LynxJS Elm

Compile Elm apps to native iOS/Android UIs via LynxJS.

This is a fork of the Elm compiler that replaces the browser DOM backend with LynxJS PAPI calls, letting you write Elm apps that render as native mobile views.

Install

stack build && stack install

Requires Nix (provides zlib). This installs lynxjs-elm to ~/.local/bin.

Usage

cd examples/counter
lynxjs-elm make src/Main.elm                          # → main.lynx.bundle (default)
lynxjs-elm make src/Main.elm --output=foo.lynx.bundle # → custom output name
lynxjs-elm make src/Main.elm --output=elm.js          # → raw JS only
lynxjs-elm dev src/Main.elm                           # dev server with watch

The compiler automatically installs its forked packages from embedded content — no setup scripts needed. Standard Elm packages are downloaded from package.elm-lang.org on first use.

Project layout

compiler/src/     # Core compiler: parser, type checker, code gen, AST
builder/src/      # Build system, package management, dependency resolution
terminal/src/     # CLI commands: Make.hs, Dev.hs, Init.hs, Install.hs, etc.
packages/         # Elm packages embedded into the compiler binary
  virtual-dom/    # LynxJS PAPI kernel (replaces DOM calls)
  browser/        # LynxJS page/flush lifecycle (replaces document.body)
  http/           # fetch-based kernel (replaces XMLHttpRequest)
  ui/             # LynxJS native element helpers (Lynx, Lynx.Attributes, Lynx.Events)
examples/         # Demo apps (counter, hello-world, http-example)

Embedded packages

The compiler embeds forked versions of elm/virtual-dom, elm/browser, elm/http, and the custom lynxjs-elm/ui package directly into the binary. When a project depends on these, the compiler installs them from embedded content instead of fetching from the package registry. The lynxjs-elm/ui package is also injected into the package registry so the dependency solver can resolve it.

• lynxjs-elm/ui — Native element constructors, attributes, and events
• lynxjs-elm/browser — Application lifecycle (sandbox, element, document)
• lynxjs-elm/http — Fetch-based HTTP requests
• lynxjs-elm/virtual-dom — Low-level virtual DOM with LynxJS PAPI
• lynxjs-elm/crypto — Elliptic curves and AEAD ciphers

Upstream repos: github.com/lynxjs-elm

Examples

• counter — TEA counter with increment/decrement buttons
• hello-world — Minimal static view
• http-example — HTTP requests with JSON decoding

cd examples/counter
lynxjs-elm make src/Main.elm