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Flutter Mobile Development · Lesson

Shared Preferences for Data

Use `shared_preferences` to store small amounts of data like user settings and preferences in key-value pairs locally.

Shared Preferences for Data is a free Flutter Mobile Development lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Flutter Mobile Development learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

What are Shared Preferences?

When building mobile apps, you often need to store small bits of data locally on the device. This could be anything from a user's dark mode preference to their last logged-in status.

shared_preferences is a Flutter package that helps you do just that! It provides a simple way to store key-value pairs of primitive data types.

Why Use Shared Preferences?

  • Simple Data: Ideal for storing simple data types like booleans, integers, doubles, strings, and lists of strings.
  • User Settings: Perfect for saving user preferences, app settings, or theme choices.
  • Lightweight: It's a quick and easy way to persist small amounts of data without needing a full database.

Think of it like a small digital notepad for your app's temporary memory!

Installing the Package

To use shared_preferences, you first need to add it to your project's dependencies.

Open your pubspec.yaml file and add the following line under dependencies:

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  shared_preferences: ^2.2.2 # Add this line

Saving Your First Preference

Once the package is added, you can start saving data. You'll need to get an instance of SharedPreferences and then use methods like setBool(), setString(), etc.

Remember to use await because these operations are asynchronous!

import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';

Future<void> saveSetting() async {
  SharedPreferences prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();
  await prefs.setBool('isDarkMode', true);
  print('Dark mode setting saved!');
}

Run It: Saving a Boolean

Try running this example to see how a boolean value is saved. We'll set a 'welcomeShown' flag to true.

import 'package:flutter/widgets.dart';
import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized(); 
  SharedPreferences prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();

  // Save a boolean value
  await prefs.setBool('welcomeShown', true);
  print('welcomeShown saved: ${prefs.getBool('welcomeShown')}');
}

Retrieving Saved Data

To get data back, you use corresponding get methods like getBool(), getString(), etc. These methods return a nullable type (e.g., bool?) because the key might not exist.

It's good practice to provide a default value using the ?? operator if the key is not found.

import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';

Future<bool> getSetting() async {
  SharedPreferences prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();
  // Get 'isDarkMode', default to false if not found
  bool isDark = prefs.getBool('isDarkMode') ?? false;
  return isDark;
}

Run It: Loading a Boolean

Let's load the welcomeShown preference we saved earlier. Notice how we handle the case where it might not exist by providing a default of false.

import 'package:flutter/widgets.dart';
import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
  SharedPreferences prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();

  // Load 'welcomeShown', default to false if not present
  bool welcomeShown = prefs.getBool('welcomeShown') ?? false;
  print('Is welcome screen already shown? $welcomeShown');

  // Let's try to load a key that doesn't exist
  String? userName = prefs.getString('userName');
  print('User Name: ${userName ?? 'Guest'}');
}

Saving Other Data Types

shared_preferences supports several basic data types:

  • setString(key, value) for text
  • setInt(key, value) for whole numbers
  • setDouble(key, value) for decimal numbers
  • setStringList(key, value) for lists of strings

There are corresponding get methods for each type.

Run It: Saving Mixed Data

This example demonstrates saving and loading a string, an integer, and a list of strings. See how different types are handled.

import 'package:flutter/widgets.dart';
import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
  SharedPreferences prefs = await SharedPreferences.getInstance();

  // Save different data types
  await prefs.setString('userName', 'Coddy');
  await prefs.setInt('score', 12345);
  await prefs.setStringList('favoriteFoods', ['Pizza', 'Sushi', 'Tacos']);
  print('All data saved!');

  // Load and print them
  String? name = prefs.getString('userName');
  int? score = prefs.getInt('score');
  List<String>? foods = prefs.getStringList('favoriteFoods');

  print('User Name: ${name ?? 'N/A'}');
  print('Score: ${score ?? 0}');
  print('Favorite Foods: ${foods ?? []}');
}

Deleting Preferences

You can also remove stored preferences:

  • remove(key): Deletes a specific key-value pair.
  • clear(): Deletes ALL data stored by your app using shared_preferences. Use with caution!

Both methods are asynchronous and return a Future<bool> indicating success.

Quick Check

You want to store a user's preferred language, which is a single string like 'en_US' or 'es_ES'. Which shared_preferences method is the most appropriate for saving this data?

Recap & Next Steps

Great job! You've learned how to use shared_preferences to store and retrieve small, simple data locally in your Flutter applications.

  • It's ideal for user settings and preferences.
  • Supports basic types: bool, int, double, string, and List<String>.
  • Operations are asynchronous (use await).
  • Remember to handle null values when retrieving data.

Next, you'll explore more structured data storage with SQLite databases!

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Shared Preferences for Data” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Shared Preferences for Data” is free to read here on the web, and the Flutter Mobile Development course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Flutter Mobile Development course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Shared Preferences for Data”?

Use `shared_preferences` to store small amounts of data like user settings and preferences in key-value pairs locally. You practise Flutter Mobile Development with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Flutter Mobile Development?

No prior experience is required. Flutter Mobile Development on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 1 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Shared Preferences for Data” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Flutter Mobile Development lesson?

Yes. Every Flutter Mobile Development lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Shared Preferences for Data
  2. SQLite Database Integration
  3. File System Operations
  4. Hive & NoSQL Local Storage
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