magdev
26124266e7
packaging/linux/build-appimage.sh produces a single-file Linux
AppImage from a built host + Symfony tree + FrankenPHP binary.
Auto-downloads (cached in tools/, gitignored) the three pieces of
upstream tooling:
- linuxdeploy + linuxdeploy-plugin-qt — gathers Qt runtime and QML
modules into the AppDir, and bundles the offscreen platform
plugin via EXTRA_PLATFORM_PLUGINS so headless CI can smoke it.
- appimagetool — squashes the AppDir into the .AppImage.
- runtime-x86_64 — appimagetool's prepended runtime stub, fetched
once and passed via --runtime-file (ad-hoc downloads stalled on
some networks).
The two stages are kept separate (linuxdeploy stages, then we invoke
appimagetool ourselves) so failures are observable rather than
swallowed by linuxdeploy's bundled-tool path.
AppDir layout matches BackendConnection's resolve* fallbacks:
AppDir/usr/bin/<app>
AppDir/usr/bin/frankenphp
AppDir/usr/share/<app>/symfony/
AppDir/usr/share/<app>/Caddyfile
examples/todo gets `make appimage`: stages a no-dev composer install
into build/staging-symfony, points the path repo at the bundle's
absolute path so Composer can find php-qml/bridge from the staging
dir, then drives build-appimage.sh. Output:
build/Todo-x86_64.AppImage (~104 MB).
Verified locally: `make appimage` produces a working AppImage; mount
+ inspect + extract all clean. Headless run requires the bundled
offscreen plugin (now wired); a real desktop launches it normally.
Includes a 64×64 placeholder PNG icon (todo.png) and a minimal
.desktop file for the example.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
php-qml
A framework for building native desktop applications with a Symfony / FrankenPHP backend and a Qt/QML frontend, packaged as a single distributable per OS.
Status
Planning stage. The architectural design lives in PLAN.md. No implementation exists yet — first code lands in Phase 0 (a throwaway transport spike). See the roadmap.
What it is
php-qml lets a PHP developer write a desktop application using ordinary Symfony on the backend and ordinary QML on the frontend. The two halves run as a process pair inside one bundled binary:
- A Qt/QML host process owns the window, input, and rendering.
- A bundled FrankenPHP child runs a Symfony application in worker mode.
- They communicate over a local socket — HTTP for commands and queries, Mercure SSE for state push.
The framework provides the lifecycle, transport, reactive models, and scaffolding so application code stays idiomatic on both sides.
What it is not
Not a PHP↔Qt language binding. It does not embed PHP into a Qt event loop and it does not generate Qt classes from PHP. The two languages run in separate processes; the bridge is a wire protocol, not an FFI layer.
If you've watched php-gtk and php-qt go quiet, that is the failure mode this project deliberately avoids — the framework owns the boring parts (lifecycle, transport, conventions) so it doesn't depend on a single maintainer keeping a language binding alive.
Tech stack
- Backend: PHP 8.x, Symfony, Doctrine ORM, FrankenPHP (worker mode), Mercure
- Frontend: Qt 6 LTS, QML, C++ plugin where required
- Build: CMake, Composer
- CI: Gitea Actions, Gitea Releases
- Targets: Linux (AppImage), macOS (
.app+.dmg), Windows (NSIS / MSIX)
Getting started
Nothing to run yet. Once Phase 0 lands:
- Clone the repository and check out the
devbranch. - Install Qt 6 and PHP 8.x; the FrankenPHP runtime is fetched at build time.
task dev— starts FrankenPHP in watch mode and launches the Qt host pointed at it.
Detailed setup will be documented alongside the framework skeleton in Phase 1.
Project structure
See PLAN.md §9 for the intended layout. The repo currently contains only PLAN.md and this README.
Roadmap
Six phases, each ending with something runnable. Detail in PLAN.md §13.
- Phase 0 — throwaway spike, prove transport on Linux.
- Phase 1 — framework skeleton, dev mode, single-instance lock, CI quality gate.
- Phase 2 — reactive models, update semantics, headline maker (
make:bridge:resource). - Phase 3 — POC todo application generated via the makers; testing infrastructure.
- Phase 4 — bundled mode, per-OS packaging, release CI, auto-update.
- Phase 5 — DX polish.
Contributing
Active development happens on the dev branch; main only carries release commits. Pull requests target dev.
A CONTRIBUTING.md will be added with the framework skeleton in Phase 1.
Versioning
Semantic Versioning — MAJOR.MINOR.BUGFIX. MAJOR for breaking changes, MINOR for backwards-compatible features, BUGFIX for backwards-compatible fixes.
License
To be decided before the first release. The framework's own code will be permissively licensed; note that Qt is shipped under LGPL and that carries obligations for distributors — see PLAN.md §12 (Qt LGPL relinkability).