Server Commands

The server commands provide web interface capabilities and project validation for FDAWG. These commands allow you to launch a modern web dashboard for visual project management and validate Flutter project structure.

Overview

FDAWG includes two main server-related commands:

  • serve - Launch the web interface for project management
  • init - Validate Flutter project structure

serve - Web Interface

Starts a web server that provides a modern, responsive interface for managing your Flutter project.

fdawg serve [directory] [--port <port>]

Parameters:

  • [directory]: Optional path to Flutter project (defaults to current directory)
  • --port, -p: Port number for the web server (default: 8080)

Examples:

# Start server for current directory on default port (8080)
fdawg serve

# Start server for specific project
fdawg serve /path/to/my/flutter/project

# Start server on custom port
fdawg serve --port 3000
fdawg serve -p 3000

# Start server for specific project on custom port
fdawg serve --port 3000 /path/to/my/flutter/project
fdawg serve -p 3000 /path/to/my/flutter/project

Important Note: The port flag must come before the directory argument:

# ✅ Correct
fdawg serve --port 3000 /path/to/project

# ❌ Incorrect (port will be ignored)
fdawg serve /path/to/project --port 3000

Web Interface Features

The web interface provides comprehensive project management capabilities:

📊 Overview Dashboard

  • Project information and metadata
  • Dependency overview (dependencies and dev_dependencies)
  • Asset summary and statistics
  • Quick project health check

🔧 Environment Management

  • Visual environment variable management
  • Create, edit, and delete environment files
  • Add, update, and remove variables
  • Generate Dart environment files
  • Real-time validation and feedback

📦 Asset Management

  • Drag-and-drop asset upload
  • Visual asset organization by type
  • Asset migration and cleanup tools
  • Generate Dart asset files
  • Preview and manage existing assets

🌍 Localization Management

  • Visual translation management
  • Inline editing of translation keys
  • Google Translate integration
  • Add and remove languages
  • Hierarchical translation key organization

🏷️ App Namer

  • Cross-platform app naming interface
  • Real-time preview of changes
  • Platform availability detection
  • Visual backup and rollback management
  • Universal and platform-specific naming

🚀 Run Configurations (Coming Soon)

  • Android Studio run configuration management
  • VS Code launch configuration management
  • Custom run configuration templates

⚡ Fastlane Integration (Coming Soon)

  • Fastlane configuration management
  • Build and deployment automation
  • Certificate and provisioning profile management

Web Interface Benefits

Real-time Updates:

  • All changes are applied immediately
  • Live validation and error checking
  • Instant feedback on operations

User Experience:

  • Responsive design for mobile and desktop
  • Toast notifications for user feedback
  • Confirmation dialogs for destructive actions
  • Auto-dismissing notifications

Safety Features:

  • Automatic backups before destructive operations
  • Rollback capabilities
  • Project validation before changes
  • Error handling with clear messages

Accessing the Web Interface

  1. Start the server: 
    fdawg serve
  2. Open your browser:
    • Default URL: http://localhost:8080
    • Custom port: http://localhost:<your-port>
  3. Navigate through the interface:
    • Use the sidebar navigation to access different features
    • Each section provides comprehensive management tools
    • All changes are saved automatically

init - Project Validation

Validates whether a directory contains a valid Flutter project structure.

fdawg init [directory]

Parameters:

  • [directory]: Optional path to check (defaults to current directory)

Examples:

# Check current directory
fdawg init

# Check specific directory
fdawg init /path/to/my/flutter/project

Validation Checks

The init command performs comprehensive validation:

✅ Required Files

  • pubspec.yaml - Flutter project configuration
  • lib/ directory - Dart source code
  • lib/main.dart - Application entry point

✅ Flutter Project Structure

  • Valid pubspec.yaml format
  • Flutter SDK dependency
  • Proper project name and version

