Installation

Overview

Softbee is a cross-platform Flutter application that runs on Android, iOS, Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux. This guide covers installation and setup for all supported platforms.

Requirements:

Flutter SDK 3.10.7 or higher
Dart SDK (included with Flutter)
Platform-specific development tools

Quick setup

Get Softbee running on your development machine in minutes.

Clone the repository

Clone the Softbee repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/SoffiaSanchezz/Softbee-App.git
cd Softbee

Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root directory with your API credentials:

.env

# Copy from .env.example
API_BASE_URL=https://your-api-endpoint.com
API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Never commit your .env file to version control. It’s already included in .gitignore.

Install dependencies

Install all required Flutter packages:

flutter pub get

The project uses the following key dependencies:

flutter_riverpod: ^2.6.1 - State management
go_router: ^17.0.1 - Navigation and routing
dio: ^5.3.3 - HTTP client for API requests
shared_preferences: ^2.2.2 - Local data persistence
flutter_secure_storage: ^10.0.0 - Secure credential storage
lottie: ^2.7.0 - Smooth animations
google_fonts: ^8.0.0 - Custom typography

Generate code (if applicable)

If the project has code generation requirements, run:

dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs

Platform-specific installation

Android
iOS
Web
Desktop

Android Setup

Install Android Studio

Download and install Android Studio
Open Android Studio and install the Android SDK
Configure the Android SDK path in Flutter:

flutter doctor --android-licenses

Set up an emulator or device

Option A: Use an Android emulator

Open Android Studio
Go to Tools > Device Manager
Click Create Device
Select a device definition (e.g., Pixel 5)
Download and select a system image (API 30+)
Click Finish to create the emulator

Option B: Use a physical device

Enable Developer Options on your Android device
Enable USB Debugging
Connect your device via USB
Run flutter devices to verify connection

Run the app

Launch Softbee on Android:

flutter run
# Or specify the device
flutter run -d <device-id>

Use flutter run --release for a production build with better performance.

Build APK

To create an installable APK:

flutter build apk --release

The APK will be located at build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk.

Build App Bundle

For Google Play Store submission:

flutter build appbundle --release

iOS Setup

iOS development requires a Mac with Xcode installed.

Install Xcode

Download Xcode from the Mac App Store
Install Xcode Command Line Tools:

sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
sudo xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch

Accept the Xcode license:

sudo xcodebuild -license accept

Install CocoaPods

CocoaPods manages iOS dependencies:

sudo gem install cocoapods

Set up iOS Simulator or device

Option A: Use iOS Simulator

Open Xcode
Go to Xcode > Preferences > Components
Download an iOS Simulator
Run open -a Simulator to launch

Option B: Use a physical device

Connect your iPhone/iPad via USB
Trust the computer on your device
Set up your Apple Developer account in Xcode

Run the app

Navigate to the iOS directory and install pods:

cd ios
pod install
cd ..

Launch Softbee on iOS:

flutter run
# Or specify the device
flutter run -d <device-id>

Build for iOS

To create an iOS build:

flutter build ios --release

iOS app distribution requires an Apple Developer account ($99/year).

Web Setup

Softbee runs in modern web browsers with Flutter Web support.

Enable web support

Ensure Flutter web is enabled:

flutter config --enable-web

Run in development mode

Start the development server:

flutter run -d chrome
# Or use other browsers
flutter run -d edge
flutter run -d web-server

Access the app at http://localhost:5000 (or the port shown in terminal).

Build for production

Create an optimized web build:

flutter build web --release

The build output will be in build/web/.

Deploy to hosting

# Install Firebase CLI
npm install -g firebase-tools

# Login and initialize
firebase login
firebase init hosting

# Deploy
firebase deploy --only hosting

For web deployment, ensure your API endpoints support CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing).

Desktop Setup (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Windows
macOS
Linux

Enable Windows support

flutter config --enable-windows-desktop

Install Visual Studio

Download and install Visual Studio 2022 with:

Desktop development with C++
Windows 10/11 SDK

Run the app

flutter run -d windows

Build Windows executable

flutter build windows --release

The executable will be in build\windows\runner\Release\.

Enable macOS support

flutter config --enable-macos-desktop

Run the app

flutter run -d macos

Build macOS app

flutter build macos --release

The app bundle will be in build/macos/Build/Products/Release/.

