftui --backend android --backend web \
  --yes --dev
  • --dev keeps the generated project pinned to the local WaterUI sources while new releases are cooking.
  • --yes skips prompts so commands can run inside scripts.
  • Repeat --backend for each platform you plan to target. You can always run water add-backend <name> later.

The command produces a Rust crate, Water.toml, and backend-specific folders under apple/, android/, and web/.

Run with Hot Reload

water run detects connected simulators and browsers, recompiles your crate, and streams code changes to the selected backend:

water run --platform web --project water-demo
  • Use --device <name> to target a specific simulator/emulator from water devices.
  • Add --release once you need optimized builds for profiling.
  • Disable the file watcher with --no-watch if your CI only needs a single build.

Package Native Artifacts

Produce distributable builds when you are ready to ship:

water package --platform android --project water-demo --release
water package --platform ios --project water-demo

Android packaging accepts --skip-native when custom Rust artifacts are supplied. Apple builds honour the standard Xcode environment variables (CONFIGURATION, BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR, etc.) when invoked from scheme actions.

Inspect and Repair Toolchains

Run doctor and devices early in each chapter to ensure your environment is healthy:

water doctor --fix
water devices --json
  • doctor validates Rust, Swift, Android, and web prerequisites. With --fix it attempts to repair missing components, otherwise it prints actionable instructions.
  • devices emits a machine-readable list when --json is present, which is perfect for CI pipelines or automation scripts.

Automation Tips

All commands accept --format json (or --json). JSON output disables interactive prompts. Supply --yes, --platform, and --device up front to avoid stalling non-interactive shells.

Because every walkthrough in this book starts from a real CLI project, keep this reference handy: it is the quickest path to recreating any example locally.