Devblog 1: Proof of Concept

So last weekend I finally 'really' started working on my new pet project.

In the previous post I've explained what I'll be building but not what I've actually done for it.

In this post I will tell a little bit about what I've worked on.

Baby steps

I had a hard time starting this project because I didn't really know where to begin.

Since I'm building this in my free time, which is very limited to begin with, I like to work in really small pieces.

Working in small tasks that you can complete within a few hours can be very fulfilling. Completing a task gives me energy and helps me stay motivated.

So what could I do to kick-off this project?

Proof of Concept

I came up with the following idea. I know what I want to build and I know which functionality I need for it. So I decided I wanted to get familiar with this tech first.

That's what I've done last week. I've taken a look into Google Maps, Geolocation and the Compass.

I've build a small proof of concept that combines these things. On the Google map it will show me my location, and I can tap the map to place a 'target'.

When a target is present, the arrow will point into its direction and shows the distance between me and the target. This is what I need for the final app.

Last but not least, the arrow will turn into a check mark when I get close enough to the target, indicating we've reached out destination.

poc.jpg

Long life the Flutter community

I was surprised by how fast I've got everything working. I had the most trouble with setting everything up for firebase and Google maps. Using geolocation and the Compass was a breeze.

It was easy because Flutter has a great community and already contains many packages of great quality!

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Written by

Stephan E.G. Veenstra
Stephan E.G. Veenstra

Stephan is a Flutter Developer from The Netherlands. By day he is working on serious apps for Pinch, by night he likes to play around by making games and writing about what he has learned.