Dart Programming Fundamentals

Asynchronous Programming

• Future or Future is completed with an error if an asynchronous operation performed by the function fails.
• To define an async function, add async before the function body.
• Await keyword works only in async functions.
• Handling errors can be done using try-catch.

State Management

• State is information that can be read when the widget is built and changed over the lifetime of the app.
• setState() allows us to set the properties of the state object that triggers the redraw of the UI.
• The state of an app is everything that exists in memory when the app is running, including app’s assets, variables, UI, animation state, textures, and fonts.
• State management is the most popular and necessary process in the lifecycle of an application.
• Flutter is declarative, it builds its user interface to reflect the current state of your application.
• UI = f(state)

Types of Conceptual States

• Ephemeral State: also called the UI state or local state, contained in a single widget, no need to use state management techniques.
• App State: shared state, used to share across many parts of the app, can be stored in Preferences, Files, or Databases.

Data Persistence in Flutter

• Using SQLite: store structure data in a private database, uses SQL statements.
• Read and Write files: use the pathprovider to access commonly used locations on the device’s file system.
• Store key-value data: use the sharepreferences plugin, limitations include only saving primitive types.

Flutter Networking

• Use the HTTP package to make HTTP requests.
• In the Android Manifest, include permission for INTERNET.

JSON and Serialization

• Serialization: converting an object to a string.
• Deserialization: converting a string to an object.
• Manual serialization: coding it manually.
• Code generation libraries: used for serialization.

Background Process

• Implementing Dart code, even though the app is not currently an active app.
• Examples: Notifications, Sensors.
• Isolates: Dart’s model for multithreading, used by creating callbacks and callback dispatchers.
• WorkManager Plugin: enables persistent background processing that keeps tasks scheduled through app restarts and system reboots.

Data Persistence and Networking

• Data Persistence: the capability to have data that the app uses or relies on to continue to be available regardless of changes to the app’s state.
• Different types of persistent data in Android: App-specific storage, Shared storage, Preferences, Databases, Network Connection.

Mobile Analytics

• Measuring and analyzing data generated by mobile platforms and properties.
• Examples: Advertising KPIs, Funnel Analysis, App performance and usage, Heatmaps, Retention rates, Click-through rates, Conversion rates, Response rates to push notifications and marketing campaigns.
• Types of Mobile Analytics: Mobile Advertising, App monetization, Performance analysis, In-app engagement, Mobile analytics for product teams, Mobile analytics for marketing teams, Mobile analytics for UI/UX teams, Mobile analytics for technical teams.

Key Mobile Metrics

• Mobile Downloads
• Uninstalls
• Heatmaps and user session recreations
• Session length and depth
• Retention Rate
• Churn Rate
• Sessions
• Session Intervals

Future of Mobile Application Development

• 5G: always striving for better, faster connection
• AR and VR: moving beyond gaming
• AI: everywhere
• Blockchain: beyond cryptocurrency
• Wearables: more sophisticated
• Security