Learning Dart as a JavaScript developer

This guide aims to leverage your JavaScript (JS) programming knowledge when learning Dart. It showcases key similarities and differences in both languages, and introduces Dart concepts that are not present in vanilla JavaScript. As a JavaScript developer, Dart should feel quite familiar, as both languages share many concepts.

Like JavaScript, Dart runs on an event loop, so both languages execute code in a similar way. For example, asynchronous concepts like futures (promises in JS) and the async/await syntax are very similar.

Dart is strongly typed, unlike JavaScript. If you are also familiar with TypeScript or tooling that adds static typing (like Flow), then learning Dart probably won’t be much of an extra step for you. However, if you’ve mostly worked with vanilla JavaScript, it might take a bit more effort to adjust. The good news is that since Dart is strongly typed, many errors that might exist in JavaScript code are caught even before compiling your Dart code.

As of Dart 2.12, null safety is enabled by default, which JavaScript doesn’t support. As a JavaScript developer, it might take a while to learn how to write null safe code, but the trade-off is better protection against null reference exceptions that are detected even before compiling Dart code. (Thereby avoiding those dreaded TypeErrors that occur when doing operations on a JS variable that turns out to be null.)

Conventions and linting

JavaScript and Dart both have linting tools to enforce standard conventions. However, while JavaScript has ESLint as a standalone tool (among other available tooling), and many different standards and configurations, Dart has official layout conventions and includes a linter to make compliance effortless. To customize the lint rules for your project, follow the Customizing static analysis instructions.

Dart also provides a code formatter, which is similar to JS tools like Prettier. Automatically format any Dart project by running dart format on the command line. For Flutter, flutter format acts as an alias for this command. (Note that the IDE plugins for Dart and Flutter also provide this functionality.)

For more information on using commas to make your code read more like HTML, check out Using trailing commas on flutter.dev.

For more information about Dart conventions and linting, check out Effective Dart and Linter rules.

Built-in types

While both JavaScript and Dart have types, only Dart is a strongly typed language. This means that all Dart types have to be inferrable by the analyzer, explicitly defined, or assigned as dynamic, which disables static type checking for that identifier.

Dart supports nullable and non-nullable versions of the the following built-in types:

• Numbers (num, int, double)
• Strings (String)
• Booleans (bool)
• Lists (List, also known as arrays)
• Sets (Set)
• Maps (Map)
• Symbols (Symbol)
• The value null (Null)

For more information, check out Built-in types in the Dart Language Tour.

In Dart, all types are reference types, meaning that all variables refer to an object (an instance of a class). However, the types int, double, String, and bool are implemented to be immutable (unchanging) and are canonicalized, which means they behave as if they are value types.

For more information on these JavaScript operators, check out this question on Stack Overflow.

For example, the equals operator == and the identical() method are guaranteed to return true for the same values of these types, as shown in the following code:

Dart

var a = 1;
var b = 1;

print(a == b); // Prints true
print(identical(a, b)); // Prints true

The next section covers basic types. Other types are covered later in this page, including collection types (lists, maps) and types that aid asynchrony (futures, streams).

Numbers

Dart has three data types for holding numbers:

num

The equivalent to the generic number type in JavaScript.

int

Any numeric value without a decimal point.

double

Any numeric value, including those with a decimal point.

All these types are also classes within the Dart API. Both the int and double types share num as their parent class:

As number values are technically class instances, they have the convenience of exposing their own utility functions. Because of this, a double can, for example, be rounded up as follows:

Dart

var rounded = 2.5.round();

JavaScript

let rounded = Math.round(2.5);

Strings

Strings in Dart work similarly to strings in JavaScript. String literals are defined using single quotation marks ('), but can also be defined using double quotation marks to enable use of single quotation marks within the string without escaping. However, single quotes are preferred.

Dart

var a = 'This is a string.';

Escaping special characters

Escaping special characters in Dart is similar to JavaScript (and most other languages). To include special characters escape them using the backslash character.

The following code shows some examples.

Dart

final singleQuotes = 'I\'m learning Dart'; // I'm learning Dart
final doubleQuotes = "Escaping the \" character"; // Escaping the " character
final unicode = '\u{1F60E}'; // 😎,  Unicode scalar U+1F60E

Note that 4-digit hexadecimal values can also be used directly (for example, \u2665), however, curly braces also work. For more information on working with unicode characters, check out Runes and grapheme clusters.

String interpolation

JavaScript supports template literals, which are literals delimited with backtick (`) characters, allowing for multiline strings, for string interpolation with embedded expressions, and for special constructs called tagged templates. Dart supports string concatenation and interpolation with embedded expressions as part of standard string literals, meaning that you aren’t required to enclose the string in backticks to enable that functionality. For more information, check out Strings in the Dart Language Tour.

As in JavaScript template literals, insert expressions into the string literal using the ${<expression>} syntax. Dart expands on this by allowing the curly braces to be omitted when the expression is a single identifier:

Dart

var food = 'bread';
var str = 'I eat $food'; // I eat bread
var str = 'I eat ${food}'; // I eat bread

String concatenation and multiline declaration

In JavaScript, you can define multiline strings using template literals. Dart has two ways to define multiline strings:

1. Using implicit string concatenation: Any neighboring string literals are automatically concatenated, even when they are spread over multiple lines:

   Dart

   final s1 = 'String '
       'concatenation'
       " even works over line breaks.";
   

2. Using a multi line string literal: When using three quotation marks (either single or double) on either side of the string, the literal is allowed to span multiple lines:

   Dart

   final s2 = '''You can create
   multiline strings like this one.''';
   
   final s3 = """This is also a
   multiline string.""";
   

Equality

As in JavaScript, use the equal-to operator (==) to determine if two strings are equal. Two strings are equal if they contain the same sequence of code units.

Dart

final s1 = 'String '
    'concatenation'
    " works even over line breaks.";
assert(s1 ==
    'String concatenation works even over '
        'line breaks.');

Booleans

Both Dart and JavaScript booleans represent a binary value. Each language has two objects that hold this type: the boolean literals true and false, which are compile-time constants in both languages.

Dart

var a = true;

JavaScript

let a = true;

Variables

Variables in Dart are similar to variables in JavaScript, with the following caveats:

• As Dart is a statically typed language, when declaring variables the type has to be inferrable, or you must explicitly define the type when initializing the variable.

• All variables in Dart are block scoped, as you would expect with let or const in JavaScript.

Declaring and initializing variables in Dart works almost identically to JavaScript:

Dart

// Declare a variable
var name; 
// Initialize the variable
name = 'bob';
// Declare and initialize a variable at once
var name = 'bob';

JavaScript

// Declare a variable
let name; 
// Initialize the variable
name = "bob";
// Declare and initialize a variable at once
let name = "bob";

Note that you can replace var in Dart with an explicit type. However, by convention, var is recommended when the analyzer can implicitly infer the type.

