Dart Programming Language

Introduction to the Dart Programming Language

Dart programming language is an object-oriented programming language with optional typing and C-style syntax. Classes, interfaces, collections, generics, and other programming tools are available. Due to its capacity for producing responsive and dynamic user interfaces, Dart programming language is the perfect language for creating single-page applications.

Uses of Dart Programming Language

Dart programming language is a versatile language that has gained popularity for developing web and mobile applications.

• Building client-side web applications with the Flutter framework is one of Dart programming languages' most known uses.
• With the help of a single Dart programming language-written codebase, Flutter is a mobile app SDK that enables the creation of high-quality native interfaces for both the Android and iOS platforms.
• Web Development: Dart programming language can be used for creating web applications by using the Flutter framework, which offers web support. Additionally, there are other web frameworks such as Angel and Aqueduct that use Dart programming language for creating web APIs and backend services.
• Mobile Development: Dart programming language is the primary language for developing mobile applications using Flutter, a popular mobile development framework. Flutter allows for cross-platform development, enabling developers to write code once and deploy it to both iOS and Android.
• Server-Side Development: Dart programming language can be used for server-side development, with frameworks like Aqueduct and Angel that allow for building RESTful APIs, microservices, and other server-side applications.
• Desktop Applications: Dart programming language can be used for developing desktop applications on various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. Flutter provides support for building desktop applications as well.
• Internet of Things (IoT): Dart programming language can be used for developing applications for IoT devices, such as smart home devices, wearables, and other connected devices.

Why Should We Learn Dart Programming Language?

Here are several reasons why you should learn Dart programming language:

• Dart programming language is easy to use and learn, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced developers alike. The learning is not steep.
• Dart programming language features modern language features like strong typing, asynchronous programming, and garbage collection, which are essential for building complex web and mobile applications.
• Learning Dart programming language allows you to work and build with Flutter framework which allows you to build cross-platform app development, allowing for beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.
• It is also efficient because of Dart programming languagepad, a Dart programming language programming tool, which makes it easier to work on the language directly from the browser without the need of installing any software.
• Dart programming language's ability to transcompile to JavaScript means that it can be used for both client-side and server-side web development.

Features of Dart Programming Language

Dart programming language is a popular open-source programming language among software developers because of its advanced capabilities that are free to use:

• Object-oriented: Dart programming language is an object-oriented language, meaning that everything in the language is an object, with the ability to inherit behavior from other objects.
• Strongly typed: Dart programming language features strong typing, allowing for better error-checking and more robust code. However, Dart programming language also includes the option of using optional typing for increased flexibility.
• Asynchronous programming: Dart programming language includes support for asynchronous programming, which allows developers to write non-blocking code that can perform multiple tasks simultaneously, improving performance and responsiveness.
• Garbage collection: Dart programming language uses a garbage collector to automatically manage memory, freeing up resources that are no longer in use and preventing memory leaks.
• In-Built Libraries: Dart programming language includes a range of built-in collection types, including lists, maps, and sets, making it easier to work with data in your code.
• Optional named parameters: Dart programming language includes support for optional named parameters, which can make functions more flexible and easier to use.
• Mixins: Dart programming language includes support for mixins, which allow developers to reuse code across multiple classes without the need for inheritance.
• Concurrency: Dart programming language includes support for isolates, which are lightweight threads that can be used to perform work in parallel, improving performance and responsiveness.

Data Types in Dart

Dart programming language supports a wide range of Data types to store, handle and manipulate data:

• Numbers: Dart programming language supports both integer and floating-point numbers. Integers can be specified using the int keyword, while floating-point numbers can be specified using the double keyword.
• Strings: Dart programming language supports strings, which can be enclosed in either single or double quotes. The dart programming language also includes a range of built-in string manipulation functions.
• Booleans: Dart programming language includes support for boolean values, which can be either true or false.
• Lists: Dart programming language includes built-in support for lists, which are ordered collections of objects. Lists can be created using the List keyword.
• Sets: Dart programming language also includes support for sets, which are unordered collections of unique objects. Sets can be created using the Set keyword.
• Maps: Dart programming language includes built-in support for maps, which are key-value pairs of objects. Maps can be created using the Map keyword.
• Runes: Dart programming language includes support for Unicode characters, which can be represented using the runes data type.
• Symbols: Dart programming language includes support for symbols, which are used to represent identifiers in a program.

Operators in Dart

Operators are special symbols in programming languages that perform specific operations on data. Dart programming language includes a range of operators for performing various tasks, including arithmetic, equality, increment and decrement, logical, and comparison operations.

