Issues Connecting Flutter to RapidAPI

I’m facing challenges while trying to connect my Flutter application to an API on RapidAPI. Despite my efforts to resolve the issue, I haven’t had any success. I’d be grateful for assistance in fetching this data into my Flutter app. Below is the code I’ve implemented.

```dart
import ‘dart:convert’;
import ‘package:api_test/Property.dart’;
import ‘package:http/http.dart’ as http;

class ApiHandler {
Future<List?> fetchProperties() async {
var url = Uri.https(‘bayut.p.rapidapi.com’, ‘/properties/detail’,
{‘externalID’: ‘4937770’});

var response = await http.get(url, headers: {
  'X-RapidAPI-Host': 'bayut.p.rapidapi.com',
  'X-RapidAPI-Key': '**************************************',
  'useQueryString': 'true'
});
if (response.statusCode == 200) {
  return (json.decode(response.body));
} else {
  throw Exception('Error loading data');
}

}
}

This is the model I'm using:<br><br>```dart
class Property {
  final String name;
  final String info;
  final String type;
  final String frequency;
  final String imageUrl;
  final String mainImage;
  final String phone;
  final String agentName;
  final String companyName;
  final String logoUrl;
  final String furnishing;
  final int virtualTour;
  final int imagesCount;
  final int videoCount;
  final int cost;

  Property({required this.mainImage, required this.info, required this.name, required this.type, required this.frequency, required this.imageUrl, required this.phone, required this.agentName, required this.companyName, required this.logoUrl, required this.furnishing, required this.virtualTour, required this.imagesCount, required this.videoCount, required this.cost});

  factory Property.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
    return Property(
      name: json['title'] as String,
      type: json['purpose'] as String,
      frequency: json['rentFrequency'] as String,
      mainImage: json['coverPhoto']['url'] as String,
      imageUrl: json['photos'][0]['url'] as String,
      phone: json['phoneNumber']['mobile'] as String,
      agentName: json['contactName'] as String,
      companyName: json['agency']['name'] as String,
      logoUrl: json['agency']['logo']['url'] as String,
      furnishing: json['furnishingStatus'] as String,
      virtualTour: json['panoramaCount'] as int,
      imagesCount: json['photoCount'] as int,
      videoCount: json['videoCount'] as int,
      cost: json['price'] as int,
      info: json['description'] as String,
    );
  }
}

The following illustrates where I invoke this method:

```dart
import ‘package:api_test/Property.dart’;
import ‘package:api_test/api_handler.dart’;
import ‘package:flutter/material.dart’;

class PropertyScreen extends StatefulWidget {
const PropertyScreen({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

@override
State createState() => _PropertyScreenState();
}

class _PropertyScreenState extends State {
List? _propertyList;
bool _isDataFetchComplete = false;

@override
void initState() {
super.initState();
retrieveProperties();
}

Future retrieveProperties() async {
_propertyList = await ApiHandler().fetchProperties();
if (_propertyList != null) {
setState(() {
_isDataFetchComplete = true;
});
}
}

@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
body: Visibility(
visible: _isDataFetchComplete,
child: ListView.builder(
itemCount: _propertyList?.length,
itemBuilder: (context, index) {
return Container(
child: Text(‘Hello’),
);
}),
replacement: Center(
child: CircularProgressIndicator(),
),
));
}
}

Currently, the loading spinner keeps spinning indefinitely, indicating that there is a connection error.

Hi Hazel_27Yoga,

It seems you're dealing with a common issue when integrating APIs into a Flutter application, particularly involving response handling or network configurations. Here are some actionable steps to address the issue:

1. Check API Credentials:

  • Double-check your RapidAPI Key and Host in the headers to ensure they are correct and not expired.

2. Debug the API Response:

  • Add some debug statements to inspect the actual data received or potential errors. For instance, before processing response.body, log it to the console:
print(response.body);

3. Handle Null and Data Parsing Exceptions:

  • Ensure you handle any parsing exceptions by using more cautious type conversions, given the possibility of missing or null data.
  • Check your Property.fromJson constructor to ensure fields are correctly mapped and handle null safety.

4. Update Response Parsing Logic:

  • You're attempting to return a list from the JSON response, yet directly parsing it into a list without a proper map might lead to issues. Correct it by iterating over the JSON array:
if (response.statusCode == 200) {
  final List decodedData = json.decode(response.body);
  return decodedData.map((json) => Property.fromJson(json as Map)).toList();
} else {
  throw Exception('Error loading data');
}

5. Network Configurations:

  • Ensure you’ve added the necessary internet permissions in your AndroidManifest.xml for Android, and Info.plist for iOS.

By following these steps, you should get better insight into where the process might be failing. Optimizing the error handling and debugging will simplify troubleshooting and connection processes. Let me know if there's more I can help with!

Hey Hazel_27Yoga,

Looks like the issue might be with how you're handling the response or mapping it to your model. Here's a quick fix:

1. Correct Response Parsing:

  • Ensure the JSON from the API is mapped correctly to your list of properties.
if (response.statusCode == 200) {
  final data = json.decode(response.body) as List;
  return data.map((json) => Property.fromJson(json as Map)).toList();
} else {
  throw Exception('Error loading data');
}

2. Debugging:

  • Prior to parsing, print the response for error insights:
print(response.body);

This should help you isolate the issue. Check your API credentials and network permissions too!