Methods of Dart Isolate
Message passing as a client and server is used to communicate between the isolates. It enables the program to use a multicore microprocessor right out of the box.
To use the isolate in our program, Dart provides the dart:isolate package. It provides a way to take single-threaded Dart code and make better use of the hardware available to the application.
The Dart program to demonstrate the creation, start, and destruction of an Isolate is given below.
Creation
To construct an isolate in Dart, we use the spawn() method. It must be stated with a single 'entry point' argument. This parameter displays a port for referring back to notification messages.
Syntax:
Isolate your_isolate_name = await Isolate.spawn( enter_parameter);
Destruction
The kill() function in the dart: isolates package is used to stop a running isolate.
Syntax:
your_isolate_name.kill( enter_parameter);
Let's understand the creation and killing of an Isolate with the example given below.
Example
Code:
import 'dart:io'; // importing the dart libraries
import 'dart:async';
import 'dart:isolate';
Isolate myIsolate; // Creating myIsolate isolate
void starting_myIsolate_process() async {
ReceivePort myReceivePort= ReceivePort(); // creating port for myIsolate to receive messages
myIsolate = await Isolate.spawn(codeStudio, myReceivePort.sendPort); // Starting myIsolate
}
void codeStudio(SendPort sendPort) {
int counter = 0;
Timer.periodic(new Duration(seconds: 2), (Timer t) { // Printing Output message with 2 sec timespan
counter++;
stdout.writeln('Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio $counter'); //Printing our output message
});
}
void destroying_myIsolate_process() {
if (myIsolate != null) {
stdout.writeln('Destroying Isolate myIsolate');
myIsolate.kill(priority: Isolate.immediate); // onDestroy of the isolate
myIsolate = null; // Setting up the isolate to null
}
}
void main() async {
stdout.writeln('Beginning of Isolate myIsolate');
// Starting the isolate with starting_myIsolate_process
await starting_myIsolate_process();
stdout.writeln('Click here to continue');
await stdin.first;
destroying_myIsolate_process(); // Calling up the destroying_myIsolate_process
stdout.writeln('See ya!');
exit(0); // Ending program
}
Output:
Beginning of Isolate myIsolate
Click here to continue
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 1
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 2
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 3
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 4
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 5
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 6
Welcome to Coding Ninjas Studio 7
Destroying Isolate myIsolate
See ya!
Note: In general, spawn() and kill() are used in the same program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a Flutter isolate?
Isolate is a machine's memory (a system for storing information that will be needed shortly on a short-term basis) and a single thread that processes the code through an event loop.
Is it true that Dart is single-threaded?
Dart is single-threaded; however, we employ future objects, which behave similarly to threads, to do two tasks at once. To conduct asynchronous actions, use Future objects (futures).
Does Dart have/support multiple interfaces?
Dart has the potential to implement multiple interfaces. The keyword implements enable a class to adhere to several interfaces, extending the polymorphic range of an object. The keyword implement is followed by the name of an existing named class, whose public fields are subsequently used to provide implementation requirements for the present class.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned about Dart Isolates and their creation to destruction with the implementation of examples.
However, learning never stops, and there is more to learn. So head over to our Android Development Course on the Coding Ninjas Website to dive deep into Android Development and build future applications.
We hope this article has helped you enhance your knowledge as a Dart beginner. If you want to learn more, check out our article on environment setup and Competitive Programming articles. Do upvote this article to help other ninjas grow.
Happy Coding!
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