Swift extension?

[vojto]

Hey there!

I'd like to build a Tauri app exclusively for macOS. I'm choosing the web stack simply because it's quicker to prototype in.

For this app, I would need to create an extension in Swift. I'll be communicating with some native APIs and such. I already pretty much have the Swift code needed.

I'm hoping for something like Capacitor plugins.

How could I go about accomplishing this in Tauri?

Thank you!

[FabianLars]

So unless you wanna have a localhost server in your swift parts, i guess the only real solution here is https://crates.io/crates/swift-rs.

Edit: forgot to mention the "standard" sidecar approach, using stdio instead of a localhost server. https://tauri.app/v1/guides/building/sidecar

[vojto]

I would actually prefer to run a localhost server. The Swift extension would also trigger events for JS to handle.

Does Tauri have a way of starting the server and keeping it alive?

[FabianLars]

Does Tauri have a way of starting the server and keeping it alive?

yeah, look at the sidecar pattern i linked. Your swift app will basically be its own separate app (similar in use to a remote web server), and you can start and stop it as you like.

[vojto]

Yeah that makes sense. And I'll have to create a new thread to run it in - example.

Great, I love the approach. I'll have them talk over WebSocket, and I think the total time spent on this will be much less than building native Swift app.

[MarylnMarconevVe]

To use native Swift code in a Tauri app, you can create a Tauri plugin. A Tauri plugin is a separate Rust crate that provides additional functionality to your Tauri app. It can be used to interface with native code, like Swift code in your case.

[vojto]

That sounds like a different approach, as opposed to running a server. Any pros/cons?