Seamless App Experience: Mastering Network Connectivity

Imagine launching your favorite app, only to be greeted by an endless loading screen. Frustrating, right? This scenario highlights the importance of handling network connectivity in your application. As developers, it’s crucial to ensure a seamless user experience, even when dealing with unstable internet connections.

The Power of Connection Monitoring

By monitoring the user’s internet connection, you can trigger informative messages and take proactive measures to load necessary data when the connection is restored. This approach prevents a shaky connection from being the downfall of your app.

Building a Connectivity Handler: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s create a sample app that demonstrates the importance of connection monitoring. We’ll use the Superhero API to fetch data and display it to the user.

Setting Up the Project

First, create a new project and install the required dependencies:

• http
• stacked
• logger

Set up the data models, register dependencies and routes, and create the services folder.

Creating the Services

Next, create three services:

• ApiService: handles outbound connections
• SuperheroService: makes API calls and parses the response
• ConnectivityService: monitors the internet connection

Checking Internet Connection Availability

Future<bool> checkInternetConnectivity() async {
  try {
    final result = await InternetAddress.lookup('google.com');
    if (result.isNotEmpty && result.first.rawAddress.isNotEmpty) {
      return true;
    } else {
      return false;
    }
  } catch (e) {
    return false;
  }
}

In the ConnectivityService, create a method to check for internet availability using the InternetAddress.lookup() function. This method returns a boolean value indicating the connection status.

Setting Up Snackbars

Create a custom snackbar with two types: success and error. Configure the snackbar UI and set up the locator and snackbarUI in the main block.

Monitoring Internet Connectivity Using Streams

Use a stream to monitor the internet connection and update the view accordingly. Create a stream that calls the checkInternetConnectivity method and yields the result continually.

Stream<bool> connectionStatusStream() {
  return Stream.periodic(Duration(seconds: 1), (_) => checkInternetConnectivity());
}

Hook the stream to the view model and create a boolean variable to give the state of the connection.

Building the User Interface

Finally, build the UI, which includes:

• An app bar that changes color and text based on the connection status
• A body that displays the data from the Superhero API

By following these steps, you’ve successfully learned how to set up a connectivity service, link it to the view model, and communicate the view state to your users.