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target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div><span>Google Maps package</span><span class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">open_in_new</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-5-6" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-5-6"><span>News</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-5-6"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/news-toolkit"><div><span>Build a news app</span></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li aria-hidden="true"><div class="sidenav-divider"></div></li><li class="nav-header">User interface</li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/widgets"><div><span>Widget catalog</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-10" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-10"><span>Layout</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-10"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/layout"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/layout/tutorial"><div><span>Build a layout</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-10-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-10-3"><span>Lists & grids</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-10-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/basic-list"><div><span>Create and use lists</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/horizontal-list"><div><span>Create a horizontal list</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/grid-lists"><div><span>Create a grid view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/mixed-list"><div><span>Create lists with different types of items</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/spaced-items"><div><span>Create lists with spaced items</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/long-lists"><div><span>Work with long lists</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-10-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-10-4"><span>Scrolling</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-10-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/layout/scrolling"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/layout/scrolling/slivers"><div><span>Use slivers to achieve fancy scrolling</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/lists/floating-app-bar"><div><span>Place a floating app bar above a list</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/effects/parallax-scrolling"><div><span>Create a scrolling parallax effect</span></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-11" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-11"><span>Adaptive & responsive design</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-11"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/general"><div><span>General approach</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/safearea-mediaquery"><div><span>SafeArea & MediaQuery</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/large-screens"><div><span>Large screens & foldables</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/input"><div><span>User input & accessibility</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/capabilities"><div><span>Capabilities & policies</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/platform-adaptations"><div><span>Automatic platform adaptations</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/best-practices"><div><span>Best practices</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/adaptive-responsive/more-info"><div><span>Additional resources</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-12" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-12"><span>Design & theming</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-12"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/themes"><div><span>Share styles with themes</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/design/material"><div><span>Material design</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/release/breaking-changes/material-3-migration"><div><span>Migrate to Material 3</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-12-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-12-4"><span>Text</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-12-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/design/text/typography"><div><span>Fonts & typography</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/fonts"><div><span>Use a custom font</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/package-fonts"><div><span>Export fonts from a package</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="https://pub.dev/packages/google_fonts" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div><span>Google Fonts package</span><span class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">open_in_new</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-12-5" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-12-5"><span>Custom graphics</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-12-5"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/design/graphics/fragment-shaders"><div><span>Use custom fragment shaders</span></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-13" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-13"><span>Interactivity</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-13"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/interactivity"><div><span>Add interactivity to your app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-13-2" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-13-2"><span>Gestures</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-13-2"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/interactivity/gestures"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/gestures/handling-taps"><div><span>Handle taps</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/interactivity/gestures/drag-outside"><div><span>Drag an object outside an app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/effects/drag-a-widget"><div><span>Drag a UI element within an app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/gestures/ripples"><div><span>Add Material touch ripples</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/gestures/dismissible"><div><span>Implement swipe to dismiss</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-13-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-13-3"><span>Input & forms</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-13-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/forms/text-input"><div><span>Create and style a text field</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/forms/retrieve-input"><div><span>Retrieve the value of a text field</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/forms/text-field-changes"><div><span>Handle changes to a text field</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/forms/focus"><div><span>Manage focus in text fields</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/forms/validation"><div><span>Build a form with validation</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/snackbars"><div><span>Display a snackbar</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/interactivity/actions-and-shortcuts"><div><span>Implement