Modern Flutter: 6 Tips and Tricks for Beginner Developers

 

Use the final keyword:

In Dart, variables that are initialized and cannot be changed are declared using the final keyword. Your code will become more predictable and help to prevent bugs.

Here’s an example:

final String name = 'Snehal Singh';
name = 'Snehal Singh'; // Error: The final variable 'name' can't be assigned a value.

In this example, we declare a variable name and assign it the value 'Snehal Singh'. Since name is declared as final, we cannot reassign it to a new value.

Use named parameters:

Using named parameters in function calls is supported in Dart, which can improve the readability and comprehension of your code.

You have more control over the order in which arguments are passed to functions when using named parameters.

Here’s an example:

void greet({String name, String message}) {
  print('$name says $message');
}

greet(name: 'Snehal Singh', message: 'Hello, world!'); // Snehal Singh says Hello, world!

In this example, we define a function greet that takes two named parameters, name and message. We can then call the function and pass in the arguments in any order we like, as long as we specify the names of the parameters.

Use null-aware operators:

Dart offers a number of null-aware operators that can make your code shorter and more productive.

For instance, you can safely access the properties of an object that might be null by using the ?. operator.

Here's an example:

class Person {
  final String name;
  final int age;
  
  Person({this.name, this.age});
}

final person = Person(name: 'Snehal Singh', age: null);

final name = person?.name ?? 'Unknown';
final age = person?.age ?? -1;

print(name); // Snehal Singh
print(age); // -1

In this example, we define a class Person that has two properties, name and age. We create an instance of Person and assign null to the age property. We then use the null-aware operator ?. to safely access the name and age properties, and the null-coalescing operator ?? to provide default values in case they are null.

Use extension methods:

Using extension methods, Dart lets you add new methods to classes that already have them.

This can be helpful if you want to expand a class’s functionality without changing its source code.

Here’s an example:

extension StringExtension on String {
  bool get isPalindrome {
    final reversed = this.split('').reversed.join('');
    return this == reversed;
  }
}

print('racecar'.isPalindrome); // true
print('hello'.isPalindrome); // false

In this example, we define an extension method isPalindrome on the String class. The method checks if the string is a palindrome and returns true or false.

Use async/await:

Asynchronous programming is supported in Dart using the async and await keywords.

This can assist you in writing more responsive code that doesn’t obstruct the UI thread.

Here's an example:

Future<void> main() async {
  print('Fetching data...');
  final data = await fetchSomeData();
  print('Data received: $data');
}

Future<String> fetchSomeData() async {
  await Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 2)); // Simulate network delay
  return 'Hello

In this example, we define a function main that is marked as async. Inside main, we call a function fetchSomeData using the await keyword. This tells Dart to wait for the fetchSomeData function to complete before continuing the execution of the rest of the main function. fetchSomeData simulates a network delay using the Future.delayed function and returns a string.

When we run the main function, we first print a message to the console indicating that we are fetching data. We then call fetchSomeData and wait for it to complete before printing the received data to the console.

Use the cascade operator:

The cascade operator (..) in Dart enables you to chain together several method calls on the same object.

Your code may become clearer and easier to read as a result.

Here's an example:

class Person {
  String name;
  int age;
  
  void sayHello() {
    print('Hello, my name is $name and I am $age years old');
  }
}

final person = Person()
  ..name = 'Snehal Singh'
  ..age = 30
  ..sayHello(); // Hello, my name is Snehal Singh and I am 30 years old

In this example, we define a class Person that has two properties, name and age, and a method sayHello. We create an instance of Person and use the cascade operator .. to set the name and age properties and call the sayHello method in a single chain of method calls.

Source:

https://medium.com/dhiwise/modern-flutter-6-tips-and-tricks-for-beginner-developers-e4094de061bb