Flutter + Kotlin (Flutlin)

Aim

To find out the way to utilize flutter UI design benefits while on logical tasks like rest api calling with Kotlin.

• UI design in Flutter
• Rest api calling with Retrofit in Kotlin.

Tech

• FlutterView (https://docs.flutter.io/javadoc/io/flutter/view/FlutterView.html)
• FlutterActivity (https://docs.flutter.io/javadoc/io/flutter/app/FlutterActivity.html)

Steps to follow to use Flutter View

1. Create Flutter Project.
2. Open android project in Android Studio.
   • Create your own layout for your activity and add simple FlutterView

     <io.flutter.view.FlutterView
             android:id="@+id/flutter_view"
             android:layout_width="match_parent"
             android:layout_height="match_parent" /> 
     

   • Need some initialisation for flutter as per below:

     val args = getArgsFromIntent(intent)
     FlutterMain.ensureInitializationComplete(applicationContext, args)
     

   • Create FlutterRunArguments, provide context and entry point of dart for that view.

     val runArguments = FlutterRunArguments()
     runArguments.bundlePath = FlutterMain.findAppBundlePath(applicationContext)
     runArguments.entrypoint = "main"
     

   • Bind your FlutterView

     flutterView = findViewById(R.id.flutter_view)
     flutterView!!.runFromBundle(runArguments)
     

   • User any channel to communicate with your dart file and activity. In our case, I have used BasicMessageChannel to pass string as response.

     messageChannel = BasicMessageChannel(flutterView, CHANNEL, StringCodec.INSTANCE)
     messageChannel?.send(message)
     

   • Close android project.
3. Open Flutter Project.
   • Initialise BasicMessageChannel channel which will be helpful to fetch data shared in our Actitivy.

     static const BasicMessageChannel<String> platform =
     BasicMessageChannel<String>(_channel, StringCodec());
     

   • Register callback in your initState() widget

     platform.setMessageHandler(_handlePlatformMessage);
     

   • Create method as per below through which you can parse your string into response model and that you can use to reflect in UI.

     Future<String> _handlePlatformMessage(String message) async {
         // use setState() to reflect the message in  your ui.
     }
     
     

LICENSE!

Flutlin is MIT-licensed.

Let us know!

We’d be really happy if you send us links to your projects where you use our component. Just send an email to sales@mindinventory.com And do let us know if you have any questions or suggestion regarding our work.