This page lists notable changes and additions to the Dart programming language. If you want details about the currently supported language, see the language tour or the language specification.
To use a language feature that was introduced after 2.0,
specify SDK constraints that are no lower than
the release when the feature was first supported.
For example, to use extension methods, which were supported starting in 2.7,
the pubspec.yaml file can have 2.7.0 as the lower constraint:
environment:
sdk: ">=2.7.0 <3.0.0"
Changes in each release
Dart 2.0
Dart 2.0 implemented a new sound type system. Before Dart 2.0, types weren’t fully sound, and Dart relied heavily on runtime type checking. Dart 1.x code had to be migrated to Dart 2.
Dart 2.1
Dart 2.1 added support for int-to-double conversion, allowing developers to
set double values using integer literals. This feature removed the annoyance
of being forced to use a double literal (for example, 4.0)
when the value was conceptually an integer.
In the following Flutter code, horizontal and vertical have type double:
padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(
horizontal: 4,
vertical: 8,
)
Dart 2.2
Dart has always supported literal lists and maps, but Dart 2.2 added support for set literals:
const Set<String> currencies = {'EUR', 'USD', 'JPY'};
Dart 2.3
Dart 2.3 added three operators designed to improve code that performs list manipulation, such as declarative UI code.
The spread operator
enables unpacking the elements from one list into another.
In the following example, the list returned by buildMainElements()
is unpacked into the list being passed to the children argument:
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Column(children: [
Header(),
...buildMainElements(),
Footer(),
]);
}
The collection if
operator enables adding elements conditionally.
The following example adds a FlatButton element
unless this is the last page:
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Column(children: [
Text(mainText),
if (page != pages.last)
FlatButton(child: Text('Next')),
]);
}
The collection for
operator enables building repeated elements.
The following example adds one HeadingAction
element for each section in sections:
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Column(children: [
Text(mainText),
for (var section in sections)
HeadingAction(section.heading),
]);
}
Dart 2.5
Dart 2.5 didn’t add any features to the Dart language, but it did add
support for calling native C code from Dart code
using a new core library, dart:ffi.
Dart 2.6
Dart 2.6 didn’t add any features to the Dart language, but it did add a
new tool, dart2native, for compiling Dart code to
native executables.
This functionality has since been folded into the dart compile command.
Dart 2.7
Dart 2.7 added support for extension methods, enabling you to add functionality to any type — even types you don’t control — with the brevity and auto-complete experience of regular method calls. Because the tech preview for this feature was in 2.6, you can use extension methods without warnings if you specify 2.6.0 or a later release as the lower SDK constraint.
The following example extends the String class from dart:core with a new
parseInt() method:
extension ParseNumbers on String {
int parseInt() {
return int.parse(this);
}
}
void main() {
int i = '42'.parseInt();
print(i);
}
Dart 2.8
Dart 2.8 didn’t add any features to the Dart language, but it did contain a number of preparatory breaking changes to ensure great nullability-related usability and performance in the upcoming null safety feature.
It also contained a faster pub tool, and a new pub outdated command.
Dart 2.9
Dart 2.9 didn’t add any features to the Dart language.
Dart 2.10
Dart 2.10 didn’t add any features to the Dart language,
but it added an expanded dart tool that’s
analogous to the Flutter SDK’s flutter tool.
Language versioning
A single Dart SDK can simultaneously support multiple versions of the Dart language. The compiler determines what version the code is targeting, and it interprets the code according to that version.
Language versioning is important on the rare occasions when Dart introduces an incompatible feature like null safety. Code that used to compile cleanly before null safety (but perhaps crash at runtime) might no longer compile once null safety is enabled. Because migrating your apps and packages — and all the packages they depend on — to null safety might take a while, Dart uses language versioning to support using non-null-safe code alongside null-safe code.
Each package has a default language version,
equal to the <major>.<minor> part of the
lower SDK constraint in the pubspec.
For example, the following entry in a pubspec.yaml file
indicates that this package uses the Dart 2.7 language version.
environment:
sdk: ">=2.7.0 <3.0.0"
Language version numbers
Dart language versions are identified by a major and minor number that match the first two components of the Dart SDK. For example, the latest language version supported by the 2.7.3 Dart SDK is Dart 2.7. Each Dart SDK supports all of the language versions covered by its major version number. That means that the 2.7.3 Dart SDK supports language versions 2.7, 2.6, 2.5, and so on, down to 2.0.
Deriving the language version from the SDK version implies the following:
-
Whenever a minor version of the SDK ships, a new language version appears. In practice, many of these language versions are very similar to and entirely compatible with previous versions. For example, the Dart 2.9 language is essentially identical to the Dart 2.8 language.
-
When a patch version of the SDK ships, it cannot introduce any language features. For example, because 2.7.2 is language version 2.7, it must be completely compatible with 2.7.1 and 2.7.0.
Per-library language version selection
By default, every Dart file in a package uses the same language version — the language version indicated by the lower SDK constraint in the pubspec. Sometimes, however, a Dart file might need to use an older language version. For example, you might not be able to migrate all the files in a package to null safety at the same time.
The Dart 2.8 compiler introduced support for per-library language version selection. A Dart library can opt to have a different language version by using a comment of the following form:
// @dart = <major>.<minor>
For example:
// Description of what's in this file.
// @dart = 2.7
import 'dart:math';
...
The @dart string must be in a // comment
(not /// or /*),
and it must appear before any Dart code in the file.
Whitespace (tabs and spaces) doesn’t matter,
except within the @dart and version strings.
As the example above shows,
other comments can appear before the @dart comment.
For more information about how language versioning works, see the language versioning specification.