Building a Productivity App with GetXBookGUI: Step-by-Step GuideIntroduction
GetXBookGUI is an emerging UI toolkit tailored for Flutter developers who need rapid, maintainable interfaces combined with robust state management. In this step-by-step guide you’ll learn how to build a simple productivity app — a task/book tracker — using GetXBookGUI alongside the GetX package for state management and navigation. This article covers project setup, architecture, UI construction, state management, persistence, and deployment tips.
Why choose GetXBookGUI?
- Rapid development: Prebuilt components speed up UI assembly.
- Tight GetX integration: Works smoothly with GetX controllers, reactive state, and routing.
- Modular design: Encourages component reuse and clear separation of concerns.
What we’ll build
A cross-platform productivity app that:
- Lets users create, edit, and delete tasks (or book entries).
- Supports sections/tags and due dates.
- Uses reactive lists, search, and simple analytics (counts by status).
- Persists data locally (SQLite or Hive).
- Demonstrates clean architecture with GetX controllers and services.
Prerequisites
- Flutter SDK installed (>=2.10 recommended).
- Basic knowledge of Dart and Flutter widgets.
- Familiarity with GetX (controllers, reactive variables, Get.to routing).
Project setup
-
Create app:
flutter create getxbookgui_app cd getxbookgui_app -
Add dependencies in pubspec.yaml:
dependencies: flutter: sdk: flutter get: ^4.6.5 getxbookgui: ^0.1.0 hive: ^2.2.3 hive_flutter: ^1.1.0 path_provider: ^2.0.11 intl: ^0.18.0 dev_dependencies: hive_generator: ^1.1.3 build_runner: ^2.4.6
Run:
flutter pub get App architecture
We’ll use a simple layered structure:
- lib/
- main.dart
- app/
- bindings/ (dependency injections)
- routes/
- themes/
- controllers/ (GetX controllers)
- models/ (Hive models)
- services/ (persistence, analytics)
- views/ (screens and GetXBookGUI widgets)
- widgets/ (reusable UI pieces)
Models
Create a Task (BookEntry) model for Hive:
// lib/models/task.dart import 'package:hive/hive.dart'; part 'task.g.dart'; @HiveType(typeId: 0) class Task extends HiveObject { @HiveField(0) String id; @HiveField(1) String title; @HiveField(2) String description; @HiveField(3) DateTime? dueDate; @HiveField(4) bool completed; @HiveField(5) String tag; Task({ required this.id, required this.title, this.description = '', this.dueDate, this.completed = false, this.tag = '', }); } Generate adapters:
flutter pub run build_runner build Persistence service
Use Hive to store tasks:
// lib/services/storage_service.dart import 'package:hive_flutter/hive_flutter.dart'; import '../models/task.dart'; class StorageService { static const String boxName = 'tasksBox'; late Box<Task> _box; Future init() async { await Hive.initFlutter(); Hive.registerAdapter(TaskAdapter()); _box = await Hive.openBox<Task>(boxName); } List<Task> getAll() => _box.values.toList(); Future add(Task task) => _box.put(task.id, task); Future update(Task task) => task.save(); Future delete(String id) => _box.delete(id); } Initialize in main:
void main() async { WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized(); final storage = StorageService(); await storage.init(); runApp(MyApp(storage: storage)); } Controllers
Create a TaskController using GetX reactive state:
// lib/controllers/task_controller.dart import 'package:get/get.dart'; import '../models/task.dart'; import '../services/storage_service.dart'; class TaskController extends GetxController { final StorageService storage; TaskController(this.storage); var tasks = <Task>[].obs; var filter = ''.obs; @override void onInit() { super.onInit(); tasks.assignAll(storage.getAll()); } void addTask(Task t) { storage.add(t); tasks.add(t); } void updateTask(Task t) { storage.update(t); tasks[tasks.indexWhere((x) => x.id == t.id)] = t; } void deleteTask(String id) { storage.delete(id); tasks.removeWhere((t) => t.id == id); } List<Task> get filteredTasks { if (filter.isEmpty) return tasks; return tasks.where((t) => t.title.toLowerCase().contains(filter.value.toLowerCase()) || t.tag.toLowerCase().contains(filter.value.toLowerCase()) ).toList(); } int get total => tasks.length; int get completed => tasks.where((t) => t.completed).length; } Bind controller:
// lib/app/bindings/initial_binding.dart import 'package:get/get.dart'; import '../../services/storage_service.dart'; import '../../controllers/task_controller.dart'; class InitialBinding extends Bindings { final StorageService storage; InitialBinding(this.storage); @override void dependencies() { Get.put(storage); Get.put(TaskController(storage)); } } UI with GetXBookGUI
Note: Replace below widget names with actual GetXBookGUI components as available in the package. We’ll use typical component names to illustrate.
