Flutter Chapter 1: Cross-Platform Development

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Questions and Answers

What is a major drawback of Progressive Web Apps (PWA)?

It cannot access many of the device's resources

What is a characteristic of compile-to-native solutions?

They produce real apps that can be found in app stores

When would a hybrid solution be appropriate?

When the app is extremely naive and speed is not expected to be an issue

What is an advantage of Progressive Web Apps (PWA)?

They are easy to write and maintain Signup and view all the answers

What is a limitation of hybrid solutions?

They can be slow due to running in a WebView Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of native solutions?

They prioritize speed, smoothness, and sophisticated capability Signup and view all the answers

When would a Progressive Web App (PWA) be the cheapest solution?

When you have a captive audience Signup and view all the answers

What is a common challenge of learning compile-to-native solutions?

Mastering the toolchain Signup and view all the answers

Which group of developers tends to prefer VS Code?

Those from a web development background Signup and view all the answers

What is the main benefit of installing Flutter DevTools?

It improves the Flutter development flow Signup and view all the answers

According to a recent poll of Flutter developers, what percentage use VS Code?

53% Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the plugin that needs to be installed to improve the Flutter development flow?

Flutter DevTools Signup and view all the answers

Why is it not a big deal to switch between different IDEs?

Because it is easy to switch and try a different IDE Signup and view all the answers

Where do you go to install Flutter DevTools in VS Code?

View ➤ Extensions Signup and view all the answers

What may affect how you like the tools, according to the text?

Your background Signup and view all the answers

What do you need to do after installing Flutter DevTools in some cases?

You may need to restart the IDE Signup and view all the answers

Which framework uses the same language for presentation and behavior?

Flutter Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the function that is called in the main function in Flutter?

runApp Signup and view all the answers

What is the minimum requirement for a root widget in Flutter?

It should be a class that extends StatelessWidget Signup and view all the answers

How many built-in Flutter widgets are there, approximately?

160 Signup and view all the answers

What is the return type of the build function in Flutter?

Widget Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Text widget in Flutter?

To display text Signup and view all the answers

What are the major categories of built-in Flutter widgets?

Value widgets, Layout widgets, Navigation widgets Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the package that needs to be imported for all Flutter apps?

'package:flutter/material.dart' Signup and view all the answers

What property needs to be set to specify the fit of an image?

fit Signup and view all the answers

What is similar between input widgets in Flutter and HTML?

They are used for data input Signup and view all the answers

Why do input widgets in Flutter require more work to create and use?

They are more complex and require additional setup Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Form widget in Flutter?

To group input widgets together Signup and view all the answers

Why are input widgets in Flutter unaware of each other?

Because they don't maintain their own state Signup and view all the answers

What type of widget is required to use input widgets in Flutter?

StatefulWidget Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of using input widgets in Flutter?

They provide more control Signup and view all the answers

What is the challenge of working with input widgets in Flutter?

They require more work to create and use Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason why network images are slower than embedded images?

Because they require a request to be sent to a server over the Internet Signup and view all the answers

What happens when an image is placed in a container in Flutter?

The image is shrunk to fit the container, but not grown Signup and view all the answers

What is the default behavior of BoxFit in Flutter?

BoxFit.scaleDown Signup and view all the answers

What does the BoxFit.cover option do?

Shrinks or grows the image until the space is filled, clipping the top/bottom or sides Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Table 4-1 in the text?

To present the different BoxFit options available in Flutter Signup and view all the answers

What does the BoxFit.contain option do?

Shrinks the image until both the width and height fit, leaving extra space on the top/bottom or sides Signup and view all the answers

Why is it unlikely that an image's natural size will fit its container's size perfectly?

Because it would be an amazing coincidence Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Figure 4-3 in the text?

To help decide which BoxFit option to use in different situations Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cross-Platform Development Categories

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Not a real app, runs in a web browser, easy to write, but hard to create a desktop shortcut and cannot access many device resources
Hybrid Solutions: Runs in a WebView, can be slow, and nearly impossible to share code with the web app
Compile-to-Native Solutions: Learning a framework may be difficult, but provides real apps that can be found in stores and run fast

Choosing the Right Solution

PWA: Cheapest solution, suitable for naive apps where speed is not an issue
Hybrid Solution: May be appropriate for extremely naive apps
Native Solution: Required for apps that need speed, smoothness, and sophisticated capability

Editors and IDEs

VS Code: Preferred by web developers, easy to switch editors
Android Studio: Preferred by Android developers
IntelliJ: Used by some developers, easy to switch editors

Flutter DevTools

Adds debugger support, log inspection, and emulator connections
Can be installed in VS Code and Android Studio/IntelliJ

Flutter Framework

Uses the same language for presentation and behavior (Dart)
Starts with a main function that calls runApp()
runApp() receives one widget, the root widget, which extends StatelessWidget

Widgets

Built-in Flutter widgets are the building blocks of everything
Categorized into Value, Layout, Navigation, and Other widgets
About 160 built-in widgets

Images

Can be loaded dynamically using Image.network()
Can be sized using BoxFit options (fill, cover, fitHeight, fitWidth, contain)
BoxFit options can be used to decide how an image fits its container

Input Widgets

Provide widgets for entering data, but they don't work the same way as in web development
Take more work to create and use, but are safer and provide more control
Don't maintain their own state; you have to do it manually
Unaware of each other until grouped with a Form widget

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