Packaging and distribution

go build gives you an executable. To ship an app you usually need more: an application bundle on macOS, an icon and version information in a Windows executable, a desktop entry on Linux, an APK for Android, an app bundle for iOS, or a folder of files for the web. The bellui command builds these for you.

Install the command

The command is its own Go module, separate from the Bellui library:

go install github.com/belluikit/bellui/cmd/bellui@latest

Check that it is on your PATH:

bellui version

This prints the version of the command and, when run inside your app’s module, the version of the Bellui library your app uses.

Commands

Command	What it does
`bellui init [module]`	Starts a new project in the current folder: `go.mod`, `main.go`, `manifest.pxf` and `translations/en.json`.
`bellui build`	Builds the executable. In this release it does not compile your app’s metadata in; see App metadata.
`bellui package`	Builds and wraps the app in the package format of the target platform.
`bellui install`	Packages the app and installs it on this computer, or on a connected phone.
`bellui release`	Packages and signs the app for an app store or other public distribution.
`bellui serve`	Builds the web version and serves it on `http://localhost:8080`.
`bellui bundle`	Turns files into Go resources compiled into your app.
`bellui translate`	Collects the strings your code translates into a translation file.
`bellui env`	Prints the Go, OS and Bellui versions, for bug reports.

Run bellui help <command> for every flag of a command.

In this release the main.go that bellui init writes ends with w.ShowAndRun(), which does not compile. Change that line to bellui.ShowAndRun(w).

App metadata

The manifest.pxf file: ID, name, version, icon and more.

Packaging and installing

What bellui package produces on each platform, and bellui install.

Releasing

Signing and store packages for macOS, Windows, Android and iOS.

App icons

Where the icon comes from and how each platform uses it.

Bundling resources

Compile images and other files into your app with bellui bundle.

The settings app

Let users choose theme, colour and scale for all Bellui apps.