Path_provider Package – Flutterholic

The path_provider package is a Flutter plugin for finding commonly used locations on the filesystem. This package provides a simple way to get access to the application’s cache and data directories on both Android and iOS platforms.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at what the path_provider package is, how to use it, and some examples of how to use it in your own Flutter applications.

What is the path_provider package?

The path_provider package is a Flutter plugin that provides easy access to the application’s cache and data directories on both Android and iOS platforms. This package provides a simple way to get access to the application’s cache and data directories on both Android and iOS platforms.

The package defines a PathProvider class that provides access to a set of commonly used locations on the filesystem. These locations are represented as strings, which can be used to read and write files from and to these directories.

How to use path_provider package to your project

To use the path_provider package in your Flutter application, you need to follow these steps:

Add the path_provider package to your project

To use the path_provider package, you need to add it to your project’s dependencies in your pubspec.yaml file. You can do this by adding the following line to your file:

dependencies:
  path_provider: ^2.0.2

2. Import the package

After adding the package to your dependencies, you need to import it into your Dart code. You can do this by adding the following line at the top of your Dart file:

import 'package:path_provider/path_provider.dart';

3. Use the package to get access to the applications’ directories

Once you’ve imported the package, you can use it to get access to the application’s directories. The PathProvider class provides access to several directories, including the application’s temporary directory, document directory, cache directory, and external storage directory (if available).

Here’s an example of how to use the package to get access to the application’s cache directory:

Directory cacheDir = await getTemporaryDirectory();

The getTemporaryDirectory method returns a Future that resolves to the application’s cache directory. You can use this directory to store temporary files that can be deleted when the application is closed.

Similarly, you can use the getApplicationDocumentsDirectory method to get access to the application’s document directory:

Directory docDir = await getApplicationDocumentsDirectory();

The getApplicationDocumentsDirectory method returns a Future that resolves to the application’s document directory. You can use this directory to store files that should persist even after the application is closed.

Examples of using the path_provider package

Let’s take a look at some examples of how to use the path_provider package in your Flutter applications.

Example 1: Saving a file to the document directory

import 'dart:io';

import 'package:path_provider/path_provider.dart';

void main() async {
  // Get the application documents directory
  Directory appDocDir = await getApplicationDocumentsDirectory();

  // Create a new file in the documents directory
  File file = new File('${appDocDir.path}/example.txt');

  // Write some data to the file
  await file.writeAsString('Hello, world!');

  // Read the data from the file
  String fileContents = await file.readAsString();
  print('File contents: $fileContents');
}

In this example, we use the getApplicationDocumentsDirectory method to get access to the application’s document directory. We then create a new file in the directory and write some data

Example 2: Create and write a to a temporary file

import 'dart:io';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:path_provider/path_provider.dart';

class TempDirectoryExample extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _TempDirectoryExampleState createState() => _TempDirectoryExampleState();
}

class _TempDirectoryExampleState extends State<TempDirectoryExample> {
  String _filePath;

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

  Future<void> _createTempFile() async {
    final tempDir = await getTemporaryDirectory();
    final tempFile = File('${tempDir.path}/example.txt');
    await tempFile.writeAsString('Hello, World!');
    setState(() {
      _filePath = tempFile.path;
    });
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('Temporary Directory Example'),
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: _filePath != null
            ? Text('File path: $_filePath')
            : CircularProgressIndicator(),
      ),
    );
  }
}

In this example, we first obtain a reference to the temporary directory using the getTemporaryDirectory() method provided by the path_provider package. We then create a new File object representing a file in the temporary directory, and write some text to it using the writeAsString() method. Finally, we update the UI to display the path of the temporary file.

Note that the contents of the temporary directory are deleted when the app is closed, so any files you create in this directory should be considered temporary and should not be relied upon to persist across app restarts.