Dart

String name = 'bob'; // This is the same as 'var', 
                     // since Dart infers the type to be String.

When a variable without an explicit type is initialized after its declaration, its type is inferred as the catch-all dynamic type. Likewise, when a type cannot be automatically inferred, it defaults back to the dynamic type.

Unlike JavaScript, a Dart variable’s type can’t be changed after initialization:

Dart

// Variable initialized later, `name` has type `dynamic`.
var name; 
name = 'bob';

name = 5; // Allowed, as `name` has type `dynamic`.

// Variable initialized immediately, `name` has type `String`.
var name = 'bob';

name = 5; // Forbidden, as `name` has type `String`.

Final and const

The final modifier in Dart acts like the const modifier in JavaScript:

1. The variable must be initialized immediately upon declaration.

2. Once the variable has been initialized, its reference can’t be changed later.

The const modifier in Dart acts the same as its final modifier, except that its value must be known at compile time. Since JavaScript is an interpreted language requiring no compilation step, it doesn’t have an equivalent.

Although you can’t modify a const object in JS, you can modify its fields. In comparison, you can’t change a Dart const object or its fields: they’re immutable (they can’t be changed).

In Dart, constant variables must contain constant values. However, non-constant variables can still contain constant values, and values themselves can also be marked const.

Dart

var foo = const []; // foo is not constant, but the value it points to is.
  // You can reassign foo to a different list value,
  // but its current list value cannot be altered. 

const baz = []; // Equivalent to `const []`

Likewise, classes can have their own const constructors that produce immutable instances. For more information, check out the Classes section.

Null safety

Unlike vanilla JavaScript, Dart supports null safety, making any type non-nullable by default (as of Dart 2.12). One key benefit of this is that null reference exceptions are caught when writing code, so they are unlikely to occur at runtime.

Nullable vs non-nullable types

For example, all the variables in the following code are non-nullable:

Dart

// In null-safe Dart, none of these can ever be null.
var i = 42; // Inferred to be an int.
String name = getFileName();
final b = Foo();

To indicate that a variable might have the value null, just add ? to its type declaration:

Dart

int? aNullableInt = null;

The same goes for any other type declaration, such as a function declaration:

Dart

String? returnsNullable() {
  return random.nextDouble() < 0.5
    ? 'Sometimes null!'
    : null;
}

String returnsNonNullable() {
  return 'Never null!';
}

Null-aware operators

Dart supports several operators to deal with nullability. As in JavaScript, the null assignment operator (??=), null coalescing operator (??), and optional chaining operator (?.), are all available in Dart and operate the same as in JavaScript.

! Operator

In cases where it’s safe to assume that a nullable variable or expression is in fact non-null, it’s possible to tell the compiler to repress any compile time errors. This is done using the (!) operator, by placing it as a suffix to the expression. (Don’t confuse this with Dart’s not (!) operator, which uses the same symbol but is always prefixed to the expression.)

Dart

int? a = 5;

int b = a; // Not allowed.
int b = a!; // Allowed.

At runtime, if a turns out to be null, a runtime error occurs.

Like the ?. operator, use the ! operator when accessing properties or methods on an object:

Dart

myObject!.someProperty;
myObject!.someMethod();

If myObject is null at runtime, a runtime error occurs.

Functions

While Dart’s functions work much the same as their counterparts in JavaScript, they do have some additional features, and some minor syntax differences when declaring them. Similar to JavaScript, you can declare functions pretty much anywhere, whether at the top level, as a class field, or in the local scope.

Dart

// On the top level
multiply(a, b) {
  return a * b;
}

// As a class field
class Multiplier {
  multiply(a, b) {
    return a * b;
  }
}

// In a local scope
main() {
  multiply(a, b) {
    return a * b;
  }

  print(multiply(3, 4));
}

JavaScript

// On the top level
function multiply(a, b) {
  return a * b;
}

// As a class field
class Multiplier {
  multiply(a, b) {
    return a * b;
  }
}

// In a local scope
function main() {
  function multiply(a, b) {
    return a * b;
  }

  console.log(multiply(3, 4));
}

Arrow syntax

Both Dart and JavaScript support arrow syntax (=>), but they are different. In Dart, arrow syntax is only used when the function contains a single expression or return statement.

For example, the following isNoble functions are equivalent:

Dart

bool isNoble(int atomicNumber) {
  return _nobleGases[atomicNumber] != null;
}

Dart

bool isNoble(int atomicNumber) => _nobleGases[atomicNumber] != null;

Parameters

In JavaScript, all parameters are optional positioned parameters. In Dart, this is not the case. By default, all standard parameters are required positional parameters and must be provided when calling a function.

Dart

multiply(int a, int b) {
  return a * b;
}

main() {
  multiply(3, 5); // Valid. All parameters are provided.
  multiply(3); // Invalid. All parameters must be provided.
}

This can change in two situations:

1. The positional parameters are marked as optional.
2. The parameters are named and not marked as required.

Define optional positional parameters by enclosing them in square brackets following the required positional parameters, if they exist. You can’t define required parameters after an optional parameter.

Due to null safety, optional positional parameters must have a default value or be marked as nullable. Learn more in the preceding section about null safety.

The following code has one valid and two invalid examples of functions that define optional positional parameters:

Dart

// Valid: `b` has a default value of 5. `c` is marked as nullable.
multiply(int a, [int b = 5, int? c]) {
  ...
}
// Invalid: a required positional parameter follows an optional one.
multiply(int a, [int b = 5], int c) {
  ...
}
// Invalid: Neither positional parameter has a default value or has been flagged as nullable.
multiply(int a, [int b, int c]) {
  ...
}

Here are some examples of calling a function that has optional parameters:

Dart

multiply(int a, [int b = 5, int? c]) {
  ...
}

main() {
  // All are valid function calls.
  multiply(3);
  multiply(3, 5);
  multiply(3, 5, 7);
}

Dart supports named parameters. These don’t have to be provided in the order they’re defined, as with positional parameters. You refer to them by name instead. By default, these are optional, unless they’re flagged as required. Named parameters are defined by surrounding them with curly braces. You can combine named parameters with required positional parameters—in this scenario, the named parameters are always placed after positional. When calling a function with named parameters, pass values by prefixing the passed value with the name of the parameter, separated by a colon. For example, f(namedParameter: 5).

Again, with null safety, named parameters that are not flagged as required either need to have a default value or be flagged as nullable.

