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Opens your native mobile project in the appropriate IDE (Android Studio for Android, Xcode for iOS).

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Syntax

php artisan native:open [os]

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Arguments

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os

Platform to open. Optional.
  • ios - Open in Xcode
  • android - Open in Android Studio
If not specified:
  • If only one platform is installed, opens automatically
  • If both are installed, you’ll be prompted to choose

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Examples

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Open Android project

php artisan native:open android
Opens nativephp/android/ in Android Studio.

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Open iOS project

php artisan native:open ios
Opens nativephp/ios/NativePHP.xcworkspace in Xcode.

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Auto-detect and open

php artisan native:open
Automatically opens the installed platform, or prompts if both exist.

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What it does

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Android

  1. Checks that nativephp/android/ exists
  2. Launches Android Studio with the project
  3. Opens in the default or running Android Studio instance
Opens: nativephp/android/build.gradle

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iOS

  1. Checks that nativephp/ios/ exists
  2. Opens the Xcode workspace (not project)
  3. Launches Xcode
Opens: nativephp/ios/NativePHP.xcworkspace

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Requirements

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Android

Android Studio must be installed:
  • macOS: /Applications/Android Studio.app
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio
  • Linux: /opt/android-studio or via snap
If Android Studio is in a custom location, it will attempt to find it via PATH.

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iOS

Xcode must be installed (macOS only): Run xcode-select --install if command-line tools are missing.

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Use cases

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Debug native code

Open the project to set breakpoints in Kotlin (Android) or Swift (iOS): 
php artisan native:open android
Then debug from Android Studio/Xcode.

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Modify native configuration

Edit platform-specific files:
  • AndroidManifest.xml
  • Info.plist
  • Gradle build scripts
  • Xcode project settings

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Add native dependencies

Use the IDE to add libraries:
  • Android: Add to build.gradle
  • iOS: Add via Swift Package Manager or CocoaPods

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Run platform tools

Access IDE-specific tools:
  • Android: Logcat, Layout Inspector, Profiler
  • iOS: Instruments, View Debugger, Console

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Common workflows

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First-time setup

After native:install, open to verify setup: 
php artisan native:install android
php artisan native:open android
Verify that:
  • Project loads without errors
  • SDK versions are correct
  • No missing dependencies

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Fix native build errors

If native:run fails with native errors: 
php artisan native:open android
Then:
  1. Check error messages in IDE
  2. Fix configuration issues
  3. Sync Gradle/rebuild project
  4. Run again from terminal

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Configure signing

Open to verify/configure signing: 
php artisan native:open android
  • Android: Build > Generate Signed Bundle/APK
  • iOS: Signing & Capabilities tab

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Inspect UI

Debug UI issues: 
php artisan native:run android
php artisan native:open android
Then use:
  • Android: Layout Inspector (Tools > Layout Inspector)
  • iOS: View Debugger (Debug > View Debugging)

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Troubleshooting

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”No platform projects found”

Run install first: 
php artisan native:install

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Android Studio doesn’t open

Check installation: 
# macOS
open -a "Android Studio"

# Linux
android-studio

# Windows
start "" "C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio\bin\studio64.exe"
If not found, install from developer.android.com/studio

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Xcode doesn’t open

Install Xcode from Mac App Store, then: 
sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
xcode-select --install

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Wrong project type opened

For iOS, ensure opening .xcworkspace not .xcodeproj: 
# Correct
open nativephp/ios/NativePHP.xcworkspace

# Wrong (missing CocoaPods)
open nativephp/ios/NativePHP.xcodeproj

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Tips

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macOS keyboard shortcut

Create an alias: 
alias oa="php artisan native:open android"
alias oi="php artisan native:open ios"

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Keep IDE open

Keep Android Studio/Xcode open while developing for faster iterations.

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Sync after changes

If you modify native files outside the IDE:
  • Android: File > Sync Project with Gradle Files
  • iOS: Clean Build Folder (Cmd+Shift+K)

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See also

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