WebF Native UI Libraries

Instead of crafting all UIs with HTML/CSS, WebF provides pre-built native UI libraries that render as native Flutter widgets with full native performance. These components look and feel native on each platform while being controlled from your JavaScript code.

What Are Native UI Libraries?

Native UI libraries are collections of UI components that:

• Render as native Flutter widgets (not DOM elements)
• Look and feel native on each platform (iOS, Android, etc.)
• Provide better performance than HTML/CSS for complex UIs
• Use platform-specific design (Cupertino for iOS, Material for Android)
• Work with React, Vue, and vanilla JavaScript

Available Library

Cupertino UI ✅

Description: iOS-style components following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines

Platforms: iOS, macOS (optimized for iOS design)

Component Count: 30+ components

Available Components:

• Navigation & Layout: Tab, Scaffold, TabBar, TabView
• Dialogs & Sheets: Alert Dialog, Action Sheet, Modal Popup, Context Menu
• Lists: List Section, List Tile
• Forms: Form Section, Form Row, TextField, Search Field
• Pickers: Date Picker, Time Picker
• Controls: Button, Switch, Slider, Segmented Control, Checkbox, Radio
• Icons: 1000+ SF Symbols
• Colors: Cupertino color system

NPM Packages:

• React: @openwebf/react-cupertino-ui
• Vue: @openwebf/vue-cupertino-ui

Flutter Package: webf_cupertino_ui

Documentation: https://openwebf.com/en/ui-components/cupertino

---

When to Use Native UI vs HTML/CSS

Use Cupertino UI When:

• ✅ Building iOS-style apps
• ✅ Need native-looking iOS forms, buttons, and controls
• ✅ Want 60fps native performance for complex UIs
• ✅ Building iOS lists, dialogs, or navigation patterns
• ✅ Need Apple's Human Interface Guidelines design language

Use HTML/CSS When:

• ✅ Building custom designs that don't follow platform patterns
• ✅ Using existing web component libraries (e.g., Tailwind CSS)
• ✅ Need maximum flexibility in styling
• ✅ Porting existing web apps
• ✅ Building cross-platform designs (not platform-specific)

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Configure Flutter Project (Optional)

If you have access to the Flutter project hosting your WebF app:

For Cupertino UI:

1. Open your Flutter project's pubspec.yaml
2. Add the dependency:

   dependencies:
     webf_cupertino_ui: ^1.0.0
   

3. Run: flutter pub get
4. Initialize in your main Dart file:

   import 'package:webf/webf.dart';
   import 'package:webf_cupertino_ui/webf_cupertino_ui.dart';
   
   void main() {
     WebFControllerManager.instance.initialize(WebFControllerManagerConfig(
       maxAliveInstances: 2,
       maxAttachedInstances: 1,
     ));
   
     // Install Cupertino UI components
     installWebFCupertinoUI();
   
     runApp(MyApp());
   }
   

Step 2: Install NPM Packages (JavaScript/TypeScript)

For React:

npm install @openwebf/react-cupertino-ui

For Vue:

npm install @openwebf/vue-cupertino-ui

Step 3: Using Components in Your Code

React Example:

import { FlutterCupertinoButton, FlutterCupertinoTextField } from '@openwebf/react-cupertino-ui';

export function MyComponent() {
  return (
    <div>
      <FlutterCupertinoTextField
        placeholder="Enter your name"
        onChanged={(value) => console.log('Value:', value)}
      />
      <FlutterCupertinoButton
        variant="filled"
        onClick={() => console.log('Clicked')}
      >
        Submit
      </FlutterCupertinoButton>
    </div>
  );
}

Vue Example:

<template>
  <div>
    <FlutterCupertinoTextField
      placeholder="Enter your name"
      @changed="handleChange"
    />
    <FlutterCupertinoButton
      variant="filled"
      @click="handleClick"
    >
      Submit
    </FlutterCupertinoButton>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup>
import { FlutterCupertinoTextField, FlutterCupertinoButton } from '@openwebf/vue-cupertino-ui';

const handleChange = (value) => {
  console.log('Value:', value);
};

const handleClick = () => {
  console.log('Clicked');
};
</script>

Component Reference

See the Native UI Component Reference for a complete list of available components and their properties.

