Category: Flutter course

Flutter is a highly effective framework for creating applications and is loved by many developers. In this article, we will dive deep into the properties and features of Flutter. Flutter provides various attributes and functionalities that support developers in creating excellent UIs more easily and quickly.

1. What is Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) developed by Google, used for developing iOS, Android, web, and desktop applications. It is scalable and performs well, allowing developers to write applications for various platforms easily with a single codebase.

2. Structure of Flutter

Flutter can be broadly divided into three main components: widgets, state management, and a rendering engine.

2.1. Widgets

Widgets are the most basic building blocks of Flutter. Every UI consists of widgets, which hold state and construct the screen based on it. Flutter offers many customizable widgets that help developers to build UI step by step in their desired style.

2.2. State Management

State management is responsible for synchronizing data and UI in an application. Flutter provides StatefulWidget and StatelessWidget to distinguish between widgets that have state and those that do not.

2.3. Rendering Engine

Flutter utilizes a rendering engine called Skia to provide fast and smooth UIs, with each widget drawn through it. Skia supports cross-platform graphics to ensure better performance and user experience.

3. Types of Flutter Properties

Flutter allows you to modify the UI by utilizing the properties of various widgets. Major properties include the following.

3.1. Size and Position Properties

There are various properties to adjust the size and position of widgets. For example, in the Container widget, you can specify the widget’s size using the width and height properties.

3.2. Color and Theme Properties

In Flutter, you can change the color of UI elements using the color property and adjust the overall color scheme of the app using ThemeData.

3.3. Margin and Padding Properties

The properties used to adjust the spacing between UI elements are margin and padding. You can easily adjust the gaps between elements using these properties.

3.4. Text-related Properties

The widget used for displaying text is Text, where you can adjust font size, color, etc., through the style property.

4. Feature Introduction

The features provided by Flutter are as follows.

4.1. Animation

Flutter offers excellent animation capabilities that enhance the user experience. AnimatedContainer allows for smooth transitions of size, color, and outline through animations.

4.2. Networking

Flutter can communicate with REST APIs using the http package. This makes it possible to fetch JSON data, process it, and display it in the UI.

4.3. Asynchronous Processing

In mobile applications where asynchronous programming is essential, Flutter supports the async/await pattern, providing an easy way to handle asynchronous tasks.

4.4. State Management

Flutter supports various state management patterns. You can choose from Provider, BLoC, Riverpod, etc., tailored to different requirements.

5. Advantages of Flutter

There are many advantages to using Flutter.

5.1. High Performance

You can develop applications with native performance. Flutter’s engine uses Skia to provide fast rendering.

5.2. Single Code Base

With just one code write, you can create applications that run on various platforms such as iOS, Android, and the web.

5.3. Customization

The widgets support a high level of customization, enabling developers to quickly and easily create the desired UI.

5.4. Active Community

The Flutter community is very active, making it easy to find needed packages or libraries. It is also easy to find solutions to problems.

6. Conclusion

Flutter is a powerful tool for developing various applications. A deep understanding of its properties and functionalities will greatly help to utilize this framework more effectively. Familiarize yourself with the various properties of widgets and create your own unique applications through the features provided.

In this course, we introduced the diverse properties and features of Flutter. We will continue to cover more Flutter courses and example projects, so please stay tuned!

Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) developed by Google, designed to help users easily create modern, high-performance applications. In this course, we will delve deeply into the fundamental concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), including class, object, and instance. These concepts are essential for structuring and managing Flutter applications.

1. What is Object-Oriented Programming?

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is one of the programming paradigms that manages data by grouping it as objects. An object includes state and behavior, and defining these objects is precisely what a class does. The main features of OOP are as follows:

• Encapsulation: Bundles the object’s properties and methods to provide insulation from outside.
• Inheritance: Promotes code reuse by defining new classes based on existing classes.
• Polymorphism: Defines interfaces that allow different classes to behave in the same way.
• Abstraction: Simplifies complex systems efficiently to make them easier to handle.

Now, let’s look at how these OOP concepts are utilized in Flutter.

2. Class

A class is a template for creating objects. A class can define data variables and may include methods that manipulate that data. Here is how to define a class in Flutter:

class Car {
    String color;
    String model;

    Car(this.color, this.model);

    void display() {
        print('Car Model: $model, Color: $color');
    }
}

In the example above, we defined a class called Car. This class has two properties, color and model, which are initialized through the constructor. The display method prints the car’s information. Next, let’s create objects using this class.

