Create your multiplatform project

Create the project with a wizard

To begin, create a sample project. This is best achieved with the Kotlin Multiplatform web wizard:

1. Open the Kotlin Multiplatform wizard.

2. On the New project tab, change the project name to "ComposeDemo".

3. Select the Android and Desktop options.

4. If you use Mac, add iOS as well. Make sure that the Share UI option is selected.

5. Click the download button and unpack the resulting archive.

Examine the project structure

1. Launch Android Studio.

2. On the welcome screen, click Open or select File | Open in the editor.

3. Navigate to the unpacked "ComposeDemo" folder and click Open.

   Android Studio detects that the folder contains a Gradle build file and opens the folder as a new project.

   If you didn't select iOS in the wizard, you won't have the folders whose names begin with "ios" or "apple".

4. The default view in Android Studio is optimized for Android development. To see the full file structure of the project, which is more convenient for multiplatform development, switch the view from Android to Project:

   

The project contains two modules:

• composeApp is a Kotlin module that contains the logic common for Android, desktop, and iOS applications – the code you share between platforms. It uses Gradle as the build system that helps you automate your build process.

• iosApp is an Xcode project that builds into an iOS application. It depends on and uses the shared module as an iOS framework.

  

The composeApp module consists of four source sets: androidMain, commonMain, desktopMain, and iosMain. A source set is a Gradle concept for a number of files logically grouped together where each group has its own dependencies. In Kotlin Multiplatform, different source sets can target different platforms.

The commonMain source set uses the common Kotlin code, and platform source sets use Kotlin code specific to each target. Kotlin/JVM is used for androidMain and desktopMain. Kotlin/Native is used for iosMain.

When the shared module is built into an Android library, common Kotlin code gets treated as Kotlin/JVM. When it is built into an iOS framework, common Kotlin code gets treated as Kotlin/Native:

In general, write your implementation as common code whenever possible instead of duplicating functionality in platform-specific source sets.

In composeApp/src/commonMain/kotlin, open the App.kt file. It contains the App() function, which implements a minimalist but complete Compose Multiplatform UI:

Let's run the application and then examine the code in depth.

Run your application

You can run the application on Android, iOS, and desktop. You don't have to run the applications in any particular order, so start with whichever platform you are most familiar with.

Run your application on Android

1. Create an Android virtual device.

2. In the list of run configurations, select composeApp.

3. Choose your Android virtual device and click Run.

Run your application on iOS

1. Launch Xcode in a separate window. The first time, you may also need to accept its license terms and allow it to perform some necessary initial tasks.

2. In the list of run configurations, select iosApp and click Run.

If you don't have an available iOS configuration in the list, add a new iOS simulated device.

Run on a new iOS simulated device

If you want to run your application on a simulated device, you can add a new run configuration.

1. In the list of run configurations, click Edit Configurations.

   

2. Click the + button above the list of configurations and select iOS Application.

   

3. Name your configuration.

4. Select the Xcode project file. To do so, navigate to your project, for example KotlinMultiplatformSandbox, open theiosApp folder, and select the .xcodeproj file.

5. In the Execution target list, select a simulated device and click OK.

   

6. Click Run to run your application on the new simulated device.

Run on a real iOS device

You can run your multiplatform application on a real iOS device. Before you start, you'll need to set the Team ID associated with your Apple ID.

Set your Team ID

To set the Team ID in your project, you can either use the KDoctor tool in Android Studio or choose your team in Xcode.

For KDoctor:

1. In Android Studio, run the following command in the terminal:

   kdoctor --team-ids

   KDoctor will list all Team IDs currently configured on your system, for example:

   3ABC246XYZ (Max Sample) ZABCW6SXYZ (SampleTech Inc.)

2. In Android Studio, open the iosApp/Configuration/Config.xcconfig and specify your Team ID.

Alternatively, choose the team in Xcode:

1. Go to Xcode and select Open a project or file.

2. Navigate to the iosApp/iosApp.xcworkspace file of your project.

3. In the left-hand menu, select iosApp.

4. Navigate to Signing & Capabilities.

5. In the Team list, select your team.

   If you haven't set up your team yet, use the Add an Account option in the Team list and follow Xcode instructions.

6. Make sure that the Bundle Identifier is unique and the Signing Certificate is successfully assigned.

Run the app

Connect your iPhone with a cable. If you already have the device registered in Xcode, Android Studio should show it in the list of run configurations. Run the corresponding iosApp configuration.

If you haven't registered your iPhone in Xcode yet, follow Apple recommendations. In short, you should:

1. Connect your iPhone with a cable.

2. On your iPhone, enable the developer mode in Settings | Developer.

3. In Xcode, go to the top menu and choose Window | Devices and Simulators.

4. Click on the plus sign. Select your connected iPhone and click Add.

5. Sign in with your Apple ID to enable development capabilities on the device.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process.

Once you've registered your iPhone in Xcode, create a new run configuration in Android Studio and select your device in the Execution target list. Run the corresponding iosApp configuration.

Run your application on desktop

You can run the application on the desktop as follows:

1. Go to composeApp/src/desktopMain/kotlin.

2. Open the main.kt file and find the main() function:

   

3. Click the green run icon in the gutter next to the main() function:

   

Once you run your desktop application, a new Run Configuration is created. You can use it from now on to run the desktop application:

Next step

In the next part of the tutorial, you'll learn how to implement composable functions and launch your application on each platform.

Proceed to the next part

Get help

• Kotlin Slack. Get an invite and join the #multiplatform channel.

• Kotlin issue tracker. Report a new issue.