Flutter Beginner Course

Introduction

• Instructor: Mitch
• Objective: Teach absolute beginners how to create beautiful apps with Flutter.
• Prerequisites: No prior programming experience needed, but Flutter should be installed on your computer.
• Course Outline:
  1. Basics of programming fundamentals
  2. Essential Flutter widgets
  3. Navigation between screens
  4. Stateless vs Stateful widgets
  5. Handling user input
  6. Building a to-do app
  7. Saving data in local storage
  8. Building an e-commerce app with advanced UI functionality

General Tips

1. Utilize the internet for learning and problem-solving.
2. Practice coding consistently to understand nuances.

Basics of Programming Fundamentals

• Main Function: The entry point of any application.
• Variables:
  • String: Holds text (e.g. String name = "Mitch").
  • Int: Holds whole numbers (e.g. int age = 27).
  • Double: Holds numbers with decimals (e.g. double pi = 3.14).
  • Boolean: Represents true/false values (e.g. bool isBeginner = true).
• Basic Operators:
  • Math: +, -, *, /, %
  • Comparison: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=
  • Logical: && (and), || (or), ! (not)
• Control Flow:
  • If Statements: Execute code based on a condition.
  • Loops:
    • For Loop: Iterate a set number of times.
    • While Loop: Continue iterating based on a condition.
• Functions/Methods:
  • Void: Does not return a value.
  • Return Types: Functions that return a value (e.g. int add(int a, int b)).*

Important Data Structures

• List: Ordered collection, allows duplicates (e.g. List<int> numbers = [1, 2, 3]).
• Set: Unordered collection of unique elements (e.g. Set<String> names = {'Mitch', 'Sharon'}).
• Map: Key-value pairs (e.g. Map<String, int> user = {'age': 27, 'height': 180}).

Introduction to Widgets in Flutter

• MaterialApp: The main widget starting point.
• Scaffold: Provides a framework to implement the basic visual layout structure.
• Container: Basic building block for UI layout.
• Text: For displaying text.
• Icon: For displaying icons.
• Column & Row: For vertical and horizontal layouts respectively.
• ListView: Scrollable list of widgets.
• GridView: Grid layout.
• Stack: Positions widgets on top of each other.
• GestureDetector: Detects gestures like taps.

Navigation in Flutter

• Navigator: Manages routes and pages.
  • Push Named: Navigate using named routes.
  • Drawer: Sidebar for navigation.
  • Bottom Navigation Bar: Navigation bar at the bottom of the app.

Building a Counter App

• Stateful vs Stateless Widgets: Stateful widgets can change state (data displayed), stateless widgets cannot.
• Increment Counter Example: Basic app to increment a counter using StatefulWidget.

Building a To-Do App

• TextField: For user input.
• Text Editing Controller: Accesses text from the TextField.
• ListView.builder: Dynamically generates a list of to-do items.
• Checkbox: For indicating task completion.
• State Management: Set state to refresh UI.
• Hive: Local database for data persistence.

Building an E-commerce App

• Introduction Page: Initial landing page with logo and start button.
• Home Page: Shop and cart navigation using GoogleNavBar.
• Models: Shoes and cart defined as data models.
• Provider: State management package for handling data state across the app.
• Cart functionality: Adding/removing items from the cart.

Final Thoughts

• Practice Consistently: Code daily to develop your skills.
• Start Small, Build Up: Collect small wins, aim for achievable challenges.
• Effective Learning: Be self-motivated, use the internet and AI for problem-solving.
• Continue Learning: Follow related content and stay curious.