Using the url_launcher Plugin in Flutter - A Comprehensive Guide

The url_launcher plugin is an essential tool in Flutter development, enabling applications to open URLs in the mobile platform’s web browser, or create a phone call, send an SMS, or an email. It supports all Flutter platforms.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Using the url_launcher Plugin
  • Launching a Web URL
  • Making a Phone Call
  • Sending an SMS
  • Sending an Email
• Conclusion

Installation

To add the url_launcher plugin to your Flutter app, you can use the following command from your terminal.

flutter pub add url_launcher

Or you can manually add it in your pubspec.yaml file. Check for the latest version here.

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  url_launcher: ^latest_version

After updating your pubspec.yaml file, install the package by running flutter pub get in your terminal.

Using the url_launcher Plugin

Firstly, import the url_launcher package into your Dart file.

import 'package:url_launcher/url_launcher.dart';

The main method to launch URLs is launch(). Here is a simple implementation:

_launchURL() async {
  const uri = Uri.parse('https://flutter.dev');
  if (await canLaunch(uri)) {
    await launch(uri);
  } else {
    throw 'Could not launch $uri';
  }
}

canLaunch() is a handy method that checks if the given URL can be handled by any app installed on the device.

You can use the url_launcher plugin to launch various types of URLs. Here are examples for launching a web URL, making a phone call, sending an SMS, and sending an email:

Launching a Web URL

_launchWebURL() async {
  const uri = Uri.parse('https://flutter.dev');
  if (await canLaunch(uri)) {
    await launch(uri);
  } else {
    throw 'Could not launch $uri';
  }
}

Making a Phone Call

_launchPhone() async {
  const uri = Uri(scheme: 'tel', path: '123456789');
  if (await canLaunch(uri)) {
    await launch(uri);
  } else {
    throw 'Could not launch $uri';
  }
}

Sending an SMS

_launchSMS() async {
  const uri = Uri(scheme: 'sms', path: '123456789');
  if (await canLaunch(uri)) {
    await launch(uri);
  } else {
    throw 'Could not launch $uri';
  }
}

Sending an Email

_launchEmail() async {
  final Uri uri = Uri(
    scheme: 'mailto',
    path: 'example@example.com',
    queryParameters: {
      'subject': 'Example Subject',
      'body': 'Hello, this is an example email',
    },
  );
  if (await canLaunch(uri)) {
    await launch(uri);
  } else {
    throw 'Could not launch $uri';
  }
}

Conclusion

The url_launcher plugin is a powerful and essential plugin in Flutter development. With this plugin, developers can easily open web URLs, make phone calls, send SMS or emails right from their app. Despite some limitations, its ease of use and versatility make it an excellent choice for most Flutter developers.

We hope this guide has been helpful in your journey with Flutter development. Happy Fluttering.

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