Understanding Pattern Matching in Flutter Using Back4app Backend

10min
Introduction
Pattern matching is a powerful feature introduced in Dart 3 that allows developers to easily identify and extract specific data structures within their applications. If you have experience with languages like Kotlin, Swift, or JavaScript, you might already be familiar with pattern matching. However, if you're new to this concept in Dart, this tutorial will help you get comfortable with it. We'll explore pattern matching and how to use it in a Flutter app with a practical example that integrates Back4app as a backend to manage and store data.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
A Back4app account. Sign up for a free account at Back4app.com.
A Flutter development environment set up on your local machine. Follow the Flutter installation guide if you haven't set it up yet.
Basic knowledge of Dart, Flutter widgets, and using Back4app for backend services.
Step 1 – Setting Up Your Back4app Backend
Create a Back4app Project: Log in to your Back4app account and create a new project.
Create Parse Classes: For this tutorial, create a Parse Class named UserData to store user information:
username (String): The username of the user.
age (Number): The age of the user.
preferences (JSON): A JSON object storing user preferences.
Get Your Back4app Credentials: Navigate to your project settings to retrieve your Application ID and Client Key, which you’ll need to connect your Flutter app to Back4app.
Step 2 – Setting Up the Flutter Project
Create a New Flutter Project: Open your terminal or command prompt and run:
Bash
flutter create pattern_matching_example
flutter create pattern_matching_example
﻿
Add Dependencies: Open pubspec.yaml and add the following dependencies:
YAML
dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  parse_server_sdk_flutter: latest_version
dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  parse_server_sdk_flutter: latest_version
﻿
Run flutter pub get to install these dependencies.
Initialize Parse in Your App: In lib/main.dart, initialize the Parse SDK:
Dart
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:parse_server_sdk_flutter/parse_server_sdk_flutter.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  const keyApplicationId = 'YOUR_BACK4APP_APP_ID';
  const keyClientKey = 'YOUR_BACK4APP_CLIENT_KEY';
  const keyParseServerUrl = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com';

  await Parse().initialize(keyApplicationId, keyParseServerUrl,
      clientKey: keyClientKey, autoSendSessionId: true);

  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: PatternMatchingScreen(),
    );
  }
}
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:parse_server_sdk_flutter/parse_server_sdk_flutter.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  const keyApplicationId = 'YOUR_BACK4APP_APP_ID';
  const keyClientKey = 'YOUR_BACK4APP_CLIENT_KEY';
  const keyParseServerUrl = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com';

  await Parse().initialize(keyApplicationId, keyParseServerUrl,
      clientKey: keyClientKey, autoSendSessionId: true);

  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: PatternMatchingScreen(),
    );
  }
}
﻿
Replace 'YOUR_BACK4APP_APP_ID' and 'YOUR_BACK4APP_CLIENT_KEY' with your actual Back4app credentials.
Step 3 – Implementing Pattern Matching
Create the PatternMatchingScreen Widget: In lib/main.dart, create a new widget that demonstrates pattern matching by retrieving and processing user data:
Dart
class PatternMatchingScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _PatternMatchingScreenState createState() => _PatternMatchingScreenState();
}

class _PatternMatchingScreenState extends State<PatternMatchingScreen> {
  String _message = 'Fetching data...';

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _fetchAndMatchData();
  }

  Future<void> _fetchAndMatchData() async {
    final query = QueryBuilder<ParseObject>(ParseObject('UserData'));
    final response = await query.query();

    if (response.success && response.results != null) {
      for (var result in response.results!) {
        // Using pattern matching to destructure and validate data
        if (result is ParseObject) {
          final userData = {
            'username': result.get<String>('username'),
            'age': result.get<int>('age'),
            'preferences': result.get<Map<String, dynamic>>('preferences')
          };

          switch (userData) {
            case {
              'username': String name,
              'age': int age when age >= 18,
              'preferences': {'theme': String theme}
            }:
              setState(() {
                _message = 'Welcome, $name! You are $age years old and prefer the $theme theme.';
              });
              break;

            default:
              setState(() {
                _message = 'Data does not match the required pattern.';
              });
              break;
          }
        }
      }
    } else {
      setState(() {
        _message = 'Failed to retrieve data.';
      });
    }
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Pattern Matching Example')),
      body: Center(child: Text(_message)),
    );
  }
}
class PatternMatchingScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _PatternMatchingScreenState createState() => _PatternMatchingScreenState();
}

class _PatternMatchingScreenState extends State<PatternMatchingScreen> {
  String _message = 'Fetching data...';

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _fetchAndMatchData();
  }

  Future<void> _fetchAndMatchData() async {
    final query = QueryBuilder<ParseObject>(ParseObject('UserData'));
    final response = await query.query();

    if (response.success && response.results != null) {
      for (var result in response.results!) {
        // Using pattern matching to destructure and validate data
        if (result is ParseObject) {
          final userData = {
            'username': result.get<String>('username'),
            'age': result.get<int>('age'),
            'preferences': result.get<Map<String, dynamic>>('preferences')
          };

          switch (userData) {
            case {
              'username': String name,
              'age': int age when age >= 18,
              'preferences': {'theme': String theme}
            }:
              setState(() {
                _message = 'Welcome, $name! You are $age years old and prefer the $theme theme.';
              });
              break;

            default:
              setState(() {
                _message = 'Data does not match the required pattern.';
              });
              break;
          }
        }
      }
    } else {
      setState(() {
        _message = 'Failed to retrieve data.';
      });
    }
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Pattern Matching Example')),
      body: Center(child: Text(_message)),
    );
  }
}
﻿
This code fetches user data from Back4app, applies pattern matching to validate and destructure the data, and then displays a personalized message based on the matched data.
Step 4 – Running the App
Run your app using flutter run. You should see a message on the screen based on the data retrieved and matched using pattern matching.
Verify the data in Back4app by logging into your Back4app dashboard and checking the UserData class. You can adjust the data to see how different patterns match and how the app responds.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we explored the concept of pattern matching in Dart and how it can be applied within a Flutter app. By integrating Back4app as the backend, we demonstrated a practical example of fetching and processing data using pattern matching. This approach allows you to validate and destructure data efficiently, making your Flutter apps more robust and maintainable.
For more information on Dart patterns, visit the Dart documentation, and for backend integration tips, check out the Back4app documentation. Happy coding!
Updated 27 Aug 2024
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