dip 0.2.1

Write cross-platform application with React-like declarative UI framework and scalable ECS architecture all in Rust.
Documentation 
use dip::prelude::*;

fn main() {
    App::new()
        .insert_resource(WindowDescriptor {
            title: "dip Plugin Example".to_string(),
            ..Default::default()
        })
        .add_plugin(DesktopPlugin::<NoUiState, NoUiAction, NoAsyncAction>::new(Root))
        .run();
}

fn Root(cx: Scope) -> Element {
    cx.render(rsx! {
        h1 { "Hello, World !" }
    })
}
  • All features are implemented as Bevy plugins
  • Data-driven ECS design pattern
  • Share your logic between games, desktop apps and command line tools
  • Webview based UI powered by Tauri
  • React-like declarative UI via Dioxus
  • Developer tools
    • Bundle: Tools to setup your computer with one command
      • Homebrew: Installs Homebrew formula, cask, mas via brew bundle
      • Symlink manager aka Dotfiles: inspired by GNU Stow.
      • Version Manager: like asdf, nvm, rbenv, gvm etc.
    • Device: interact with hardware crypto wallet.

WARNING: dip is still in the very early stages of development.

v0.1 is totally a different application. I wanted to make a cross-platform text editor but ended up making this framework.

Features

Desktop App

Minimum setup with component state

# Cargo.toml

[dependencies]
dip = { version = "0.2", features = ["desktop"] }

use dip::prelude::*;

fn main() {
    App::new()
        .insert_resource(WindowDescriptor {
            title: "Desktop App".to_string(),
            ..Default::default()
        })
        .add_plugin(DesktopPlugin::<NoUiState, NoUiAction, NoAsyncAction>::new(Root))
        .run();
}

fn Root(cx: Scope) -> Element {
    let name = use_state(&cx, || "world".to_string());

    cx.render(rsx! {
        h1 { "Hello, {name} !" }

        input {
            value: "{name}",
            oninput: |e| {
                name.set(e.value.to_string());
            },
        }
    })
}

Keyboard handling

CLI App

CliPlugin

# Cargo.toml

[dependencies]
dip = { version = "0.2", features = ["cli"] }
clap = { version = "3.2", features = ["derive"] }

use dip::{bevy::log::LogPlugin, prelude::*};

fn main() {
    App::new()
        .add_plugin(CliPlugin::<NoAsyncAction>::oneshot())
        .add_plugin(ActionPlugin)
        .add_plugin(LogPlugin)
        .add_system(log_root_arg)
        .add_system(log_path_flag)
        .add_system(handle_hello)
        .add_system(handle_task)
        .add_system(handle_ping)
        .run();
}

#[derive(CliPlugin, clap::Parser)]
#[clap(author, version, about, long_about = None)]
struct Cli {
    root_arg: Option<String>,

    #[clap(short, long)]
    path: Option<String>,

    #[clap(subcommand)]
    action: Action,
}

#[derive(SubcommandPlugin, clap::Subcommand, Clone)]
pub enum Action {
    // Named variant
    Hello { name: Option<String> },
    // Unnamed
    Hello2(Hello2Args),
    // Unit
    Ping,
}

#[derive(clap::Args, Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Hello2Args {
  name: Option<String>,
}

fn log_root_arg(cli: Res<Cli>) {
    if let Some(arg) = &cli.root_arg {
        info!("root arg: {:?}", arg);
    }
}

fn log_path_flag(cli: Res<Cli>) {
    if let Some(path) = &cli.path {
        info!("path flag: {:?}", path);
    }
}

fn handle_hello(mut events: EventReader<HelloAction>) {
    for e in events.iter() {
        info!("Hello, {}!", e.name.clone().unwrap_or("world".to_string()));
    }
}

fn handle_task(mut events: EventReader<Hello2Action>) {
    for e in events.iter() {
        info!("Hello, {}!", e.name.clone().unwrap_or("world".to_string()));
    }
}

fn handle_ping(mut events: EventReader<PingAction>) {
    for _ in events.iter() {
        info!("Pong !");
    }
}

cargo run -- --help

dip-cli-example 0.1.0
Junichi Sugiura
Example binary project to showcase CliPlugin usage.

