Introduction to Dart Programming Language
Dart is an open-source programming language originally developed by Google. It is designed for both server-side and client-side development. The Dart SDK includes its compiler, the Dart VM, as well as a utility called dart2js, which converts Dart scripts into JavaScript. This makes it possible to run Dart applications on platforms that do not support Dart.
Note: It is important to note that Dart is an object-oriented language and shares many similarities with Java. Dart is widely used for creating single-page websites and web applications. Notable examples of applications built with Dart include the UI revamp of Google Pay, as well as projects for BMW, eBay Motors, Alibaba, and the official Google Ads app.
Features of the Dart Programming Language
Dart offers several noteworthy features, as outlined below:
- Easy to Understand: Dart’s syntax is similar to that of C# and Java, making it familiar to many users. Its focus on code reuse contributes to clean and easy-to-understand programs.
- Object-Oriented Programming: Object-oriented programming (OOP) is an essential feature in many programming languages, including Java and C++. Dart adheres to OOP principles, making it a modern and efficient choice.
- Open Source: Being an open-source language, Dart enjoys popularity among individuals and large organizations alike.
- Browser Support: Dart is supported by all modern browsers thanks to the dart2js compiler, which converts Dart code into JavaScript. This enables seamless execution in web environments.
- Type Safety: Dart is type-safe, combining static and runtime checks to ensure that variable values match their declared types.
- Flexible Compilation and Execution: Dart supports flexible compilation, allowing for both Just-in-Time (JIT) and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation. The dart2js compiler adds extra value by converting Dart code into highly optimized JavaScript.
- Asynchronous Programming: Dart supports asynchronous programming, allowing the program to respond to secondary tasks even while primary tasks are still executing. This results in a more efficient and responsive execution.
Installation of Dart
You can install the Dart SDK from its Official website or download the Dart installer from the site. However, simply downloading and installing Dart is not enough, as the installation process varies between different operating systems. Therefore, we need to check how to install Dart on Windows, Linux, and macOS separately. To learn how to install the Dart SDK on your operating system, please refer to our Dart SDK Installation guide.
Hello World Program in Dart Programming Language
In Dart, the main() function is a predefined method that serves as the entry point for the application. A Dart script requires the main() method for the code to execute. The program code is as follows:
main() {
print("Hello World!");
}
Output:
Hello World!
Console Output:
The print() command is a predefined function that prints the specific string or value to the standard input.
Explanation of Hello World Program in Dart
The Explanation of the Program is mentioned below:
- main(): it is the symbol of main function that means the data entered in it is directly executed by compiler.
- print(“Hello World!”) : the role of print function is quite simple it just prints the data during the compilation of a program.
Points to be known while compilation:
- The dart program can also be compile through terminal by executing the code dart file_name.dart.
To learn more about Dart Programming take a peek at Dart Programming Language Tutorial.
IDE to Execute Dart Programs
IDE or Integrated Development a the efficiency in developing software code efficiently. There are few major IDEs used for Dart Programming. The IDEs which support Dart are WebStorm, IntelliJ, Eclipse, etc. Among them, WebStorm from Jetbrains is available for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.
Note : Apart from IDE(in your PC) you can use online compiler. The online compiler which support Dart is Dartpad.
Dart Programming Language for Flutter
Flutter is an open-source SDK (Software Development Kit) provided by Google for creating Native Interfaces. Flutter Framework which creates Flutter Applications for Android, Web, and IOS uses Dart as its official Programming Language. Where Dart helps Flutter avoid the need for separate declarative layout languages( i.e. JSX and XML), as the layout of Dart has readability which makes it user-friendly.
Note: Flutter is a popular for Frontend development.
To know more about Flutter refer to Flutter Tutorial.