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators in Dart programming language are used to perform basic mathematical operations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulo. Here are the arithmetic operators in Dart programming language and their corresponding symbols:

• Addition(+): This operator is used for performing addition.
• Subtraction (-): This operator is used for performing Subtraction
• Multiplication (*): This operator is used for performing multiplication
• Division (/): This operator is used for performing division
• Modulo (%): This operator is used for obtaining the remainder in the division.

Equality Operators

Equality operators in the Dart programming language are used to compare two values and determine if they are equal or not. Here are the equality operators in Dart programming language and their corresponding symbols:

• Equality (==): This operator determines if two values are the same or of equal value.
• Inequality (!=): This operator determines if the two values are not of the same value or not equal.

Increment and Decrement Operators

Increment and decrement operators in Dart programming language are used to increase or decrease the value of a variable by one. Here are the increment and decrement operators in Dart programming language and their corresponding symbols:

• Increment (++): This operator is used to increment the value by one
• Decrement (--): This operator is used to decrement the value by one

Logical Operators

Logical operators in Dart programming language are used to combine multiple conditions and determine if a given expression is true or false. Here are the logical operators in Dart programming language and their corresponding symbols:

• AND (&&): This operator is used to see that both the logic or condition on either side of the operator are true or met.
• OR (||): This operator is used to determine if any one of the logic or condition on either side of the operator is met
• NOT (!): This is an operator used to determine if a logic or condition is not true or not the case

Comparison Operators

Comparison operators in the Dart programming language are used to compare two values and determine their relationship. Here are the comparison operators in Dart programming language and their corresponding symbols:

• Greater than (>): This operator is used to check if the value of one variable is greater than the other
• Less than (<): This operator is used to check if the value of one variable is less than the other
• Greater than or equal to(>=): This operator is used to check if the value of one variable is either greater than or equal to the other value.
• Less than or equal to (<=): This operator is used to check if the value of one variable is either lesser than or equal to the other value.

By understanding and using these operators effectively, developers can perform a wide range of operations in their Dart programming language programs, from basic arithmetic to complex logical comparisons.

Decision Making and Loops in Dart

Loops and decision-making are key programming concepts that let programmers manage the flow of their code. If statements, if-else statements, and switch statements are some of the several looping and decision-making structures that can be used in the Dart programming language. Each of these structures offers programmers a potent set of instruments for creating intricate, dynamic programs.

Let us take a brief look at a few:

If Statement

The if statement is the most basic decision-making structure in the Dart programming language. It allows developers to execute a block of code if a certain condition is met. Here are some key points to keep in mind about if statements in Dart programming language:

• The if statement is constructed using the if keyword, followed by a condition in parentheses, and a block of code in curly braces.
• If the condition specified in the if statement is true, the block of code within the curly braces will be executed.
• If the condition is false, the block of code will be skipped.

The if statement is used to execute code based on a specific condition. In Dart programming language, the if statement takes the following form:

If-Else Statement

The if-else statement is a variation of the if statement that allows developers to execute one block of code if a condition is true, and another block of code if the condition is false. Here are some key points to keep in mind about if-else statements in Dart programming language:

• The if-else statement is constructed using the if keyword, followed by a condition in parentheses, and two blocks of code in curly braces.
• The first block of code is executed if the condition is true, while the second block of code is executed if the condition is false.
• If the condition specified in the if statement is false, the second block of code will be executed.

In Dart programming language, the if-else statement takes the following form:

Switch Statement

The switch statement is a powerful decision-making structure that allows developers to execute different blocks of code based on the value of a variable. Here are some key points to keep in mind about switch statements in the Dart programming language:

• The switch statement is constructed using the switch keyword, followed by a variable in parentheses, and a series of case statements.
• Each case statement includes a value to compare the variable against, followed by a block of code in curly braces.
• If the value of the variable matches the value specified in one of the case statements, the corresponding block of code will be executed.
• If no case statement matches the value of the variable, an optional default block of code can be executed instead.

In Dart programming language, the switch statement takes the following form:

Loops

Loops are used to repeat code blocks a certain number of times or until a specific condition is met. In Dart programming language, there are several types of loops available, including:

• for loop: Used to execute a code block a specific number of times.

  The code inside the brackets will be executed until the condition is broken or not met. Update means incrementing or decrementing of the value initialized.

• while loop: Used to execute a code block repeatedly while a specific condition is true.

  The condition is the most important here as the code inside the brackets will only execute if it the condition is satisfied.

• do-while loop: Similar to the while loop, but the code block is executed at least once before the condition is checked.

  As you can see, In this case, The code is executed at once first, then it checks if the condition is met. So in any case of whether the condition is met or not, The code is executed for sure for once at least.

