Flutter and Dart Cookbook

Chapter 11. Organizing On-Screen Data

In this chapter, we move to exploring how to define data on-screen. Fortunately, Flutter provides some very nice elements out of the box that are able to deal with presentation of information in a manageable way.

An important factor in developing Flutter applications is starting with the correct foundation. In many instances, how the code is laid out will bring forward both strengths and weaknesses. Understanding when to use particular techniques or data structures will most definitely increase your enjoyment and efficiency when building with Flutter.

To get started, we focus on the most common data use cases you will come across as a Flutter developer. You will learn how to:

• Build a vertical list

• Create a horizontal list

• Add a responsive header section

• Use a grid to display items

• Display a notification

The recipes cover a variety of use cases that will most certainly be very useful when building your application. For example, a vertical list is one of the most common design patterns in Flutter, so you will be in good company once you have learned how to use this.

When creating more complex applications, always try to make Dart and Flutter do the hard work. Each iteration of the language and framework delivers better efficiencies. Incorporating these new features (e.g., null safety) in each new release will help you to avoid certain errors and encourage better coding practice.

Given the flexibility of Flutter, don’t forget that ...