Flutter has grown exponentially in today's tech-oriented world, becoming a popular framework for developing cross-platform apps. One of the key plugins, Flutter package info plus, is crucial in this development journey. This Flutter plugin allows you to query information about the application package, such as package name, version, and build number. It becomes beneficial when you want insights like the version string or have to distribute the app to an app store and need to supply package info for Flutter apps.
In this blog, we will study and delve deeper into the world of Flutter package info plus to aid your Flutter app development process.
The Flutter package info plus is an excellent Flutter plugin that provides an easy interface to fetch package data. This data includes the app name, package name, version string, and build number. It's a Flutter package everyone should get acquainted with, especially when querying information about the application package. It offers much-appreciated uniformity when developing for multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, Web, Windows, and Linux.
Remember, the version is essentially the current version of your Flutter app listed in the pubspec.yaml file under the version key. The build number represents the current build of your app, and it usually increases every time you make a build to distribute.
Before we walk through the practical implementation of the Flutter package info plus, it's important to understand some prerequisites. As a Flutter developer, ideally, you should have:
Installing the Flutter package info plus involves a straightforward process. Let's walk through the steps:
1dependencies: 2 flutter: 3 sdk: flutter 4 package_info_plus: ^latest-version>
1import 'package:package_info_plus/package_info_plus.dart';
With the package successfully installed, we can now explore its components!
Excited to see the package in action? Let's break down its key components before jumping onto the code:
1. PackageInfo Class:
This is the class providing access to the package information:
1PackageInfo packageInfo = await PackageInfo.fromPlatform();
2. Application Package (appPackageName):
Usually matches the iOS bundle identifier or Android applicationId:
1String appName = packageInfo.appName;
3. Package Name (packageName):
Name of the package. This also usually matches the package name on Android or bundle ID on iOS:
1String packageName = packageInfo.packageName;
4. Version:
The version name as set in pubspec.yaml:
1String version = packageInfo.version;
Now that we've understood various components of the Flutter package info plus, let's see how they are implemented in the code. Let's create a simple Flutter app that displays its version and build number.
We start with the standard void main and class MyApp to create our new flutter app.
1void main() => runApp(const MyApp()); 2 3 class MyApp extends StatelessWidget 4 const MyApp(Key? key>) : super(key: key); 5 6 @override 7 Widget build(BuildContext context) 8 return MaterialApp( 9 home: Scaffold( 10 body: Center( 11 child: FutureBuilderPackageInfo>( 12 future: PackageInfo.fromPlatform(), 13 builder: (BuildContext context, AsyncSnapshotPackageInfo> snapshot) 14 if (snapshot.hasData) 15 return Text( 16 'Version $\n' 17 'Build number: $', 18 ); 19 > else 20 return Text('Loading. '); 21 > 22 >, 23 ), 24 ), 25 ), 26 ); 27 > 28 > 29
This code snippet fetches and displays the version and build number of the Flutter app.
Taking advantage of the Flutter package info plus allows you to access important information about your Flutter app. As discussed in the previous sections, to access the app's version, for example, the version comes to your rescue.
To further illustrate, creating a new instance of PackageInfo and calling fromPlatform, will provide us all the data we need.
1PackageInfo packageInfo = await PackageInfo.fromPlatform();
Remember that querying information about an application package can take a few milliseconds and thus, you should ensure doing it asynchronously in cases where quick response time is a priority.
Summarizing, the Flutter package info plus proves itself to be a robust and versatile Flutter plugin to enhance your app's transparency and usability.
The practical applications of Flutter Package Info Plus within your Flutter app are numerous. Some of the prominent use cases include:
The package proves its necessity in several scenarios enhancing the overall Flutter app development process.
1String appVersion = 'App Name: $\n' 2 'Package Name: $\n' 3 'Version: $\n' 4 'Build Number: $'; 5
This will fetch all necessary package info in one string.
As with every other package, the Flutter package info plus also might come with its share of issues. Here, we'll list some common issues and their solutions that you might face during its implementation:
We’ve covered quite a bit about the Flutter package info plus and touched on every facet, from detailed understanding, implementation, and troubleshooting of common issues, to the benefits it brings to your Flutter app.
Remember, Flutter package info plus can be an indispensable tool whenever you need to access package information, version strings, or build numbers. It has simplified fetching these vital details, ensuring your Flutter app development journey is smoother. The package info plus can make your Flutter app more efficient while also contributing to the app's transparency for your end-users. So, the next time you work on your Flutter app, don't forget to use this powerful tool!
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