Flutter App Troubleshooting

"flutter: command not found" or "flutter not recognized"

Solution: Add Flutter to PATH

$env:Path += ";C:\src\flutter\bin"
# Or permanently add C:\src\flutter\bin to system PATH

"No devices found"

Solutions:

1. For Web: Ensure Chrome is installed
2. For Windows: Enable Developer Mode in Windows Settings
3. For Android: Start an emulator first

   # List emulators
   flutter emulators
   # Launch emulator
   flutter emulators --launch <emulator_id>
   

"pub get failed" or dependency errors

cd ecommerce-app
flutter clean
rm pubspec.lock  # If exists
flutter pub get
flutter pub upgrade  # If conflicts

Build errors after code changes

cd ecommerce-app
flutter clean
flutter pub get
flutter run -d chrome

API Connection Issues

Cannot connect to backend (http://localhost:8080)

Check backend is running first:

# In separate terminal
cd ecommerce-backend
make run

Verify API endpoint in Flutter:

• File: lib/core/constants/api_constants.dart
• Should be: http://localhost:8080/api/v1
• For web: Use http://localhost:8080 (not http://127.0.0.1)
• For mobile emulator: Use http://10.0.2.2:8080 (Android) or http://localhost:8080 (iOS)

Test backend manually:

curl http://localhost:8080/health

CORS errors in web browser

Backend already has CORS configured. If still seeing errors:

1. Check internal/api/middleware/cors.go in backend
2. Ensure backend is running
3. Clear browser cache

State Management Issues (Provider)

"Provider not found" errors

• Ensure Provider is initialized in lib/main.dart
• Check if MultiProvider or ChangeNotifierProvider wraps MaterialApp
• Verify context.read<T>() or context.watch<T>() usage is correct

State not updating

• Check if notifyListeners() is called in Provider after state changes
• Verify using context.watch<T>() for reactive updates (not context.read<T>())

Build and Deployment

Building for production

cd ecommerce-app

# Android APK
flutter build apk --release

# Android App Bundle (for Play Store)
flutter build appbundle --release

# iOS (requires macOS)
flutter build ios --release

# Windows desktop
flutter build windows --release

# Web
flutter build web --release

Output locations:

• Android: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/
• Windows: build/windows/runner/Release/
• Web: build/web/

Analyzing Code Quality

cd ecommerce-app

# Run analyzer
flutter analyze

# Format code
flutter format .

# Run tests
flutter test

# Test with coverage
flutter test --coverage

Hot Reload Issues

If hot reload (r) isn't working:

1. Try hot restart (R in terminal)
2. Stop app and run again
3. Clear build cache: flutter clean

Debugging Tips

Enable verbose logging

flutter run -d chrome --verbose

Inspect widget tree

• Use Flutter DevTools
• Run app, then: flutter pub global activate devtools
• Access at printed URL

Common import errors

• Ensure all imports use package:ecommerce_app/... format
• Check name in pubspec.yaml matches
• Verify file paths are correct

Secure Storage Issues

App uses flutter_secure_storage for tokens.

On Windows: No special setup needed On Android: Handle keystore errors by clearing app data On iOS: Handle keychain access prompts

Clear secure storage for testing

// Add temporarily to code
final storage = FlutterSecureStorage();
await storage.deleteAll();

Performance Optimization

If app is slow:

1. Run in release mode: flutter run --release
2. Profile mode: flutter run --profile
3. Check for unnecessary rebuilds (use const widgets)
4. Optimize image sizes and assets