Applying Effective Dart

Dart 3 Latest Features and Effective Dart Best Practices Guide

Goal

Covers Dart 3 features (through 3.10) and Effective Dart practices for writing safe, maintainable code.

Instructions

1. Dart 3 Features

1.1 Records

Records aggregate multiple typed values without requiring a dedicated class.

• Best Practices:
  • Multiple Return Values: Prefer Records over throwaway wrapper classes.
  • Named Fields: Use named fields when returning more than two values or when semantics are ambiguous.

  // ✅ Recommended Usage
  ({double lat, double lon}) getLocation(String city) {
    return (lat: 25.0330, lon: 121.5654);
  }
  

1.2 Patterns and Destructuring

Patterns match and destructure data from Records, Lists, Maps, and custom objects.

• Best Practices:
  • Destructuring on declaration: Extract values from Records or Lists directly at assignment.
  • Replace complex if-statements: Use if-case to validate shape and extract variables simultaneously.

  // ✅ Recommended Usage
  final json = {'user': ['Zack', 25]};
  if (json case {'user': [String name, int age]}) {
    print('User $name is $age years old.');
  }
  

1.3 switch Expressions and Exhaustive Checking

switch expressions return values and provide compile-time exhaustiveness for sealed classes and enums.

• Best Practices:
  • Use as expression: Assign diverging values concisely with switch expressions.
  • Omit default: On sealed/enum types, omit default so the compiler catches unhandled cases when new variants are added.

1.4 Class Modifiers

Dart 3 class modifiers control inheritance and implementation boundaries.

• Best Practices:
  • sealed: For Algebraic Data Types (ADTs). Enables exhaustive switch checking. Ideal for State or Result/Error types.
  • interface: Allows implements only; prevents extends.
  • final: Prevents both extends and implements from external libraries.

1.5 Wildcard Variables — Dart 3.7

Local variables and parameters named _ are now non-binding — they can be declared multiple times without name collision, and their value cannot be read.

// Multiple _ params in constructors — no collision
Foo(_, this._, super._) {}

// Discard unused callback args cleanly
list.where((_) => true);

// Multiple discards in the same scope
var _ = expensiveCall1();
var _ = expensiveCall2(); // OK — no shadowing error

Top-level names, field names, and class names called _ are unchanged — this only applies to local variables and parameters.

1.6 Null-Aware Collection Elements — Dart 3.8

Prefix a nullable expression with ? inside a collection literal to omit it when null. Works in lists, sets, and maps.

String? lunch = isTuesday ? 'tacos' : null;
int? count = hasItems ? items.length : null;

// ❌ Before 3.8
var old = [if (lunch != null) lunch, if (count != null) count];

// ✅ Dart 3.8+
var menu = [?lunch, ?count]; // nulls are silently excluded

// Works in maps too
final headers = <String, String>{
  'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  if (token != null) 'Authorization': 'Bearer $token', // old style
  ?'X-Custom': customHeader, // ✅ null-aware
};

1.7 Dot Shorthands — Dart 3.10

Omit the type name when accessing a static member or constructor in a context where the expected type is already known.

// ❌ Before 3.10
Color color = Color.blue;
Widget w = Padding(padding: EdgeInsets.all(16), child: ...);
crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,

// ✅ Dart 3.10+
Color color = .blue;
Widget w = Padding(padding: .all(16), child: ...);  // EdgeInsets inferred
crossAxisAlignment: .start,
mainAxisSize: .min,

// Works in switch cases
switch (color) {
  case .blue: print('blue');
  case .red:  print('red');
}

Dot shorthands work for: enum values, static fields, static methods, and named constructors — anywhere the context type is known.

2. Effective Dart: Style

Consistent style enables collaboration.

• Formatting: Use dart format and enable core or recommended lints in analysis_options.yaml.
• Naming Conventions:
  • Classes, Enums, Typedefs, Type parameters: UpperCamelCase
  • Libraries, Packages, Directories, Files: lowercase_with_underscores
  • Variables, Parameters, Functions, Methods: lowerCamelCase
  • Constants: lowerCamelCase (e.g., const defaultTimeout = 1000;) — not SCREAMING_CAPS.

3. Effective Dart: Usage

3.1 Variables and Types

• Type Inference: Use var/final for local variables; omit type annotations where the compiler infers correctly.
• Collections: Initialize with literals (var list = [];). Use spread operators and collection if/for instead of .add() calls.
• late: Use only when initialization must be deferred. Never access before assignment.

3.2 Functions and Async

• Arrow Functions: Use => for single-expression functions.
• Named Parameters: Prefer named parameters for multiple optional arguments; apply required as needed.
• Async: Prefer async/await over .then()/.catchError() chains.

3.3 Null Safety

• Minimize nullables: Design variables as non-nullable where possible.
• Avoid !: Use type promotion (if (value != null)) or pattern matching instead of forced unwrapping.
• Null-aware collection elements: Prefer [?nullable] over [if (x != null) x] for cleaner collection literals (Dart 3.8+).

3.4 Async Annotations — Dart 3.9

• @awaitNotRequired: Annotate a Future-returning method to suppress unawaited_futures lint at the call site when intentionally fire-and-forget.

4. Effective Dart: API Design

• Minimal exposure: Only expose members that require external access. Prefix private members with _.
• Getters/Setters: Use get for property-like reads with no side effects or expensive computation. Don't add setters for every property — prefer final constructor initialization.
• Constructors: Use named constructors (e.g., User.fromJson) and redirecting constructors for semantics. Provide const constructors wherever possible.

5. Recommended Lints (Dart 3.9+)

Constraints

• Use Records for composite returns instead of one-off data classes.
• Omit type annotations where the compiler can infer the type safely.
• Use dot shorthands (.value) when the context type is unambiguous — reduces enum and static verbosity.
• Use ?element in collection literals instead of if (x != null) x — cleaner and more idiomatic (Dart 3.8+).