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Libraries

Libraries enables you to share and reuse entire FlutterFlow projects as dependencies across multiple projects. This allows teams and developers to modularize their apps by creating shared libraries that include components, API calls, custom code, and more. By using libraries, development becomes more efficient and scalable.

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A Dependency refers to an external library or resource that your project relies on to function correctly. When you create a new FlutterFlow project, certain dependencies are automatically added to support the generated code. Also, when you use a Custom Widget, you are essentially adding dependencies to your project. Libraries take this concept further by allowing you to add entire FlutterFlow projects as dependencies.

Imagine you're building an e-commerce app, and different teams are working on various features. One team develops a complex payment system. By using the Libraries, they can publish the payment system as a reusable library and allow other teams to easily import and integrate it into multiple projects without duplicating development efforts.

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Importance of Libraries​

Previously, FlutterFlow offered several methods to share resources between projects, such as team code libraries, design systems, API libraries, and by leveraging marketplace items. However, these methods had limitations, including the inability to share custom data types or custom functions alongside components or API calls and the absence of version control.

With Libraries, you can publish the complete FlutterFlow project as a library and import it as a dependency into other projects.

possible usecases
  • Modular Development: Build large-scale apps by separating them into smaller, independently managed projects (e.g., UI library, backend integrations, etc.).
  • Team Collaboration: Share reusable UI components, custom functions, or API integrations across multiple apps within a team.
  • Community Sharing: Publish libraries that can be imported and reused by the broader FlutterFlow community.

Publishing a Library​

To make the resources in your project available for others to use, publish your project as Library.

When you publish your project as a Library, your project will become a Library Project, and certain features will no longer be available.

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When you publish your project as Library, it can not be reverted. If you want to restore your project so that it is no longer a Library, you can clone the project. However, things like your deployment and Firestore settings will be cleared. If you want to preserve the state of your project before turning it into a Library, you should clone it first and then publish.

To publish a FlutterFlow project as a library, start by creating a FlutterFlow project as you normally would, then follow these steps:

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  • You can only publish libraries if you have access to branching, which is available to Pro+ users.
  • Libraries can only be published from the main branch, and each published version is linked to a specific commit, ensuring robust version control.
  • You must commit your changes before publishing a new version of the library.
  • It's recommended to include a message that tells users what has changed in the version your are publishing.

Disabled Features in a Library​

When a project is converted into a library, the following features are disabled to ensure compatibility and functionality limitations:

  • App settings
    • Firebase
    • Development environments
    • Authentication
    • Push notifications
    • Mobile deployment
    • Web deployment
    • Stripe
    • Braintree
    • Razorpay
    • Google Analytics
    • OneSignal
    • Mux
  • Cloud functions
  • Firestore Collections

Importing a Library​

To import a library project into another FlutterFlow project, you must go to the Project Dependencies page in App Settings. Here you can specify the library project and version you are importing.

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  • You can only select a library if you have at least read access on the library project.
  • For a library project to show in the drop down, you must be added as a collaborator on the project and the library project must have a published version.
  • You can import publicly accessible libraries by specifying the project ID in the text field when adding a library dependency.
  • By default, the latest published version of the library is imported, but you can choose to depend on an earlier version if needed.
  • You can also import the current version of the library to use the latest state of the library on the main branch - however, this is not recommended.
  • You must have a paid plan to import a library.

Dependency Conflicts​

A Dependency Conflict occurs when two or more libraries added by a project depend on different versions of the same dependency. This creates a situation where the project cannot resolve which version to use, leading to a project error.

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Let's say you are building an eCommerce app that uses multiple libraries for different purposes:

  • User Auth Library is used for handling user authentication.
  • Payment Gateway Library is used for managing the payment gateway.

Both library projects depend on a common library called Components Library but imports different versions respectively:

  • User Auth Library depends on Components Library v1.5.0.
  • Payment Gateway Library depends on Components Library v2.0.0.

In this scenario, the eCommerce project will detect the dependency conflict because it can't add both v1.5.0 and v2.0.0 of the Components Library at the same time.

Fixing Dependency Conflicts​

Follow these steps to ensure both libraries rely on the same version of Components Library:

  1. Upgrade both libraries: If updates are available, start by upgrading both the User Auth Library and Payment Gateway Library to their latest versions. Often, newer versions of libraries are designed to use the latest version of the Components Library, which can help resolve conflicts.
  2. Modify Libraries: If you have access to the library projects, adjust the dependencies of either User Auth Library or Payment Gateway Library (or both) to use the same version of the Components Library.
  3. Contact Library Maintainers: If you do not own the library yourself, reach out to the maintainers of the library projects. They may provide guidance, suggest workarounds, or release a version that addresses the conflict.

