How to initialize final variables in Dart

Learn four different ways to initialize final variables in Dart.

⋅ 1 min read ⋅ Flutter Dart

Table of Contents

There are four ways (That I know of) to initialize final variables in Dart.

  1. Initializing formal parameters
  2. Initialize final fields at a declaration
  3. Initialize in an initializer list
  4. Lazy initialization with late keyword

Initializing formal parameters

Initializing formal parameters is a goto method to initialize fields in Dart. We can initialize each parameter by listing them as constructor arguments, Point(this.x, this.y).

class Point {
final double x;
final double y;

Point(this.x, this.y);
}

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Initialize final fields at a declaration

This might not be very useful, but if your fields don't need user input, you can initialize them at a declaration.

class Log {
final DateTime createdAt = DateTime.now();
final String message;

Log(this.message);
}

Initialize in an initializer list

Dart has a unique syntax to initialize variables in a constructor.

You initialize any variable in the Initializer list, which is a special place before a constructor body.

It has the following syntax:

  1. You put a colon (:) before a constructor body.
  2. You assign each instance variable after the colon.
  3. Separate each expression with a comma (,).
class Square {
final double width;
final double height;

Square(double dimension)
: width = dimension,
height = dimension;
}

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Lazy initialization with late keyword

The late keyword delays the initialization to a later phrase.

This allows us to skip all the initialization constraints and do it later in a constructor's body.

class Point {
late final double x;
late final double y;

Point(double x, double y) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
}

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