4. How to setup Xcode for a Flutter app without a MAC

In this tutorial, you will learn how to configure Xcode with the help of Appollo to build your app.

This can be achieved without a Mac. Therefore, you can accomplish this part on Windows or Linux.

Requirements

Before starting the build, make sure you are in the root folder of your Flutter app.

If you do not have a Flutter app for this tutorial, get started on the official Flutter tutorial.

You also have to make sure that you have already created at least one App ID.

You can use appollo app ls to retrieve a list of all your App IDs.

See previous step of this tutorial if you have skipped it.

Start the configuration build

When starting an Appollo build, with appollo build start, you are asked to select the App ID for which you want to make a build and also a build type among 6 different types.

At this stage, since you want to be able to configure Xcode, you have to use the configuration build type.

Note

If you only have a single App ID registered on Appollo, it is automatically selected when running appollo build start.

Your build has now been registered and is starting.

Tip

If the build fails you can easily access the logs of your build with the command appollo build logs and select the build for which you want to view the logs.

Tip

If you closed your terminal while your app was building you can execute appollo build detail and select the last build and you will have a detailed view of the build’s status. Builds do not stop if the appollo build start command is killed.

Connect to your configuration build

Once your build is ready, it takes a few minutes, you can use appollo build connect and select your last build in the list.

This command will list your connection settings and credentials for a remote connection with Spice.

Tip

If you try to connect a build that was not meant for remote desktop, no problem, Appollo will suggest you to create one automatically.

Use Spice Remote viewer to configure Xcode

For this step, you need a remote desktop access application. In this tutorial, the one used is Spice-Space’s client.

Launch your software, it is named RemoteViewer on your computer, indicate the url your were given and connect.

Second, simply type in the connection_password to authenticate.

That’s it ! You are now connected to an Appollo-Remote build machine in remote desktop.

Configure Xcode on the Appollo-Remote

At this point, follow these 4-easy steps:

To configure it with Xcode,

1. Open Xcode

2. Select Open an existing project

3. Select file Documents/app/ios/Runner.xcworkspace

4. Enjoy !

We will configure the Bundle Identifier in XCode for our app to be the same to the one we created with Appollo otherwise Apple will not accept our submission later on in the tutorial. In the left menu of XCode select Runner and in the General tab under Identity update Bundle Identifier with the bundle ID generated beforehand.