Where the popularity of the Native Apps seems never-ending and at the same point developers praise the features of Flutter a lot. So, before we get into the real game of building the native app with the Flutter, let’s gather some basic information about both, before we jump into how to build a native app with flutter.
Native App
When an App is made by keeping a certain platform in mind is a native App. Among all the platforms, the most obvious ones are Android and iOS. In both cases, the development asks for different hardware and software. Undoubtedly, this type of Apps gives the most seamless experiences to its users.
Flutter Framework
Flutter is a framework launched by Google, which is used by the developers to create mobile Apps. It is suitable for both iOS and Android as a platform. The unique part about this framework is, the code once created can be deployed in subsequent iOS and Android App development.
Some of the Benefits of Flutter App Development
- When it comes to fast development, Flutter is highly competitive with the one-time code approach. Every time, you develop, there is a requirement of making a few changes in the code and you are good to go. Also, it lets the flutter app developer enjoy the same code for both the Android and iOS platforms.
- This framework leads to less testing as you can have the same App for two platforms. Due to this, quality assurance becomes easy and faster.
- Some of the selected designs are put forward by Google with an amazing framework known as Flutter. These designs are enough to keep users intrigued and there is a helpful option to customize the widgets as per your choice.
- This allows your Apps to look the same even on the mobile phone with old versions of Android or iOS.
- It is a great framework for the MVP i.e. minimum viable product. So, you can flawlessly showcase the App developed with Flutter to your investors to get a good response.
Now, as if we are much clear about the meaning of both the terms. Let’s know about the development process of the same.
Step by step Guide To Build A Native App With Flutter
Assume, the platform for the development is Android for the native App. The foremost thing is to have an Android Studio version 3.0+ before beginning. Once you get it, you can now install the Flutter plugin.
Steps to download the Flutter plugin are as follows-
- Click and open Android Studio and get on the open plugin preferences. (For the macOS users, it will be Preferences > Plugins whereas, for the Windows & Linux, it is File>Settings> Plugins)
- Browse through the repositories and click on the plugin to install.
- Opt for a “yes” when the installation of the dart plugin begins.
- After that, click to restart
Once your restarting process is over, you can create a new project in it. After that, you should choose a Flutter application and enter a path for your SDK. Initially, you need to make the base for the next projects and after that, you can run the code generated once.
Now, find the Hello World code in the Flutter
This step is important to create a basic application. For that, you need to open your Android Studio Toolbar and select the new option. Then, select new project and click next. You can also give a specific name. While you will navigate through Flutter App, and search for your desired domain, you can get many sample codes. But, considering your favorite and the easiest one is the key to the best code.
Make use of Flutter Doctor
There are many great features embedded in the Flutter framework, but one of the fantastic ones is the command known as “Flutter Doctor”. Trust us, you will be glad that it exists and lets you check the machine set up for the right development. This will allow the developer to make such a local development environment for a great of the end product. All the inspection of the tools present and the ones that need to be on-board is done with the help of this feature. It is advisable to proceed further by satisfying the commanding Flutter doctor.
Set up those editors
You choose any editor or IDE as per your preference while working on Flutter. After all, flexibility is the beauty of this framework of Google, invented in the year 2011. However, going for the lightweight editors is great, you can choose Sublime text for such a development. Also, you can simply stick to your favorite one, throughout the development.
Get the idea about the Pub Package Manager
You should get enlightened with as many aspects as you can while developing a native App for the first time with the Flutter. Similarly, you should be aware of the pub package manager, to keep up with the dart packages present in the Flutter project. When you will try to unfold the things, you will find out about the file that imports the dart dependencies in the project. Once you know them all, your job is to install all the dependencies and keep them in a locked file. After that, upgrading the dependencies is also required and is possible with the command- $ Flutter package upgrade. Getting the upgraded version and being well-versed with the pub package manager, will prove out to be great for your development.
Conclusion- What you need to learn to make a happy development
This is just a little bit of the overall development with Flutter, there is a lot more to learn and know. The development process is not at all easy and can be difficult to tackle initially. You need to dive into the oceans of programming to develop a hybrid and great featured App. Initiate by learning the Dart programming language that is crucial for such a development. Also, you need to get versed with different widgets and reactive approach towards coding.