Comments in Dart

In any programming language, comments play a crucial role in documenting code and making it more readable for developers. In Dart programming language, comments can be added to code using two different syntaxes:

Single-line Comments

Single-line comments in Dart programming language begin with two forward slashes // and can be used to add comments on a single line. These comments are ignored by the Dart programming language compiler and are not included in the compiled code.

Here's an example: dart // This is a single-line comment in Dart programming language

Multi-line Comments

Multi-line comments in Dart programming language begin with /* and end with */. They can span multiple lines and are typically used for longer comments or documentation blocks.

Like single-line comments, multi-line comments are ignored by the Dart programming language compiler and are not included in the compiled code.

Here's an example:

Or you could manually comment out every line with '//'. (Redundant way though).

Continue and Break

What are continue and break Statements?

In Dart programming language, continue and break statements control loop execution as follows:

• break allows exiting a loop before iterating over all items.
• continue allows skipping specific loop iterations without exiting the loop.

Some key points to keep in mind while using them are:

• break works with conditionals to exit loops early. When encountered, the break jumps to code after the loop.
• continue skips specific iterations based on conditionals. When encountered, continue jumps to the next iteration of the loop.

Example Code Using continue and break Statements

Here is an example of how to continue and break statements might be used in Dart programming language code:

In this example, the program loops through a list of fruits. If the current fruit is 'banana', the continue statement is used to skip over that iteration of the loop. If the current fruit is 'orange', the break statement is used to exit the loop altogether. Finally, the name of any other fruit is printed on the console.

Final and Const Keywords in Dart

The final Keyword

In Dart programming language, the final keyword is used to declare variables whose values cannot be changed once they are initialized.

• A final variable must be initialized exactly once. This can be done either when the variable is declared or later in a constructor.
• Once a final variable is initialized, its value cannot be changed.
• final variables are implicitly late, meaning that they can be initialized lazily (i.e., when they are first accessed) if they are marked with the late keyword.
• final variables are useful when you want to ensure that a variable's value doesn't change throughout the program. They are also useful for optimizing performance since the Dart programming language compiler can often optimize code that uses final variables more effectively.

Here's an example of declaring and initializing a final variable in Dart programming language:

The const Keyword

In Dart programming language, the const keyword is used to declare variables whose values are known at compile-time and cannot be changed at runtime.

• A const variable must be initialized with a constant value at compile-time. This means that the value must be known at compile-time, and cannot depend on any runtime calculations or inputs.
• Once a const variable is initialized, its value cannot be changed.
• const variables are implicitly final.
• const variables are useful when you want to optimize performance, reduce memory usage, or ensure that a value cannot be accidentally modified.

Here's an example of declaring and initializing a const variable in Dart programming language:

Object-Oriented Programming

Dart programming language is an object-oriented programming language, meaning that it focuses on creating objects that can interact with each other to perform specific tasks.

Everything in Dart is essentially an Object.

Object-oriented programming provides a powerful set of tools for organizing code, reducing duplication, and improving modularity. Here is a brief about object-oriented programming in Dart programming language:

Classes

Classes are the building blocks of object-oriented programming in Dart programming language.

A class is a blueprint for an object, which defines its properties and behavior. In Dart programming language, a class is defined using the class keyword and can include the following components:

• Properties: Also known as instance variables, properties define the state of an object.
• Constructors: Constructors are used to create new instances of a class.
• Methods: Methods define the behavior of an object.
• Getters and setters: Getters and setters are used to retrieve and modify the values of an object's properties.
• Static members: Static members are shared across all instances of a class.
• Named Arguments: Dart programming language allows you to create constructors with named arguments, these are properties or arguments that are optional to implement.

Inheritance

Inheritance is a feature of object-oriented programming that allows classes to share properties and behavior.

In Dart programming language, inheritance is implemented using the extends keyword, which allows one class to inherit from another. Few points to know about inheritance in Dart programming language:

• Superclasses and subclasses: In Dart programming language, a superclass is a class that is being inherited from, while a subclass is a class that is inheriting.
• Overriding methods: Subclasses can override methods from their superclass to provide customized behavior.
• Abstract classes: Abstract classes are classes that cannot be instantiated but can be used as a basis for other classes.
• Interfaces: Dart programming language does not support interfaces, Class declarations are themselves interfaces in Dart programming language

Polymorphism

Polymorphism is another concept in object-oriented programming that allows objects to take on multiple forms. In Dart programming language, polymorphism is usually achieved through method overriding: Polymorphism allows subclasses to override methods from their superclass to provide customized behavior.

For example:

There is a class named Animal with a method named eat(). The eat() method is overridden in the child class named Dog.

Object-oriented programming in itself is very vast and needs a whole article on its own. But the above is to just give you a gist of it through Dart programming language.