Common Patterns

1. Building an iOS-Style Form

import {
  FlutterCupertinoFormSection,
  FlutterCupertinoFormRow,
  FlutterCupertinoTextField,
  FlutterCupertinoButton
} from '@openwebf/react-cupertino-ui';

export function ProfileForm() {
  return (
    <FlutterCupertinoFormSection header="Profile Information">
      <FlutterCupertinoFormRow label="Name">
        <FlutterCupertinoTextField placeholder="John Doe" />
      </FlutterCupertinoFormRow>
      <FlutterCupertinoFormRow label="Email">
        <FlutterCupertinoTextField
          placeholder="john@example.com"
          keyboardType="email"
        />
      </FlutterCupertinoFormRow>
      <FlutterCupertinoButton variant="filled">
        Save Changes
      </FlutterCupertinoButton>
    </FlutterCupertinoFormSection>
  );
}

2. Building a Settings Screen

import {
  FlutterCupertinoListSection,
  FlutterCupertinoListTile,
  FlutterCupertinoSwitch
} from '@openwebf/react-cupertino-ui';

export function SettingsScreen() {
  return (
    <FlutterCupertinoListSection header="Settings">
      <FlutterCupertinoListTile
        title="Notifications"
        trailing={<FlutterCupertinoSwitch value={true} />}
      />
      <FlutterCupertinoListTile
        title="Dark Mode"
        trailing={<FlutterCupertinoSwitch value={false} />}
      />
    </FlutterCupertinoListSection>
  );
}

3. Showing a Native Dialog

import { FlutterCupertinoAlertDialog } from '@openwebf/react-cupertino-ui';

export function ConfirmationDialog({ onConfirm, onCancel }) {
  return (
    <FlutterCupertinoAlertDialog
      title="Confirm Action"
      content="Are you sure you want to proceed?"
      actions={[
        { label: 'Cancel', onPress: onCancel },
        { label: 'Confirm', onPress: onConfirm, isDestructive: true }
      ]}
    />
  );
}

Best Practices

1. Mix Native UI with HTML/CSS

You don't have to use native UI everywhere. Mix and match:

// Use native components for platform-specific UIs
<FlutterCupertinoButton variant="filled">
  Save
</FlutterCupertinoButton>

// Use HTML/CSS for custom layouts
<div className="custom-layout">
  <h1>Custom Design</h1>
  <p>This uses regular HTML/CSS</p>
</div>

2. Use Native UI for Complex Components

Native UI components handle complex interactions better:

• Date pickers → Use FlutterCupertinoDatePicker instead of HTML input
• Sliders → Use FlutterCupertinoSlider for native feel
• Segmented controls → Use FlutterCupertinoSegmentedControl

3. Check Component Documentation

Always check the official documentation for component props and events:

• https://openwebf.com/en/ui-components/cupertino

4. Use TypeScript for Type Safety

All native UI packages include TypeScript definitions:

import type { FlutterCupertinoButtonProps } from '@openwebf/react-cupertino-ui';

const buttonProps: FlutterCupertinoButtonProps = {
  variant: 'filled',
  onClick: () => console.log('Clicked')
};

Troubleshooting

Issue: Components Not Rendering

Cause: Flutter package not installed or initialized

Solution:

1. Check that the Flutter package is in pubspec.yaml
2. Verify installWebFCupertinoUI() is called in main.dart
3. Run flutter pub get
4. Rebuild your Flutter app

Issue: TypeScript Errors for Components

Cause: NPM package not installed correctly

Solution:

# Reinstall the package
npm install @openwebf/react-cupertino-ui --save

# Clear node_modules and reinstall
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

Issue: Vue Components Not Found

Cause: Vue bindings need to be generated

Solution: Follow the "For Vue + Cupertino UI" steps in Step 2 above to generate Vue bindings using webf codegen.

Issue: Props Don't Match Flutter Widget

Cause: WebF automatically converts between JavaScript and Dart naming

Solution:

• JavaScript uses camelCase: onClick, onChange, placeholder
• Flutter uses camelCase too, so props map directly
• Check documentation for exact prop names

Resources

• Component Gallery: https://openwebf.com/en/ui-components
• Cupertino UI Docs: https://openwebf.com/en/ui-components/cupertino
• WebF CLI Docs: https://openwebf.com/en/docs/tools/webf-cli
• React Examples: https://github.com/openwebf/react-cupertino-gallery
• Vue Examples: https://github.com/openwebf/vue-cupertino-gallery

Next Steps

After setting up native UI:

1. Explore components: Visit https://openwebf.com/en/ui-components to see all available components
2. Check examples: Look at the gallery apps for React and Vue
3. Mix with HTML/CSS: Use native UI where it makes sense, HTML/CSS elsewhere
4. Performance: Native UI components render at 60fps with Flutter-level performance

Summary

• ✅ Native UI libraries provide pre-built, platform-specific components
• ✅ Cupertino UI for iOS-style apps (30+ components available now)
• ✅ Form UI for validated forms (available now)
• ✅ Material UI coming soon for Android-style apps
• ✅ Install Flutter packages first, then npm packages
• ✅ Mix native UI with HTML/CSS as needed
• ✅ Better performance than HTML/CSS for complex UIs
• ✅ Full React and Vue support