Enable Linux support

flutter config --enable-linux-desktop

Install required libraries

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install clang cmake ninja-build pkg-config libgtk-3-dev

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install clang cmake ninja-build gtk3-devel

Run the app

flutter run -d linux

Build Linux binary

flutter build linux --release

The binary will be in build/linux/x64/release/bundle/.

Development workflow

Project structure

Softbee follows Clean Architecture principles:

lib/
├── core/                  # Global configuration and utilities
│   ├── error/            # Error handling and exceptions
│   ├── network/          # Dio HTTP client setup
│   ├── router/           # GoRouter navigation configuration
│   ├── theme/            # App colors, fonts, and styles
│   └── widgets/          # Shared UI components
├── feature/              # Feature modules (Screaming Architecture)
│   ├── auth/            # Authentication and user management
│   │   ├── core/        # Domain entities and use cases
│   │   ├── data/        # Repositories and data sources
│   │   └── presentation/# UI pages, widgets, and state
│   ├── apiaries/        # Apiary management
│   ├── beehive/         # Beehive tracking
│   ├── monitoring/      # Production monitoring
│   └── inventory/       # Equipment and supplies
└── main.dart            # Application entry point

Running tests

# Run all tests
flutter test

# Run with coverage
flutter test --coverage

# Run specific test file
flutter test test/feature/auth/login_test.dart

Code quality

# Analyze code
flutter analyze

# Format code
dart format .

# Check for outdated packages
flutter pub outdated

Troubleshooting

Flutter doctor shows issues

Run flutter doctor -v to see detailed diagnostic information:

flutter doctor -v

Common fixes:

Android licenses: Run flutter doctor --android-licenses
Xcode: Update to the latest version from App Store
CocoaPods: Run sudo gem install cocoapods

Build fails with dependency errors

Clean and reinstall dependencies:

flutter clean
flutter pub get

For iOS specifically:

cd ios
rm -rf Pods Podfile.lock
pod install
cd ..

Hot reload not working

Restart the development server:

# Press 'r' in terminal for hot reload
# Press 'R' for hot restart
# Press 'q' to quit

If issues persist, stop and restart:

flutter run

App crashes on startup

Check for missing environment variables:

Verify .env file exists and contains required values
Ensure API endpoints are accessible
Check device/emulator logs:

# Android
adb logcat

# iOS
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream

Verify installation

After installation, verify everything works:

Check Flutter setup

flutter doctor

All checkmarks should be green. ✓

List available devices

flutter devices

You should see your connected devices or emulators.

Run the app

flutter run

The app should launch successfully and show the Softbee login screen.

Next steps: Head over to the Quickstart Guide to create your first apiary and beehives, or explore the API Reference for development documentation.

Platform requirements summary

Platform	Minimum Version	Development OS
Android	API 21 (Lollipop 5.0)	Windows, macOS, Linux
iOS	iOS 11.0	macOS only
Web	Modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)	Any
Windows	Windows 10+	Windows
macOS	macOS 10.14+	macOS
Linux	Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 35+	Linux

For the best development experience, use the latest stable version of Flutter. Check flutter.dev for updates.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

User Guides

Development

Overview

Quick setup

Platform-specific installation

Android Setup

Build APK

Build App Bundle

iOS Setup

Build for iOS

Web Setup

Deploy to hosting

Desktop Setup (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Development workflow

Project structure

Running tests

Code quality

Troubleshooting

Verify installation

Platform requirements summary

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

User Guides

Development

​Overview

​Quick setup

​Platform-specific installation

​Android Setup

​Build APK

​Build App Bundle

​iOS Setup

​Build for iOS

​Web Setup

​Deploy to hosting

​Desktop Setup (Windows, macOS, Linux)

​Development workflow

​Project structure

​Running tests

​Code quality

​Troubleshooting

​Verify installation

​Platform requirements summary

Overview

Quick setup

Platform-specific installation

Android Setup

Build APK

Build App Bundle

iOS Setup

Build for iOS

Web Setup

Deploy to hosting

Desktop Setup (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Development workflow

Project structure

Running tests

Code quality

Troubleshooting

Verify installation

Platform requirements summary