actions & shortcuts</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/interactivity/focus"><div><span>Manage keyboard focus</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-14" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-14"><span>Assets & media</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-14"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/assets/assets-and-images"><div><span>Add assets and images</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/images/network-image"><div><span>Display images from the internet</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/images/fading-in-images"><div><span>Fade in images with a placeholder</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/plugins/play-video"><div><span>Play and pause a video</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/assets/asset-transformation"><div><span>Transform assets at build time</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-15" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-15"><span>Navigation & routing</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-15"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/navigation"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/tabs"><div><span>Add tabs to your app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/navigation/navigation-basics"><div><span>Navigate to a new screen and back</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/navigation/passing-data"><div><span>Send data to a new screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/navigation/returning-data"><div><span>Return data from a screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/design/drawer"><div><span>Add a drawer to a screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/navigation/deep-linking"><div><span>Set up deep linking</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/navigation/set-up-app-links"><div><span>Set up app links for Android</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/navigation/set-up-universal-links"><div><span>Set up universal links for iOS</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/navigation/url-strategies"><div><span>Configure web URL strategies</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-16" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-16"><span>Animations & transitions</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-16"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations/tutorial"><div><span>Tutorial</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations/implicit-animations"><div><span>Implicit animations</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/animation/animated-container"><div><span>Animate the properties of a container</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/animation/opacity-animation"><div><span>Fade a widget in and out</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations/hero-animations"><div><span>Hero animations</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/animation/page-route-animation"><div><span>Animate a page route transition</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/animation/physics-simulation"><div><span>Animate using a physics simulation</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations/staggered-animations"><div><span>Staggered animations</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/effects/staggered-menu-animation"><div><span>Create a staggered menu animation</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/animations/overview"><div><span>API overview</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-17" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-17"><span>Accessibility & internationalization</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-17"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/accessibility-and-internationalization/accessibility"><div><span>Accessibility</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/accessibility-and-internationalization/internationalization"><div><span>Internationalization</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li aria-hidden="true"><div class="sidenav-divider"></div></li><li class="nav-header">Beyond UI</li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20"><span>Data & backend</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20"><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20-1" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20-1"><span>State management</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20-1"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/intro"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/declarative"><div><span>Think declaratively</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/ephemeral-vs-app"><div><span>Ephemeral vs app state</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/simple"><div><span>Simple app state management</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/options"><div><span>Options</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20-2" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20-2"><span>Networking & http</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20-2"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/networking"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/fetch-data"><div><span>Fetch data from the internet</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/authenticated-requests"><div><span>Make authenticated requests</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/send-data"><div><span>Send data to the internet</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/update-data"><div><span>Update data over the internet</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/delete-data"><div><span>Delete data on the internet</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/web-sockets"><div><span>Communicate with WebSockets</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20-3"><span>Serialization</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/serialization/json"><div><span>JSON serialization</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/networking/background-parsing"><div><span>Parse JSON in the background</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20-4"><span>Persistence</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/persistence/key-value"><div><span>Store key-value data on disk</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/persistence/reading-writing-files"><div><span>Read and write files</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/persistence/sqlite"><div><span>Persist data with SQLite</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-20-5" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-20-5"><span>Firebase</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-20-5"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/firebase"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="https://firebase.google.com/docs/flutter/setup" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div><span>Add Firebase to your Flutter app</span><span class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">open_in_new</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/data-and-backend/google-apis"><div><span>Google