The following code defines a function with named parameters:

Dart

// Valid: 
// - `a` has been flagged as required
// - `b` has a default value of 5 
// - `c` is marked as nullable
// - Named parameters follow the positional one
multiply(bool x, { required int a, int b = 5, int? c}) {
  ...
}

The following examples call a function with named parameters:

Dart

// All are valid function calls. 
// Beyond providing the required positional parameter:
multiply(false, a: 3); // Only provide required named parameters
multiply(false, a: 3, b: 9); // Override default value of `b`
multiply(false, c: 9, a: 3, b: 2); // Provide all named parameters out of order

First-class functions

As in JavaScript, functions are first-class citizens in Dart, which means that they’re treated as any other object. For example, the following code shows how to pass a function as a parameter to another function:

Dart

void printElement(int element) {
  print(element);
}

var list = [1, 2, 3];

// Pass printElement as a parameter.
list.forEach(printElement);

Anonymous functions

JavaScript and Dart both support anonymous functions, or functions without a name. As with named functions, you can pass anonymous functions like any other value. For example, store anonymous functions in a variable, pass them as an argument to another function, or return them from another function.

JavaScript has two ways to declare an anonymous function:

1. Use a standard function expression
2. Use arrow syntax

For example:

JavaScript

// A regular function expression, assigned to a variable
let funcExpr = function(a, b) { return a * b; }
// The same anonymous function as an arrow function expression, with curly braces.
let arrowFuncExpr = (a, b) => { return a * b; }
// An arrow function with only one return statement as its contents does not require a block. 
let arrowFuncExpr2 = (a, b) => a * b;

Likewise, Dart also has two ways to declare anonymous functions, though both are functionally similar to the arrow expression in JavaScript. The extra functionality that comes with regular function expressions (for example, JavaScript’s support for a function expression acting like a constructor, or creating a custom binding to this), aren’t supported in Dart’s anonymous functions. (For more information, check out the Classes section).

Dart

// Assigning an anonymous function to a variable.
var blockFunc = (int a, int b) {
  var c = a * b;
  return c;
}

// In the case of a single returned expression,
// you can shorten the syntax:
var singleFunc = (int a, int b) => a * b;

As with JavaScript, anonymous functions can also be passed to other functions. This is commonly used (in both languages) when using the map function for arrays and lists:

JavaScript

[1, 2, 3].map(e => e + 3); // [4, 5, 6]
[1, 2, 3].map(e => { 
  e *= 2;
  return e + 3;
}); // [5, 7, 9]

Dart

[1, 2, 3].map((e) => e + 3).toList(); // [4, 5, 6]
[1, 2, 3].map((e) {
  e *= 2;
  return e + 3;
}).toList(); // [5, 7, 9]

Generator functions

Dart supports generator functions that return an iterable collection of items that are lazily built to improve the UI’s performance. Convert a function to a generator function by adding the sync* keyword after the function parameters, and modify it to return an Iterable. Add items to the final iterable using the yield keyword, or add whole sets of items using yield*.

The following example shows how to write a basic generator function:

Dart

Iterable<int> naturalsTo(int n) sync* {
  int k = 0;
  while (k < n) { 
    yield k++;
  }
}

print(naturalsTo(5)); // Returns an iterable with [0, 1, 2, 3, 4].

Iterable<int> doubleNaturalsTo(int n) sync* {
  int k = 0;
  while (k < n) { 
    yield* [k, k]; 
    k++;
  }
}

print(doubleNaturalsTo(3)); // Returns an iterable with [0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2].

This is a synchronous generator function, and is not available in JavaScript. You can also define asynchronous generator functions, which return streams instead of iterables. Learn more in the upcoming Asynchrony section.

Statements

This section describes differences in statements between JavaScript and Dart.

Control flow (if/else, for, while, switch)

Nearly all control statements work similarly to their JavaScript counterparts, although some have additional uses when it comes to collections (discussed in more detail in the Collections section).

Iteration

While both JavaScript and Dart have for-in loops, their behavior is different.

JavaScript’s for-in loop iterates over an object’s properties, so to iterate over an iterable object’s elements, you must instead for-of or Array.forEach(). Dart’s for-in loop does this natively.

The following example shows iterating over a collection and printing out each element:

Dart

for (final element in list) {
  print(element)
}

JavaScript

for (const element of list) {
  console.log(element);
}

Switch

When using continue in a switch statement, you can combine it with a label that is put on a case:

Dart

switch (testEnum) {
  case TestEnum.A:
    print('A');
    continue b;
  b:
  case TestEnum.B:
    print('B');
    break;
}

Operators

Both Dart and JavaScript contain predefined operators. Adding new operators is not supported in either language, but Dart allows you to overload existing operators with the operator keyword. For example:

Dart

class Box {
 Box({
   required this.length,
   required this.width,
   required this.height,
 });

 final double length;
 final double width;
 final double height;

 Box operator +(Box x) {
   return Box(
     length: length + x.length,
     width: width + x.width,
     height: height + x.height,
   );
 }
}

Arithmetic operators

The equality and relational operators of both languages are almost identical, as shown in the following table:

For example:

Dart

assert(2 + 3 == 5);
assert(2 - 3 == -1);
assert(2 * 3 == 6);
assert(5 / 2 == 2.5); // Result is a double
assert(5 ~/ 2 == 2); // Result is an int
assert(5 % 2 == 1); // Remainder

a = 0;
b = ++a; // Increment a before b gets its value.
assert(++a); // 1 == 1

a = 0;
b = a++; // Increment a AFTER b gets its value.
assert(a != b); // 1 != 0

a = 0;
b = --a; // Decrement a before b gets its value.
assert(a == b); // -1 == -1

a = 0;
b = a--; // Decrement a AFTER b gets its value.
assert(a != b); // -1 != 0

You’ve probably noticed that Dart also contains a ~/ operator (called a truncating division operator), that divides a double and outputs a floored integer:

Dart

assert(25 == 50.4 ~/ 2);
assert(25 == 50.6 ~/ 2);
assert(25 == 51.6 ~/ 2);

Equality and relational operators

The equality and relational operators of both languages work in the same way:

Unlike JavaScript, Dart doesn’t have the concept of abstract equality, so the == and != JavaScript operators have no equivalent.

For example:

Dart

assert(2 == 2);
assert(2 != 3);
assert(3 > 2);
assert(2 < 3);
assert(3 >= 3);
assert(2 <= 3);

Type test operators

The implementation of test operators is a bit different between the two languages:

The result of obj is T is true if obj implements the interface specified by T. For example, obj is Object? is always true.

Since JavaScript makes use of type coercion, it doesn’t have an equivalent.

Use the typecast operator to cast an object to a particular type if—and only if—you are sure that the object is of that type.

For example:

Dart

(person as Employee).employeeNumber = 4204583;

If you aren’t sure that the object is of type T, then use is T to check the type before using the object.

