build_pubspec

This package helps you convert fields from your pubspec.yaml file into Dart code. Based on the fields in your pubspec, this package will generate Dart code so that you can access these fields easily from your Flutter, AngularDart, command-line tool, or backend app.

Common use-cases

• Create command-line apps and fill out the help headline and version commands automatically
• Create beautiful example apps for your Flutter packages and plugins with an always-up-to-date description and links to your docs, issue tracker and repository
• Display the current version of your app to your users in your mobile app
• Add app version to your logs, analytics or backend calls

Usage

1. Add build_pubspec to your pubspec.yaml as dev_dependency. Make sure build_runner is also listed as development dependency.

   dev_dependencies:
     build_runner: ^1.0.0
     build_pubspec: ^1.0.0

2. Get dependencies: pub get. If you are using Flutter, run flutter pub get.

3. Build!

   $ pub run build_runner build

   Based on the following pubspec.yaml file...

   name: build_pubspec_example
   description: This is an example description.
   publish_to: 'none'
   authors:
     - Vince Varga <vince.varga@dartside.dev>
   version: 0.1.2

   ... the default build will create the lib/src/pubspec.dart file:

   // Generated file. Do not modify.
   //
   // This file is generated using the build_pubspec package.
   // For more information, go to: https://pub.dev/packages/build_pubspec
   const List<String> authors = [
     'Vince Varga <vince.varga@dartside.dev>',
   ];
   const String description =
       '''This is an example description.''';
   const String name = '''build_pubspec_example''';
   const String version = '''0.1.2''';

4. Use the generated Dart code.

   You can now include this Dart file in your app code if you want to reference a field from your pubspec.yaml file.

Examples

I maintain various examples for this package. Check them all out in the examples/ folder.

Customize your build

Create a build.yaml file in your project.

Change field names

You can customize the output Dart file's fields names, for example, if you want to output the version as const String v = '...';'.

If a key is not present in the pubspec.yaml, it will not be part of the output Dart file.

If you wish to skip a key, set its field name option to empty string.

targets:
  $default:
    builders:
      build_pubspec:
        options:
          authors_field_name: betterAuthors
          description_field_name: betterDescription
          documentation_field_name: betterDocumentation
          homepage_field_name: betterHomepage
          issue_tracker_field_name: betterIssueTracker
          # name field is intentionally left empty in this example to
          # demo how to skip the name in the output dart file.
          name_field_name: ''
          repository_field_name: betterRepository
          version_field_name: betterVersion

Change output file

By default, the destination file is lib/src/pubspec.dart.

If you wish to change it, create a build.yaml file in your project:

targets:
  $default:
    builders:
      build_pubspec:
        options:
          destination_file: 'lib/details.dart'

Part files with source_gen

It is also possible to generate the version string as a part of an existing library in your package.

Disable the default builder, and enable the part builder:

targets:
  $default:
    builders:
      build_pubspec:
        enabled: false
      build_pubspec|build_pubspec_part:
        enabled: true
        generate_for: ['lib/src/example.dart']
        options:
          version_field_name: 'exampleVersion' # defaults to 'packageVersion'

Make sure your lib/src/example.dart contains part 'example.version.g.dart';,

Once you run pub run build_runner build, the part file will be generated into lib/src/my_lib.version.g.dart.

Acknowledgements

This package is based on build_version. Thank you for the original author, Kevin Moore. It also includes fixes to the original repository from Alexey Knyazev. I could not have created this package without their original work.

TODOs

I just got rid of Travis, so I need to take care of a new CI/CD pipeline. GitHub Actions.

• analyze, lint, run tests, all the usual stuff
• go to example folders and make sure the examples run correctly, make sure no git changes