APIs</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-21" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-21"><span>App architecture</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-21"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/concepts"><div><span>Architecture concepts</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/guide"><div><span>Guide to app architecture</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-21-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-21-4"><span>Architecture case study</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-21-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/case-study"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/case-study/ui-layer"><div><span>UI layer</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/case-study/data-layer"><div><span>Data layer</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/case-study/dependency-injection"><div><span>Dependency injection</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/case-study/testing"><div><span>Testing each layer</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/recommendations"><div><span>Recommendations</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/app-architecture/design-patterns"><div><span>Design patterns</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link active collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22" role="button" aria-expanded="true" aria-controls="sidenav-22"><span>Platform integration</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse show" id="sidenav-22"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/reference/supported-platforms"><div><span>Supported platforms</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/desktop"><div><span>Build desktop apps with Flutter</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/platform-channels"><div><span>Write platform-specific code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-22-4"><span>Android</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-22-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/install-android"><div><span>Add Android as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/splash-screen"><div><span>Add a splash screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/predictive-back"><div><span>Add predictive back</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/c-interop"><div><span>Bind to native code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/platform-views"><div><span>Host a native Android view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/call-jetpack-apis"><div><span>Calling JetPack APIs</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/compose-activity"><div><span>Launch a Jetpack Compose activity</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/restore-state-android"><div><span>Restore state on Android</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/android/chromeos"><div><span>Target ChromeOS with Android</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-5" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-22-5"><span>iOS</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-22-5"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/install-ios"><div><span>Add iOS as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/ios-latest"><div><span>Flutter on latest iOS</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/apple-frameworks"><div><span>Leverage Apple's system libraries</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/launch-screen"><div><span>Add a launch screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/ios-app-clip"><div><span>Add iOS App Clip support</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/app-extensions"><div><span>Add iOS app extensions</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/c-interop"><div><span>Bind to native code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/platform-views"><div><span>Host a native iOS view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/ios-debugging"><div><span>Enable debugging on iOS</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/ios/restore-state-ios"><div><span>Restore state on iOS</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-6" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-22-6"><span>Linux</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-22-6"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/linux/install-linux"><div><span>Add Linux as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/linux/building"><div><span>Build a Linux app</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link active collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-7" role="button" aria-expanded="true" aria-controls="sidenav-22-7"><span>macOS</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse show" id="sidenav-22-7"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/macos/install-macos"><div><span>Add macOS as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/macos/building"><div><span>Build a macOS app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link active" href="/platform-integration/macos/c-interop"><div><span>Bind to native code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/macos/platform-views"><div><span>Host a native macOS view</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-8" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-22-8"><span>Web</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-22-8"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web"><div><span>Web support in Flutter</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/install-web"><div><span>Add web as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/building"><div><span>Build a web app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/wasm"><div><span>Compile to WebAssembly</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/initialization"><div><span>Customize app initialization</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/embedding-flutter-web"><div><span>Add Flutter to any web app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/web-content-in-flutter"><div><span>Web content in Flutter</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/renderers"><div><span>Web renderers</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/web-images"><div><span>Display images on the web</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/faq"><div><span>Web FAQ</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-22-9" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-22-9"><span>Windows</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-22-9"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/windows/install-windows"><div><span>Add Windows as build target</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/windows/building"><div><span>Build a Windows app</span></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-23" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-23"><span>Packages & plugins</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-23"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/packages-and-plugins/using-packages"><div><span>Use packages & plugins</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/packages-and-plugins/developing-packages"><div><span>Develop