In Dart, the types of local variables update within the scope of the if statement. This is not the case for instance variables.

Dart

if (person is Employee) {
   person.employeeNumber = 4204583;
}

Logical operators

You can invert or combine boolean expressions using logical operators. The logical operators of both languages are identical.

Dart does not have the concept of “truthy” or “falsy” values—only actual booleans. Because of this, Logical OR and Logical AND expressions always resolve to a boolean, not one of the two values like these operators do in JavaScript.

For example:

Dart/JS

if (!done && (col == 0 || col == 3)) {
  // ...Do something...
}

Bitwise and shift operators

You can manipulate the individual bits of numbers by using bitwise and shift operators with integers. The operators of both languages are almost identical, as shown in the following table:

For example:

Dart

final value = 0x22;
final bitmask = 0x0f;

assert((value & bitmask) == 0x02); // AND
assert((value & ~bitmask) == 0x20); // AND NOT
assert((value | bitmask) == 0x2f); // OR
assert((value ^ bitmask) == 0x2d); // XOR
assert((value << 4) == 0x220); // Shift left
assert((value >> 4) == 0x02); // Shift right
assert((-value >> 4) == -0x03); // Shift right
assert((value >>> 4) == 0x02); // Unsigned shift right
assert((-value >>> 4) > 0); // Unsigned shift right

Ternary operator

Both Dart and JavaScript contain a (?:) ternary operator for evaluating expressions that might otherwise require if-else statements:

Dart

final visibility = isPublic ? 'public' : 'private';

JavaScript

let visibility = isPublic ? "public" : "private";

Assignment operators

As mentioned previously, you can assign values using the (=) operator:

Dart

// Assign value to a
a = value;

This operator also has a null-aware variant. For more information, check out the null-assignment operator section.

Here are other assignment operators that directly assign the result of an operation on a variable back to that same variable:

Dart

var a = 5;
a *= 2; // Multiply `a` by 2 and assign the value back to a.
print(a); // `a` is now 10.

Cascades (.. operator)

Unlike JavaScript, Dart supports cascading with the cascades operator. This allows you to chain multiple method calls or property assignments on a single object.

The following example shows setting the value of multiple properties, then calling multiple methods on a newly constructed object, all within a single chain using the cascade operator:

Dart

var animal = Animal()
  ..name = "Bob"
  ..age = 5
  ..feed()
  ..walk();

print(animal.name); // "Bob"
print(animal.age); // 5

Collections

This section covers some collection types in Dart and how they compare to their equivalents in JavaScript.

Lists

List literals are defined the same way in Dart as arrays are defined in JavaScript, using square brackets and separated by commas:

Dart

// Initialize list and specify full type
final List<String> list1 = <String>['one', 'two', 'three'];

// Initialize list using shorthand type
final list2 = <String>['one', 'two', 'three'];

// Dart can also infer the type
final list3 = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

The following code samples give an overview of the basic actions that you can perform on a Dart List. The first example shows how to retrieve a value from a List using the index operator:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
final fruit = fruits[1];

Add a value to the end of the List using the add method. Add another List using the addAll method:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
fruits.add('peach');
fruits.addAll(['kiwi', 'mango']);

Insert a value at a specific position using the insert method. Insert another List at a specific position using the insertAll method:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
fruits.insert(0, 'peach');
fruits.insertAll(0, ['kiwi', 'mango']);

Update a value in the List combining the index and assignment operators:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
fruits[2] = 'peach';

Remove items from a List using one of the following methods:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
// Remove the value 'pear' from the list.
fruits.remove('pear');
// Removes the last element from the list.
fruits.removeLast();
// Removes the element at position 1 from the list.
fruits.removeAt(1);
// Removes the elements with positions greater than
// or equal to start (1) and less than end (3) from the list.
fruits.removeRange(1, 3); 
// Removes all elements from the list that match the given predicate.
fruits.removeWhere((fruit) => fruit.contains('p')); 

Use length to obtain the number of values in the List:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
assert(fruits.length == 3);

Use isEmpty to check if the List is empty:

Dart

var fruits = [];
assert(fruits.isEmpty);

Use isNotEmpty to check if the List is not empty:

Dart

final fruits = <String>['apple', 'orange', 'pear'];
assert(fruits.isNotEmpty);

Filled

One handy feature of Dart’s List class is the filled constructor; use filled to quickly create a list of size n with the specified default value. The following example create a list of 3 items:

Dart

// Creates: [ 'a', 'a', 'a' ]
final list1 = List.filled(3, 'a');

Generate

The List class also provides a generate constructor to quickly create a list of size n with a default value builder that creates elements. The value builder takes the index as a parameter.

Dart

// Creates: [ 'a0', 'a1', 'a2' ]
final list1 = List.generate(3, (index) => 'a$index');

Sets

Unlike JavaScript, Dart supports defining Sets with literals. Sets are defined in the same way as lists, but using curly braces instead of square brackets. Sets are unordered collections that only contain unique items. The uniqueness of these items are enforced using hash codes, meaning that objects need hash values to be stored in a Set.

The following code snippet shows how to initialize a Set:

Dart

final abc = {'a', 'b', 'c'};

The syntax for creating an empty set might seem confusing at first, because specifying empty curly braces ({}) results in creating an empty Map. To create an empty Set, precede the {} declaration with a type argument or assign {} to a variable of type Set:

Dart

final names = <String>{};
// Set<String> names = {}; // This works, too.
// final names = {}; // Creates an empty map, not a set.

The following examples provide an overview of the basic actions that you can perform on a Dart Set.

Add a value to the Set using the add method. Use the addAll method to add multiple values:

Dart

final fruits = {'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
fruits.add('peach');
fruits.addAll(['kiwi', 'mango']);

Use one of the following methods in Set to remove content from the set:

Dart

final fruits = {'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
// Remove the value 'pear' from the set.
fruits.remove('pear');
// Remove all elements in the supplied list from the set.
fruits.removeAll(['orange', 'apple']);
// Removes all elements from the list that match the given predicate.
fruits.removeWhere((fruit) => fruit.contains('p'));

Use length to get the number of values in the Set:

Dart

final fruits = {'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
assert(fruits.length == 3);

Use isEmpty to check if the Set is empty:

Dart

var fruits = <String>{};
assert(fruits.isEmpty);

Use isNotEmpty to check if the Set is not empty:

Dart

final fruits = {'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
assert(fruits.isNotEmpty);

Maps

The Map type in Dart is similar to the Map type in JavaScript. Both types associate keys with values. A key can be any object type, so long as all keys have the same type; the same is true for values. Each key occurs once at most, but you can use the same value multiple times.

