How to Build Native App With Flutter?

Interested in knowing how to build a native flutter app. In this article, we will discuss how to develop a native app with flutter.

Develop a Native Flutter App

1. Learn Flutter to develop native Flutter apps

Flutter, the open-source framework from Google enables developers to “build apps for any screen”. This natively-compiled technology goes beyond JavaScript-based mobile frameworks.

You get the ability to develop cross-platform applications from a single codebase. Your clients might use different devices, however, your app works on all key platforms.

Learn Flutter if you don’t know it already. Developers in your team can access the following free resources for this:

• The Flutter developer documentation;

• Flutter installation guides for multiple platforms like Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS;

• The Flutter catalog of Widgets, which helps you with UI development;

• The Flutter API reference documentation;

• Examples of Flutter apps;

• The Flutter “cookbook”, i.e., a collection of useful articles with solutions to common problems;

• The Flutter YouTube channel.

Your team can access the Google Developers Dart documentation to learn Dart, the language that powers Flutter.

You can learn more about Flutter by viewing interesting projects developed using Flutter. An example is this Facebook clone project

2. Take preparatory steps to build native apps using Flutter

Do the following:

2a. Install Flutter

Install Flutter for creating a native app. Use the following platform-specific instructions:

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• Installation instructions for Windows desktop;

• Instructions to install Flutter on macOS;

• Flutter installation instructions for Linux;

• Instructions for installing Flutter on Chrome OS.

Install the Flutter SDK by extracting the required files in the desired location on your workstation.

2b. Set the “path” for the Flutter SDK on your device

You need to set the “path” for the Flutter SDK on your workstation. Follow the platform-specific installation instructions mentioned above. Modify the environment variables to specify the “path” if you are using a Windows desktop. Follow macOS-specific installation instructions if you use Mac devices.

2c. Check dependencies before starting an app development project

You should install Android Studio for a native Android development project using Flutter. Similarly, you need Xcode for developing a native iOS app using Flutter. The Flutter tool has other dependencies too.

You can check the dependencies by running the “flutter doctor” command. This examines your workstation. Subsequently, it creates a report that shows the status of Flutter installation.

Track this report carefully to find out if you need to install any other software. You will also find out if you need to perform any other tasks for running app smoothly. Follow the platform-specific installation instructions to install the dependencies.

2d. Set up the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to develop a native Android app using Flutter

Businesses and developers can code Flutter apps using any text editor and the Flutter command-line tools. However, the Flutter community recommends you use one of the few specific editor plugins.

The Flutter community provides these plugins for Android Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio Code, and Emacs. Most mobile and web developers know these editors since they are popular in the market.

Use the Flutter guide to “set up an editor” for installing and configuring the required plugins. You also need to set up the Android emulator. Use the Flutter guide to “set up the Android emulator” for this.

2e. Set up the IDE to create a native iOS app using Flutter

You have installed Xcode already, and now you need to set up the iOS emulator. Use the Flutter guide to “set up the iOS emulator” for this.

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3. Decide the features for the proposed Flutter app

Decide what you will offer to the users of your proposed mobile app. Flutter “cookbooks” might contain ideas on how you can implement those features, therefore review them. E.g., you can find clues on how to work with images and forms. You can find useful guidance there on user interface design too.

4. Develop a native app using Flutter

Take the following steps to create a native app using Flutter:

4a. Create a new Flutter project

Assuming you will use Android Studio, you need to open this IDE first. Do the following:

• Create a new Flutter project.

• When selecting the project type, choose “Flutter application”.

• Check whether the Flutter SDK path points to the correct location of the Flutter SDK.

• Assign a name to the project, e.g., “MyFlutterApp”.

• Click “Finish”, and Android Studio will create the new project.

4b. Copy and paste the code for a “Hello World” app

Edit the code in the folder “lib/main.dart”. This is the library that contains the Dart code. Follow the guide to create Flutter apps, where you will find a sample “Hello World” code.

Paste the existing code in the “lib/main.dart” folder in your Flutter project. Run this app with sample codes using the relevant options in Android Studio.

4c. Code according to the functionality you will offer

You now need to make progress beyond a sample app. Code according to the functionality you will offer in your app. You will need to do the following:

• Use database services to store and manage data;

• Develop RESTful APIs;

• Design and implement an information security solution;

• Follow appropriate best practices to create performant and scalable apps.

Use your web and mobile app development experience here since these activities aren’t different for Flutter.

4d. Utilize the native Android and iOS development knowledge

You can utilize your native Android and iOS development knowledge in many aspects of this project, e.g.:

• Coding;

• Testing;

• Code review;

• Deployment and release.

Consult the following resources:

• “Flutter for Android developers”;

• “Flutter for iOS developers”.

These comprehensive Flutter resources cover many aspects, e.g.:

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• Views;

• Widget tree that includes, a stateless widget, material widgets, stateful widget, etc.;

• Layouts;

• Adding or removing components;

• Adding animation to widgets;

• Building custom widgets;

• Handling intents;

• Managing threads;

• Showing the progress for long-running tasks;

• Storing image files;

• Adding dependencies;

• Detecting gestures;

• Working with text.

Do You Have Bigger Plans To Create More Powerful Flutter Apps?

The above “Hello World” app was a simple one. You might have great app ideas, and you may want to create more complex Flutter apps. Remember that for such complex apps you will need a ’Mobile Backend as a Service‘ (MBaaS) provider.

MBaaS providers address the backend aspects like infrastructure, storage, database, security, API integration, and user management. You can check our guides “Where to Host Mobile Backend?” and “How to choose the best mobile backend as a service (MBaaS)?”.

Depending on the complexity of your flutter app development project, you might also need to work with a development company experienced in flutter framework, flutter tools, etc. for a market-competitive flutter development.

Check our guide “How to find the best software development company?”, which will help you with mobile development and due diligence. 

DevTeam.Space can also help you here with its field-expert software developers community. Share with us your initial app development specifications via this form and one of our account managers will contact you with further discussion on your app idea, flutter team developers, app development requirements, etc.

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