packages & plugins</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-23-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-23-3"><span>Swift Package Manager</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-23-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/packages-and-plugins/swift-package-manager/for-app-developers"><div><span>For app developers</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/packages-and-plugins/swift-package-manager/for-plugin-authors"><div><span>For plugin authors</span></div></a></li></ul></li><div class="sidenav-divider"></div><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/packages-and-plugins/favorites"><div><span>Flutter Favorites</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="https://pub.dev/flutter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div><span>Package repository</span><span class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">open_in_new</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-24" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-24"><span>Testing & debugging</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-24"><li class="nav-header">Testing</li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/overview"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-24-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-24-3"><span>Unit testing</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-24-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/unit/introduction"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/unit/mocking"><div><span>Mock dependencies</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-24-4" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-24-4"><span>Widget testing</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-24-4"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/widget/introduction"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/widget/finders"><div><span>Find widgets</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/widget/scrolling"><div><span>Simulate scrolling</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/widget/tap-drag"><div><span>Simulate user interaction</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-24-5" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-24-5"><span>Integration testing</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-24-5"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/integration/introduction"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/integration-tests"><div><span>Write and run an integration test</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/testing/integration/profiling"><div><span>Profile an integration test</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/testing-plugins"><div><span>Test a plugin</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/plugins-in-tests"><div><span>Handle plugin code in tests</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-header">Debugging</li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/debugging"><div><span>Debugging tools</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/code-debugging"><div><span>Debug your app programmatically</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/native-debugging"><div><span>Use a native language debugger</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/common-errors"><div><span>Common Flutter errors</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/errors"><div><span>Handle errors</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/cookbook/maintenance/error-reporting"><div><span>Report errors to a service</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-25" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-25"><span>Performance & optimization</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-25"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/impeller"><div><span>Impeller</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/best-practices"><div><span>Performance best practices</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/app-size"><div><span>App size</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/deferred-components"><div><span>Deferred components</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/rendering-performance"><div><span>Rendering performance</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/ui-performance"><div><span>Performance profiling</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/web-performance"><div><span>Performance profiling for web</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/metrics"><div><span>Performance metrics</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/isolates"><div><span>Concurrency and isolates</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/faq"><div><span>Performance FAQ</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/perf/appendix"><div><span>Appendix</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-26" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-26"><span>Deployment</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-26"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/obfuscate"><div><span>Obfuscate Dart code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/flavors"><div><span>Create app flavors for Android</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/flavors-ios"><div><span>Create app flavors for iOS and macOS</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/android"><div><span>Build and release an Android app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/ios"><div><span>Build and release an iOS app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/macos"><div><span>Build and release a macOS app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/linux"><div><span>Build and release a Linux app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/windows"><div><span>Build and release a Windows app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/web"><div><span>Build and release a web app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/deployment/cd"><div><span>Set up continuous deployment</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-27" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-27"><span>Add to an existing app</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-27"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app"><div><span>Introduction</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-27-2" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-27-2"><span>Add to an Android app</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-27-2"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/android/project-setup"><div><span>Set up Android project</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/android/add-flutter-screen"><div><span>Add a single Flutter screen</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/android/add-flutter-fragment"><div><span>Add a Flutter Fragment</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/android/add-flutter-view"><div><span>Add a Flutter View</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/android/plugin-setup"><div><span>Use a Flutter plugin</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-27-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-27-3"><span>Add