3. Object and Instance

An object refers to an instance of a class. In other words, it refers to a real set of data created from a class. You can create multiple objects, each having unique states. For example, we can create instances of the Car class as follows:

void main() {
    Car car1 = Car('red', 'sports car');
    Car car2 = Car('blue', 'sedan');

    car1.display(); // Output: Car Model: sports car, Color: red
    car2.display(); // Output: Car Model: sedan, Color: blue
}

In the above code, we created two Car objects named car1 and car2. Each object stores the color and model information provided at creation, and we can output each car’s information by calling the display method.

4. Various Components of a Class

A class can include various components. These include constructors, methods, fields, and access modifiers. Let’s take a detailed look.

4.1 Constructor

A constructor is called when an object is created and is responsible for initializing the object. Dart (the programming language for Flutter) supports named constructors in addition to the default constructor:

class Person {
    String name;
    int age;

    Person(this.name, this.age); // Default constructor

    Person.named(this.name, this.age); // Named constructor
}

The named constructor provides different ways to initialize, for example, it can be used like Person.named('John Doe', 30).

4.2 Method

A method is a function defined within a class. It defines the behavior the object will perform. Methods can change the state of the class or perform operations:

class Animal {
    String name;

    Animal(this.name);

    void speak() {
        print('$name is making a sound.');
    }
}

4.3 Field

A field refers to the data variable that belongs to a class. It is used to maintain the state of the object. Fields can be categorized into instance variables and static variables:

class Circle {
    static const double pi = 3.14; // Static variable
    double radius; // Instance variable

    Circle(this.radius);
}

4.4 Access Modifier

Dart allows setting access restrictions on a class’s fields and methods using various access modifiers, primarily the concepts of public and private. For example, prefixing a field with _ makes it private:

class BankAccount {
    double _balance; // Private variable

    BankAccount(this._balance);

    void deposit(double amount) {
        _balance += amount;
    }

    double get balance => _balance; // Public method
}

5. Class Inheritance

Inheritance is the ability to create new classes based on existing ones. This makes code reuse and structural hierarchy easier. Here’s an example of class inheritance:

class Vehicle {
    void start() {
        print('Vehicle started');
    }
}

class Bike extends Vehicle {
    void ringBell() {
        print('Bicycle bell sound!');
    }
}

In the above example, the Bike class extends the Vehicle class, meaning it can use the method start from the Vehicle class:

void main() {
    Bike bike = Bike();
    bike.start(); // Output: Vehicle started
    bike.ringBell(); // Output: Bicycle bell sound!
}

6. Polymorphism

Polymorphism refers to the ability of objects of different classes to invoke the same method. This enhances the flexibility and reusability of the code. For example:

class Shape {
    void draw() {
        print('Drawing a shape.');
    }
}

class Circle extends Shape {
    @override
    void draw() {
        print('Drawing a circle.');
    }
}

class Square extends Shape {
    @override
    void draw() {
        print('Drawing a square.');
    }
}

Here, various shapes like circles and squares inherit the Shape class and override the draw method to display appropriate results for each shape.

Conclusion

In this course, we have examined the concepts of classes, objects, and instances in Flutter in detail. Object-Oriented Programming is an important concept that serves as the foundation for app development, making it very useful for understanding and designing the structure of Flutter applications. In future courses, we will continue to explore how to write practical applications using these object-oriented concepts.

I hope this article is helpful for your Flutter learning journey!

Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) for modern mobile application development, developed by Google. Flutter allows you to write high-performance native applications for both iOS and Android platforms from a single codebase. This advantage has made Flutter a preferred choice for many developers. In this article, we will take a closer look at the various types of widgets provided by Flutter. Widgets are the core components of Flutter and the basic building blocks of the UI.

1. Understanding Flutter Widgets

In Flutter, a ‘widget’ is a component of the UI that is displayed on the screen. Everything is a widget; buttons, texts, images, etc., are all represented as widgets. Flutter has two basic types of widgets: Stateless Widgets and Stateful Widgets.

