Deprecate Objective-C plugin template #174003

okorohelijah · 2025-08-19T00:08:10Z

This PR marks the --ios-language objc flag as deprecated for plugin creation. It introduces a warning message in the flutter create tool when the flag is used, but does not remove the functionality at this time. This is the first step towards its eventual removal.

Context

As discussed in the issue, usage metrics show that Objective-C is used in less than 4% of newly created plugins. To streamline the tool and align with modern iOS development practices (i.e., Swift), we are beginning the process of phasing out this option

Changes:

Adds a deprecation warning to the CLI when the objc flag is used.
Updates the --help text to reflect the deprecation.
Removes obsolete tests for Objective-C plugin creation and usage tracking.

Testing

I have validated these changes by:

Manually running flutter-dev create with the objc flag to confirm the new deprecation warning appears.
Verifying that creating a plugin without the --ios-language flag does not trigger the warning.
Running the tests in the test/commands.shard to ensure no regressions were introduced.
CI will validate the changes to the devicelab tests.

Fixes #169683

Pre-launch Checklist

I read the Contributor Guide and followed the process outlined there for submitting PRs.
I read the Tree Hygiene wiki page, which explains my responsibilities.
I read and followed the Flutter Style Guide, including Features we expect every widget to implement.
I signed the CLA.
I listed at least one issue that this PR fixes in the description above.
[] I updated/added relevant documentation (doc comments with ///).
[] I added new tests to check the change I am making, or this PR is test-exempt.
[] I followed the breaking change policy and added Data Driven Fixes where supported.
All existing and new tests are passing.

If you need help, consider asking for advice on the #hackers-new channel on Discord.

Note: The Flutter team is currently trialing the use of Gemini Code Assist for GitHub. Comments from the gemini-code-assist bot should not be taken as authoritative feedback from the Flutter team. If you find its comments useful you can update your code accordingly, but if you are unsure or disagree with the feedback, please feel free to wait for a Flutter team member's review for guidance on which automated comments should be addressed.

gemini-code-assist

Code Review

This pull request effectively marks the Objective-C plugin template as deprecated by updating help texts and adding warnings. The changes are well-aligned with the goal of phasing out this option. I've identified one area for improvement in the tests to ensure that the deprecated path remains covered until it's fully removed.

This reverts commit 3160e4d.

jmagman

This is missing the actual change to disallow (exit with failure) when the flag is used:

flutter/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/commands/create.dart

Lines 336 to 351 in 3340cae

    
           } else if (argResults!.wasParsed('ios-language')) { 
        
             if (generateMethodChannelsPlugin) { 
        
               globals.printWarning( 
        
                 'The "ios-language" option is deprecated and will be removed in a future Flutter release.', 
        
               ); 
        
               if (stringArg('ios-language') == 'objc') { 
        
                 globals.printWarning( 
        
                   'Please comment in https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/169683 describing your use-case for using Objective-C instead of Swift.', 
        
                 ); 
        
               } 
        
             } else { 
        
               throwToolExit( 
        
                 'The "ios-language" option is only supported for "--template=plugin".', 
        
                 exitCode: 2, 
        
               ); 
        
             }

    } else if (argResults!.wasParsed('ios-language')) {
        throwToolExit(
          'The "ios-language" option is deprecated. Swift is the only available option for new Flutter projects.',
          exitCode: 2,
        );
      }

dev/devicelab/bin/tasks/plugin_lint_mac.dart

dev/devicelab/bin/tasks/plugin_test_ios.dart

packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/commands/create.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/hermetic/create_usage_test.dart

jmagman

Also remove commandCreateIosLanguage from custom_dimensions and anywhere else it's used. The test was removed, but not the logic in the code.

flutter/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/reporting/custom_dimensions.dart

Line 478 in e1315d3

commandCreateIosLanguage, // cd17

etc.

See #163153 for an example of another case of that being removed.

In other places in this review I suggested removing comments like defaults to Swift since ios-language is deprecated since that information won't be relevant to future viewers of this code. You'll notice in custom_dimensions there are some hints like that though, example:

flutter/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/reporting/custom_dimensions.dart

Line 510 in daadbba

obsolete1, // cd48 (was fastReassemble)

That's because it's explaining why cd48 is missing from a list of sequential dimension numbers, so say a future developer doesn't try to plug a new value into cd48

Eventually (in a few releases) we can also remove this from unified_analytics
https://github.com/dart-lang/tools/blob/24707e094cd761178eb76e725ce17f51e22fd442/pkgs/unified_analytics/lib/src/event.dart#L282-L283

dev/devicelab/bin/tasks/plugin_lint_mac.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/integration.shard/swift_package_manager_create_plugin_test.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/integration.shard/swift_package_manager_test.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/permeable/create_test.dart

dev/devicelab/bin/tasks/plugin_lint_mac.dart

packages/flutter_tools/templates/template_manifest.json

packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/permeable/create_test.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/integration.shard/swift_package_manager_utils.dart

packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/permeable/create_test.dart

jmagman

Really close, one minor test comment!

