Distribute CLI #

distribute_cli is a command-line utility designed to streamline the process of building and distributing your Flutter applications.

Installation #

To install distribute_cli, please follow these steps:

• Activate the CLI
  Execute the following command to globally activate distribute_cli:

  dart pub global activate distribute_cli
  

Prerequisites #

Ensure the following tools are installed before proceeding:

• Fastlane (for Android distribution):
  Follow the installation guide available at fastlane.tools.

• Firebase CLI (optional, for Firebase App Distribution):
  Install Firebase CLI by running:

  npm install -g firebase-tools
  

• Xcode Command Line Tools (for iOS builds):
  Install Xcode and verify that xcrun is accessible.

• Git:
  Ensure Git is installed and configured for generating changelogs.

• Google Cloud Service Account Key (for Fastlane):
  Obtain the JSON key file for your Google Cloud service account. This is required for Fastlane to upload Android builds to the Play Store.

Environment Configuration #

When you run distribute init, a .distribution.env file will be automatically generated with the following structure:

# Android Configuration
ANDROID_BUILD=true
ANDROID_DISTRIBUTE=true
ANDROID_PACKAGE_NAME=
ANDROID_FIREBASE_APP_ID=
ANDROID_FIREBASE_GROUPS=

# iOS Configuration
IOS_BUILD=true
IOS_DISTRIBUTE=true
IOS_DISTRIBUTION_USER=
IOS_DISTRIBUTION_PASSWORD=

# Distribution Options
USE_FASTLANE=true
USE_FIREBASE=false

Additionally, a distribution directory will be created.
It is recommended to add both .distribution.env and the distribution directory to your .gitignore file to prevent committing sensitive information:

.distribution.env
distribution/

Populating the .distribution.env File #

1. ANDROID_BUILD:
   Set to true to enable Android builds.

2. ANDROID_DISTRIBUTE:
   Set to true to enable Android distribution after building.

3. ANDROID_PACKAGE_NAME:
   Specify your app's package name (e.g., com.example.app).

4. ANDROID_FIREBASE_APP_ID:
   Provide your Firebase App ID if using Firebase App Distribution. Leave blank otherwise.

5. ANDROID_FIREBASE_GROUPS:
   List Firebase tester groups (comma-separated) for distribution. Leave blank if not applicable.

6. IOS_BUILD:
   Set to true to enable iOS builds.

7. IOS_DISTRIBUTE:
   Set to true to enable iOS distribution after building.

8. IOS_DISTRIBUTION_USER:
   Provide your Apple ID for App Store distribution.

9. IOS_DISTRIBUTION_PASSWORD:
   Provide your app-specific password for App Store distribution. You can generate it from Apple ID settings.

10. USE_FASTLANE:
    Set to true to enable Fastlane for Android distribution.

11. USE_FIREBASE:
    Set to true to enable Firebase App Distribution.

Adding the distribution/fastlane.json File #

1. Visit the Google Cloud Console.
2. Navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Select or create a service account with Editor or Release Manager permissions for your Play Store project.
4. Generate a JSON key for the service account and download it.
5. Place the JSON key file in the distribution directory and name it fastlane.json.

Ensure your project directory is structured as follows:

your_project_directory
  ├── lib
  ├── distribution
      ├── fastlane.json

Usage Instructions #

1. Install the CLI
   Run the following command to globally install distribute_cli:

   dart pub global activate distribute_cli
   

2. Initialize Distribution
   Execute this command in your project directory to set up the distribution environment:

   dart run distribute init
   

3. Build Your Project
   Use the following command to build your project. Include the -p flag to automatically upload the build:

   dart run distribute build -p
   

4. Publish Your Project
   To publish your project without building, run:

   dart run distribute publish
   

For additional arguments and details, refer to the sections below.

Command Reference #

Run commands to build and distribute your app packages:

distribute <command> [arguments]

Global Options #

• -h, --help
  Display usage information.

• --config_path
  Specify the path to the configuration file.
  (defaults to .distribution.env)

• -v, --[no-]verbose
  Enable verbose output.

• -l, --[no-]process_logs
  Enable process logs.

Available Commands #

init

Initialize the distribution tool:

distribute init

build

Build the application:

distribute build [arguments]

Options:

• -p, --[no-]publish
  Automatically distribute Android builds.

• --[no]-android
  Build Android.
  (enabled by default)

• --[no]-ios
  Build iOS.
  (enabled by default)

• --android_args
  Specify additional arguments for Android builds.
  (defaults to "")

• --ios_args
  Specify additional arguments for iOS builds.
  (defaults to "")

• --custom_args=<macos:macos,windows:windows,ios:ipa,android_apk:apk>
  Provide custom arguments in the format key:args,key:args. These will be executed as flutter build <args>.
  (defaults to "")

publish

Distribute the application:

distribute publish [arguments]

Options:

• --[no-]android
  Build and distribute Android.
  (enabled by default)

• --[no-]ios
  Build and distribute iOS.
  (enabled by default)

• --[no-]firebase
  Use Firebase for distribution.

• --[no-]fastlane
  Use Fastlane for distribution.
  (enabled by default)

License #

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For more details, refer to the LICENSE file.