1.1 Stateless Widget

A Stateless Widget is used to create a UI that does not change. This widget does not change its state after creation, and even if the input values change, the UI does not get updated. For example, simple elements like Text, Icon, and Image fall into this category. Here is a simple example of a Stateless Widget:

class MyStatelessWidget extends StatelessWidget {
        @override
        Widget build(BuildContext context) {
            return Text('Hello World');
        }
    }

1.2 Stateful Widget

A Stateful Widget is used to create UI elements that can change state based on user interactions. Stateful Widgets store and manage their internal state and update the UI whenever that state changes. These widgets are useful for handling changes caused by button clicks or text input. Below is an example of a Stateful Widget:

class MyStatefulWidget extends StatefulWidget {
        @override
        _MyStatefulWidgetState createState() => _MyStatefulWidgetState();
    }

    class _MyStatefulWidgetState extends State {
        int _counter = 0;

        void _incrementCounter() {
            setState(() {
                _counter++;
            });
        }

        @override
        Widget build(BuildContext context) {
            return Column(
                children: [
                    Text('Count: $_counter'),
                    ElevatedButton(
                        onPressed: _incrementCounter,
                        child: Text('Increment'),
                    ),
                ],
            );
        }
    }

2. Basic Widgets

Flutter provides many basic widgets. These widgets can be combined to create complex UIs. The types of basic widgets include the following.

2.1 Text Widget

The Text Widget displays a string on the screen. You can set text styles, size, alignment, and more. The basic usage is as follows:

Text(
        'Hello Flutter',
        style: TextStyle(fontSize: 24, fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
    );

2.2 Image Widget

The Image Widget is used to display images. It can display both local and network images, and the usage is as follows:

Image.network('https://example.com/image.png');

2.3 Icon Widget

The Icon Widget is a simple widget that can display icons from FontAwesome, Material icons, and other sources.

Icon(Icons.favorite, color: Colors.red);

2.4 Button Widget

Flutter has various button widgets. The most commonly used buttons include ElevatedButton, TextButton, OutlinedButton, and so on.

ElevatedButton(
        onPressed: () {
            // Code to execute when the button is clicked
        },
        child: Text('Click Me!'),
    );

3. Layout Widgets

Layout Widgets are used to position other widgets. These widgets are essential for forming the structure of the UI.

3.1 Column and Row

The Column widget arranges widgets vertically, while the Row widget arranges them horizontally. You can combine them to create grid-like UIs.

Column(
        children: [
            Text('First Item'),
            Text('Second Item'),
        ],
    );

3.2 Container

The Container widget wraps other widgets and allows you to set margins, padding, background color, size, and more.

Container(
        padding: EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
        color: Colors.blue,
        child: Text('Inside Container'),
    );

3.3 ListView and GridView

ListView and GridView are used to create scrollable lists and grids. They allow you to efficiently display large amounts of data.

ListView(
        children: [
            ListTile(title: Text('Item 1')),
            ListTile(title: Text('Item 2')),
        ],
    );

4. Advanced Widgets

Flutter also provides advanced widgets that can be used to construct more complex UIs. These widgets support various features such as user interactions, animations, and dialogs.

4.1 Dialog

A dialog is a popup used for interacting with the user. AlertDialog is a basic dialog that can include a message and buttons.

showDialog(
        context: context,
        builder: (context) {
            return AlertDialog(
                title: Text('Title'),
                content: Text('This is a dialog message.'),
                actions: [
                    TextButton(
                        onPressed: () {
                            Navigator.of(context).pop();
                        },
                        child: Text('Close'),
                    ),
                ],
            );
        },
    );

4.2 Animation

Flutter supports animations and transitions, adding vibrancy to various UI changes. You can easily add animation effects using animation widgets like AnimatedContainer.

AnimatedContainer(
        duration: Duration(seconds: 2),
        color: _isBlue ? Colors.blue : Colors.red,
        width: 200,
        height: 200,
    );

5. Custom Widgets

In Flutter, developers can also create and use custom widgets. Creating custom widgets enhances code reusability and readability and enables efficient management of complex UIs.

class MyCustomWidget extends StatelessWidget {
        final String title;

        MyCustomWidget(this.title);

        @override
        Widget build(BuildContext context) {
            return Container(
                padding: EdgeInsets.all(16.0),
                child: Text(title, style: TextStyle(fontSize: 24)),
            );
        }
    }

Conclusion

As we have seen above, Flutter has a wide variety of widgets, each performing specific functions. Understanding the difference between Stateless and Stateful widgets, and learning how to use various basic and advanced widgets to construct complex UIs is an important first step to becoming a Flutter developer. If you have built a foundational knowledge of widgets through this article and learned how to create custom widgets, it will greatly help you leverage Flutter more effectively. Understand the types of Flutter widgets and their usage to develop attractive mobile applications.

Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) developed by Google that supports writing applications for various platforms such as mobile, web, and desktop. One of the fundamental concepts of Flutter is ‘widget’. In this section, we will take a closer look at widgets and widget trees, and explore how to structure Flutter applications using them.

1. What is a Widget?

A ‘widget’ is the basic building block of the UI in Flutter. Everything in Flutter consists of widgets, which encompass all the elements necessary to create the UI of an application. All UI elements, such as buttons, text, and images, are represented as widgets. Widgets can be categorized into two types:

• Stateless Widget: This widget does not have any state and is used to draw a UI that does not change. For example, it is used to display simple text or icons.
• Stateful Widget: This widget has state and is used when the UI changes based on user interactions. For instance, it applies when the color changes when a button is clicked.

2. Widget Tree

The widget tree is a tree structure that represents the hierarchy of widgets. Each widget can be a child of another widget, often forming patterns and linear structures. Understanding the widget tree is vital for efficiently designing and debugging Flutter applications.

2.1 Structure of the Widget Tree

The widget tree starts with the root widget and expands downwards to the connected child widgets. For example, widgets like AppBar and Scaffold usually serve as the root and contain various connected child widgets.
The build() method is used to define and return this widget tree.

2.2 Creating a Widget Tree

The basic structure of a Flutter app begins with a Stateless Widget called MyApp. What this widget returns becomes the root of the widget tree.
Let’s look at a simple code example to examine the basic structure of the widget tree:

void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text('Widget Tree Example'),
        ),
        body: Center(
          child: Text('Hello, Flutter!'),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

The code above illustrates how various widgets such as MaterialApp, Scaffold, AppBar, Center,
and Text are interconnected. Through this structure, Flutter composes the UI and presents it visually to users.

3. Widget Reusability

Understanding the widget tree can enhance the reusability of widgets. When building complex user interfaces, you can create smaller widgets and combine them to construct larger widgets.
If you commonly use a widget with specific functionalities, you can create that widget as a separate class or widget for easy reuse.

4. Widget Composition in the Screen

In Flutter, widgets can be composed in various ways. Here are some widgets that are frequently used when structuring screens:

• Column: A widget that arranges its children vertically.
• Row: A widget that arranges its children horizontally.
• Stack: A widget that allows you to stack widgets on top of each other.
• ListView: A widget that creates a scrollable list.
• GridView: A widget that arranges items in a grid format.

5. State Management of Widgets

Stateful widgets play a crucial role in managing the state of the user interface. There are various ways to manage state, including the following methods:

• setState(): The most basic method for state management, which refreshes the UI when the state changes.
• InheritedWidget: A widget that can pass state down to child widgets. This method makes it easier to pass data from higher to lower levels in the widget tree.
• Provider Package: One of the most commonly used packages for state management.
  This package allows all widgets to easily read and modify the state.

6. Utilizing Various Widgets

Leveraging the widget tree enables easy implementation of complex and diverse user interfaces.
For example, the following code creates a complex layout that includes multiple widgets:

@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
  return Scaffold(
    appBar: AppBar(
      title: Text('Utilizing Various Widgets'),
    ),
    body: Column(
      children: [
        Row(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceAround,
          children: [
            Icon(Icons.home),
            Icon(Icons.favorite),
            Icon(Icons.settings),
          ],
        ),
        Expanded(
          child: ListView.builder(
            itemCount: 100,
            itemBuilder: (context, index) {
              return ListTile(
                title: Text('Item $index'),
              );
            },
          ),
        ),
      ],
    ),
  );
}

The above code arranges icons in a horizontal row and implements a vertical scrollable list.
This way of combining widgets to create various layouts is one of the attractive features of Flutter.

7. Performance Optimization and Tips

When utilizing the widget tree, it’s also crucial to optimize performance.
Here are some tips to enhance performance:

• Optimize State Management: Reduce unnecessary setState() calls and ensure that widgets are only re-rendered under specific conditions.
• Use the const Keyword: Declaring a widget as const prevents unnecessary re-rendering.
• Lazy Loading: Set to load items only when necessary in list views, improving performance.

8. Conclusion

Widgets and the widget tree are core concepts of Flutter applications, and understanding them allows for building applications more effectively and efficiently.
By utilizing Flutter’s powerful UI components, you can easily implement complex user interfaces, and through concepts such as widget reusability and state management, you can optimize performance.
Now you too can understand and utilize Flutter’s widget trees to develop your desired applications in an even more attractive way.