Your First Steps in Mobile Development: Learning Flutter with DartPad

5 min readAug 20, 2024

Mobile development powers the apps you use every day — from social media to banking, from fitness tracking to online shopping. If you’ve ever wondered how these apps are created or dreamed of building your own, this series is for you. We’re going to start from scratch, so even if you have no experience in programming, you’ll be able to follow along. By the end of this series, you’ll have the skills to create your very own mobile apps using Flutter, a powerful tool developed by Google.

In this first article, we’ll explore what mobile development is, why Flutter is an excellent choice for beginners, and how you can start writing your first code without the hassle of setting up complicated tools on your computer.

What is Mobile Development?

Mobile development is the process of creating software applications that run on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. These applications, or “apps”, can be anything from a simple calculator to a complex social network.

There are two main types of mobile apps:

Native Apps: Built specifically for one type of device, like iPhones (iOS) or Android phones, using languages like Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android. These apps are highly optimized for the platform they run on.
Cross-Platform Apps: Created using frameworks like Flutter, which allow the app to work on both iOS and Android from a single codebase. This is a big time-saver because you don’t need to write separate code for each platform.

Even if this all sounds new or complicated, don’t worry. We’ll take it one step at a time, explaining everything as we go along.

Why Choose Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source framework from Google that allows you to create apps for both iOS and Android with one codebase. But what makes it particularly great for beginners?

Single Codebase for Multiple Platforms: With Flutter, you write code once, and it works on both iOS and Android. This means you don’t have to learn two different programming languages or deal with two separate projects.
Beautiful User Interfaces: Flutter comes with pre-designed components (called “widgets”) that make it easy to create apps that look great. You can customize every detail of your app’s design to make it unique.
Instant Feedback with Hot Reload: One of the most beginner-friendly features of Flutter is “Hot Reload.” When you make changes to your code, you see the results almost instantly, without having to restart your app. This makes learning faster and more enjoyable.
No Prior Experience Required: Flutter is designed to be easy to pick up, even if you’ve never programmed before. You’ll start seeing results quickly, which helps keep you motivated.

Why We’re Using DartPad Instead of Setting Up a Complex Environment

When you’re new to programming, the idea of setting up all the tools you need — like installing software, configuring simulators for iOS and Android, and dealing with code editors — can be overwhelming. If you’re just getting started, these steps might seem more like obstacles than help. That’s why we’re going to use DartPad for our learning journey.

What is DartPad?

DartPad is a free, web-based tool that allows you to write and run code directly in your web browser. No installation, no setup, and no need to worry about technical configurations. It’s perfect for beginners who want to focus on learning how to code rather than spending hours setting up a development environment.

Why DartPad is Ideal for Beginners:

No Setup Required: All you need is a web browser. You can start writing and running code immediately without installing anything on your computer.
Instant Feedback: As soon as you run your code, you’ll see the results. This immediate feedback helps you learn faster and understand what your code is doing.
Simplifies Learning: By removing the technical setup, you can concentrate entirely on learning the basics of coding and Flutter, without distractions.

In this series, we’ll use DartPad to introduce you to the Dart programming language, which is the foundation of Flutter. As we progress, you’ll learn how to build real applications using simple examples that you can run directly in your browser.

Getting Started with Your First Code in DartPad

Let’s dive into our first hands-on experience with coding. Don’t worry if you’ve never written code before — this is where you’ll take your first steps.

Step 1: Access DartPad

Go directly to DartPad.

You should see a screen with a simple code editor on the left and an output console on the right. The code editor is where you write your code, and the console is where you’ll see the results.

Step 2: Write Your First Program

Every program starts with a basic structure. Here’s a simple example:

void main() {
  print('Hello, Flutter!');
}

In this code:

void main() is the starting point of the program. It’s where the code begins to execute.
print('Hello, Flutter!'); tells the program to display the text “Hello, Flutter!” on the screen.

Step 3: Run the Program

Click the “Run” button at the top of the DartPad interface. After a moment, you’ll see “Hello, Flutter!” displayed in the console on the right side. That’s it — you’ve just written and run your first program!

Step 4: Experiment and Explore

Try changing the text inside the print() function to something else, like your name, and run the program again. This is how you start learning: by experimenting and seeing what happens.

Why This Matters

Learning to code can feel intimidating at first, but it’s important to remember that everyone starts somewhere. DartPad allows you to focus on understanding the basics without getting bogged down in the technical details of setting up software. This makes it easier to see progress and keeps the learning process enjoyable.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve introduced the basics of mobile development and explained why Flutter is an excellent choice for beginners. We’ve also highlighted the importance of using DartPad, an easy-to-use online tool that removes the complexities of setting up a development environment. This allows you to focus on learning to code without getting stuck on technical details.

Next time, we’ll build on this foundation by diving deeper into Dart, so you can start creating your own projects. Remember, every expert was once a beginner. Take it one step at a time, and soon you’ll be well on your way to becoming a mobile developer.

Stay curious and keep coding!