Build System

Perry can compile UI definitions into native executables using the Compiler class and platform toolchains.

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Compiling

use Perry\Build\Compiler;
use Perry\Build\Target;
use Perry\UI\Widget\VStack;
use Perry\UI\Widget\Text;

$compiler = new Compiler(Target::fromString('windows'));
$root = new VStack(new Text('Hello, Perry!'));

$result = $compiler->compile($root, 'myapp');

if ($result->success) {
    echo "Output: {$result->outputFile}\n";
} else {
    echo "Failed: {$result->error}\n";
}

Compile Commands

# macOS
php examples/calculator.php macos --build
# Output: build/Calculator.app

# Windows
php examples/pry.php windows --build
# Output: build/pry.exe + build/pry.html

# Web
php examples/calculator.php web
# Output: build/calculator.html

# Generic CLI compile
./bin/perry compile --target=macos
./bin/perry compile --target=windows

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Windows Requirements

Apps that use the WebView widget (e.g., the Pry JSON viewer) require WebView2 Runtime on Windows.

Install WebView2 Runtime

• Option 1 — Evergreen Bootstrapper (recommended, auto-updates):
  Download from Microsoft Edge WebView2:
  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=2124703

• Option 2 — Evergreen Standalone Installer:
  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=2124702

• Option 3 — Fixed Version (for offline/restricted environments):
  https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/#download-section

Check if Already Installed

Open Control Panel → Programs and Features and look for WebView2 Runtime.
Or check C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\.

WebView2 ships with Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), so it's often already present on modern Windows systems.

Build Output

The compiler writes pry.html alongside the .exe file. The app reads it at runtime via WebView2's NavigateToString().

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macOS / iOS Requirements

• macOS 13+ or iOS 17+
• Xcode 15+ with Swift 5.9+
• swiftc must be in PATH

Linux (GTK4) Requirements

• GTK4 development libraries: libgtk-4-dev
• GCC or Clang
• pkg-config for GTK4 discovery

Android Requirements

• Android SDK (set ANDROID_HOME environment variable)
• Gradle (or use the wrapper)
• Java 17+

Web

No build tools required — generates standalone HTML files.

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CLI Usage

./bin/perry info                   # platform info
./bin/perry demo --target=macos    # generate demo code
./bin/perry codegen --target=web   # generate for backend
./bin/perry compile --target=macos # compile to executable
./bin/perry targets                # list targets
./bin/perry backends               # list backends