dart-modern-features

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

Guidelines for using modern Dart features (v3.0 - v3.10) such as Records, Pattern Matching, Switch Expressions, Extension Types, Class Modifiers, Wildcards, Null-Aware Elements, and Dot Shorthands.

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dart-modern-featuresrecords-usagepattern-matchingclass-modifiersswitch-expressions

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Dart Modern Features

1. When to use this skill

Use this skill when:
  • Writing or reviewing Dart code targeting Dart 3.0 or later.
  • Refactoring legacy Dart code to use modern, concise, and safe features.
  • Looking for idiomatic ways to handle multiple return values, deep data extraction, or exhaustive checking.

2. Features

Records

Use records as anonymous, immutable, aggregate structures to bundle multiple objects without defining a custom class. Prefer them for returning multiple values from a function or grouping related data temporarily.
Avoid: Creating a dedicated class for simple multiple-value returns.
dart
class UserResult {
  final String name;
  final int age;
  UserResult(this.name, this.age);
}

UserResult fetchUser() {
  return UserResult('Alice', 42);
}
Prefer: Using records to bundle types seamlessly on the fly.
dart
(String, int) fetchUser() {
  return ('Alice', 42);
}

void main() {
  var user = fetchUser();
  print(user.$1); // Alice
}

Patterns and Pattern Matching

Use patterns to destructure complex data into local variables and match against specific shapes or values. Use them in 
switch
, 
if-case
, or variable declarations to unpack data directly.
Avoid: Manually checking types, nulls, and keys for data extraction.
dart
void processJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
  if (json.containsKey('name') && json['name'] is String &&
      json.containsKey('age') && json['age'] is int) {
    String name = json['name'];
    int age = json['age'];
    print('$name is $age years old.');
  }
}
Prefer: Combining type-checking, validation, and assignment into a single statement.
dart
void processJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
  if (json case {'name': String name, 'age': int age}) {
    print('$name is $age years old.');
  }
}

Switch Expressions

Use switch expressions to return a value directly, eliminating bulky 
case
and 
break
statements.
Avoid: Using switch statements where every branch simply returns or assigns a value.
dart
String describeStatus(int code) {
  switch (code) {
    case 200:
      return 'Success';
    case 404:
      return 'Not Found';
    default:
      return 'Unknown';
  }
}
Prefer: Returning the evaluated expression directly using the 
=>
syntax.
dart
String describeStatus(int code) => switch (code) {
  200 => 'Success',
  404 => 'Not Found',
  _ => 'Unknown',
};

Class Modifiers

Use class modifiers (
sealed
, 
final
, 
base
, 
interface
) to restrict how classes can be used outside their defines library. Prefer 
sealed
for defining closed families of subtypes to enable exhaustive checking.
Avoid: Using open 
abstract
classes when the set of subclasses is known and fixed.
dart
abstract class Result {}

class Success extends Result {}
class Failure extends Result {}

String handle(Result r) {
  if (r is Success) return 'OK';
  if (r is Failure) return 'Error';
  return 'Unknown';
}
Prefer: Using 
sealed
to guarantee to the compiler that all cases are covered.
dart
sealed class Result {}

class Success extends Result {}
class Failure extends Result {}

String handle(Result r) => switch(r) {
  Success() => 'OK',
  Failure() => 'Error',
};

Extension Types

Use extension types for a zero-cost wrapper around an existing type. Use them to restrict operations or add custom behavior without runtime overhead.
Avoid: Allocating new wrapper objects just for domain-specific logic or type safety.
dart
class Id {
  final int value;
  Id(this.value);
  bool get isValid => value > 0;
}
Prefer: Using extension types which compile down to the underlying type at runtime.
dart
extension type Id(int value) {
  bool get isValid => value > 0;
}

Digit Separators

Use underscores (
_
) in number literals strictly to improve visual readability of large numeric values.
Avoid: Long number literals that are difficult to read at a glance.
dart
const int oneMillion = 1000000;
Prefer: Using underscores to separate thousands or other groupings.
dart
const int oneMillion = 1_000_000;

Wildcard Variables

Use wildcards (
_
) as non-binding variables or parameters to explicitly signal that a value is intentionally unused.
Avoid: Inventing clunky, distinct variable names to avoid "unused variable" warnings.
dart
void handleEvent(String ignoredName, int status) {
  print('Status: $status');
}
Prefer: Explicitly dropping the binding with an underscore.
dart
void handleEvent(String _, int status) {
  print('Status: $status');
}

Null-Aware Elements

Use null-aware elements (
?
) inside collection literals to conditionally include items only if they evaluate to a non-null value.
Avoid: Using collection 
if
statements for simple null checks.
dart
var names = [
  'Alice',
  if (optionalName != null) optionalName,
  'Charlie'
];
Prefer: Using the 
?
prefix inline.
dart
var names = ['Alice', ?optionalName, 'Charlie'];

Dot Shorthands

Use dot shorthands to omit the explicit type name when it can be confidently inferred from context, such as with enums or static fields.
Avoid: Fully qualifying type names when the type is obvious from the context.
dart
LogLevel currentLevel = LogLevel.info;
Prefer: Reducing visual noise with inferred shorthand.
dart
LogLevel currentLevel = .info;

Related Skills

  • dart-best-practices
    : General code style and foundational Dart idioms that predate or complement the modern syntax features.