Add example as a template #104 by Amoghhosamane · Pull Request #212 · anusii/solidui

Amoghhosamane · 2026-02-19T18:59:45Z

This PR implements a Mason-based template for SolidUI applications, fulfilling the request to have a template that users can use to quickly start new projects.

Associated Issue

This PR relates to issue SOLIDUI: Add example as a template #104

Type of change

Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
This change requires a documentation update

How Has This Been Tested?

Verified the Mason template structure.
Created a new project using 'mason make solidui' and verified the generated files.
Verified the sync script 'support/sync_template_to_example.py' correctly updates the example app from the template.
Verified that 'flutter analyze' passes on the root project.

Checklist

I have performed a self-review of my code
I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
No lint check errors are related to these changes

This PR implements a Mason-based template for SolidUI applications. It includes: - A new templates/solidui/brick directory with the template files. - Replacing hardcoded values with Mason variables. - A mason.yaml file to register the brick. - A sync script support/sync_template_to_example.py to keep the example app in sync with the template. - Updated README.md with instructions on how to use the template with Mason. Closes anusii#104

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR implements a Mason-based template system for SolidUI applications, addressing issue #104. The template enables users to quickly scaffold new SolidUI applications using the Mason CLI tool, while maintaining the existing example app through a synchronization script.

Changes:

Added Mason brick template structure under templates/solidui/brick/ with configurable project name, description, and author variables
Created Python synchronization script to keep the example app in sync with the template
Updated README.md with Mason installation and usage instructions, replacing previous flutter create approach

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 16 out of 20 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`templates/solidui/brick/brick.yaml`	Mason brick configuration with template variables
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/pubspec.yaml`	Template pubspec with Mason variable substitution
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/lib/*.dart`	Template Dart source files including main, app, home, and utilities
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/lib/screens/*.dart`	Screen components for sample page and POD file browsing
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/lib/constants/app.dart`	App constants with template variable support
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/lib/home.dart.old`	Corrupted backup file that should be removed
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/assets/images/*`	Template app icons and images
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/analysis_options.yaml`	Linter configuration for generated projects
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/README.md`	Template README with variable substitution
`templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/.gitignore`	Comprehensive gitignore for Flutter projects
`support/sync_template_to_example.py`	Script to sync template changes to example directory
`mason.yaml`	Mason configuration registering the solidui brick
`example/lib/home.dart.old`	Corrupted backup file in example that should be removed
`README.md`	Updated quick start documentation for Mason-based workflow

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Copilot · 2026-02-19T23:57:42Z

templates/solidui/brick/brick.yaml

+description: A starting point for a SolidUI application.
+version: 0.0.1
+environment:
+  mason: 0.1.0-dev.50


The Mason version constraint 0.1.0-dev.50 specifies a pre-release development version. This may cause compatibility issues for users. Consider using a stable version constraint like ">=0.1.0-dev.50 <1.0.0" or update to a stable Mason version if available. This ensures better compatibility and stability for template users.

Suggested change

mason: 0.1.0-dev.50

mason: ">=0.1.0-dev.50 <1.0.0"

Copilot · 2026-02-19T23:57:42Z

support/sync_template_to_example.py

+    subprocess.run(['mason', 'get'], cwd=root_dir, check=True)
+
+    # 2. Run mason make to a temporary directory
+    temp_gen_dir = os.path.join(root_dir, '.temp_template_gen')
+    if os.path.exists(temp_gen_dir):
+        shutil.rmtree(temp_gen_dir)
+    os.makedirs(temp_gen_dir)
+
+    subprocess.run([
+        'mason', 'make', 'solidui',
+        '--projectName', 'myapp',
+        '--description', 'My App - A SolidUI Template Application',
+        '--author', 'Software Innovation Institute, ANU',
+        '-o', temp_gen_dir
+    ], cwd=root_dir, check=True)


The subprocess calls lack error handling beyond check=True. If mason is not installed or fails for other reasons, the error message may not be clear to users. Consider adding try-except blocks around the subprocess calls to provide more informative error messages, such as "Mason CLI not found. Please install it with: dart pub global activate mason_cli".

Copilot · 2026-02-19T23:57:42Z

support/sync_template_to_example.py

+
+    # 3. Copy generated files back to example
+    # Generated files are usually lib/, assets/, pubspec.yaml, etc.
+    gen_content_dir = os.path.join(temp_gen_dir) # mason make -o temp_gen_dir puts files directly there


Line 32 has a redundant os.path.join() call that doesn't add any path components. This can be simplified to gen_content_dir = temp_gen_dir. The comment already clarifies that mason outputs files directly to the specified directory.

Suggested change

gen_content_dir = os.path.join(temp_gen_dir) # mason make -o temp_gen_dir puts files directly there

gen_content_dir = temp_gen_dir # mason make -o temp_gen_dir puts files directly there

Copilot · 2026-02-19T23:57:43Z

README.md

+### Using Mason (Recommended)
+
+1. Install Mason:
+   ```bash
+   dart pub global activate mason_cli
+   ```
+2. Initialize Mason in your project (if not already):
+   ```bash
+   mason init
+   ```
+3. Add the SolidUI brick:
+   ```bash
+   mason add solidui --path templates/solidui/brick
+   ```
+4. Create a new app from the template:
+   ```bash
+   mason make solidui
+   ```


The instructions at step 3 use --path templates/solidui/brick which assumes the user is running the command from the SolidUI repository root. This won't work for external users who want to create a new SolidUI app. Consider clarifying this is for contributors, or provide instructions for external users to either: 1) Clone the repository first, or 2) Use a published brick URL when available. The instructions should differentiate between contributors and end-users.

Copilot · 2026-02-19T23:57:43Z

templates/solidui/brick/__brick__/pubspec.yaml

+  window_manager: ^0.5.1
+
+dev_dependencies:
+  flutter_lints: ^5.0.0


The template uses flutter_lints: ^5.0.0 while the main project uses flutter_lints: ^6.0.0. This version mismatch could lead to inconsistent linting rules between the template output and the main project. Consider updating the template to use ^6.0.0 to match the main project, or document the reason for the version difference.

Suggested change

flutter_lints: ^5.0.0

flutter_lints: ^6.0.0

tonypioneer · 2026-02-20T00:21:21Z

Hi @Amoghhosamane, as per #127 (comment), the solidui/example will be moved to a new repository and the solidpod/example will be moved to solidui/example. I’m not sure if we should include the current example as a template for now. We could discuss this with @gjwgit.

tonypioneer requested a review from Copilot February 19, 2026 23:52

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Add example as a template #104#212

Add example as a template #104#212
Amoghhosamane wants to merge 1 commit intoanusii:devfrom
Amoghhosamane:feature/issue-104-template

Amoghhosamane commented Feb 19, 2026 •

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	gen_content_dir = os.path.join(temp_gen_dir) # mason make -o temp_gen_dir puts files directly there
	gen_content_dir = temp_gen_dir # mason make -o temp_gen_dir puts files directly there

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Amoghhosamane commented Feb 19, 2026 •

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