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Mobile Platform Build Guide

This document describes how to build and package Sila for mobile platforms (iOS and Android) using Capacitor.

Overview

The Sila mobile app is built using:

  • Svelte + Vite for the web layer (simple setup, no SvelteKit)
  • Capacitor for native mobile integration
  • Client and core packages for the actual functionality of the app

Prerequisites

Required Tools

  • Node.js (v18+)
  • Xcode (for iOS builds) - macOS only
  • Android Studio (for Android builds)

Platform-Specific Requirements

iOS

  • macOS with Xcode 14+
  • iOS 13+ deployment target
  • Apple Developer account (for device testing and App Store)
  • Run xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch once after installing or updating Xcode

Android

  • Android Studio with SDK 33+
  • Java 17+
  • Android 7.0+ (API level 24+) deployment target

Project Structure

    packages/mobile/
├── src/
│   ├── main.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── MobileApp.svelte     # Main app component
│   └── [future native wrappers]
├── ios/                     # iOS native project (auto-generated)
├── android/                 # Android native project (auto-generated)
├── capacitor.config.ts      # Capacitor configuration
├── package.json
├── vite.config.js          # Vite build configuration
└── build/                  # Web build output

Build Process

1. Install dependencies

Run this from the repo root:

    npm install

2. Build web assets

Run this from the repo root:

    npm -w packages/mobile run build

This runs:

  • npm -w @sila/client run build
  • vite build
  • npx cap sync

3. iOS build

Run these from the repo root:

    npx cap sync ios
npx cap open ios

Build and run in Xcode.

4. Android build

Run these from the repo root:

    npx cap sync android
npx cap open android

Build and run in Android Studio.

Development Workflow

Local Development

  1. Start the dev servers from the repo root: npm -w packages/mobile run dev
  2. Run on device: npx cap run ios or npx cap run android
  3. Use live reload for faster development

Native Plugin Integration

  • Current plugins: @capacitor/core, @capacitor/ios, @capacitor/android, @capacitor/filesystem, @capacitor/dialog
  • Future plugins: Device info, Share, Camera

Debug Commands

  • npx cap doctor - Check Capacitor installation
  • npx cap ls - List installed plugins