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Mazi Vincent Esomchi
Mazi Vincent Esomchi

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HOW TO LEARN FLUTTER

Flutter is one of the most liked and adopted technology in the current IT Industry. But why is it so? Why is Flutter trending so much? There are other frameworks too, then why Flutter? So in this article, let’s first see what flutter is and why is it trending and then we will look at how to learn Flutter like a pro!

What is Flutter?
Flutter is Google's UI tool for building beautiful, natively compiled apps for mobile, web, desktop and embedded devices from a single code base. So, in other words, if you use Flutter to build your app or website, it will be much faster compared to other frameworks or technologies! So why is Flutter so popular?

Flutter compiles the code in the native language. Beginners can easily adopt Flutter and create an MVP.
Broad platform support (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Embedded, more coming soon!)
Excellent books and many resources are available for learning
The community is big and united!
Open space!

Map the way to learn Flutter like a pro!

*Step 1: Requirements *
Before starting Flutter, you should know at least some OOP concepts. Flutter uses the Dart language and Dart also uses OOP concepts. So, the minimum would be to learn OOP concepts in any language (preferably Java). It is always good to learn the basics of Android so that you can understand Flutter easily. It's not mandatory, but it's a better way to check. If you're a recent graduate, it's now your job to create a portfolio or online presence to stand out from the crowd! So, learn GIT. Support your work on GitHub, no matter what the project is! Install Flutter on your system so you can start your journey!

Step 2: Start with the basics!
Dart is a very broad language and will take time to master. Before proceeding with the application, you should learn at least the basics of the Dart language. If you know Java well, the transition from Java to Dart will be easy! Don't jump into Flutter without knowing Dart. Some concepts you should learn:

List
Map
Lambda function
combination
wait in async
Once you've mastered the basics of darts, feel free to explore Flutter.

Step 2: Get involved in UI development!
Every time we start a new language, our motivation will be to learn every day. When we first started with UI development, it was a relief. When your app screen first appears on your device and is as expected, that's when you need it! Also, there are many problems and errors that a developer will face when working with UI development in Flutter. So, what or how should you do UI development?

Take any Dribble UI and implement it in Flutter
Create apps like WhatsApp clone, TikTok clone, etc. Step 3: Learn API calls
Once you are comfortable with UI development, you should start by learning API calls. APIs will be important whenever you build an application. API calls can be made using different packages like http, dio, retrofit, chopper, etc. The base package is HTTP and other packages are HTTP wrappers with some additional features. You can choose any of them, but it is always better to start with http and any other package. You can get many mock APIs to embed in your application from: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com

Once the API is associated with an API call, you can inspect the API response in the instance class:

Step 3: State Management
State control is one of the most important concepts in Flutter. As our apps grow in size and complexity, it becomes really difficult to control the position of your screen in your app. Suppose you want to transfer data from page 1 to page 2. It's easy. We can skip it while browsing. But let's say you want to transfer data from page 1 to page 5. In this case, state management comes in handy! There are many state management systems and packages available. But don't worry! Use whatever is convenient for you. You can start with a provider that is one of the basic state control packages. Step 4: Learn about database integration
Database is an important part of any application. It will still be necessary to save some data from your application. Some databases that can be used in Flutter:

hot head
Subbase
SQLite (local database)
Hive (local database)
Moor (local database)
And many others…

Step 4: Project Structure and Architecture
Maintaining project schedule is very important. This helps beginners to quickly review the code. It also makes it easy to find bugs or add or remove features as needed without breaking existing functionality. There are many specific frameworks like MVVM, MVC, TDD, etc. These are really scary and created after proper research. But using them is not mandatory. You can always create your own home that suits you and your team. Always remember to keep the following in mind with your building code:

KISS (Keep it simple, dumbass!)
Can be calculated
There is little agreement between features
Code recovery.

If your home design meets the above criteria, great!
Have fun Learning.

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