In Dart, the dictionary is based on a hash table, which means that keys need to be hashable. In Dart, every object contains a unique hash.

Here are a couple of simple Map examples, created using literals:

Dart

final gifts = {
 'first': 'partridge',
 'second': 'turtle doves',
 'fifth': 'golden rings'
};

final nobleGases = {
 2: 'helium',
 10: 'neon',
 18: 'argon',
};

The following code samples provide an overview of the basic actions that you can perform on a Dart Map. The first example shows how to retrieve a value from a Map using the index operator:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
final gift = gifts['first'];

Use the containsKey method to check if a key is already present in the Map:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
assert(gifts.containsKey('fifth'));

Use the index assignment operator ([]=) to add or update an entry in the Map. If the Map doesn’t yet contain the key, the entry is added; if the key is already present, its value is updated.

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
gifts['second'] = 'turtle'; // Gets added
gifts['second'] = 'turtle doves'; // Gets updated

Use the addAll method to add another Map; use the addEntries method to add other entries to the Map:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
gifts['second'] = 'turtle doves';
gifts.addAll({
 'second': 'turtle doves',
 'fifth': 'golden rings',
});
gifts.addEntries([
 MapEntry('second', 'turtle doves'),
 MapEntry('fifth', 'golden rings'),
]);

Use the remove method to remove an entry from the Map; remove all entries that satisfy a given test using the removeWhere method:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
gifts.remove('first');
gifts.removeWhere((key, value) => value == 'partridge');

Use length to obtain the number of key-value pairs in the Map:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
gifts['fourth'] = 'calling birds';
assert(gifts.length == 2);

Use isEmpty to check if the Map is empty:

Dart

final gifts = {};
assert(gifts.isEmpty);

Use isNotEmpty to check if the Map is not empty:

Dart

final gifts = {'first': 'partridge'};
assert(gifts.isNotEmpty);

Unmodifiable

Vanilla JavaScript doesn’t support immutability. Dart, however, offers multiple ways to make collections like arrays, sets, or dictionaries immutable:

• If the list is a compile-time constant and shouldn’t be modified, use the const keyword:
  const fruits = <String>{'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
• Assign the Set to a final field, meaning that the Set itself doesn’t have to be a compile-time constant. This ensures that the field can’t be overridden with another Set, but it still allows the size or the contents of the Set to be modified:
  final fruits = <String>{'apple', 'orange', 'pear'};
• Create a final version of your collection type using the unmodifiable constructor (as shown in the following example). This creates a collection that cannot change its size or content:

Dart

final _set = Set<String>.unmodifiable(['a', 'b', 'c']);
final _list = List<String>.unmodifiable(['a', 'b', 'c']);
final _map = Map<String, String>.unmodifiable({'foo': 'bar'});

Spread operator

As in JavaScript, Dart supports embedding a list into another list using the spread operator (...) and the null-aware spread operator (...?).

Dart

var list1 = [1, 2, 3];
var list2 = [0, ...list1];　// [0, 1, 2, 3]
// When the list being inserted could be null:
list1 = null;
var list2 = [0, ...?list1]; // [0]

This also works for sets and maps:

Dart

// Spread operator with maps
var map1 = {'foo': 'bar', 'key': 'value'};
var map2 = {'foo': 'baz', ...map1}; // {foo: bar, key: value}
// Spread operator with sets
var set1 = {'foo', 'bar'};
var set2 = {'foo', 'baz', ...set1}; // {foo, baz, bar}

Collection if/for

In Dart, the for and if keywords have additional functionality when it comes to collections.

A collection if statement includes items from a list literal only when the specified condition is met:

Dart

var nav = [
  'Home',
  'Furniture',
  'Plants',
  if (promoActive) 'Outlet',
];

It works similarly for maps and sets.

A collection for statement allows multiple items to be mapped into another list:

Dart

var listOfInts = [1, 2, 3];
var listOfStrings = [
  '#0',
  for (var i in listOfInts) '#$i',
]; // [#0, #1, #2, #3]

This also works in the same way for maps and sets.

Asynchrony

Like JavaScript, the Dart Virtual Machine (VM) runs a single event loop that processes all your Dart code. This means that similar rules for asynchrony apply here. All of your code runs synchronously, but you can handle it in a different order, depending on how you use the asynchronous tools at your disposal. Here are some of these constructs and how they relate to their JavaScript counterparts.

Futures

Future is Dart’s version of a Promise: an asynchronous operation that resolves at a later point.

Functions in Dart (or in packages that you use) might return a Future, rather than the value they represent directly, as the value might not be available until later.

The following example shows that handling a future works in the same way in Dart as a promise works in JavaScript:

Dart

Future<String> httpResponseBody = func();

httpResponseBody.then((String value) {
  print('Future resolved to a value: $value');
});

JavaScript

const httpResponseBody = func();

httpResponseBody.then(value => {
  console.log(`Promise resolved to a value: ${value}`);
});

Similarly, futures can fail like promises. Catching errors works the same as well:

Dart

httpResponseBody
  .then(...)
  .catchError((err) {
    print('Future encountered an error before resolving.');
  });

JavaScript

httpResponseBody
  .then(...)
  .catch(err => {
    console.log("Promise encountered an error before resolving.");
  });

You can also create futures manually. The easiest way to create a Future is by defining and calling an async function, which is discussed below. However, when you have a value that needs to be a Future, you can convert it as follows:

Dart

String str = 'String Value';
Future<String> strFuture = Future<String>.value(str);

Async/await

If you’re familiar with promises in JavaScript, you’re likely also familiar with the async/await syntax. This syntax is identical in Dart: functions are marked async, and async functions always return a Future. If the function returns a String and is marked async, it returns a Future<String> instead. If it returns nothing, but it is async, it returns Future<void>.

The following example shows how to write an async function:

Dart

// Returns a future of a string, as the method is async
Future<String> fetchString() async {
  // Typically some other async operations would be done here.
  return 'String Value';
}

JavaScript

// Returns a Promise of a string, as the method is async
async fetchString() {
  // Typically some other async operations would be done here.
  return "String Value";
}

Call this async function as follows:

Dart

Future<String> stringFuture = fetchString();
stringFuture.then((String str) {
  print(str); // 'String Value'
});

Obtain a future’s value using the await keyword. As in JavaScript, this removes the need to call then on the Future to obtain its value, and it allows you to write asynchronous code in a more synchronous-like way. As in JavaScript, awaiting futures is only possible within an async context (such as another async function).

The following example shows how to await a future for its value:

Dart

// We can only await futures within an async context.
asyncFunction() async {
  var str = await fetchString();
  print(str); // 'String Value'
}

For more information about Futures and the async/await syntax, check out the Asynchronous programming codelab.

