Installation Setup

Installation Setup

A robust development environment is key to productivity. We will set up the Flutter SDK and optimize Visual Studio Code for Flutter development.

1. Download Flutter SDK

Go to the official install page and download the stable release for your OS.

[!CAUTION] Do NOT install Flutter in folders requiring elevated permissions (like C:\Program Files on Windows). Use C:\src\flutter or ~/development/flutter.

2. Update Path

macOS / Linux

Add the following to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

export PATH="$PATH:[PATH_TO_FLUTTER_DIRECTORY]/bin"

Run source ~/.zshrc to refresh.

Windows

1. Type “env” in Start Menu and select Edit the system environment variables.
2. Click Environment Variables.
3. Under User variables, find Path and click Edit.
4. Click New and add the full path to flutter\bin.

3. Verify with Flutter Doctor

Run the following command to diagnose your setup:

flutter doctor

Fix any issues marked with [x] by following the output instructions (usually involves accepting Android licenses or installing Xcode/Android Studio).

4. IDE Configuration (VS Code)

We recommend VS Code for its lightweight nature and powerful extensions.

Essential Extensions

Install these from the marketplace:

1. Flutter (by Dart Code): The core extension. Debugging, Refactoring, Hot Reload.
2. Dart (by Dart Code): Syntax highlighting and type verification.
3. Pubspec Assist: Easily add dependencies without opening pubspec.yaml.
4. Error Lens: See errors inline in your code editor.
5. Bloc: (Optional) For easy boilerplate generation if using Bloc.

Recommended Settings

Add these to your VS Code settings.json for a better experience:

{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll": true
  },
  "dart.previewFlutterUiGuides": true,
  "dart.flutterSdkPath": "/path/to/your/flutter/sdk"
}

5. Create Your First App

Open the terminal in VS Code (Ctrl+`) and run:

flutter create my_first_app
cd my_first_app
code .

Press F5 to run the app on your connected device or emulator.