Access Library Resources​

Once the library is imported, following resources are accessible for use:

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Pages and Firestore Collections are still being worked on and may come in future updates.

It's important to note that these resources show up where they are instantiated. For example:

  • Components appear in the widget palette.
  • API calls appear when making API calls in the action flow editor.
  • Custom functions are available when setting up actions or functions within the app.

This ensures that only relevant resources are shown where they are needed, optimizing performance and discoverability.

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Library Versioning​

Library versioning allows you to manage different versions of a library project over time. Using versioning, library users can control which version of a library to use in a project, ensuring compatibility and reducing the risk of breaking changes.

Importance of Library Versioning
  • Maintain Backward Compatibility: It ensures older versions of the library continue to work as expected while introducing new features.
  • Roll Back Changes: In case of bugs or issues in a new version, you can easily revert to a previous stable version.
  • Control Updates: Library users can decide when to upgrade to the latest version, rather than being forced into changes.

Publish New Version​

When you're ready to update your library, ensure that all modifications are committed to the main branch of the library project and then publish as per instructions here.

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  • While publishing a new version, add a description to highlight what's new or changed in this version.
  • Each time a new version is published, the version number will automatically increment.

Import Specific Version​

When importing a library into a project, you have the flexibility to choose which version of the library to use. By default, the latest version will be selected.

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Update to Latest Version​

You can easily upgrade to newer versions of the libraries as they become available.

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  • If a new update causes issues with your existing implementation, you also have the option to revert to a previous version.
  • Always test your app after upgrading to ensure that the new library version works well with your existing project.

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Library Values​

Library values are essentially variables created and used by a library author and intended to have their values set by the library user. These values allow library author to create configurable variables that are useful in different contexts, such as API keys, global settings, or other project-specific configurations. These values allow library users to input specific data required for the library to function properly in their project.

For example, If someone has built a library that uses OpenAI API, they would define a Library Value for the OpenAI API key. As the user of the library, when you import, you must provide your own API key to ensure the library functions properly.

By using Library Values, the library author allows users to adapt the library to their own configurations without hardcoding sensitive or project-specific data, like API keys, into the library itself.

Create Library Values as Author​

The library author defines the variable name, data type (e.g., string, enum), whether the variable is nullable, and an optional default value.

To create library values, navigate to Settings and Integrations > App Settings > Publish as Library > Library Values section and click + Add Value.

Use Library Values​

After setting Library Values, they function just like any other variable in FlutterFlow. You can bind them to components, actions, API calls, or any property that allows you to configure dynamic values across your library project. You can access Library Values via the Set from Variable menu.

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Library values are used only within the library project and are not available for use in the project that imports it. The library user can only set their values.

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Set Library Values as User​

To set library values, navigate to Settings and Integrations > Project Setup > Project Dependencies page. When you import a library, you'll be prompted to set values for required Library Values. If the library has already been added, click on View Details, which will open a dialog and then you can enter a value.

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For different development environments (e.g., development vs. production), you can bind Library Values to environment values. For instance, you could have two different Library Values for an API key, such as DEV_OPENAI_API_KEY and PROD_OPENAI_API_KEY, and bind them to the development and production environments to track API usage separately.

FAQs​

What will happen to existing team libraries?

Team code and API libraries will be migrated to library Projects. These projects will be imported as a library with the latest version specified as the version. The components within team design systems will move into their own projects, while design systems will continue to exist but only containing the theme settings.

Will libraries work with Marketplace?

We plan to allow users to import a marketplace project as a library, making it easier to integrate marketplace resources into your projects.

How do libraries work with themes?

The parent project's design system takes precedence over the imported library's design system. For example, if a library uses the standard FlutterFlow color scheme, the values defined in the parent project will override those in the library. However, if the library project has a custom color that the parent project does not have, it will be used as-is in the parent project.

How are API keys shared?

We're working on Library Values, which will allow users to set specific values when they import a library. This feature will be available soon.

How does nested dependencies work?

Projects can import libraries that themselves have imported other Libraries as dependencies. However, if the project and the library share the same dependency, the version must match exactly to avoid conflicts.