Streams

Another tool in Dart’s async toolbox is Streams. While JavaScript has its own concept of streams, Dart’s are more akin to Observables, as found in the commonly used rxjs library. If you happen to be familiar with this library, Dart’s streams should feel familiar.

For those not familiar with these concepts: Streams basically act like Futures, but with multiple values spread out over time, like an event bus. Your code can listen to a stream, and it can either complete or reach a fail state.

Listening

To listen to a stream, call its listen method and provide a callback method. This method is called whenever the stream emits a value:

Dart

Stream<int> stream = ...
stream.listen((int value) {
  print('A value has been emitted: $value');
});

The listen method also has some optional callbacks for handling errors or for when the stream completes:

Dart

stream.listen(
  (int value) { ... },
  onError: (err) {
    print('Stream encountered an error! $err');
  },
  onDone: () {
    print('Stream completed!');
  },
);

The listen method returns an instance of a StreamSubscription, which you can use to stop listening to the stream:

Dart

StreamSubscription subscription = stream.listen(...);
subscription.cancel();

This is not the only way to listen to a stream. Similar to the async/await syntax for Futures, you can combine a stream with a for-in loop in an async context. The for loop invokes the callback method for each item emitted, and it ends when the stream completes or errors out:

Dart

Future<int> sumStream(Stream<int> stream) async {
  var sum = 0;
  await for (final value in stream) {
    sum += value;
  }
  return sum;
}

When an error occurs when listening to a stream in this way, the error is rethrown at the line containing the await keyword, which you can handle with a try-catch statement:

Dart

try {
  await for (final value in stream) { ... }
} catch (err) {
  print('Stream encountered an error! $err');
}

Creating streams

As with Futures, you have several different ways to create a stream. The Stream class has utility constructors for creating streams from Futures or Iterables, or for creating streams that emit values at a timed interval. For more information, check out the Stream API page.

StreamController

Another common way to create streams is by using a StreamController, a utility class that builds streams. A StreamController contains a stream property that exposes the stream it controls, and multiple methods for controlling the stream, such as emitting new items using the add method, or completing the stream using the close method. The following example shows basic usage of a stream controller:

Dart

var listeners = 0;
StreamController<int>? controller;
controller = StreamController<int>(
  onListen: () {
    // Emit a new value every time the stream gets a new listener.
    controller!.add(listeners++);
    // Close the stream after the fifth listener.
    if (listeners > 5) controller.close();
  }
);
// Get the stream for the stream controller
var stream = controller.stream;
// Listen to the stream
stream.listen((int value) {
  print('$value');
});

Async generators

Another way to create streams is by using async generator functions—these have the same syntax as a synchronous generator function, but use the async* keyword instead of sync*, and always return a Stream instead of an Iterable.

In an async generator function, the yield keyword emits the given value to the stream. The yield* keyword, however, works with streams instead of other iterables. This allows events from other streams to be emitted to this stream. In the following example, the function continues once the newly yielded stream has completed.

Dart

Stream<int> asynchronousNaturalsTo(int n) async* {
  var k = 0;
  while (k < n) yield k++;
}

Stream<int> stream = asynchronousNaturalsTo(5); 

// Prints each of 0 1 2 3 4 in succession.
stream.listen((int value) => print(value)); 

Learn more about futures, streams, and other asynchronous functionality in the asynchronous programming docs.

Classes

On the surface, classes in Dart are similar to classes in JavaScript, although JavaScript classes are technically more of a wrapper around prototypes. In Dart, classes are a standard feature of the language. This section covers defining and using classes in Dart and how they differ from JavaScript.

“this” context

The this keyword in Dart is more straightforward than in JavaScript. In Dart, you can’t bind functions to this, and this never depends on the execution context (as it does in JavaScript). In Dart, this is only used within classes, and always refers to the current instance.

Constructors

This section discusses how constructors differ in Dart from JavaScript.

Standard constructor

A standard class constructor looks very similar to a JavaScript constructor. In Dart, the constructor keyword is replaced by the full class name, and all parameters must be explicitly typed. In Dart, the new keyword was once required for creating class instances, but is now optional and its use is no longer recommended.

Dart

class Point {
  double x = 0;
  double y = 0;

  Point(double x, double y) {
    // There's a better way to do this in Dart, stay tuned.
    this.x = x;
    this.y = y;
  }
}

// Create a new instance of the Point class
Point p = Point(3, 5);

Constructor parameters

Writing code to assign class fields in the constructor can feel like creating boilerplate code, so Dart has some syntactic sugar, called initializing parameters to make this easier:

Dart

class Point {
  double x = 0;
  double y = 0;

  // Syntactic sugar for setting x and y
  // before the constructor body runs.
  Point(this.x, this.y);
}

// Create a new instance of the Point class
Point p = Point(3, 5);

Similar to functions, constructors have the option to take positioned or named parameters:

Dart

class Point {
  ...
  // With an optional positioned parameter
  Point(this.x, [this.y = 5]);
  // With named parameters
  Point({ required this.y, this.x = 5 });
  // With both positional and named parameters
  Point(int x, int y, { boolean multiply }) {
    ...
  }
  ...
}

Initializer lists

You can also use initializer lists, which run after any fields that aren’t set using initializing parameters, but run before the constructor body:

Dart

class Point {
  ...
  Point.fromJson(Map<String, double> json)
      : x = json['x']!,
        y = json['y']! {
    print('In Point.fromJson(): ($x, $y)');
  }
  ...
}

Named constructors

Unlike JavaScript, Dart allows classes to have multiple constructors, by allowing you to name them. You can optionally have one single unnamed constructor, any additional constructors must be named:

Dart

const double xOrigin = 0;
const double yOrigin = 0;

class Point {
  double x = 0;
  double y = 0;

  Point(this.x, this.y);

  // Named constructor
  Point.origin()
      : x = xOrigin,
        y = yOrigin;
}

Const constructors

When your class instances are always immutable, you can enforce this by using a const constructor. Defining your constructor as const requires all non-static fields in your class to be flagged as final:

Dart

class ImmutablePoint {
  final double x, y;

  const ImmutablePoint(this.x, this.y);
}

Constructor redirection

You can call constructors from other constructors, for example to prevent code duplication or to add additional defaults for parameters:

Dart

class Point {
  double x, y;

  // The main constructor for this class.
  Point(this.x, this.y);

  // Delegates to the main constructor.
  Point.alongXAxis(double x) : this(x, 0);
}

Factory constructors

You can use a factory constructor when you don’t need to create a new class instance. One example would be when returning a cached instance:

Dart

class Logger {
  static final Map<String, Logger> _cache =
      <String, Logger>{};
  
  final String name;
  
  // Factory constructor that returns a cached copy,
  // or creates a new one if it is not yet available.
  factory Logger(String name) {
    return _cache.putIfAbsent(
        name, () => Logger._internal(name));
  }

  // Private constructor for internal use only
  Logger._internal(this.name);
}

Methods

In both Dart and JavaScript, methods are functions that provide behavior for an object.

