aloisdeniel/flutter_device_preview

Device Preview as a target platform

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#111 opened on Mar 11, 2021

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Description

I'm currently thinking about defining Device Preview as a target platform instead of an embedded widget. This would basically launch the app as an inner view.

Concept

image

Instead of compiling the application as a macOS (or Windows), it would launch it as an embedded view in a macOS Device Preview application.

Ideally, this Device Preview shell app would be developed with Flutter to make it cross platform!

Advantages

No configuration needed for users, just choosing Device Preview as a target platform.

This would also simplify a lot of device preview implementation by implementing the platform elements instead of relying only on MediaQuery.

It would also allow simulating system events, and even overriding plugins to create simulations (push, ...).

The problem

I have absolutely no idea how to achieve that. I know that I would have to create a fork of Flutter engine and tweak the default macos/windows targets to embed the application.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate Flutter's engine embedding API and how to create a custom host application that embeds Flutter as a view. Examine the Flutter source code for macOS and Windows targets to understand how they launch the app. Consider forking the Flutter engine and modifying the shell to support embedding within another Flutter app.
Tech stack
flutterdart
Domain
mobile devdesktop dev
Issue type
Research
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
5
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
FlutterDartNative platform development
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
10