Main scaffold and list view:
// lib/views/home_view.dart import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; import 'package:get/get.dart'; import '../controllers/task_controller.dart'; import '../models/task.dart'; import 'package:getxbookgui/getxbookgui.dart'; // hypothetical import class HomeView extends StatelessWidget { final TaskController c = Get.find(); @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return Scaffold( appBar: AppBar( title: Text('GetXBookGUI Productivity'), actions: [ IconButton( icon: Icon(Icons.search), onPressed: () => showSearchDialog(context), ) ], ), body: Column( children: [ Padding( padding: EdgeInsets.all(12), child: Obx(() => Text('Tasks: ${c.total} Completed: ${c.completed}')), ), Expanded( child: Obx(() { final list = c.filteredTasks; if (list.isEmpty) return Center(child: Text('No tasks')); return ListView.separated( itemCount: list.length, separatorBuilder: (_, __) => Divider(), itemBuilder: (context, i) { final t = list[i]; return ListTile( leading: Checkbox( value: t.completed, onChanged: (v) { t.completed = v ?? false; c.updateTask(t); }, ), title: Text(t.title), subtitle: Text(t.tag), trailing: IconButton( icon: Icon(Icons.delete), onPressed: () => c.deleteTask(t.id), ), onTap: () => Get.to(() => TaskEditView(task: t)), ); }, ); }), ), ], ), floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton( child: Icon(Icons.add), onPressed: () => Get.to(() => TaskEditView()), ), ); } void showSearchDialog(BuildContext ctx) { Get.defaultDialog( title: 'Search', content: TextField( onChanged: (v) => c.filter.value = v, decoration: InputDecoration(hintText: 'Search by title or tag'), ), ); } } Task creation/edit view:
// lib/views/task_edit_view.dart import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; import 'package:get/get.dart'; import '../models/task.dart'; import '../controllers/task_controller.dart'; import 'package:uuid/uuid.dart'; class TaskEditView extends StatefulWidget { final Task? task; TaskEditView({this.task}); @override _TaskEditViewState createState() => _TaskEditViewState(); } class _TaskEditViewState extends State<TaskEditView> { final _formKey = GlobalKey<FormState>(); final titleCtl = TextEditingController(); final descCtl = TextEditingController(); final tagCtl = TextEditingController(); DateTime? due; final c = Get.find<TaskController>(); @override void initState() { super.initState(); if (widget.task != null) { titleCtl.text = widget.task!.title; descCtl.text = widget.task!.description; tagCtl.text = widget.task!.tag; due = widget.task!.dueDate; } } @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return Scaffold( appBar: AppBar( title: Text(widget.task == null ? 'New Task' : 'Edit Task'), ), body: Padding( padding: EdgeInsets.all(12), child: Form( key: _formKey, child: Column( children: [ TextFormField(controller: titleCtl, validator: (v) => v!.isEmpty ? 'Required' : null, decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: 'Title')), TextFormField(controller: descCtl, decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: 'Description')), TextFormField(controller: tagCtl, decoration: InputDecoration(labelText: 'Tag')), SizedBox(height: 12), Row( children: [ Text(due == null ? 'No due date' : 'Due: ${due!.toLocal().toString().split(' ')[0]}'), Spacer(), TextButton(onPressed: pickDate, child: Text('Pick Date')), ], ), Spacer(), ElevatedButton( child: Text('Save'), onPressed: () { if (!_formKey.currentState!.validate()) return; final id = widget.task?.id ?? Uuid().v4(); final task = Task( id: id, title: titleCtl.text, description: descCtl.text, dueDate: due, completed: widget.task?.completed ?? false, tag: tagCtl.text, ); if (widget.task == null) c.addTask(task); else c.updateTask(task); Get.back(); }, ) ], ), ), ), ); } Future pickDate() async { final d = await showDatePicker(context: context, initialDate: due ?? DateTime.now(), firstDate: DateTime(2000), lastDate: DateTime(2100)); if (d != null) setState(() => due = d); } } Routing and main
// lib/main.dart import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; import 'package:get/get.dart'; import 'app/bindings/initial_binding.dart'; import 'views/home_view.dart'; import 'services/storage_service.dart'; void main() async { WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized(); final storage = StorageService(); await storage.init(); runApp(MyApp(storage: storage)); } class MyApp extends StatelessWidget { final StorageService storage; MyApp({required this.storage}); @override Widget build(BuildContext context) { return GetMaterialApp( title: 'GetXBookGUI Productivity', initialBinding: InitialBinding(storage), home: HomeView(), theme: ThemeData(primarySwatch: Colors.indigo), ); } } Styling & Theming
Use a theme file to centralize colors and typography. GetXBookGUI components generally inherit Material theming.
Testing
- Unit test controllers (task adding/updating/deleting).
- Widget test for home list rendering and navigation.
Persistence alternatives & sync
- Use Hive for local-only storage (fast, simple).
- Use SQLite (moor/Drift) for complex queries.
- Add remote sync with Firebase or custom API when multi-device sync is needed.
Performance tips
- Use Obx and small reactive widgets to minimize rebuilds.
- Paginate long lists and use ListView.builder.
- Keep controllers focused; split large controllers.
Deployment
- Build APK/IPA per Flutter docs.
- Test on devices and handle platform-specific permissions for storage if needed.
Further improvements
- Add notifications for due tasks (flutter_local_notifications).
- Add richer analytics (time spent, completion rate).
- Implement dark mode and accessibility enhancements.
Conclusion
This guide provided a practical walkthrough to build a productivity (task/book) app using GetXBookGUI and GetX. The example demonstrates architecture, data persistence with Hive, reactive state management with GetX, and a clean UI flow. Adapt components and storage to your project’s scale and integrate remote sync if multi-device usage is required.
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