to an iOS app</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-27-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/ios/project-setup"><div><span>Set up iOS project</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/ios/add-flutter-screen"><div><span>Add a single Flutter screen</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/platform-integration/web/embedding-flutter-web"><div><span>Add to a web app</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/debugging"><div><span>Debug embedded Flutter module</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/multiple-flutters"><div><span>Add multiple Flutter instances</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/add-to-app/performance"><div><span>Loading sequence and performance</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li aria-hidden="true"><div class="sidenav-divider"></div></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-29" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-29"><span>Tools & editors</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-29"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/android-studio"><div><span>Android Studio & IntelliJ</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/vs-code"><div><span>Visual Studio Code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-29-3" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-29-3"><span>DevTools</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-29-3"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools"><div><span>Overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/android-studio"><div><span>Run from Android Studio & IntelliJ</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/vscode"><div><span>Run from VS Code</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/cli"><div><span>Run from command line</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/inspector"><div><span>Flutter inspector</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/legacy-inspector"><div><span>Legacy Flutter inspector</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/performance"><div><span>Performance view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/cpu-profiler"><div><span>CPU Profiler view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/memory"><div><span>Memory view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/console"><div><span>Debug console view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/network"><div><span>Network view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/debugger"><div><span>Debugger</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/logging"><div><span>Logging view</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/app-size"><div><span>App size tool</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/extensions"><div><span>DevTools extensions</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/deep-links"><div><span>Validate deep links</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/devtools/release-notes"><div><span>Release notes</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/sdk"><div><span>SDK overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/pubspec"><div><span>Flutter's pubspec options</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/flutter-fix"><div><span>Automated fixes</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/formatting"><div><span>Code formatting</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-30" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-30"><span>Flutter concepts</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-30"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/architectural-overview"><div><span>Architectural overview</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/inside-flutter"><div><span>Inside Flutter</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/ui/layout/constraints"><div><span>Understanding constraints</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/testing/build-modes"><div><span>Flutter's build modes</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/tools/hot-reload"><div><span>Hot reload</span></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsed collapsible" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-31" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidenav-31"><span>Resources</span> <span class="material-symbols expander" aria-hidden="true">expand_more</span></button><ul class="nav collapse" id="sidenav-31"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/faq"><div><span>FAQ</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/books"><div><span>Books</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/videos"><div><span>Videos</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/courses"><div><span>Courses</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/bootstrap-into-dart"><div><span>Learn Dart</span></div></a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/resources/support"><div><span>Get support</span></div></a></li><div class="sidenav-divider"></div><li class="nav-item"><button class="nav-link collapsible collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#sidenav-31-8" role="button" 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href="#create-an-ffi-plugin">Create an FFI plugin</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#other-use-cases">Other use cases</a><ul class="nav"><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#ios-and-macos">iOS and macOS</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#other-resources">Other Resources</a></li></ul></div><article><header class="site-content__title"><h1 id="document-title">Binding to native macOS code using dart:ffi</h1><nav class="breadcrumbs" aria-label="breadcrumb"><ol vocab="https://schema.org/" typeof="BreadcrumbList"><li class="breadcrumb-item" property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/platform-integration" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Platform integration</span></a><meta property="position" content="0"><span class="material-symbols child-icon" aria-hidden="true">chevron_right</span></li><li class="breadcrumb-item" property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/platform-integration/macos" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">macOS</span></a><meta property="position" content="1"><span class="material-symbols child-icon" aria-hidden="true">chevron_right</span></li><li class="breadcrumb-item active" property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem" aria-current="page"><a href="/platform-integration/macos/c-interop" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Binding to native macOS code using dart:ffi</span></a><meta property="position" content="2"></li></ol></nav></header><div id="site-toc--inline" class="site-toc"><header class="site-toc__title">Contents</header><ul class="section-nav"><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#dynamic-vs-static-linking">Dynamic vs static linking</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#create-an-ffi-plugin">Create an FFI plugin</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#other-use-cases">Other use cases</a><ul><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#ios-and-macos">iOS and macOS</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#other-resources">Other Resources</a></li></ul></div> <?code-excerpt path-base="platform_integration"?