Dart Programming Language

What is Dart?

Dart is a modern, high-level programming language originally developed by Google. It emerged in 2011, with its stable version released in June 2017. Dart gained popularity primarily through its use in the Flutter framework.

Key Features:

  • General-purpose: Dart is suitable for a wide range of applications, including mobile apps, web development, desktop software, and IoT projects.
  • Object-Oriented: It follows a class-based, object-oriented paradigm similar to languages like Java, C#, and JavaScript.
  • Closures and Lexical Scope: Dart supports closures and lexical scoping, allowing for cleaner code organization and functional programming concepts.
  • Open Source: Dart is open-source, making it freely accessible and continuously evolving through community contributions.
  • Compilation: It is a compiled language supporting Ahead of Time (AOT) and Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation techniques.

History

  • Dart was first introduced at the GOTO conference in October 2011.
  • Version 1.0 was released in November 2013, aimed at being an alternative to JavaScript.
  • The language was standardized by Ecma International in July 2014.
  • Dart 2.0, released in August, introduced a sound type system.
  • Recent versions like Dart 2.7 have added features like extension methods.

Why Dart?

  • Platform-Independent: Dart runs on various operating systems, making it versatile for development across different platforms.
  • Object-Oriented: It supports modern object-oriented programming concepts like inheritance, interfaces, and optional typing.
  • Open Source: Dart is freely available under a BSD license and conforms to ECMA standards.
  • Stability: Dart's stability makes it suitable for real-time applications and large-scale projects.
  • Transpilation: Dart code can be converted to JavaScript using the dar2js compiler, enabling web compatibility.

Key Concepts and Prerequisites

  • Dart treats everything as an object, inheriting from the Object class.
  • Dart tools detect warnings and errors during coding, aiding in code quality and debugging.
  • Dart supports sound typing and generic types for flexible data handling.

Audience and Usage

This Dart tutorial caters to beginners and professionals interested in web development, especially those focusing on Flutter app development. It covers foundational concepts and advanced topics to facilitate learning and career growth.

Conclusion

Dart's versatility, modern features, and integration with Flutter make it a compelling choice for developers targeting multiple platforms. This tutorial aims to provide a comprehensive guide to mastering Dart programming.