jmagman

Thanks for tracking all this down, LGTM!

flutter/flutter@29a238d...8d0b31d 2025-09-16 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Packages from fcd5f68 to 0255ac9 (2 revisions) (flutter/flutter#175427) 2025-09-16 47866232+chunhtai@users.noreply.github.com Adds a11y section locale support for iOS (flutter/flutter#175005) 2025-09-16 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Skia from 4e9c86d4a6d9 to 7d160bbf9403 (3 revisions) (flutter/flutter#175404) 2025-09-16 gregorysconrad@gmail.com [native_assets] Find more `CCompilerConfig` on Linux (flutter/flutter#175323) 2025-09-16 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Dart SDK from 50e61e5bff51 to 700de52f29a9 (3 revisions) (flutter/flutter#175395) 2025-09-16 32538273+ValentinVignal@users.noreply.github.com Fix default overlay color in `TabBar` (flutter/flutter#175270) 2025-09-16 32538273+ValentinVignal@users.noreply.github.com Migrate to widget state (flutter/flutter#175242) 2025-09-16 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Skia from 01b0ede33ae9 to 4e9c86d4a6d9 (1 revision) (flutter/flutter#175387) 2025-09-15 chinmaygarde@google.com Merge the engine README into the README of the old buildroot. (flutter/flutter#175384) 2025-09-15 fluttergithubbot@gmail.com Marks Mac_ios microbenchmarks_ios to be unflaky (flutter/flutter#171146) 2025-09-15 okorohelijah@google.com Deprecate Objective-C plugin template (flutter/flutter#174003) 2025-09-15 robert.ancell@canonical.com Add a gn --ccache argument (flutter/flutter#174621) 2025-09-15 mohellebiabdessalem@gmail.com Update `build.gradle` to remove deprecation warning in `flutter\engine\src\flutter\shell\platform\android` (flutter/flutter#175305) 2025-09-15 54338732+Memet18@users.noreply.github.com Show cursor after swipe only if TextField has focus (flutter/flutter#175044) 2025-09-15 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Skia from f950263bb3d4 to 01b0ede33ae9 (7 revisions) (flutter/flutter#175373) 2025-09-15 rmacnak@google.com Update Chromium sysroot to pick up RISC-V support. (flutter/flutter#173671) 2025-09-15 magder@google.com Set Gemini Code Assist `include_drafts` to false (flutter/flutter#175098) 2025-09-15 engine-flutter-autoroll@skia.org Roll Packages from 15e7e89 to fcd5f68 (3 revisions) (flutter/flutter#175366) 2025-09-15 115182119+danwirele@users.noreply.github.com Remove 'v' Open DevTools from help on web in profile/release mode (flutter/flutter#172829) If this roll has caused a breakage, revert this CL and stop the roller using the controls here: https://autoroll.skia.org/r/flutter-packages Please CC louisehsu@google.com,stuartmorgan@google.com on the revert to ensure that a human is aware of the problem. To file a bug in Packages: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/new/choose To report a problem with the AutoRoller itself, please file a bug: https://issues.skia.org/issues/new?component=1389291&template=1850622 Documentation for the AutoRoller is here: https://skia.googlesource.com/buildbot/+doc/main/autoroll/README.md

This PR marks the `--ios-language objc` flag as deprecated for plugin creation. It introduces a warning message in the `flutter create` tool when the flag is used, but **does not** remove the functionality at this time. This is the first step towards its eventual removal. ## Context As discussed in the issue, usage metrics show that Objective-C is used in less than 4% of newly created plugins. To streamline the tool and align with modern iOS development practices (i.e., Swift), we are beginning the process of phasing out this option **Changes:** - Adds a deprecation warning to the CLI when the `objc` flag is used. - Updates the `--help` text to reflect the deprecation. - Removes obsolete tests for Objective-C plugin creation and usage tracking. ## Testing I have validated these changes by: 1. Manually running `flutter-dev create` with the `objc` flag to confirm the new deprecation warning appears. 2. Verifying that creating a plugin without the --ios-language flag does **not** trigger the warning. 3. Running the tests in the `test/commands.shard` to ensure no regressions were introduced. 4. CI will validate the changes to the devicelab tests. Fixes flutter#169683 ## Pre-launch Checklist - [X] I read the [Contributor Guide] and followed the process outlined there for submitting PRs. - [X] I read the [Tree Hygiene] wiki page, which explains my responsibilities. - [X] I read and followed the [Flutter Style Guide], including [Features we expect every widget to implement]. - [X] I signed the [CLA]. - [X] I listed at least one issue that this PR fixes in the description above. - [] I updated/added relevant documentation (doc comments with `///`). - [] I added new tests to check the change I am making, or this PR is [test-exempt]. - [] I followed the [breaking change policy] and added [Data Driven Fixes] where supported. - [X] All existing and new tests are passing. If you need help, consider asking for advice on the #hackers-new channel on [Discord]. **Note**: The Flutter team is currently trialing the use of [Gemini Code Assist for GitHub](https://developers.google.com/gemini-code-assist/docs/review-github-code). Comments from the `gemini-code-assist` bot should not be taken as authoritative feedback from the Flutter team. If you find its comments useful you can update your code accordingly, but if you are unsure or disagree with the feedback, please feel free to wait for a Flutter team member's review for guidance on which automated comments should be addressed.  [Contributor Guide]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#overview [Tree Hygiene]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md [test-exempt]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#tests [Flutter Style Guide]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md [Features we expect every widget to implement]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md#features-we-expect-every-widget-to-implement [CLA]: https://cla.developers.google.com/ [flutter/tests]: https://github.com/flutter/tests [breaking change policy]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#handling-breaking-changes [Discord]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Chat.md [Data Driven Fixes]: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Data-driven-Fixes.md

