Issue 219 - Flutter Tap Weekly Newsletter
New Flutter 3.24 and Dart 3.5 release with GPU API, web views, video ad monetization, Cupertino updates, and more!
News
Flutter 3.24 and Dart 3.5 are here! A lot of improvements and experimental features. Here are the main articles:
Announcing Flutter 3.24 and Dart 3.5. Michael Thomsen gives us an overview of the new versions. With the introduction of a powerful new GPU API, enhanced support for iOS and macOS, and showcase global community contributions.
What’s new in Flutter 3.24. Here is a summary of the main 10 points:
1. Flutter GPU Preview: The introduction of the Flutter GPU API allows advanced graphics and 3D rendering directly within Flutter, available in an early preview on the main channel.
2. Multi-View Embedding for Web: Flutter web applications can now embed multiple Flutter views simultaneously, offering greater flexibility in web app integration.
3. Video Ad Monetization: New support for instream video ad monetization through the Interactive Media Ads (IMA) plugin, expanding revenue opportunities for Flutter apps.
4. New Slivers and Cupertino Updates: New slivers like PinnedHeaderSliver and SliverResizingHeader for dynamic app bar behaviors and updates to the Cupertino widget library for better iOS fidelity.
5. TreeView and CarouselView Widgets: Introduction of the TreeView widget for building scrolling trees and the CarouselView widget for creating scrollable item carousels.
6. Improved Defaults and Animation Enhancements: Default FilterQuality for images updated to medium, and new features added to the AnimationStatus enum for better control of animations.
7. Swift Package Manager Support: Early support for Swift Package Manager (SPM) in Flutter, simplifying dependency management for iOS and macOS.
8. DevTools and IDE Improvements: Enhancements to Flutter DevTools, including a new Rebuild Stats feature and improved integration with IDEs like VS Code and Android Studio.
9. Breaking Changes and Deprecations: Notable breaking changes include updates to the Navigator's pages API, changes in Flutter web's default renderer, and new deprecations.
10. Community Contributions: Acknowledgment of the active contributions from the Flutter community, with significant updates driven by over 800 framework and 600 engine commits.
Announcing Dart 3.5, and an update on the Dart roadmap. The latest Dart SDK release, Dart 3.5, introduces new capabilities, including improved web and native interoperability, updates to the pub.dev package manager, and enhancements to the Dart language. The web integration APIs have graduated to stable with version 1.0, and there are advancements in JS and native interop. Ongoing work on IDE performance in large monorepos and progress on language features like macros and a new formatter.
Tutorials
Getting started with Flutter GPU. Brandon DeRosier introduces this experimental feature that arrived on Flutter 3.24. The article shows us the Flutter Scene package and the low-level Flutter GPU API.
Rust GUI library via Flutter, done simple. The author of flutter_rust_bridge gives us an introduction to using Rust code easily in our Flutter apps.
Completers In Flutter. Shirsh Shukla teaches us what a Completer is and when to use it on our Flutter apps.
Swift Package Manager for plugin authors. This is directly from the Flutter documentation. Flutter is migrating to Swift Package Manager to manage iOS and macOS native dependencies.
Videos
Completers (Technique of the Week). Need to programmatically control the resolution of a Future? If so, you need a Completer!
Flutter Google Maps Polyline || Polyline Flutter. In this Flutter tutorial, you'll learn how to use the Google Maps API to create polylines and map directions in your Flutter app.
Making an iOS Keypad UI in Flutter (with free source code). By Mufungo Geeks. Flutter tutorial for beginners on UI Design showing you how to design the iOS Keypad Design the and giving you tips on how to design an application that users really like.
Humpday Q&A/AMA and Live Coding :: 7th August 2024 :: #HumpdayQandA #Flutter #FlutterCommunity. We will be discussing Flutter 3.24 and Dart 3.5 and answering your #Flutter and #Dart questions with Simon, Danielle, John and Rafal.
Packages
flutter_rust_bridge. Flutter/Dart <-> Rust binding generator, feature-rich, but seamless and simple.
flutter_scene. 3D rendering library for Flutter. Currently only supported when Impeller is enabled.
image_cropper. A Flutter plugin for Android, iOS and Web supports cropping images.