Dart

void doSomething() { // This is a function
 // Implementation..
}

class Example {
 void doSomething() { // This is a method
   // Implementation..
 }
}

JavaScript

doSomething() { // This is a function
  // Implementation..
}

class Example {
  doSomething() { // This is a method
    // Implementation..
  }
}

Extending classes

Dart allows classes to extend another class, in the same way that JavaScript does.

Dart

class Animal {
  int eyes;
  
  Animal(this.eyes);
  
  makeNoise() {
    print('???');
  }
}
class Cat extends Animal {
  
  Cat(): super(2);

  @override
  makeNoise() {
    print('Meow');
  }
}
Animal animal = Cat();
print(animal.eyes); // 2
animal.makeNoise(); // Meow

When overriding a method from the parent class, use the @override annotation. While this annotation is optional, it shows that the override is intentional. The Dart analyzer shows a warning if the method is not actually overriding a superclass method.

The parent method that is being overridden can still be called using the super keyword:

Dart

class Cat extends Animal {
  ...
  @override
  makeNoise() {
    print('Meow');
    super.makeNoise();
  }
}
Animal animal = Cat();
animal.makeNoise(); // Meow
                    // ???

Classes as interfaces

Like JavaScript, Dart doesn’t have a separate definition for interfaces. However, unlike JavaScript, all class definitions double as an interface; you can implement a class as an interface using the implements keyword.

When a class is implemented as an interface, its public API must be implemented by the new class. Unlike extends, its method and field implementations aren’t shared with the new class. While a class can only extend a single class, you can implement multiple interfaces at a time, even when the implementing class already extends another.

Dart

class Consumer {
  consume() {
    print('Eating food...');
  }
}
class Cat implements Consumer {
  consume() {
    print('Eating mice...');
  }
}
Consumer consumer = Cat();
consumer.consume(); // Eating mice

When implementing an interface, the super method can’t be called as the method bodies are not inherited:

Dart

class Cat implements Consumer {
  @override
  consume() {
    print('Eating mice...');
    super.consume(); // Invalid, because there’s no superclass.
  }
}

Abstract classes and methods

To ensure that a class can only be extended or have its interface implemented, but to disallow the construction of any instances, mark it as abstract.

Classes marked as abstract can have abstract methods, which do not require a body and are instead required to be implemented when the class is either extended or its interface is implemented:

Dart

abstract class Consumer {
  consume();
}
// Extending the full class
class Dog extends Consumer {
  consume() {
    print('Eating cookies...');
  }
}
// Just implementing the interface
class Cat implements Consumer {
  consume() {
    print('Eating mice...');
  }
}
Consumer consumer;
consumer = Dog();
consumer.consume(); // Eating cookies...
consumer = Cat();
consumer.consume(); // Eating mice...

Mixins

Mixins are used to share functionality between classes. You can use the mixin’s fields and methods in the class, using their functionality as if it were part of the class. A class can use multiple mixins, which is useful when multiple classes share the same functionality, without needing to inherit from each other or share a common ancestor.

A mixin is declared like a regular class, as long as it doesn’t extend any class other than Object and has no constructors. Use the with keyword to add one or more comma-separated mixins to a class. Although JavaScript doesn’t have an equivalent for this keyword, the effect is similar to using Object.assign to merge additional objects into an existing object, after instantiating.

The following example shows how similar behavior is replicated in JavaScript and how it’s achieved in Dart:

Dart

abstract class Animal {}

// Defining the mixins
class Flyer {
  fly() => print('Flaps wings');
}
class Walker {
  walk() => print('Walks legs');
}
  
class Bat extends Animal with Flyer {}
class Goose extends Animal with Flyer, Walker {}
class Dog extends Animal with Walker {}

// Correct calls
Bat().fly();
Goose().fly();
Goose().walk(); 
Dog().walk();
// Incorrect calls
Bat().walk(); // Not using the Walker mixin
Dog().fly(); // Not using the Flyer mixin

JavaScript

class Animal {}

// Defining the mixins
class Flyer {
  fly = () => console.log('Flaps wings');
}
class Walker {
  walk = () => console.log('Walks legs');
}
  
class Bat extends Animal {}
class Goose extends Animal {}
class Dog extends Animal {}

// Composing the class instances with their correct functionality.
const bat = Object.assign(new Bat(), new Flyer());
const goose = Object.assign(new Goose(), new Flyer(), new Walker());
const dog = Object.assign(new Dog(), new Walker());

// Correct calls
bat.fly();
goose.fly();
goose.walk(); 
dog.walk();
// Incorrect calls
bat.walk(); // `bat` does not have the `walk` method
dog.fly(); // `dog` does not have the `fly` method

Alternatively, you can replace the class keyword with mixin to prevent the mixin from being used as a regular class:

Dart

mixin Walker {
  walk() => print('Walks legs');
}
// Not possible, as Walker is no longer a class.
class Bat extends Walker {}

Since you can use multiple mixins, they can have overlapping methods or fields with each other when used on the same class. They can even overlap with the class that uses them, or that class’s superclass. The order in which they are added to a class matters.

To give an example:

class Bird extends Animal with Consumer, Flyer {

When a method is called on an instance of Bird, Dart starts with its own class, Bird, which takes precedence over other implementations. If Bird has no implementation, then Flyer is checked, followed by Consumer, until an implementation is found. The parent class, Animal, is checked last.

Extensions

Extending classes, implementing interfaces, or using mixins all work when the affected class is editable. However, sometimes it’s useful to extend a class that already exists or is part of another library or the Dart SDK.

In these cases, Dart offers the ability to write extensions for existing classes.

As an example, the following extension on the String class from the Dart SDK allows parsing of integers:

Dart

extension NumberParsing on String {
  int parseInt() {
    return int.parse(this);
  }
}

For the extension to become available, it has to be present in the same file, or its file must be imported.

Use it as follows:

Dart

import 'string_apis.dart'; // Import the file the extension is in
var age = '42'.parseInt(); // Use the extension method.

Getters and setters

Getters and setters in Dart work exactly like their JavaScript counterparts:

JavaScript

class Person {
  _age = 0;

  get age() {
    return this._age;
  }

  set age(value) {
    if (value < 0) {
      throw new Error('age cannot be negative');
    }
    this._age = value;
  }
}

var person = new Person();
person.age = 10;
console.log(person.age);

Dart

class Person {
  int _age = 0;
  
  int get age {
    return _age;
  }
  
  set age(int value) {
    if (value < 0) {
      throw ArgumentError('Age cannot be negative');
    }
    _age = value;
  }
}

void main() {
  var person = Person();
  person.age = 10;
  print(person.age);
}

Public and private members

Like JavaScript, Dart has no access modifier keywords: all class members are public by default.

