Package for Android

[greenrobot]

Goal: make ObjectBox simple to use when deployed to Android

First, we need to have a binary distribution of the dynamic lib for Android (ObjectBox Java for Android comes with JNI API; not the C API...).

Resources:

• https://github.com/flutter/flutter/wiki/Binding-to-native-code-via-FFI
• https://github.com/dart-lang/sdk/blob/master/samples/ffi/sqlite/docs/android.md

Open questions:

• How to package our bundle (dart + native) exactly? AAR? Flutter dependency? Are there even guidelines yet?

Once done: create a ticket to do the same for iOS

[vaind]

See https://dart.dev/guides/libraries/create-library-packages#distributing-a-library
And https://flutter.dev/docs/development/packages-and-plugins/developing-packages#developing-plugin-packages

[vaind]

• Flutter tools support for packaging/linking to native libraries
• Flutter native interop

[vaind]

Packaging is partially prepared on dev, outstanding:

1. should we publish a plain dart package or a flutter-plugin so users wouldn't need to specify objectbox-android:2.4.1 as a dependency in their build.gradle => Flutter tools support for packaging/linking to native libraries flutter/flutter#33227 (comment)
2. Figure out how can actual library consumers call the code generator. Also, I have a feeling it's going to vary between flutter and "plain dart" apps

[greenrobot]

plain dart package or a flutter-plugin

Would it make sense to have both? E.g. make it possible to use ObjectBox without Flutter (assuming that this a valid use case?) while also having a more convenient Flutter setup.

code generator ... vary between flutter and "plain dart" apps

how so? example?

[vaind]

plain dart package or a flutter-plugin

Would it make sense to have both? E.g. make it possible to use ObjectBox without Flutter (assuming that this a valid use case?) while also having a more convenient Flutter setup.

It may make sense, but not until the rest of the sentence you quoted could be achieved. At the moment, it wouldn't bring anything.

code generator ... vary between flutter and "plain dart" apps

how so? example?

Not the case after all

[greenrobot]

It may make sense, but not until the rest of the sentence you quoted could be achieved. At the moment, it wouldn't bring anything.

As long our naming does not change... Btw, how do other libs approach this? Do they have two packages?

[vaind]

It may make sense, but not until the rest of the sentence you quoted could be achieved. At the moment, it wouldn't bring anything.

As long our naming does not change... Btw, how do other libs approach this? Do they have two packages?

From what I've seen it was just a single package. But it seems like it was pretty much just flutter until lately - no "dart-other" stuff so it's no very common yet to support both, except when using plain dart. At pub.dev, you can see what SDK is supported by a package and it's mostly flutter or just plain dart library. I couldn't find any package using FFI and supporting both, not that I tried doing any sophisticated search though :D

[vaind]

follow up for the only open issue in #73