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Flutter-Inspired Design

GoFlow's project structure and CLI are inspired by Flutter, providing a familiar experience for developers who know Flutter while staying true to Go idioms.

Command Comparison

Flutter GoFlow Description
flutter create goflow new Create new project
flutter pub get go mod tidy Get dependencies
flutter run cd macos && go run main.go Run on platform
flutter build cd macos && go build Build for platform

Project Structure Comparison

Flutter Project

my_app/
├── lib/
│   └── main.dart
├── macos/
│   ├── Runner.xcodeproj
│   └── Runner/
├── linux/
│   ├── CMakeLists.txt
│   └── runner/
├── windows/
│   ├── CMakeLists.txt
│   └── runner/
├── android/
├── ios/
├── web/
├── test/
├── assets/
├── pubspec.yaml
└── analysis_options.yaml

GoFlow Project

my_app/
├── lib/
│   └── main.go              # Go instead of Dart
├── macos/
│   ├── main.go              # Go runner (will become Xcode project)
│   ├── runner/
│   └── .gitignore
├── linux/
│   ├── main.go              # Go runner (will become CMake)
│   ├── runner/
│   └── .gitignore
├── windows/
│   ├── main.go              # Go runner (will become CMake)
│   ├── runner/
│   └── .gitignore
├── test/
├── assets/
│   ├── fonts/
│   ├── images/
│   └── icons/
├── goflow.yaml              # Like pubspec.yaml
├── go.mod                   # Go dependencies
└── analysis_options.yaml    # Future linting config

Configuration Files

pubspec.yaml vs goflow.yaml

Flutter's pubspec.yaml:

name: my_app
description: A Flutter application
version: 1.0.0+1

environment:
  sdk: ^3.10.0

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  cupertino_icons: ^1.0.8

flutter:
  uses-material-design: true
  assets:
    - images/
  fonts:
    - family: Roboto
      fonts:
        - asset: fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf

GoFlow's goflow.yaml:

name: my_app
description: A GoFlow application
version: 0.1.0+1

# Go module path
module: com.example/my_app

# Minimum Go version
environment:
  go: "1.21"

# Dependencies
dependencies:
  goflow:
    git: https://github.com/base-go/GoFlow
    version: v0.1.0

# Platform configuration
platforms:
  - macos
  - windows
  - linux

# Assets
assets:
  - assets/images/
  - assets/fonts/

# Fonts
fonts:
  - family: Roboto
    fonts:
      - asset: assets/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf
      - asset: assets/fonts/Roboto-Bold.ttf
        weight: 700

Code Comparison

Flutter (Dart)

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: MyHomePage(),
    );
  }
}

class MyHomePage extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  State<MyHomePage> createState() => _MyHomePageState();
}

class _MyHomePageState extends State<MyHomePage> {
  int _counter = 0;

  void _incrementCounter() {
    setState(() {
      _counter++;
    });
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Center(
        child: Text('$_counter'),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        onPressed: _incrementCounter,
        child: Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
    );
  }
}

GoFlow (Go)

package lib

import (
	"fmt"
	"github.com/base-go/GoFlow/pkg/core/framework"
	"github.com/base-go/GoFlow/pkg/core/signals"
	"github.com/base-go/GoFlow/pkg/core/widgets"
)

type MyApp struct {
	goflow.BaseWidget
	counter *signals.Signal[int]
}

func NewMyApp() *MyApp {
	return &MyApp{
		counter: signals.New(0),
	}
}

func (app *MyApp) Build(ctx goflow.BuildContext) goflow.Widget {
	count := app.counter.Get()

	return widgets.NewCenter(
		widgets.NewText(fmt.Sprintf("%d", count)),
	)
}

func (app *MyApp) Increment() {
	app.counter.Update(func(v int) int { return v + 1 })
}

func Run() {
	app := NewMyApp()
	goflow.RunApp(app)
}

Key Differences

Similarities with Flutter

  1. Project Structure: Same directory layout with lib/, platform dirs, assets/
  2. Configuration File: goflow.yaml mirrors pubspec.yaml
  3. Platform Separation: Platform-specific code in separate directories
  4. CLI Commands: Similar command structure (new, run, build)
  5. Widget System: Declarative UI with widget trees
  6. Build Method: Widgets have Build() methods

Differences from Flutter

  1. Language: Go instead of Dart
  2. State Management: Signals instead of StatefulWidget/setState
  3. Single Widget Type: No StatelessWidget vs StatefulWidget distinction
  4. Dependencies: go.mod for packages, not pub
  5. Type System: Go's static typing with generics for signals
  6. No Hot Reload: (yet - planned for future)
  7. Desktop Focus: No iOS/Android (desktop-first framework)

Platform Integration

Current State (v0.1.0)

Platform directories contain simple Go runners that call into lib/ code:

// macos/main.go
package main

import "your.module/lib"

func main() {
    lib.Run()
}

Future State (Planned)

Platform directories will contain native projects:

macOS: Xcode project with Swift/Objective-C calling into Go Windows: Visual Studio project with C++ calling into Go DLL Linux: CMake project with C++ calling into Go shared library

This matches Flutter's model where each platform has native launcher code.

Benefits of Flutter-Inspired Design

  1. Familiarity: Developers coming from Flutter feel at home
  2. Best Practices: Proven project structure from successful framework
  3. Clear Separation: Platform code vs shared app code
  4. Scalability: Structure works for small and large projects
  5. Asset Management: Centralized assets/ directory
  6. Configuration: Single source of truth (goflow.yaml)
  7. Consistency: Similar patterns across all platforms

Migration Path (Flutter → GoFlow)

For Flutter developers moving to GoFlow:

  1. Project Setup: goflow new instead of flutter create
  2. Dependencies: Use go.mod instead of pubspec.yaml for packages
  3. State: Replace StatefulWidget with Signals
  4. Widgets: Similar widget names (Text, Container, Column, etc.)
  5. Build: cd platform && go build instead of flutter build
  6. Run: cd platform && go run main.go instead of flutter run

See Also