Dart for Desktop Development: Building Desktop Applications with Dart

Are you tired of using different programming languages for developing desktop applications for different operating systems? Do you want to use a language that offers ease of development, flexibility, and scalability all combined in one? If yes, then Dart is your answer!

Dart is a modern, object-oriented language that offers many features that make it ideal for developing modern desktop applications. It offers a range of libraries and tools that can be used to create, deploy, and manage applications for all major desktop operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

In this article, we will explore how Dart can be used for desktop development and the features that make it an ideal choice for this purpose.

About Dart

Dart is an object-oriented language that was developed by Google. It was first released in 2011 and intended for building web applications. However, over the years, Dart has grown to become a versatile language that can be used for various types of applications, including mobile and desktop.

Dart is a strongly typed language that offers many features that make it easier to write and maintain code. It offers a modern syntax that is clean and easy to read, making it ideal for beginners as well as experienced developers.

Dart offers a range of libraries and tools, including the Flutter framework that can be used to build modern desktop applications.

Why use Dart for Desktop Development?

There are many reasons why Dart is an ideal choice for desktop development. Some of these reasons include:

Easy to Learn

Dart is an easy language to learn, even for beginners. It has a clean and modern syntax that is easy to read, making it easier to write and maintain code. The language offers many features that help developers write code more efficiently.

Fast Development Time

Dart offers a range of libraries and tools that can be used to speed up the development process. This means that developers can develop and deploy desktop applications faster than with other languages.

Cross-Platform Capabilities

Dart offers cross-platform capabilities, making it easier to develop desktop applications that can run on multiple operating systems. This means that developers save a lot of time and resources that would have been used to develop applications for each specific operating system.

High Performance

Dart offers high performance, making it ideal for building desktop applications that require speed and efficiency. The language offers features such as just-in-time (JIT) compilation and ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, which help to improve application performance.

Large Community

Dart has a large community of developers who are continuously working on the language and its libraries. This means that developers have access to a wealth of resources and support when developing desktop applications.

Using Dart for Desktop Development

To use Dart for desktop development, you need to know the following:

1. The Dart Language

To use Dart for desktop development, you need to have a good understanding of the Dart language. You need to know the syntax, data types, variables, loops, and other basic programming concepts.

2. Dart Libraries

Dart offers a range of libraries that can be used for desktop development. These libraries contain pre-written code for functions that are commonly used when developing desktop applications, making it easier to develop applications faster.

3. Dart Tools

Dart offers a range of tools that can be used for desktop development. These tools include debuggers, code editors, and compilers. These tools help to speed up the development process and improve the quality of the code.

4. Dart Frameworks

Dart offers a range of frameworks, including the Flutter framework, which can be used for developing modern desktop applications. These frameworks offer many features, including widgets, that can be used to create user interfaces that are modern and responsive.

Building Desktop Applications with Dart: A Sample Project

Now that we know about Dart, its features, and why it is ideal for desktop development let us look at how we can build a sample desktop application using Dart and Flutter.

Project Overview

In this project, we will build a simple desktop calculator application that can perform basic arithmetic operations.

Project Requirements

To build this application, you need to have the following:

• Dart SDK installed
• Flutter SDK installed
• A code editor (e.g. Visual Studio Code)
• Knowledge of basic programming concepts in Dart

Project Setup

To set up the project, you need to do the following:

1. Open your code editor and create a new folder named calculator.
2. Open the terminal and navigate to the calculator folder.
3. Run the following command to create a new Flutter project:

flutter create calculator

4. Open the newly created project in your code editor.

The User Interface

The first step is to create the user interface for the application. We will use the Flutter framework to create a modern and responsive user interface.

Open the lib/main.dart file and replace its contents with the following code:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() => runApp(MyApp());

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final appTitle = 'Calculator';

    return MaterialApp(
      title: appTitle,
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text(appTitle),
        ),
        body: Center(
          child: Text('Build the UI here!'),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

In this code, we have created a simple user interface for the application that contains an app bar and a center widget that displays the text Build the UI here!.

We will replace this text with the necessary widgets to create a calculator.

