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https://github.com/joelklabo/appmaker

Create production-ready iOS apps with just a name
https://github.com/joelklabo/appmaker

app-generator cli-tool developer-tools ios swift swiftui xcode

Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Create production-ready iOS apps with just a name

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README 

          
# AppMaker



A straightforward iOS app generator that creates working apps in 5 seconds.



## The Complete Journey: Idea to App Store 



### Sarah's Story: From Coffee Shop Idea to Live App



Sarah runs a small coffee shop. She's never coded before, but she has an idea: a loyalty stamp app for her customers. Here's her actual journey from zero to App Store:



#### Day 1, 9:00 AM - The Idea



"I need a simple app where customers earn stamps and get a free coffee after 10 stamps."



#### 9:05 AM - Installation



```bash

# Sarah installs the required tools (one time only)

$ brew install xcodegen

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/joelklabo/appmaker/main/install.sh | bash

$ source ~/.zshrc

```



#### 9:10 AM - Creating the App



```bash

$ appmaker CoffeeCard

🔵 Creating CoffeeCard...

✅ Done!



Next steps:

  cd CoffeeCard

  make dev

```



#### 9:11 AM - First Run



```bash

$ cd CoffeeCard

$ make dev

⚙️  Generating project...

✅ Created project at CoffeeCard.xcodeproj

```



Xcode opens automatically. Sarah presses Cmd+R. The app is running! She can add items, edit them, delete them. But it's generic - it's about "Items" not coffee stamps.



#### 9:20 AM - Making It Her Own



Sarah realizes the app already does 90% of what she needs. She just needs to rename "Item" to "Customer" and add stamp tracking. She opens `Models/Item.swift` and modifies it:



```swift

@Model

final class Item {

    var title: String        // Change to customer name

    var details: String      // Change to phone number

    var isComplete: Bool     // Change to hasFreeCoffee

    var createdAt: Date

    

    // Add a computed property for stamp count

    var stampCount: Int {

        // For now, track stamps in the details field

        Int(details) ?? 0

    }

    

    init(title: String = "", details: String = "0", isComplete: Bool = false) {

        self.title = title

        self.details = details

        self.isComplete = stampCount >= 10

        self.createdAt = Date()

    }

}

```



Sarah realizes she can use the existing fields creatively:

- `title` = Customer Name

- `details` = Stamp Count (as a string)

- `isComplete` = Has Free Coffee (when stamps >= 10)



She updates `Views/ContentView.swift` to change the UI labels:



```swift

.navigationTitle("Coffee Cards")  // was "Items"

// ... 

Label("Add Customer", systemImage: "plus")  // was "Add Item"

```



#### 9:30 AM - Testing on Her iPhone



```bash

$ make device

🔧 Configuring for device testing...

1. Connect your iPhone via USB

2. Open CoffeeCard.xcodeproj

3. Select your device from the device menu

4. Press Cmd+R to run



First time setup:

- You'll need to trust the developer certificate on your iPhone

- Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → Developer App

```



Sarah connects her iPhone, selects it in Xcode, and presses Cmd+R. After trusting the developer certificate, the app runs on her phone!



#### 9:45 AM - Preparing for the App Store



Sarah needs an Apple Developer account. She signs up at developer.apple.com ($99/year).



While waiting for approval, she prepares her app:



```bash

$ make appstore

🎨 Generating placeholder app icon...

✅ Icon placeholder created

📄 Creating privacy policy...

📸 Screenshot guidelines saved to AppStoreAssets/README.txt

📱 App Store Checklist:

  ✅ Code signing configured

  ✅ App icon generated (basic)

  ✅ Privacy policy created

  ✅ Screenshots captured

  ⚠️  Need Apple Developer Account ($99/year)



Next: make testflight

```



#### 10:00 AM - Creating an Icon



Sarah opens `Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/` and replaces the placeholder with a simple coffee cup icon she made in Canva (1024x1024 PNG).



#### 10:30 AM - Apple Developer Account Approved



Sarah configures her signing in Xcode:

1. Opens project settings

2. Selects her team (now showing her developer account)

3. Bundle identifier is already set to `com.appmaker.CoffeeCard`



#### 10:45 AM - Building for TestFlight



```bash

$ make testflight

🚀 Building for TestFlight...

✅ Archive created at build/CoffeeCard.xcarchive



Next steps:

1. Open Xcode → Window → Organizer

2. Select your archive and click 'Distribute App'

3. Choose 'TestFlight & App Store'

4. Follow the upload wizard



After upload completes:

- Your app will be available in TestFlight within 5-10 minutes

- Share the TestFlight link with testers

```



Sarah follows the steps. The upload wizard in Xcode handles everything. 15 minutes later, she gets an email: "CoffeeCard is ready to test."



