Meet the pieces before building the window
Ailloli UI helps Rust applications build native desktop interfaces from small, composable pieces. This first chapter shows you the map, the prerequisites, and where the book will take you.
Check the prerequisitesOutcome: you will know what Ailloli UI does, what you need to begin, and how an app becomes a visible native interface.
01
Prepare your Rust toolbox
You do not need to be a Rust expert. If these three foundations are ready, the next chapter can focus entirely on your first window.
Comfort with basic Rust
Knowing variables, functions, structs, closures, and Result is enough. The Rust Book is a friendly place to fill any gap.
Open the Rust BookCargo available
Cargo creates the project, resolves Ailloli UI, builds the native stack, and runs your program.
Install Rust and CargoRust 1.88 or newer
Ailloli UI 0.1.0-beta.2 declares Rust 1.88 as its minimum supported Rust version.
02
Follow the path from idea to pixels
Four public building blocks form the mental model used throughout this book. You can learn them one at a time.
App
The application builder gathers state, actions, services, and the windows that exist when the program starts.
Window
A window has a stable logical identifier, a title, a size, and a content closure that describes its interface.
View
A view is the retained UI description built from your content closure. The runtime can rebuild only what an invalidation requires.
Widget
Text, buttons, rows, cards, tables, and other widgets are small pieces you compose into the final view.
Keep these nearby
Try it yourself
Exercise: prepare your launch pad
Before writing UI code, make sure the toolchain can support the examples that follow.
- 1Run rustc --version and confirm that the result is 1.88.0 or newer.
- 2Run cargo --version, then choose a short name for the tiny app you want to build through the book.
If Rust is older than 1.88, update the active toolchain with rustup before continuing.
Both commands respond successfully and you can explain the roles of App, Window, View, and Widget in one sentence each.