Introduction

In this tutorial, we will cover the basic setup required to start a Flutter project. By the end, you will have installed Flutter and set up an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) of your choice to start building your first Flutter app.

You will learn:
- How to install Flutter on your system
- How to setup an IDE for Flutter development
- How to create your first Flutter project

Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of programming
- A computer with internet connection

Step-by-Step Guide

Installing Flutter

1. System requirements

To install Flutter, you should have a system with these minimum requirements:
- Operating Systems: Windows 7 SP1 or later (64-bit), x86-64 based Linux, MacOS (64-bit)
- Disk Space: 1.64 GB (does not include disk space for IDE/tools).
- Tools: Flutter depends on these command-line tools being available in your environment.
- bash, mkdir, rm, git, curl, unzip, which

2. Download the Flutter SDK

Download the stable release of the Flutter SDK from the Flutter SDK releases page. Select the version that corresponds with your operating system.

3. Extract the file

Extract the zip file and place the contained flutter in the desired installation location for the Flutter SDK (for example, C:\src\flutter).

4. Update your path

Add the flutter tool to your path. This process varies depending on the Operating System.

Setting up an IDE

You can use any text editor combined with command-line tools, but IDEs, like Android Studio or VS Code, will give you a better experience.

1. Install an IDE

Download and install Android Studio or Visual Studio Code.

2. Install the Flutter and Dart plugins

After installing the IDE, you need to install Flutter and Dart plugins. These plugins will give you a rich set of powerful tools.

Creating a new Flutter project

After setting up Flutter and the IDE, you are ready to create a new Flutter project:

1. Open the IDE and select Create New Flutter Project.

2. Select Flutter Application and click Next.

3. Enter the project name and click Next.

4. Click Finish and wait for the project to be created.

Code Examples

Example 1: Hello World in Flutter

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(
    MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text('Hello World'),
        ),
        body: Center(
          child: Text('Hello World'),
        ),
      ),
    ),
  );
}

In this code snippet, we import the Flutter Material library. Then we define a main function that uses the runApp function to run a Flutter app. The runApp function takes a MaterialApp widget. This widget is the root of your application and includes an AppBar widget with a title and a Center widget containing a Text widget with 'Hello World'.

Example 2: Basic Flutter layout

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(
    MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text('Basic Layout'),
        ),
        body: Column(
          children: <Widget>[
            Text('Item 1'),
            Text('Item 2'),
            Text('Item 3'),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    ),
  );
}

In this example, we created a column of text widgets. The Column widget takes a list of children and displays them vertically.

Summary

In this tutorial, we have covered how to install Flutter, how to set up an IDE for Flutter development, and how to create a basic Flutter project.

For further learning, consider exploring more about Flutter widgets, state management in Flutter, and Flutter packages.

Practice Exercises

1. Exercise 1: Create a Flutter app that displays your name in the middle of the screen.
2. Exercise 2: Modify the app to include an AppBar with your favorite color.
3. Exercise 3: Add a button to the screen that, when tapped, changes the text to "Hello, Flutter!".

Solutions and tips for the exercises can be found in the Flutter documentation and various online resources. Keep practicing to improve your Flutter development skills. Good luck!