✅ Platform Support Detection

  • Android (android/ directory)
  • iOS (ios/ directory)
  • Web (web/ directory)
  • macOS (macos/ directory)
  • Linux (linux/ directory)
  • Windows (windows/ directory)

Example Output

Valid Flutter Project:

$ fdawg init
✓ Valid Flutter project detected
✓ pubspec.yaml found and valid
✓ lib/ directory exists
✓ lib/main.dart found

Project: my_flutter_app (1.0.0+1)
Flutter SDK: ^3.0.0

Supported Platforms:
✓ Android
✓ iOS  
✓ Web
✗ macOS (not configured)
✗ Linux (not configured)
✗ Windows (not configured)

Project is ready for FDAWG management!

Invalid Project:

$ fdawg init
✗ Not a Flutter project
✗ pubspec.yaml not found
✗ lib/ directory missing

This directory does not contain a valid Flutter project.
Please navigate to a Flutter project directory or create a new Flutter project:

flutter create my_new_project
cd my_new_project
fdawg init

Common Workflows

Setting up FDAWG for a new project

# Navigate to your Flutter project
cd /path/to/my/flutter/project

# Validate the project
fdawg init

# Start the web interface
fdawg serve

# Open browser to http://localhost:8080

Using FDAWG with multiple projects

# Project 1
fdawg serve --port 8080 /path/to/project1 &

# Project 2  
fdawg serve --port 8081 /path/to/project2 &

# Project 3
fdawg serve --port 8082 /path/to/project3 &

# Access each project on different ports

Development workflow

# Start FDAWG server
fdawg serve --port 3000

# In another terminal, run Flutter
cd /path/to/project
flutter run

# Use FDAWG web interface for project management
# Use Flutter CLI for development and testing

CI/CD Integration

# Validate project in CI pipeline
fdawg init || exit 1

# Use CLI commands for automated tasks
fdawg env add BUILD_NUMBER $CI_BUILD_NUMBER --env production
fdawg asset generate-dart
fdawg lang generate-dart

# Build Flutter app
flutter build apk --release

Configuration and Customization

Server Configuration

The web server can be customized through command-line options:

# Custom port
fdawg serve --port 9000

# Specific project directory
fdawg serve /path/to/project

# Both custom port and directory
fdawg serve --port 9000 /path/to/project

Network Access

By default, the server binds to localhost only. For network access in development:

Security Note: Only enable network access in trusted development environments.

Browser Compatibility

The web interface supports modern browsers:

  • Chrome 80+
  • Firefox 75+
  • Safari 13+
  • Edge 80+

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Port already in use

Error: Port 8080 is already in use

Solution: Use a different port with --port flag

Issue: Project not detected

Error: Not a Flutter project

Solution: Ensure you’re in a valid Flutter project directory with pubspec.yaml

Issue: Web interface doesn’t load Solution:

  • Check if the server started successfully
  • Verify the port is not blocked by firewall
  • Try a different port

Issue: Changes not saving Solution:

  • Check file permissions in project directory
  • Ensure project is not read-only
  • Verify disk space availability

Performance Optimization

For large projects:

  • Use asset migration to organize files
  • Clean up unused environment variables
  • Remove unused translation keys
  • Optimize asset file sizes

Security Considerations

  • The web server is intended for development use
  • Don’t expose the server to public networks
  • Use in trusted development environments only
  • Sensitive environment variables should be managed carefully

Integration with Other Tools

IDE Integration

The web interface complements your IDE workflow:

  • Use FDAWG for project-level management
  • Use your IDE for code development
  • Both can work simultaneously

Version Control

FDAWG respects your version control:

  • Generated files can be committed or ignored
  • Backup files are automatically ignored
  • Configuration changes are tracked

Flutter Tools

FDAWG works alongside Flutter CLI:

  • Use flutter commands for development
  • Use fdawg commands for project management
  • Both tools can be used together

Next: Learn about the Web Interface in detail or explore Development Setup.