Documenting some native interop things.

[jwill]

Description of what this PR is changing or adding, and why:

This is PR is reimagining some of the Platform Integration section for demonstration purposes. Consider it a draft to advance the conversation.

Issues fixed by this PR (if any):

PRs or commits this PR depends on (if any):

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[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @jwill, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly expands and refines the documentation for Android platform integration within Flutter. It introduces jnigen as a key tool for direct native interop, providing detailed guides for common use cases like launching activities and managing permissions. The changes aim to offer clearer, more up-to-date pathways for developers to interact with native Android functionalities, alongside a new overview of available interop options and improved navigation.

Highlights

• New Native Interop Documentation: Introduced new documentation pages detailing how to use jnigen for calling native Android APIs and requesting permissions from Flutter, providing a modern approach to platform integration.
• Updated Android Activity Launch Guide: Revised the guide for launching Android activities to include jnigen as an alternative to traditional Method Channels, offering comprehensive steps for both methods.
• Overview of Platform-Specific Code Options: Added a new page that outlines various strategies for integrating platform-specific code, including FFI/JNI, self-managed platform channels, and Pigeon, along with guidance on when to use each.
• Navigation Restructuring: Updated the site's navigation (default.yml) to incorporate the new documentation and clarify existing entries related to platform integration.
• New JNI Call Lifecycle Diagrams: Added SVG diagrams illustrating the Java Native Interface (JNI) call lifecycle for both dark and light themes to enhance visual understanding of the process.

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Changelog

• site/web/assets/images/android/jni-call-lifecycle-dark.svg
  • Added a new SVG diagram illustrating the JNI call lifecycle for dark themes.
• site/web/assets/images/android/jni-call-lifecycle-light.svg
  • Added a new SVG diagram illustrating the JNI call lifecycle for light themes.
• src/content/platform-integration/android/call-jetpack-apis.md
  • Renamed to src/content/platform-integration/android/call-native-apis.md.
  • Updated title and description to reflect a broader scope of calling native APIs.
• src/content/platform-integration/android/compose-activity.md
  • Updated content to introduce jnigen as an alternative to Method Channels for launching activities.
  • Provided detailed steps for configuring jnigen and modifying Android build files and manifest.
  • Added code examples for jnigen setup and Dart-side calls.
• src/content/platform-integration/android/jnigen.md
  • Added a new documentation page explaining jnigen for calling native Android APIs.
  • Included sections on jnigen setup, configuration, and calling Dart bindings with examples like displaying a Toast message.
• src/content/platform-integration/android/request-permission.md
  • Added a new documentation page detailing how to request Android permissions using jnigen within a Flutter plugin.
  • Provided jnigen setup and plugin implementation details, along with usage examples.
• src/content/platform-integration/native-code-options.md
  • Added a new documentation page outlining different options for calling platform-specific code (FFI/JNI, self-managed platform channels, Pigeon).
  • Included guidance on when to choose each interop method based on specific use cases.
• src/content/platform-integration/platform-channels.md
  • Updated the title and short title to better reflect its focus on message passing for platform-specific code.
• src/data/sidenav/default.yml
  • Modified the navigation structure to include new documentation pages.
  • Updated titles for existing platform integration topics to improve clarity and organization.

Activity

• jwill created this pull request with the intent to reimagine and advance the conversation around the Platform Integration section documentation.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This PR significantly refactors the documentation around native platform integration, introducing jnigen as a primary way to interact with native Android code. It adds several new pages explaining jnigen and providing examples for launching activities and requesting permissions. The existing documentation is updated to reflect this new structure. Overall, this is a great improvement to the documentation. I've found a few issues, mostly in the code snippets within the markdown files, such as duplicated dependencies and incorrect language tags for code blocks. There are also some minor typos and inconsistencies that should be addressed to improve clarity.

[gemini-code-assist]

This placeholder text should be removed since the diagram has been added below.

[gemini-code-assist]

This class is commented out in the list of classes for jnigen. If it's not needed for the example, it would be clearer to remove it to avoid confusion.

[flutter-website-bot]

Visit the preview URL for this PR (updated for commit d219e50):

https://flutter-docs-prod--pr13115-native-interop-things-pya9nu29.web.app