USAGE:
    cli [OPTIONS] [ROOT_ARG] <SUBCOMMAND>

ARGS:
    <ROOT_ARG>

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help           Print help information
    -p, --path <PATH>
    -V, --version        Print version information

SUBCOMMANDS:
    hello
    hello2
    help     Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
    ping

State management (Inspired by Redux)

UiStatePlugin, UiActionPlugin

# Cargo.toml

[dependencies]
dip = { version = "0.2", features = ["desktop"] }

# Removing this crate throws error.
# This is because some derive macros generates code using sub crate name instead of root
# (e.x. bevy_ecs::Component vs bevy::ecs::Compoent)
bevy_ecs = "0.8"

use dip::prelude::*;

fn main() {
    App::new()
        // Step 7. Put it all together
        .add_plugin(DesktopPlugin::<UiState, UiAction, NoAsyncAction>::new(Root))
        .add_plugin(UiStatePlugin) // generated by #[ui_state]
        .add_plugin(UiActionPlugin) // generated by #[ui_action]
        .add_system(update_name)
        .run();
}

// Step 1: Define UiState
// Each field represents root state. You can create multiple of them.
// This macro generates UiState enum and UiStatePlugin which will be used in step 7.
#[ui_state]
struct UiState {
    name: Name,
}

// Make sure to wrap primitive types or common type such as String with named struct or enum.
// You need to distinguish types in order to query specific root state in step 4 (system).
#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
pub struct Name {
    value: String,
}

// This is how you define default value for Name root state.
impl Default for Name {
    fn default() -> Self {
        Self {
            value: "world".to_string(),
        }
    }
}

// Step 2. Define actions
// Create as many as actions with struct or enum.
#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
pub struct UpdateName {
    value: String,
}

// Step 3. Implement action creators
// Each method needs to return one of actions that you defined in step 2.
// This macro derives UiActionPlugin and UiAction which will be used in step 7.
#[ui_action]
impl ActionCreator {
    fn update_name(value: String) -> UpdateName {
        UpdateName { value }
    }
}

// Step 4. Implement systems to handle each action defined in step 2.
// System is like reducer in Redux but more flexible.
fn update_name(mut events: EventReader<UpdateName>, mut name: ResMut<Name>) {
    for action in events.iter() {
        name.value = action.value.clone();
    }
}

fn Root(cx: Scope) -> Element {
    // Step 5. Select state
    let name = use_read(&cx, NAME);

    let window = use_window::<UiAction, NoAsyncAction>(&cx);

    cx.render(rsx! {
        h1 { "Hello, {name.value} !" }

        input {
            value: "{name.value}",
            oninput: |e| {
                // Step 6. Dispatch the action !
                window.send(UiAction::update_name(e.value.to_string()));
            },
        }
    })
}

About Bevy and Dioxus

Bevy

https://github.com/bevyengine/bevy

  • Data-driven game engine based on Entity Component System(ECS) design pattern
  • Flexible Plugin design
  • Plugin ecosystem

Bevy is a cutting-edge game engine in Rust based on Entity Component System(ECS) design pattern. Think of it as a global state management tool like Redux but much more performant because all systems will run as parallel as possible. Thanks to its plugin system, there's already a handful of third-party Bevy plugins out there. Imagine implementing core logic as CorePlugin separated from UI layer. You may start with dip::desktop to build desktop application. Then let's say you want to release a metaverse edition at some point in the future, it's as simple as swapping UI plugin to Bevy's 3d rendering plugin while still using the same CorePlugin.

Tauri

Tao is a window manager and the fork of winit. DesktopPlugin depends on this library to render webview. And the webview is powered by WRY which is essentailly a Rust wrapper around OS specific webview.

Why not Tauri?

If you want to write frontend in any languages other than Rust, then Tauri is a better fit! If you want to go full Rust, then that's where dip shines.

Dioxus

https://github.com/DioxusLabs/dioxus

  • Cross-platform (macOS, Linux, Windows, TUI, etc.)
  • React-like declarative UI library
  • Virtual dom is 3x faster than React
  • Minimum bundle size is around 20x lighter than Electron (8 MB vs 160MB)

Dioxus is a cross-platform declarative UI library. It provides familiar features that React developer expects such as component, state, props, hooks, global state, and router. If you familiar with any modern state driven UI framework, you should be able to read or write Dioxus components without knowing Rust.

Examples

Make sure to install all prerequisites for Tauri.

Clone repository

gh repo clone diptools/dip
cd dip

Counter example

cargo run --example counter --features desktop

Find more in examples/ directory.

TodoMVC example

  1. Install dip CLI.
cargo install dip

# or install local binary
cargo install --path .
  1. Compile Tailwind CSS
dip build -p examples/todomvc
  1. Run
cargo run -p todomvc