---
title: Platform Abstraction
sidebarTitle: Platform
---

The platform abstraction layer enables the Spacedrive interface to run on multiple platforms (Web, Tauri, React Native) while accessing platform-specific features.

## Problem

Spacedrive runs on:
- **Desktop** via Tauri (native file pickers, native dialogs)
- **Web** via browser (limited native APIs)
- **Mobile** via React Native (different native APIs)

We need a single codebase that works everywhere without `if (isTauri)` checks scattered throughout.

## Solution

The `Platform` type and `usePlatform()` hook provide a clean abstraction:

```tsx
// Component doesn't know or care which platform it's on
function FilePicker() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  const handlePickFile = async () => {
    if (platform.openFilePickerDialog) {
      const path = await platform.openFilePickerDialog({ multiple: false });
      console.log('Selected:', path);
    } else {
      // Fallback for platforms without native picker
      console.log('Use web file input instead');
    }
  };

  return <button onClick={handlePickFile}>Pick File</button>;
}
```

## Platform Type

```tsx
type Platform = {
  // Platform discriminator
  platform: "web" | "tauri";

  // Open native directory picker dialog (Tauri only)
  openDirectoryPickerDialog?(opts?: {
    title?: string;
    multiple?: boolean;
  }): Promise<string | string[] | null>;

  // Open native file picker dialog (Tauri only)
  openFilePickerDialog?(opts?: {
    title?: string;
    multiple?: boolean;
  }): Promise<string | string[] | null>;

  // Save file picker dialog (Tauri only)
  saveFilePickerDialog?(opts?: {
    title?: string;
    defaultPath?: string;
  }): Promise<string | null>;

  // Open a URL in the default browser
  openLink(url: string): void;

  // Show native confirmation dialog
  confirm(message: string, callback: (result: boolean) => void): void;
};
```

## Usage

### Setup

Wrap your app with `PlatformProvider`:

```tsx
import { PlatformProvider, Platform } from '@sd/interface';

// Tauri implementation
const tauriPlatform: Platform = {
  platform: 'tauri',
  openDirectoryPickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.open({
      directory: true,
      title: opts?.title,
      multiple: opts?.multiple,
    });
  },
  openFilePickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.open({
      directory: false,
      title: opts?.title,
      multiple: opts?.multiple,
    });
  },
  saveFilePickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.save({
      title: opts?.title,
      defaultPath: opts?.defaultPath,
    });
  },
  openLink: (url) => {
    window.__TAURI__.shell.open(url);
  },
  confirm: (message, callback) => {
    window.__TAURI__.dialog.confirm(message).then(callback);
  },
};

// Web implementation
const webPlatform: Platform = {
  platform: 'web',
  // No native dialogs
  openLink: (url) => {
    window.open(url, '_blank');
  },
  confirm: (message, callback) => {
    callback(window.confirm(message));
  },
};

function App() {
  const platform = window.__TAURI__ ? tauriPlatform : webPlatform;

  return (
    <PlatformProvider platform={platform}>
      <YourApp />
    </PlatformProvider>
  );
}
```

### Using in Components

```tsx
import { usePlatform } from '@sd/interface';

function AddLocationButton() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  const handleAddLocation = async () => {
    // Check if native picker is available
    if (platform.openDirectoryPickerDialog) {
      const path = await platform.openDirectoryPickerDialog({
        title: 'Select folder to index',
        multiple: false,
      });

      if (path && typeof path === 'string') {
        // Create location with selected path
        await createLocation({ path });
      }
    } else {
      // Web fallback: show manual path input
      showManualPathDialog();
    }
  };

  return (
    <button onClick={handleAddLocation}>
      Add Location
    </button>
  );
}
```

### Opening External Links

```tsx
function HelpButton() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  return (
    <button onClick={() => platform.openLink('https://spacedrive.com/docs')}>
      Open Documentation
    </button>
  );
}
```

### Confirmation Dialogs

```tsx
function DeleteButton({ itemName }: { itemName: string }) {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  const handleDelete = () => {
    platform.confirm(
      `Are you sure you want to delete "${itemName}"?`,
      (confirmed) => {
        if (confirmed) {
          performDelete();
        }
      }
    );
  };

  return <button onClick={handleDelete}>Delete</button>;
}
```

## Checking Platform Type

```tsx
function FeatureGate() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  if (platform.platform === 'web') {
    return <div>Web-specific UI</div>;
  }

  return <div>Desktop-specific UI</div>;
}
```

## Optional Methods Pattern

All platform-specific methods are **optional** (marked with `?`). This enables:

1. **Graceful degradation** - Components can check availability and provide fallbacks
2. **Type safety** - TypeScript enforces checking before calling
3. **Platform flexibility** - New platforms can implement only what they support

```tsx
// Good - checks availability
if (platform.openFilePickerDialog) {
  await platform.openFilePickerDialog();
} else {
  // Fallback for platforms without native picker
}

// Bad - will error at runtime on web
await platform.openFilePickerDialog(); // Type error!
```

## Adding New Platform Methods

To add a new platform capability:

