Flutter: Build, Test, Deploy Mobile Apps for iOS and Android

A warm welcome to the Flutter: Build, Test, Deploy Mobile Apps for iOS and Android course by Uplatz.

Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) created by Google. It enables developers to build natively compiled applications for mobile (iOS, Android), web, and desktop from a single codebase. Flutter uses the Dart programming language and is known for its ability to create visually appealing, high-performance apps with a smooth user experience.

How Does Flutter Work

Flutter operates by compiling Dart code directly into native ARM code, bypassing the need for separate iOS and Android codebases. At its core, it renders the UI using a high-performance 2D graphics engine called Skia. Instead of relying on native UI components, Flutter renders its own widgets directly on a canvas, giving developers more control over the app’s appearance and performance.

The key workflow involves:

1. Writing Dart Code: Flutter apps are written in Dart, a language optimized for building client apps.
2. Widgets: Flutter’s UI is built entirely with widgets that are fast and customizable. Everything in Flutter (buttons, text fields, layouts) is a widget.
3. Hot Reload: Developers can instantly see changes made to the code, speeding up the development process.
4. Rendering Engine: Flutter renders the widgets using its engine, which ensures high performance across platforms.

Key Features of Flutter

1. Single Codebase for Multiple Platforms – Develop for Android, iOS, web, and desktop with just one codebase.
2. Hot Reload – Allows developers to instantly see changes in the code without restarting the app, speeding up development.
3. Customizable Widgets – Flutter provides an extensive library of pre-built widgets, which can be customized to fit any design.
4. Native Performance – Dart code is compiled to native machine code, ensuring high performance and fast rendering.
5. Rich Motion APIs – Flutter has built-in support for animations, gestures, and smooth transitions, enabling rich, interactive UIs.
6. Access to Native Features – Flutter easily integrates with native modules, allowing access to platform-specific functionality (e.g., camera, GPS).
7. Built-in Testing Support – Offers a comprehensive testing framework for unit, integration, and UI testing.

Benefits of Learning Flutter

Learning Flutter opens up opportunities to create modern, scalable, and high-performance apps across multiple platforms from a single codebase.

1. Cross-Platform Development – With a single codebase, you can target multiple platforms, saving time and resources.
2. High Demand – Flutter’s popularity is growing, and businesses are adopting it for its efficiency, leading to a rising demand for Flutter developers.
3. Fast Development – Features like Hot Reload and customizable widgets accelerate development, making Flutter an ideal choice for prototyping and production apps.
4. Community and Ecosystem – Backed by Google and supported by a vibrant developer community, Flutter’s ecosystem is constantly expanding.
5. Open-Source and Free – Flutter is open-source, meaning it’s free to use with a growing repository of tools, libraries, and packages.
6. Native-Like Performance – Apps built with Flutter are compiled directly to machine code, providing performance close to fully native apps.
7. Beautiful UI Design – Flutter’s rich widget set and powerful graphics engine enable the creation of visually stunning and highly customizable UIs.

Flutter – Course Curriculum

1. Introduction to Dart and Flutter

• What are Dart and Flutter?
• Why learn Dart before Flutter?

2. DartPad

• Using the DartPad online playground.
• Running DartPad codes offline.

3. Dart Basics

• Variables, constants, and basic data types.
• Arithmetic, relational, and logical operators.

4. Control Flow in Dart

• Conditional statements and loops (if, else, switch-case, for, while, do-while).

5. Dart Functions

• Understanding Dart functions, types, and structure.

6. Dart Object-Oriented Programming

• Classes, objects, properties, and methods.

7. Dart Collections

• Working with lists, maps, and sets.

8. Dart Asynchronous Programming

• Async functions, await, try-catch, and handling streams.

9. Error Handling and External Packages

• Handling errors in Dart.
• Using external Dart packages from Pub.

10. Building a Weather App in Dart

• Using external packages and APIs.

11. Installing Flutter

• How to install Flutter on Windows and macOS.

12. Flutter Basics

• StatelessWidget and StatefulWidget.
• Common Flutter widgets like Text, Image, Icon, Scaffold, and more.

13. Flutter Layout Widgets

• Using layout widgets like Row, Column, Stack, and ListView.

14. Building a Basic Profile UI

• Creating a simple profile screen.

15. Running a Flutter App

• Running apps on Android and iOS devices.

16. Flutter Navigation

• Single screen navigation (Navigator.push() and Navigator.pop()).
• Multi-screen navigation with named routes and providers.

17. Creating Multi-Screen Apps

• Structuring multi-screen apps such as a login and dashboard.

18. Forms in Flutter

• Building, validating, and submitting forms.

19. State Management in Flutter

• Managing state with setState() and other state management techniques.

20. HTTP Requests and Local Storage

• Making HTTP requests with the http package.
• Working with SQLite and Shared Preferences for local data storage.

21. Animations in Flutter

• Implementing basic implicit and explicit animations.

22. Theming in Flutter

• Customizing themes and adding simple animations.

23. Firebase Integration

• Setting up Firebase in Flutter for Android and iOS.
• Firebase authentication with email/password and Google sign-in.

24. Firebase App Development

• Creating a simple app with Firebase authentication.
• Setting up push notifications from Firebase.

25. Messaging App Development

• Outline and code details for building a messaging app.

26. Advanced Flutter Techniques

• Flutter BLoC pattern.
• Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) with GitHub.

27. Deploying Flutter Apps

• Deploying apps to the Google Play Store from Windows and macOS.
• Deploying apps to the Apple App Store for iOS.

28. Flutter Performance Optimization

• Techniques for optimizing Flutter app performance.

29. Internals of Flutter Framework

• A deeper understanding of the Flutter framework.

30. Preparing for Flutter Interviews

• Common interview questions to practice.