unnecessary_library_name

Don't have a library name in a library declaration.

This rule is available as of Dart 3.4.

Rule sets: recommended, flutter

This rule has a quick fix available.

DON'T have a library name in a library declaration.

Library names are not necessary.

A library does not need a library declaration, but one can be added to attach library documentation and library metadata to. A declaration of library; is sufficient for those uses.

The only use of a library name is for a part file to refer back to its owning library, but part files should prefer to use a string URI to refer back to the library file, not a library name.

If a library name is added to a library declaration, it introduces the risk of name conflicts. It's a compile-time error if two libraries in the same program have the same library name. To avoid that, library names tend to be long, including the package name and path, just to avoid accidental name clashes. That makes such library names hard to read, and not even useful as documentation.

BAD:

/// This library has a long name.
library magnificator.src.helper.bananas;

library utils; // Not as verbose, but risks conflicts.

GOOD:

/// This library is awesome.
library;

part "apart.dart"; // contains: `part of "good_library.dart";`

To enable the unnecessary_library_name rule, add unnecessary_library_name under linter > rules in your analysis_options.yaml file:

linter:
  rules:
    - unnecessary_library_name

Unless stated otherwise, the documentation on this site reflects Dart 3.5.3. Page last updated on 2024-07-03. View source or report an issue.