A Step-by-Step Guide to Converting a Website to a Flutter App with Code

Mobile apps are very important for online businesses. Most businesses, despite owning websites, create apps that meet their customers' needs in order to remain relevant. Most of these apps are simple to use for customers, and if the onboarding process is well-structured, conversion rates can be high for these businesses. Another reason that websites create mobile app versions of their websites is to increase ad revenue. Google Admob is the most popular app advertising service, and with proper structuring, ads can generate massive returns.

Assuming you have a website and want to create an app version, the best way to do so as a developer is to create an API (as discussed in our previous article) that allows data to be exchanged between your mobile app and database (backend). Taking this route makes your app more customizable, but it requires more work. If you want to create something and share it with your users, another option is to use webview.

Step 1: Setting Up the Flutter Environment

Before we begin, ensure that you have Flutter and Dart SDK installed on your machine. If not, follow the instructions on the official Flutter website to set up your development environment.

# Create a new Flutter project
flutter create website_to_flutter_app
cd website_to_flutter_app

Step 2: Adding Dependencies

We need to include two important packages in our pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:
  http: ^0.13.3
  webview_flutter: ^3.0.0

Run flutter pub get in the terminal to fetch and install these dependencies.

Step 3: Fetching Website Data

In your Dart file, import the necessary packages and write a function to fetch the HTML content of the website.

import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;

Future<String> fetchWebsiteData(String url) async {
  final response = await http.get(Uri.parse(url));

  if (response.statusCode == 200) {
    return response.body;
  } else {
    throw Exception('Failed to load website data');
  }
}

Step 4: Creating Flutter Widgets

Design Flutter widgets to display the website content. This example uses a simple StatefulWidget to display the fetched HTML content.

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class WebsiteToFlutterApp extends StatefulWidget {
  final String websiteUrl;

  WebsiteToFlutterApp({required this.websiteUrl});

  @override
  _WebsiteToFlutterAppState createState() => _WebsiteToFlutterAppState();
}

class _WebsiteToFlutterAppState extends State<WebsiteToFlutterApp> {
  late Future<String> websiteData;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    websiteData = fetchWebsiteData(widget.websiteUrl);
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('Website to Flutter App'),
      ),
      body: FutureBuilder(
        future: websiteData,
        builder: (context, snapshot) {
          if (snapshot.connectionState == ConnectionState.waiting) {
            return CircularProgressIndicator();
          } else if (snapshot.hasError) {
            return Text('Error: ${snapshot.error}');
          } else {
            return WebView(
              initialUrl: 'about:blank', // Load initial URL
              onWebViewCreated: (controller) {
                controller.loadUrl(Uri.dataFromString(
                  snapshot.data!,
                  mimeType: 'text/html',
                  encoding: Encoding.getByName('utf-8'),
                ).toString());
              },
            );
          }
        },
      ),
    );
  }
}

Step 5: Implementing WebView

Integrate the webview_flutter package to embed the website within your Flutter app. Add this widget to your pubspec.yaml file and run flutter pub get.

dependencies:
  ...
  webview_flutter: ^4.4.4

Step 6: Handling Navigation

Implement navigation within your Flutter app using Flutter's navigation system. Create a basic structure for navigating between screens.

void main() => runApp(MaterialApp(
      home: WebsiteToFlutterApp(websiteUrl: 'https://example.com'),
    ));

Step 7: Optimizing for Mobile

Customize the UI to fit mobile screens effectively. Ensure responsiveness and touch-friendly elements for an optimal mobile experience.

Step 8: Testing

Conduct thorough testing on various devices and screen sizes to ensure compatibility. Address any issues related to performance, responsiveness, or visual discrepancies.

Step 9: Publishing the App

Prepare the Flutter app for deployment and publish it on the desired platforms, such as the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

By following these steps and incorporating the provided code examples, you can successfully convert a website into a Flutter app. This process not only allows for a smooth migration from web to mobile but also takes advantage of Flutter's rich set of features for creating engaging and performant cross-platform applications. As Flutter continues to evolve, this approach will likely become even more accessible and efficient for developers.