Book excerpt: Summary In 2017, consumers downloaded 178 billion apps, and analysts predict growth to 258 billion by 2022. Mobile customers are demanding more—and better—apps, and it’s up to developers like you to write them! Flutter, a revolutionary new cross-platform software development kit created by Google, makes it easier than ever to write secure, high-performance native apps for iOS and Android. Flutter apps are blazingly fast because this open source solution compiles your Dart code to platform-specific programs with no JavaScript bridge! Flutter also supports hot reloading to update changes instantly. And thanks to its built-in widgets and rich motion APIs, Flutter’s apps are not just highly responsive, they’re stunning! Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology With Flutter, you can build mobile applications using a single, feature-rich SDK that includes everything from a rendering engine to a testing environment. Flutter compiles programs written in Google’s intuitive Dart language to platform-specific code so your iOS and Android games, utilities, and shopping platforms all run like native Java or Swift apps. About the book Flutter in Action teaches you to build professional-quality mobile applications using the Flutter SDK and the Dart programming language. You’ll begin with a quick tour of Dart essentials and then dive into engaging, well-described techniques for building beautiful user interfaces using Flutter’s huge collection of built-in widgets. The combination of diagrams, code examples, and annotations makes learning a snap. As you go, you’ll appreciate how the author makes easy reading of complex topics like routing, state management, and async programming. What's inside Understanding the Flutter approach to the UI All the Dart you need to get started Creating custom animations Testing and debugging About the reader You’ll need basic web or mobile app development skills. About the author Eric Windmill is a professional Dart developer and a contributor to open-source Flutter projects. His work is featured on the Flutter Showcase page. Table of Contents: PART 1 - MEET FLUTTER 1 ¦ Meet Flutter 2 ¦ A brief intro to Dart 3 ¦ Breaking into Flutter PART 2 - FLUTTER USER INTERACTION, STYLES, AND ANIMATIONS 4 ¦ Flutter UI: Important widgets, themes, and layout 5 ¦ User interaction: Forms and gestures 6 ¦ Pushing pixels: Flutter animations and using the canvas PART 3 - STATE MANAGEMENT AND ASYNCHRONOUS DART 7 ¦ Flutter routing in depth 8 ¦ Flutter state management 9 ¦ Async Dart and Flutter and infinite scrolling PART 4 - BEYOND FOUNDATIONS 10 ¦ Working with data: HTTP, Firestore, and JSON 11 ¦ Testing Flutter apps