#### 11:00 AM - Testing with Staff



Sarah shares the TestFlight link with her baristas. They download the beta and start testing. They love how simple it is!



#### Day 2, 9:00 AM - Submitting to App Store



Sarah takes screenshots on her iPhone and prepares for submission:



```bash

$ make submit

📤 Submitting to App Store...



Final steps in App Store Connect:

1. Go to https://appstoreconnect.apple.com

2. Select your app

3. Fill in:

   - App description

   - Keywords  

   - Support URL (use your website)

   - Marketing URL (optional)

4. Upload screenshots from AppStoreAssets/

5. Select your build from TestFlight

6. Submit for review



✅ Typical review time: 24-48 hours

```



Sarah logs into App Store Connect and fills in:

- **Description**: "Simple loyalty card tracker for CoffeeCard customers. Earn stamps with each purchase and get a free coffee after 10 stamps!"

- **Keywords**: coffee, loyalty, stamps, rewards, cafe

- **Support URL**: https://coffeecard.example.com

- **Screenshots**: The ones she took on her iPhone



She submits for review.



#### Day 3, 2:00 PM - App Approved!



Email from Apple: "CoffeeCard is now live on the App Store."



Sarah searches for her app. There it is! She downloads it, adds her first customer, gives them a stamp. It works perfectly.



#### The Real Numbers



- **Total time invested**: ~2 hours over 3 days

- **Actual coding time**: 20 minutes (just renaming fields)

- **Cost**: $99/year Apple Developer fee

- **Lines of code written**: ~10 (just label changes)

- **Result**: A real app on the App Store that her customers use every day



#### What Made This Possible



1. AppMaker generated a complete, working app

2. The app was already 90% of what Sarah needed

3. No complex setup or configuration required

4. Clear next steps at every stage

5. Everything just worked



---



*"I thought making an app would take months and thousands of dollars. Instead, I had one running in 10 minutes and on the App Store in 3 days." - Sarah*



## What It Does



Creates a complete, working iOS app with SwiftUI, SwiftData, and a clean architecture. Every app includes full CRUD functionality, persistence, and a modern UI.



## What You Get



Every generated app includes:

- ✅ **Working code** that builds and runs immediately

- ✅ **Full CRUD** - Create, Read, Update, Delete functionality

- ✅ **SwiftData persistence** - Data saves between launches

- ✅ **Modern UI** - NavigationStack, sheets, forms, all configured

- ✅ **Clean architecture** - Organized into Models, Views, and App

- ✅ **Development tools** - Makefile, git repo, proper structure



## Example: Building an App



```bash

$ appmaker TodoList



Creating TodoList...

✅ Done!



Next steps:

  cd TodoList

  make dev



$ cd TodoList

$ make build

# Build succeeds - exit code 0



$ make dev

# Opens in Xcode - press Cmd+R to run

```



### What You Get



```

TodoList/

├── Makefile                    # make dev, test, build, appstore, testflight

├── project.yml                 # XcodeGen configuration

├── Info.plist                  # iOS app configuration

├── README.md                   # Quick start guide

├── TodoList/

│   └── TodoListApp.swift      # @main entry point with SwiftData

├── Models/

│   └── Item.swift             # Generic Item model (rename for your domain)

├── Views/

│   ├── ContentView.swift      # Main list view

│   ├── ItemDetailView.swift   # Edit existing items

│   └── AddItemView.swift      # Add new items

├── Assets.xcassets/

│   └── AppIcon.appiconset/    # App icon placeholder

└── scripts/

    └── generate_icon.sh       # Icon generation helper

```



### What Actually Works (Immediately)



Press Cmd+R. The app runs. You can:

- Add new items with title and details

- View items in a list sorted by creation date

- Edit item details by tapping on them

- Mark items as complete

- Delete items with swipe gestures

- All data persists between app launches



No setup. No configuration. It just works.