1. Update the `Platform` type in `platform.tsx`
2. Implement for each platform (Tauri, Web, React Native)
3. Use with optional chaining in components

```tsx
// 1. Add to Platform type
type Platform = {
  // ... existing methods

  // New method
  showNotification?(opts: {
    title: string;
    body: string;
  }): void;
};

// 2. Implement for Tauri
const tauriPlatform: Platform = {
  // ... existing methods

  showNotification: (opts) => {
    window.__TAURI__.notification.sendNotification(opts);
  },
};

// 3. Implement for Web
const webPlatform: Platform = {
  // ... existing methods

  showNotification: (opts) => {
    if ('Notification' in window && Notification.permission === 'granted') {
      new Notification(opts.title, { body: opts.body });
    }
  },
};

// 4. Use in components
function NotifyButton() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  const notify = () => {
    platform.showNotification?.({
      title: 'Hello',
      body: 'World',
    });
  };

  return <button onClick={notify}>Notify</button>;
}
```

## Best Practices

### Provide Fallbacks

Always have a fallback for platforms without the feature:

```tsx
// Good
const pickFile = async () => {
  if (platform.openFilePickerDialog) {
    return await platform.openFilePickerDialog();
  } else {
    // Show web file input or manual path entry
    return await showWebFilePicker();
  }
};

// Bad - feature just doesn't work on some platforms
const pickFile = async () => {
  return await platform.openFilePickerDialog?.();
  // Returns undefined on web, no fallback!
};
```

### Don't Check Platform String

Avoid checking `platform.platform` directly. Check method availability instead:

```tsx
// Good - feature detection
if (platform.openDirectoryPickerDialog) {
  // Use native picker
}

// Bad - platform detection
if (platform.platform === 'tauri') {
  // Assumes Tauri = has picker (maybe not in future)
}
```

### Keep Platform Logic Minimal

Platform-specific code should be minimal. Most logic should be platform-agnostic:

```tsx
// Good - only picker is platform-specific
async function addLocation() {
  const path = await pickDirectory(); // Platform abstraction
  const location = createLocationFromPath(path); // Platform-agnostic
  await saveLocation(location); // Platform-agnostic
  showSuccessMessage(); // Platform-agnostic
}

// Bad - too much platform-specific code
async function addLocationTauri() {
  // Entire flow is Tauri-specific, can't reuse
}
async function addLocationWeb() {
  // Duplicate logic for web
}
```

### Use Context, Not Props

Use `usePlatform()` hook instead of prop drilling:

```tsx
// Good
function DeepComponent() {
  const platform = usePlatform(); // Available anywhere
}

// Bad
function Parent() {
  return <Child platform={platform} />;
}
function Child({ platform }: { platform: Platform }) {
  return <GrandChild platform={platform} />;
}
```

## Platform Implementations

### Tauri

```tsx
const tauriPlatform: Platform = {
  platform: 'tauri',
  openDirectoryPickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.open({
      directory: true,
      title: opts?.title,
      multiple: opts?.multiple,
    });
  },
  openFilePickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.open({
      directory: false,
      title: opts?.title,
      multiple: opts?.multiple,
    });
  },
  saveFilePickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    return await window.__TAURI__.dialog.save({
      title: opts?.title,
      defaultPath: opts?.defaultPath,
    });
  },
  openLink: (url) => {
    window.__TAURI__.shell.open(url);
  },
  confirm: (message, callback) => {
    window.__TAURI__.dialog.confirm(message).then(callback);
  },
};
```

### Web

```tsx
const webPlatform: Platform = {
  platform: 'web',
  openLink: (url) => {
    window.open(url, '_blank');
  },
  confirm: (message, callback) => {
    callback(window.confirm(message));
  },
  // Native pickers not available
};
```

### React Native (Future)

```tsx
const rnPlatform: Platform = {
  platform: 'mobile',
  openDirectoryPickerDialog: async (opts) => {
    // Use react-native-document-picker or similar
    return await DocumentPicker.pickDirectory();
  },
  openLink: (url) => {
    Linking.openURL(url);
  },
  confirm: (message, callback) => {
    Alert.alert(
      'Confirm',
      message,
      [
        { text: 'Cancel', onPress: () => callback(false) },
        { text: 'OK', onPress: () => callback(true) },
      ]
    );
  },
};
```

## Error Handling

```tsx
async function pickFile() {
  const platform = usePlatform();

  if (!platform.openFilePickerDialog) {
    throw new Error('File picker not available on this platform');
  }

  try {
    const path = await platform.openFilePickerDialog();
    if (!path) {
      // User cancelled
      return null;
    }
    return path;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to pick file:', error);
    return null;
  }
}
```

## Summary

The platform abstraction layer:

- **Single codebase** works on Web, Tauri, and React Native
- **Clean API** via `usePlatform()` hook
- **Type-safe** with optional methods
- **Graceful degradation** with feature detection
- **Minimal boilerplate** using React Context
- **Easy to extend** with new platform methods

Use it whenever you need platform-specific functionality like native dialogs, file pickers, or shell commands.