Add the following code to the body of the Scaffold widget:

Column(
  mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
  children: <Widget>[
    Text(
      '0',
      style: Theme.of(context).textTheme.display1,
    ),
    Row(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
      children: <Widget>[
        _buildButton('C'),
        _buildButton('±'),
        _buildButton('%'),
        _buildButton('÷'),
      ],
    ),
    Row(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
      children: <Widget>[
        _buildButton('7'),
        _buildButton('8'),
        _buildButton('9'),
        _buildButton('×'),
      ],
    ),
    Row(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
      children: <Widget>[
        _buildButton('4'),
        _buildButton('5'),
        _buildButton('6'),
        _buildButton('-'),
      ],
    ),
    Row(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
      children: <Widget>[
        _buildButton('1'),
        _buildButton('2'),
        _buildButton('3'),
        _buildButton('+'),
      ],
    ),
    Row(
      mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
      children: <Widget>[
        _buildButton('0'),
        _buildButton('.'),
        _buildButton('='),
      ],
    )
  ],
)

This code creates a Column widget that contains several Row widgets that contain several buttons. The buildButton method creates a button widget that we will create shortly.

Now that we have created the user interface, let us create the necessary functions to make the calculator work.

Creating the Functions

To create the functions, we need to add several methods to the MyApp class.

Add the following code immediately after the build method:

String output = "0";
String _output = "0";
double num1 = 0.0;
double num2 = 0.0;
String operand = "";

In this code, we have declared a few variables that we will use to perform the necessary calculations.

Next, we will define the _buildButton method, which will create a button widget:

Widget _buildButton(String buttonText) {
  return Expanded(
    child: Padding(
      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(4.0),
      child: FlatButton(
        color: Colors.grey[300],
        child: Text(
          buttonText,
          style: TextStyle(
            fontSize: 25.0,
            fontWeight: FontWeight.bold,
          ),
        ),
        onPressed: () => _buttonPressed(buttonText),
      ),
    ),
  );
}

In this code, we have defined a method that returns an expanded widget that contains a button with the specified text. When the button is pressed, the _buttonPressed method is called, which will perform the necessary action.

Add the following _buttonPressed method to the MyApp class:

_buttonPressed(String buttonText) {
  if (buttonText == "C") {
    _output = "0";
    num1 = 0.0;
    num2 = 0.0;
    operand = "";
  } else if (buttonText == "+/-") {
    _output.contains("-")
        ? _output = _output.substring(1)
        : _output = "-" + _output;
  } else if (buttonText == "%" && _output != "") {
    _output = (num1 / 100).toString();
    num2 = double.parse(_output);
  } else if (buttonText == ".") {
    if (_output.contains(".")) {
      print("Already contains a decimal");
      return;
    } else {
      _output = _output + buttonText;
    }
  } else if (buttonText == "+" ||
      buttonText == "-" ||
      buttonText == "×" ||
      buttonText == "÷") {
    if (num1 == 0.0) {
      num1 = double.parse(output);
    } else {
      num2 = double.parse(output);
    }

    switch (operand) {
      case "+":
        _output = (num1 + num2).toString();
        break;
      case "-":
        _output = (num1 - num2).toString();
        break;
      case "×":
        _output = (num1 * num2).toString();
        break;
      case "÷":
        _output = (num1 / num2).toString();
        break;
    }

    num1 = double.parse(_output);
    operand = buttonText;
    _output = "0";
  } else if (buttonText == "=") {
    num2 = double.parse(output);

    switch (operand) {
      case "+":
        _output = (num1 + num2).toString();
        break;
      case "-":
        _output = (num1 - num2).toString();
        break;
      case "×":
        _output = (num1 * num2).toString();
        break;
      case "÷":
        _output = (num1 / num2).toString();
        break;
    }

    num1 = 0.0;
    num2 = 0.0;
    operand = "";
  } else {
    _output = _output + buttonText;
  }

  setState(() {
    output = double.parse(_output).toStringAsFixed(2);
  });
}

In this code, we have defined the _buttonPressed method, which performs the necessary action when a button is pressed. The method contains several conditional statements that check which button was pressed and perform the necessary calculations.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored how Dart can be used for desktop development and the features that make it an ideal choice for this purpose. We have also built a sample desktop calculator application using Dart and the Flutter framework.

Dart offers many features that make it an ideal choice for desktop development, including ease of development, flexibility, scalability, cross-platform capabilities, high performance, and a large community.

If you are looking to develop modern desktop applications, then Dart is the way to go!

Additional Resources