> <p>Flutter mobile and desktop apps can use the <a href="https://api.dart.dev/dart-ffi/dart-ffi-library.html">dart:ffi</a> library to call native C APIs. <em>FFI</em> stands for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_function_interface"><em>foreign function interface.</em></a> Other terms for similar functionality include <em>native interface</em> and <em>language bindings.</em></p><aside class="alert alert-info"><div class="alert-header"><i class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">info</i> <span>Note</span></div><div class="alert-content"><p>This page describes using the <code>dart:ffi</code> library in macOS desktop apps. For information on Android, see <a href="/platform-integration/android/c-interop">Binding to native Android code using dart:ffi</a>. For information on iOS, see <a href="/platform-integration/ios/c-interop">Binding to native iOS code using dart:ffi</a>. This feature is not yet supported for web plugins.</p></div></aside><p>Before your library or program can use the FFI library to bind to native code, you must ensure that the native code is loaded and its symbols are visible to Dart. This page focuses on compiling, packaging, and loading macOS native code within a Flutter plugin or app.</p><p>This tutorial demonstrates how to bundle C/C++ sources in a Flutter plugin and bind to them using the Dart FFI library on macOS. In this walkthrough, you'll create a C function that implements 32-bit addition and then exposes it through a Dart plugin named "native_add".</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="dynamic-vs-static-linking">Dynamic vs static linking</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#dynamic-vs-static-linking" aria-label="Link to 'Dynamic vs static linking' section">#</a></div><p>A native library can be linked into an app either dynamically or statically. A statically linked library is embedded into the app's executable image, and is loaded when the app starts.</p><p>Symbols from a statically linked library can be loaded using <code>DynamicLibrary.executable</code> or <code>DynamicLibrary.process</code>.</p><p>A dynamically linked library, by contrast, is distributed in a separate file or folder within the app, and loaded on-demand. On macOS, the dynamically linked library is distributed as a <code>.framework</code> folder.</p><p>A dynamically linked library can be loaded into Dart using <code>DynamicLibrary.open</code>.</p><p>API documentation is available from the <a href="https://api.dart.dev">Dart API reference documentation</a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="create-an-ffi-plugin">Create an FFI plugin</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#create-an-ffi-plugin" aria-label="Link to 'Create an FFI plugin' section">#</a></div><p>If you already have a plugin, skip this step.</p><p>To create a plugin called "native_add", do the following:</p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-console"><div class="code-block-body"><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222" class="undefined terminal-command">flutter create --platforms=</span><span style="color:#0C7064">macos</span><span style="color:#222222"> --template=</span><span style="color:#0C7064">plugin_ffi</span><span style="color:#6200EE"> native_add</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222" class="undefined terminal-command">cd native_add</span></span></code></pre></div></div><aside class="alert alert-info"><div class="alert-header"><i class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">info</i> <span>Note</span></div><div class="alert-content"><p>You can exclude platforms from <code>--platforms</code> that you don't want to build to. However, you need to include the platform of the device you are testing on.</p></div></aside><p>This will create a plugin with C/C++ sources in <code>native_add/src</code>. These sources are built by the native build files in the various os build folders.</p><p>The FFI library can only bind against C symbols, so in C++ these symbols are marked <code>extern "C"</code>.</p><p>You should also add attributes to indicate that the symbols are referenced from Dart, to prevent the linker from discarding the symbols during link-time optimization. <code>__attribute__((visibility("default"))) __attribute__((used))</code>.</p><p>On iOS, the <code>native_add/macos/native_add.podspec</code> links the code.</p><p>The native code is invoked from dart in <code>lib/native_add_bindings_generated.dart</code>.</p><p>The bindings are generated with <a href="https://pub.dev/packages/ffigen">package:ffigen</a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="other-use-cases">Other use cases</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#other-use-cases" aria-label="Link to 'Other use cases' section">#</a></div><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="ios-and-macos">iOS and macOS</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#ios-and-macos" aria-label="Link to 'iOS and macOS' section">#</a></div><p>Dynamically linked libraries are automatically loaded by the dynamic linker when the app starts. Their constituent symbols can be resolved using <a href="https://api.dart.dev/dart-ffi/DynamicLibrary/DynamicLibrary.process.html"><code>DynamicLibrary.process</code></a>. You can also get a handle to the library with <a href="https://api.dart.dev/dart-ffi/DynamicLibrary/DynamicLibrary.open.html"><code>DynamicLibrary.open</code></a> to restrict the scope of symbol resolution, but it's unclear how Apple's review process handles this.</p><p>Symbols statically linked into the application binary can be resolved using <a href="https://api.dart.dev/dart-ffi/DynamicLibrary/DynamicLibrary.executable.html"><code>DynamicLibrary.executable</code></a> or <a href="https://api.dart.dev/dart-ffi/DynamicLibrary/DynamicLibrary.process.html"><code>DynamicLibrary.process</code></a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h4 id="platform-library">Platform library</h4><a class="heading-link" href="#platform-library" aria-label="Link to 'Platform library' section">#</a></div><p>To link against a platform library, use the following instructions:</p><ol><li>In Xcode, open <code>Runner.xcworkspace</code>.</li><li>Select the target platform.</li><li>Click <strong>+</strong> in the <strong>Linked Frameworks and Libraries</strong> section.</li><li>Select the system library to link against.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h4 id="first-party-library">First-party library</h4><a class="heading-link" href="#first-party-library" aria-label="Link to 'First-party library' section">#</a></div><p>A first-party native library can be included either as source or as a (signed) <code>.framework</code> file. It's probably possible to include statically linked archives as well, but it requires testing.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h4 id="source-code">Source code</h4><a class="heading-link" href="#source-code" aria-label="Link to 'Source code' section">#</a></div><p>To link directly to source code, use the following instructions:</p><ol><li><p>In Xcode, open <code>Runner.xcworkspace</code>.</p></li><li><p>Add the C/C++/Objective-C/Swift source files to the Xcode project.