Flutter For Dummies

Create awesome iOS and Android apps with a single tool! 

Flutter is an app developer’s dream come true. With Google’s open source toolkit, you can easily build beautiful apps that work across platforms using a single codebase. This flexibility allows you to get your work out to the widest possible audience. With Flutter already being used by thousands of developers worldwide in a market where billions of apps are downloaded every year, now is the right time to get ahead of the curve with this incredible tool. 

Flutter for Dummies is your friendly, ground-up route to creating multi-platform apps.      

From how to construct your initial frameworks to writing code in Dart, you’ll find the essentials you need to ride the Flutter revolutionary wave to success. This book includes how to create an intuitive and stunning UI, add rich interactivity, and easily pull in data. You’ll also see how Flutter features like Hot Reload—providing sub-second refreshes as you refine your work—help you make sure your app is a delight to use.

• Start simple: follow steps to build a basic app
• It’s alive! Keep connected to online data
• It moves! Make things fun with animated features
• Get the word out: use tips to expand your audience

Whether you’re a fledgling developer or an expert wanting to add a slick feather to your programming cap, join the Flutter revolution now and soar above the rest!

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Ready 7

Chapter 1: What is Flutter? 9

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Computer for Mobile App Development 29

Part 2: Flutter: A Burd's-Eye View 67

Chapter 3: "Hello" From Flutter 69

Chapter 4: Hello Again 105

Chapter 5: Making Things Happen 131

Chapter 6: Laying Things Out 163

Part 3: Details, Details 205

Chapter 7: Interacting with the User 207

Chapter 8: Navigation, Lists, and Other Goodies 247

Chapter 9: Moving Right Along 297

Part 4: The Part of Tens 321

Chapter 10: Ten Ways to Avoid Mistakes 323

Chapter 11: Ten Ways to Enhance Your App Development Career 327

Chapter 12: Ten Chapters about Flutter App Development 331

Part 5: Appendices 335

Appendix: Doris's Dating App 337

Index 347

Barry Burd, PhD, is a veteran educator and a professor of mathematics and computer science at Drew University. When he's not lecturing at the university, Barry speaks at professional conferences and somehow finds time to write books, including Java For Dummies and Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies.

• Create mobile apps for iOS and Android
• Write clear code with the Dart programming language
• Add valuable features to your application

Create apps for two platforms with one tool!

Flutter is a developer's dream! Google's open source tools let you build apps that work on both iOS and Android using a single codebase, so you can distribute your creations faster and to a wider audience. This easy guide outlines the steps to help you quickly build a basic app, create an intuitive user interface, pull data into the app, and add interactive features. It will bring you up to speed on coding in Dart and help you take advantage of Flutter's lightning fast update cycle to make app development a delight. Get started today!

Inside...

• Gather the tools you need
• Get started with a simple app
• Explore the Dart language
• Add widgets to your app
• Improve your app's layout
• Interact with users
• Create lively animations
• Connect to online data