### The Generated Code



**Models/Item.swift** (Ready to customize):

```swift

@Model

final class Item {

    var title: String

    var details: String

    var isComplete: Bool

    var createdAt: Date

    

    init(title: String = "", details: String = "", isComplete: Bool = false) {

        self.title = title

        self.details = details

        self.isComplete = isComplete

        self.createdAt = Date()

    }

}

```



**Views/ContentView.swift** (Complete UI):

```swift

struct ContentView: View {

    @Environment(\.modelContext) private var modelContext

    @Query(sort: \Item.createdAt, order: .reverse) private var items: [Item]

    @State private var showingAddItem = false



    var body: some View {

        NavigationStack {

            List {

                ForEach(items) { item in

                    NavigationLink {

                        ItemDetailView(item: item)

                    } label: {

                        ItemRow(item: item)

                    }

                }

                .onDelete(perform: deleteItems)

            }

            .navigationTitle("Items")

            .toolbar {

                ToolbarItem(placement: .navigationBarTrailing) {

                    Button(action: { showingAddItem.toggle() }) {

                        Label("Add Item", systemImage: "plus")

                    }

                }

            }

            .sheet(isPresented: $showingAddItem) {

                AddItemView()

            }

        }

    }

}

```



### Customizing for Your Domain (5 minutes)



The generated app is intentionally generic. Here's how to make it yours:



1. **Rename the model** to match your domain:

```swift

// Change Item to whatever you're tracking

@Model

final class Recipe {  // was Item

    var name: String      // was title

    var ingredients: String  // was details

    var isFavorite: Bool    // was isComplete

    var createdAt: Date

}

```



2. **Update the UI labels**:

```swift

.navigationTitle("My Recipes")  // was "Items"

Label("Add Recipe", systemImage: "plus")  // was "Add Item"

```



3. **Add domain-specific features**:

```swift

// Add computed properties

var ingredientCount: Int {

    ingredients.split(separator: ",").count

}



// Add methods

func toggleFavorite() {

    isFavorite.toggle()

}

```



The architecture is simple and flexible - perfect for rapid customization.



## Quick Demo



```bash

$ appmaker TodoApp

🔵 Creating TodoApp...

✅ Done!



Next steps:

  cd TodoApp

  make dev



$ cd TodoApp

$ make build

# Builds successfully if iPhone 15 simulator is available

```



## Installation



```bash

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/joelklabo/appmaker/main/install.sh | bash

source ~/.zshrc

```



Requirements:

- macOS with Xcode

- `brew install xcodegen` (if not installed)



## How It Works



1. **Creates** a complete project structure

2. **Generates** SwiftUI + SwiftData code

3. **Configures** XcodeGen project

4. **Initializes** git repository

5. **Opens** Xcode when you run `make dev`



No configuration files. No options. No complexity.



## Design Decisions



- **Bash**: No dependencies, works everywhere

- **XcodeGen**: Eliminates .xcodeproj conflicts

- **SwiftData**: Modern persistence that just works

- **Generic Model**: Flexible starting point for any app

- **Model-View**: Simple, native SwiftUI patterns

- **Makefile**: Consistent commands across all projects



## What This Is Not



- Not a framework (generates standard Swift)

- Not a template engine (creates real projects)

- Not configurable (opinionated defaults)

- Not complex (under 500 lines of bash)



## More Examples



```bash

# Create any app - they all start with the same flexible base

appmaker RecipeBook    # Rename Item to Recipe

appmaker ExpenseTracker  # Item becomes Expense 

appmaker BookLibrary    # Item becomes Book

appmaker WorkoutLog     # Item becomes Workout



# The pattern is always the same:

# 1. Generate the app

# 2. Rename Item to your domain object

# 3. Customize the fields

# 4. Ship it

```



## The Point



You have an idea. You want to build it. Not configure it.



```bash

appmaker YourIdea

```



AppMaker gives you a working app in seconds. The rest is up to you.



## Source



The entire tool is one file: [appmaker](appmaker)



Read it. Fork it. Improve it.



## The Carmack Standard



What would John Carmack do? Make it work perfectly, make it fast, make it simple.



AppMaker:

- **Works perfectly**: Every generated app builds and runs

- **Fast**: 5 seconds from idea to working app

- **Simple**: One command, zero configuration



The intelligence is hidden. The complexity is handled. You just build.



---



*"Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability." - Edsger Dijkstra*