</p></li><li><p>Add the following prefix to the exported symbol declarations to ensure they are visible to Dart:</p><p><strong>C/C++/Objective-C</strong></p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-objc"><div class="code-block-body"><span class="code-block-language" title="Language objc">objc</span><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#BD2314">extern</span><span style="color:#0C7064"> "C"</span><span style="color:#6E6E70"> /* <= C++ only */</span><span style="color:#6200EE"> __attribute__</span><span style="color:#222222">((</span><span style="color:#6200EE">visibility</span><span style="color:#222222">(</span><span style="color:#0C7064">"default"</span><span style="color:#222222">))) </span><span style="color:#6200EE">__attribute__</span><span style="color:#222222">((used))</span></span></code></pre></div></div><p><strong>Swift</strong></p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-swift"><div class="code-block-body"><span class="code-block-language" title="Language swift">swift</span><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">@</span><span style="color:#BD2314">_cdecl</span><span style="color:#222222">(</span><span style="color:#0C7064">"myFunctionName"</span><span style="color:#222222">)</span></span></code></pre></div></div></li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h4 id="compiled-dynamic-library">Compiled (dynamic) library</h4><a class="heading-link" href="#compiled-dynamic-library" aria-label="Link to 'Compiled (dynamic) library' section">#</a></div><p>To link to a compiled dynamic library, use the following instructions:</p><ol><li>If a properly signed <code>Framework</code> file is present, open <code>Runner.xcworkspace</code>.</li><li>Add the framework file to the <strong>Embedded Binaries</strong> section.</li><li>Also add it to the <strong>Linked Frameworks & Libraries</strong> section of the target in Xcode.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h4 id="compiled-dynamic-library-macos">Compiled (dynamic) library (macOS)</h4><a class="heading-link" href="#compiled-dynamic-library-macos" aria-label="Link to 'Compiled (dynamic) library (macOS)' section">#</a></div><p>To add a closed source library to a <a href="/platform-integration/macos/building">Flutter macOS Desktop</a> app, use the following instructions:</p><ol><li>Follow the instructions for Flutter desktop to create a Flutter desktop app.</li><li>Open the <code>yourapp/macos/Runner.xcworkspace</code> in Xcode.<ol><li>Drag your precompiled library (<code>libyourlibrary.dylib</code>) into <code>Runner/Frameworks</code>.</li><li>Click <code>Runner</code> and go to the <code>Build Phases</code> tab.<ol><li>Drag <code>libyourlibrary.dylib</code> into the <code>Copy Bundle Resources</code> list.</li><li>Under <code>Embed Libraries</code>, check <code>Code Sign on Copy</code>.</li><li>Under <code>Link Binary With Libraries</code>, set status to <code>Optional</code>. (We use dynamic linking, no need to statically link.)</li></ol></li><li>Click <code>Runner</code> and go to the <code>General</code> tab.<ol><li>Drag <code>libyourlibrary.dylib</code> into the <strong>Frameworks, Libraries and Embedded Content</strong> list.</li><li>Select <strong>Embed & Sign</strong>.</li></ol></li><li>Click <strong>Runner</strong> and go to the <strong>Build Settings</strong> tab.<ol><li>In the <strong>Search Paths</strong> section configure the <strong>Library Search Paths</strong> to include the path where <code>libyourlibrary.dylib</code> is located.</li></ol></li></ol></li><li>Edit <code>lib/main.dart</code>.<ol><li>Use <code>DynamicLibrary.open('libyourlibrary.dylib')</code> to dynamically link to the symbols.</li><li>Call your native function somewhere in a widget.</li></ol></li><li>Run <code>flutter run</code> and check that your native function gets called.</li><li>Run <code>flutter build macos</code> to build a self-contained release version of your app.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="other-resources">Other Resources</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#other-resources" aria-label="Link to 'Other Resources' section">#</a></div><p>To learn more about C interoperability, check out these videos:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MMK7YoFgaA">C interoperability with Dart FFI</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Wn2oM_nWw">How to Use Dart FFI to Build a Retro Audio Player</a></li></ul><p id="page-github-links"><span>Unless stated otherwise, the documentation on this site reflects the latest stable version of Flutter. Page last updated on 2024-11-19.</span> <a href="https://github.com/flutter/website/tree/main/src/content/platform-integration/macos/c-interop.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View source</a> <span>or </span><a href="https://github.com/flutter/website/issues/new?template=1_page_issue.yml&&page-url=https://docs.flutter.dev/platform-integration/macos/c-interop/&page-source=https://github.com/flutter/website/tree/main/src/content/platform-integration/macos/c-interop.md" title="Report an issue with this page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report an issue</a>.</p></article></main></div><footer id="site-footer"><div class="footer-section footer-main"><a class="brand" href="https://flutter.dev"><img src="/assets/images/branding/flutter/logo+text/horizontal/white.svg" alt="Flutter logo" width="164"></a><div class="footer-social-links"><a class="icon-button" href="https://medium.com/flutter" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Flutter's Medium blog"><svg><use href="/assets/images/social/medium.svg#medium"></use></svg> </a><a class="icon-button" href="https://youtube.com/@flutterdev" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Flutter's YouTube"><svg><use href="/assets/images/social/youtube.svg#youtube"></use></svg> </a><a class="icon-button" href="https://github.com/flutter" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Flutter's GitHub"><svg><use href="/assets/images/social/github.svg#github"></use></svg> </a><a class="icon-button" href="https://bsky.app/profile/flutter.dev" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Flutter's Bluesky"><svg><use href="/assets/images/social/bluesky.svg#bluesky"></use></svg> </a><a class="icon-button" href="https://twitter.com/FlutterDev" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Flutter's X (Twitter)"><svg><use href="/assets/images/social/x.svg#x"></use></svg></a></div></div><div class="footer-section footer-tray"><div class="footer-licenses">Except as otherwise noted, this site is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>, and code samples are licensed under the <a href="https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause">3-Clause BSD License</a>.</div><div class="footer-utility-links"><ul><li><a href="/tos" title="Terms of use">Terms</a></li><li><a href="/brand" title="Brand usage guidelines">Brand</a></li><li><a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Privacy policy">Privacy</a></li><li><a href="/security" title="Security philosophy and practices">Security</a></li></ul></div></div></footer></div><script src="/assets/js/tabs.js?v=4"></script><script src="/assets/js/archive.js?v=4"></script><script src="/assets/js/main.js?v=4"></script></body></html>