restage_codegen 1.0.1

A build_runner code generator that compiles Flutter-authored UI into Remote Flutter Widget (RFW) blobs and catalogs consumed by the Restage SDK runtime.

example/README.md

restage_codegen example

restage_codegen is the build-time code generator behind the Restage SDK. You don't call it directly — you add it as a dev dependency and run build_runner. It reads an ordinary Flutter widget annotated with its surface type and compiles it into the small, inert Remote Flutter Widget (.rfw) render blob the Restage runtime renders. The same pipeline serves every surface — onboarding screens, in-app messages, surveys, paywalls, and any full screen you author.

1. Add the toolchain

# pubspec.yaml
dependencies:
  restage: ^1.0.0          # runtime SDK + the surface annotations

dev_dependencies:
  build_runner: ^2.4.0
  restage_codegen: ^1.0.1  # the build-time compiler (this package)

2. Author a surface in vanilla Flutter

A surface is an ordinary widget annotated with its surface type — @ScreenSource for an onboarding screen here (@PaywallSource, @FlowSource, and the other authoring annotations cover the remaining surfaces). It uses your own widgets and your app's theme; there are no shim classes to learn.

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:restage/restage.dart';

@ScreenSource(id: 'welcome')
class WelcomeScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  const WelcomeScreen({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Column(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
      children: [
        Text('Welcome', style: Theme.of(context).textTheme.headlineMedium),
        const SizedBox(height: 8),
        const Text('Server-driven UI that renders as real Flutter widgets.'),
      ],
    );
  }
}

3. Compile it

dart run build_runner build

restage_codegen runs as a build_runner builder (wired through build.yaml): it analyzes the annotated source, decomposes structured Flutter types — text styles, paddings, gradients, borders — against the widget catalog, and writes a small .rfw blob next to your source. Commit the blob: it carries no executable code, only inert references and literal values.

What it produces

• A per-surface .rfw render blob the Restage runtime decodes into real Flutter widgets, in your own widget tree.
• Catalog entries for any custom widgets you registered with @RestageWidget (see rfw_catalog_compiler).

The runtime half of the loop — rendering the blob in your app — lives in the restage package. A complete, runnable gallery is in apps/examples.