How to Develop Flutter App for Beginners & Benefits
5 min read
There was a time when businesses relied upon traditional avenues such as brick and mortar spaces, telephone and formal letters for sales and service goals. Not anymore! Today, the same business entities exploit desktop and laptop for the said tasks. In fact, even these platforms are shrinking as people around the world have switched to smart phones to buy products / services and that too with just a few taps. How? Of course through dedicated mobile applications.
No wonder then manufacturing, trading and services industries are migrating to this intuitive way of attracting customers, and at the same time engaging and addressing their issues quickly. While the number of mobile app users in developing nations is growing in double digits every year, the developed countries have already reached several milestones in terms of usage. So, what makes these apps so popular? There are several reasons, and some of the compelling ones are mentioned below.
– Mobile apps are intuitive.
– Mobile apps are light-weight and therefore do not hog memory.
– Mobile apps are easy to operate.
– Mobile apps are responsive in terms of display and accomplishing day-to-day tasks.
In short, they have become an integral part of human lives. Whether you want to book tickets, order food from restaurant, purchase goods or watch movies online, the buzzword is Mobile App.
Some of the business areas where these applications play a crucial role –
Healthcare – Companies can quickly update, send important messages and reminders to their customers through these applets. It is not only cost-effective but an amazing way to address customer issues in real-time.
After Sales Service – Now this is one area where businesses can really make a big impact. By responding to service requests quickly, manufacturing and trading companies can build a large base of happy customers. This in turn would provide a span and spike for future growth.
Standalone Application – Standalone mobile applications such as inbound and outbound CRM’s can help businesses connect with customers in a seamless manner, address bottlenecks, liaise with sales folks and schedule meetings to pursue daily goals. Moreover, app data can then be exploited in an intelligent manner to chalk out future plans.
It is because of these reasons that mobile app market is growing at a scorching pace, as more and more businesses realize the benefits of providing one for their customers. Furthermore, apps assure enormous growth and provide that humane touch, and a link between the company and the customers / vendors. That it simplifies business process cycles in yet another feather in its cap.
Interestingly, Flutter Software from Flutter Development Company makes app building process less tedious. Mentioned below is a beginner example on how to build a “Hello World” application in Flutter?
Simply install Flutter application after downloading from the developer website and then run the following command. Incidentally, there is no need for any supplementary compilers or programs.
So, why do we need to initiate this step? The answer is to know if all the components and dependencies have been registered properly. Mentioned below is a typical output after running the above command. What you need to remember is that not all the components are required, especially the editor which you can choose as per your taste.
Click the above link to see the code.
Once the desired environment is created choose a location for building your first application and then execute the following –
Click the above link to see the code.
The above command / instruction / code will create the following directories and files
Click the above link to see the code.
Congratulations! The raw shell for the application has been created which due to its simplicity utilizes just a single file – main.dart. The next step is to delete the content of this file and replace with the following code.
Click the above link to see the code.
So, what does the above code mean? The first line in the code requests material.dart, a repertoire of various components / widgets existing within the application IDE also called the library. These are buttons, forms, layouts, animation etc. The next line of code “runApp” builds a local widget within the root widget.
As mentioned above Flutter app development is all about widgets ( built-in and customized ).
The next two lines specify the state of the widget ( Stateless or Active state ) which is typically achieved via createState() method. This app fits into the former category and therefore requires “build” command. A stateless app such as those with just text or image is easy to build and execute. The final step is to run this code. Thankfully, Flutter does the same from the same window and does not require different compiler / execution platform. Depending on your preferred method and connected device choose any one of the following options.
Click the above link to see the code.
You can also use built-in simulators in case no devices are connected.
Interestingly, Flutter is based on object-oriented programming framework boasting intriguing concepts in the form of native components which allows programmers to create intuitive and highly complex applications which are flexible, secure and future ready, and demand ridiculously low development period. Tagged as one of the most popular frameworks, Flutter offers amazing application components such as animations, digital motion work and a plethora of native features. Moreover, theses apps are responsive and therefore device independent.
Here are some of the silent features which are sure to make any new app programmer to smile.
Cross Platform Code – Write a single piece of code for iOS and Android platforms. Yes, Flutter uses single source code to build cross-platform applications. This not only saves development costs but also reduces development time drastically.
Built-in Widgets – Built-in widgets and customization allows programmers to create apps rapidly. Materials or widgets form the very essence of Flutter which is easy to deploy and edit.
Quick Deployment – Experimentation with various widgets, code and components is super simple. This in turn reduces testing time and therefore deployment too is also quick.
Hot Reload – This is one feature which makes Flutter stand out in a crowd of other IDE’s and development platforms. Hot reload your application after every bug fix or design modification to see the changes. There is no need for external compiler or decoding platform.
Hassle-free Maintenance – When it comes to application maintenance Flutter is second to none. Because of its ready-made widgets the code is minimized which in turn reduces redundancy.
If you are a beginner mobile app programmer or planning to work for a Software Development Company you should try Flutter. It is a feature rich and future ready IDE that boasts cross-platform compatibility and easy integration of third-party components.
