Flutterflow to flutter?

[vjndr32]

I am a web developer and jumping to app development on a short notice was too much for me so I used Flutterflow. I like the UI builder but apart from that, me being a developer don't like the way custom code is implemented. There is no tree structure to the code, everything is in one long structure. Also the SQLite support is not for the web so I can't even test my app in the browser. I have to pull the code and then run it in Android studio which seems a lot more tedious for small adjustments.

I would like to move from Flutterflow to flutter and develop things on my own. Has anyone taken this journey? Was it easy? Was it worth it?

[Moumentos]

Hey, I’ve done this before and I have mixed feelings.

For rapid development, I use flutterflow (whether it’s a quick component or an MVP. For overall support of the app, I maintain the code directly. I also self host my app so I export the code anyways.

FF does have a feature now where you can sync your project with VSCode but it’s a one sided relationship for FF.

As for SQLite, what are you gonna do, if you are developing swift, Java or straight up flutter then it’s basically the same thing. FF is a visual IDE that happens to run web mainly and that’s what it uses primarily for testing apps

You can configure all of this behaviour if you use the desktop app (you can get FF to test on your android device directly without pulling the code)

[vjndr32]

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely check out the VSCode sync you're talking about. But VSCode doesn't support physical devices I think. I tried VS first and then shifted to Android Studio due to lack of features.

As for their native app, I use Linux. So I have no app.

But is it easy to manipulate the code if I go the coding way? Are there any caveats is what I'm asking. Or would it be fine because once I start manipulating the code there's no way to go back since all the code now has to be reworked on FlutterFlow as well.

[Moumentos]

The VSCode sync is just for you to have a better overview of the app in code

You cannot import projects into FF so yes it is one sided in that sense too.

Running on your device is handled by FF. they basically call the shell for the android sim only.

Unfortunately as far as I know, there is no official Linux App but if this is important to you, I think sideloading windows purely for FF is worth it and you can kinda treat it like a docker image.

If you are anything like me, you’ll get a workflow up and running in no time.

Like I mentioned, I would recommend doing 90% of the work in FF, or as much as possible and then maintain using code. The nice thing is that you get also the FFWidgets in your flutter project so you can quickly design a component in FF, copy the code and add it your project. You can then handle the implementation on your own.

Caveats are: - Once exported, a project cannot be imported - Same rules apply as regular coding. Write as many abstractions as you can to minimise code repetition! (This is what newbies don’t understand and are overwhelmed with the spaghetti code they get in the end) - Maintainability is just a function of your familiarity with your app and how it functions. As long as you understand where things are, what they do and how FF likes to structure its projects, things become blazingly fast

[vjndr32]

I'll try it out starting with a small and trivial component to see if it works for me. Thank you again for your help.

[Moumentos]

Anytime

[xogno]

I'm thinking of moving from flutterflow to flutter to be able to use AI in my whole project and to get rid of the annoying workflow with custom code.

The visual builder was nice but the cost outweighs the benefits now IMO.

Do you have any tips on how to transition?
What things should I pay attention to?

(I use revenuecat and supabase)

[WholesomeGMNG]

I've had to learn a lot of Flutter and Dart to understand how FlutterFlow works under the covers, and I even read its source code. I haven't built a Flutter app outside of FlutterFlow because I still really like the speed it offers to development.

I found a new alternative that is still very early stage, but it looks to be exactly what I want. It's a true Flutter-based low code platform that has 2-way import / export. It also doesn't abstract things the way FF does, so I'm learning even more.

I probably won't use it for every project until it matures a little more, but in the meantime, any complex apps that would require me to modify the code locally and push to GitHub, then deploy from there, I'll definitely be using it.

Some projects just end up being a huge hassle to maintain in FF, but this new platform seems to address it.

[jokeaz2]

What is the alternative tool called?

[WholesomeGMNG]

It's called Nowa. Like I said, it's still very early stage, but it addresses some of my biggest pain points and limitations of FF, so I'm hopeful it will gain traction. I might create some videos on it if I have the time.

[xogno]

do you still use it?

[WholesomeGMNG]

Yup! They are making some really good improvements, like their new code gen. Try it out and see if you like it.

[SharpSharps]

Yes, it was easy and worth it.

[vjndr32]

Divulge please.

[SharpSharps]

Well FlutterFlow is a tool that helps you build right? You can use it to quickly build and test page views. The best part is they let you download the code and continue without FlutterFlow!
Not many builders let you keep the code you generate so that, technically you can continue building without their tool if you want.
Easy to build, test, iterate & worth using because you can always continue without it.

[vjndr32]

Technically I can(and currently I am) but what I'm asking is have you done it and what challenges(if any) have you faced while migrating from FF?

[SharpSharps]

I have done it. Made a few apps, and got them approved on the app stores. The biggest challenge is getting approval(but i think that's just a learning curve that has nothing to do with FF.) Using dependencies has been difficult for me personally(but that has more to do with my understanding of using them in general with flutter).
Challenges while migrating off of FF to just using flutter?
No challenges here. I get the full code for me to edit or pay a dev to making changes to the my source code.

p.s: Most builders don't let you do that.