While private class members are not yet officially part of JavaScript because they are not part of any published EcmaScript standard, a proposal for this has been completed and is ready to be included in the next publication of the standard. As such, implementations for this have been available in various browsers and runtimes for a while already.

In JavaScript, you can indicate that a class member is private by adding a pound symbol (#) as a prefix to its name:

JavaScript

class Animal {
  eyes; // Public field 
  #paws; // Private field

  #printEyes() { // Private method
    print(this.eyes);
  }

  printPaws() { // Public method
    print(this.#paws);
  }
}

Similarly, Dart allows developers to make a class member private by prefixing its name with an underscore (_):

Dart

class Animal {
  int eyes; // Public field 
  int _paws; // Private field

  void _printEyes() { // Private method
    print(this.eyes);
  }

  void printPaws() { // Public method
    print(this._paws);
  }
}

In JavaScript, this is a convention, but in Dart this is a full language feature enforced by the compiler.

A difference that should be noted is that in Dart, private members are not private to the class, but are private to the library, meaning that private members can still be accessed from code that is considered part of the same library. By default, this is possible anywhere in the same file, so private class members can still be accessed from code in the same file. While you can expand this library scope beyond a single file using the part directive, it’s generally advised to avoid doing so and is usually reserved for code generators.

Late variables

Assign the late keyword to class fields to indicate they are initialized at a later point, while remaining non-nullable. This is useful for cases where a variable is never observed before being initialized, allowing it to be initialized later. This has several advantages over just labeling the field as nullable:

• (Non-nullable) late fields cannot have null assigned at a later point.

• (Non-nullable) late fields throw a runtime error when accessed before they are initialized.

Dart

// Using null safety:
class Coffee {
  late String _temperature;

  void heat() { _temperature = 'hot'; }
  void chill() { _temperature = 'iced'; }

  String serve() => _temperature + ' coffee';
}

In this case, _temperature is only initialized after calling heat() or chill(). If serve() is called before either are called, a runtime exception occurs. The _temperature field can never be assigned null.

You can use the late keyword to make initialization lazy, when combined with an initializer:

Dart

class Weather {
  late int _temperature = _readThermometer();
}

In this example, _readThermometer() only runs when the field is first accessed, rather than on initialization.

Lastly, use the late keyword to delay initialization of final variables. While you don’t need to immediately initialize the final variable when marking it as late, it still allows the variable to be initialized only once. A second assignment results in a runtime error.

Dart

late final int a;
a = 1;
a = 2; // Throws a runtime exception `a` is already initialized.

Generics

While Vanilla JavaScript doesn’t offer generics, they are available in Dart to improve type safety and reduce code duplication.

Generic methods

You can apply generics to methods. To define a generic type, place it between < > symbols after the method name. This type can then be used within the method (as the return type), or within the method’s parameters:

Dart

// Defining a method that uses generics.
T transform<T>(T param) {
  // E.g. doing some transformation on `param`...
  return param;
}
// Calling the method. Variable `str` is of type String.
var str = transform('string value'); 

In this case, passing String to the transform method ensures that it returns a String. Likewise, if an int is provided, the return value is an int.

Define multiple generic types by separating them with a comma:

Dart

// Defining a method with multiple generics.
T transform<T, Q>(T param1, Q param2) {
   ...
}
// Calling the method with explicitly defined types.
transform<int, String>(5, 'string value');
// Types are optional when the analyzer can infer them.
transform(5, 'string value');

Generic classes

Generics can also be applied to classes. You can include the type to use when calling a constructor, which allows you to tailor reusable classes to specific types.

In the following example, the Cache class is for caching specific types:

Dart

class Cache<T> {
  T getByKey(String key) {}
  void setByKey(String key, T value) {}
}
// Creating a cache for strings
var stringCache = Cache<String>(); // stringCache has type Cache<String>
stringCache.setByKey('Foo', 'Bar'); // Valid, setting a string value.
stringCache.setByKey('Baz', 5); // Invalid, int type does not match generic.

If the type declaration is omitted, the runtime type will be Cache<dynamic> and both calls to setByKey are valid.

Restricting generics

You can use generics to restrict your code to a family of types using extends. This ensures that your class is instantiated with a generic type that extends a specific type:

Dart

class NumberManager<T extends num> {
   ...
}
// Valid.
var manager = NumberManager<int>(); 
var manager = NumberManager<double>(); 
// Invalid, String nor its parent classes extend num.
var manager = NumberManager<String>(); 

Generics in literals

Map, Set, and List literals can explicitly declare generic types, which is useful when the type isn’t inferred or is incorrectly inferred.

For example, the List class has a generic definition: class List<E>. Generic type E refers to the type of the list’s contents. Normally, this type is automatically inferred, which is used in some List class’s member types. (For example, its first getter returns a value of type E.) When defining a List literal, you can explicitly define the generic type as follows:

Dart

// Automatic type inference
var objList = [5, 2.0]; // Type: List<num>
// Explicit type definition:
var objList = <Object>[5, 2.0]; // Type: List<Object>
// Sets work identically:
var objSet = <Object>{5, 2.0};

This is also true for Maps, which also define their key and value types using generics (class Map<K, V>):

Dart

// Automatic type inference
var map = {
  'foo': 'bar'
}; // Type: Map<String, String>
// Explicit type definition:
var map = <String, Object>{
  'foo': 'bar'
}; // Type: Map<String, Object>

Doc comments

Regular comments work the same in Dart as they do in JavaScript. Using // comments out everything beyond it for the remaining line, and you can use /* ... */ to block comments spanning multiple lines.

In addition to regular comments, Dart also has doc comments that work in tandem with dart doc: a first party tool that generates HTML documentation for Dart packages. It’s considered best practice to place doc comments above all declarations for public members.

Define a doc comment by using three forward slashes instead of two (///):

Dart

/// The number of characters in this chunk when unsplit.
int get length => ...

Next steps

This guide has introduced you to the major differences between Dart and JavaScript. At this point, you might consider moving to the general documentation for Dart or Flutter (an open-source framework that uses Dart for building beautiful, natively compiled, multi-platform applications from a single codebase), where you’ll find in-depth information about the language and practical ways of getting started.

Some possible next steps:

• Language tour to learn more about the Dart language
• Library tour to learn about Dart’s core libraries
• Dart codelabs for hands-on experience learning a variety of topics
• Effective Dart to learn about common conventions and guidelines when writing Dart code