Introduction to Dart
Dart is an object-oriented programming language developed by Google. It is an open-source, scalable programming language, with robust libraries and runtimes, for building web, server, and mobile apps.
Writing Dart Code
To write a Dart program you need two things: First, a graphical user interface software which helps you write, save , edit, and run the Dart code. This software is called IDE (Integrated Development Environment) such as Android Studio IDE, or IntelliJ IDE. Second, Dart SDK, since the IDE is a graphical user interface software used to write the code. You need a software to translate these Dart commands which are written in Dart IDE (such as Android Studio) to a lower level language to create an executable program. This software is called Dart SDK (Software Development Kit ). In the following topics, you will know more about the Dart SDK and Dart IDE :
1- Dart SDK
The Dart SDK has the libraries and command-line tools that you need to develop Dart web, command-line, mobile, and server apps. The Dart SDK has the libraries and command-line tools that you need to write and run Dart codes. The Dart SDK includes a lib directory for the Dart libraries and a bin directory that has the command-line tools. In the next topics of this lesson, you will know more about installing and configuring Dart SDK.
2- Dart IDE
We use Dart IDEs (integrated Development Environment) to create a Dart program , where these IDEs include Dart plugins which are used to make a connection between the IDE graphical user interface software and the Dart SDK.
The following are some examples of Dart IDEs which you can use to write Dart codes:
- IntelliJ IDEA
- Android Studio
- Visual Studio
DartPad
DartPad is an open-source tool that lets you work with the Dart language in any modern web browser. It is a great, no-download-required way to learn Dart syntaxes and to experiment with Dart language features.
To test DartPad, go to : https://dartpad.dev , then you can test all Dart syntaxes.
You can write Dart commands using your web browser without the need to install any software on your computer and whatever operating system your computer has.
* This topic is a part of lesson 1 of Flutter Application Development course. For more information about this course, click here.