Print to the Console

Part of the Making It Interactive section of Coddy's Flutter journey. Lesson 2 of 34.

A tap on a button runs code you cannot see. print makes it visible: it writes a line of text to the Console, the panel under the phone.

ElevatedButton(
  onPressed: () {
    print('Button pressed');
  },
  child: Text('Press me'),
)

Each line of code inside the braces ends with a semicolon ;. Tap the button three times and the Console shows Button pressed three times.

The person using your app never sees the Console. It is for you: when something does not work, a print tells you whether your code ran at all.

Challenge

Easy

Make the Say hi button print Hi there! each time it is pressed. Press it a few times and watch the Console.

Try it yourself

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
      home: Scaffold(
        body: Center(
          child: ElevatedButton(
            onPressed: () {},
            child: Text('Say hi'),
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}