Deprecate Objective-C plugin template

7ed9dfb

okorohelijah requested a review from matanlurey as a code owner August 19, 2025 00:08

github-actions bot added the tool Affects the "flutter" command-line tool. See also t: labels. label Aug 19, 2025

okorohelijah requested a review from jmagman August 19, 2025 00:08

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Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master' into fix_169683

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okorohelijah added the team-ios Owned by iOS platform team label Aug 19, 2025

okorohelijah assigned okorohelijah and unassigned okorohelijah Aug 19, 2025

Merge branch 'master' into fix_169683

e530fec

github-actions bot removed the team-ios Owned by iOS platform team label Aug 19, 2025

okorohelijah added team-ios Owned by iOS platform team platform-ios iOS applications specifically labels Aug 21, 2025

Merge branch 'master' into fix_169683

4e38bd7

github-actions bot removed platform-ios iOS applications specifically team-ios Owned by iOS platform team labels Aug 22, 2025

okorohelijah added 4 commits August 21, 2025 22:08

update plugin_test_ios

3160e4d

Revert "update plugin_test_ios"

6794f48

This reverts commit 3160e4d.

remove -i test for template=app

e46a046

Merge branch 'master' into fix_169683

f4af739

jmagman requested changes Aug 25, 2025

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okorohelijah added 3 commits August 27, 2025 07:26

update deprecation logic

1771fbc

Merge branch 'master' into fix_169683

75765bf

fix formatting

a1aa8c4

github-actions bot added d: examples Sample code and demos a: desktop Running on desktop labels Aug 27, 2025

jmagman requested changes Aug 27, 2025

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improve deprecation logic

8dca82c

okorohelijah force-pushed the fix_169683 branch from 233bb3d to 8dca82c Compare August 28, 2025 17:21

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okorohelijah added 4 commits September 12, 2025 08:33

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master' into fix_169683

c571330

remove ios-objc template

552f2a6

fix logic

77fb047

remove ios-obj templ for plugins

a74467c

jmagman reviewed Sep 12, 2025

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packages/flutter_tools/test/commands.shard/permeable/create_test.dart Show resolved Hide resolved

jmagman reviewed Sep 12, 2025

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fix logic

24af448

okorohelijah requested a review from jmagman September 12, 2025 22:30

jmagman approved these changes Sep 15, 2025

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Merge branch 'master' into fix_169683

682e53f

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auto-merge was automatically disabled September 15, 2025 22:39
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Merged via the queue into flutter:master with commit 1eab8e1 Sep 15, 2025
157 checks passed

okorohelijah deleted the fix_169683 branch September 15, 2025 22:58

engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Sep 16, 2025

1eab8e1d1 Deprecate Objective-C plugin template (flutter/flutter#174003)

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This was referenced Sep 16, 2025

Roll Flutter from 29a238d0d506 to 2cda3fb6cdd7 (17 revisions) flutter/packages#10017

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Roll Flutter from 29a238d0d506 to e8bef9805194 (18 revisions) flutter/packages#10018

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1eab8e1d1 Deprecate Objective-C plugin template (flutter/flutter#174003)

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engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Sep 16, 2025

1eab8e1d1 Deprecate Objective-C plugin template (flutter/flutter#174003)

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Roll Flutter from 29a238d0d506 to 8d0b31d81a02 (19 revisions) flutter/packages#10019

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1eab8e1d1 Deprecate Objective-C plugin template (flutter/flutter#174003)

4746c3b

	} else if (argResults!.wasParsed('ios-language')) {
	if (generateMethodChannelsPlugin) {
	globals.printWarning(
	'The "ios-language" option is deprecated and will be removed in a future Flutter release.',
	);
	if (stringArg('ios-language') == 'objc') {
	globals.printWarning(
	'Please comment in https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/169683 describing your use-case for using Objective-C instead of Swift.',
	);
	}
	} else {
	throwToolExit(
	'The "ios-language" option is only supported for "--template=plugin".',
	exitCode: 2,
	);
	}

Deprecate Objective-C plugin template #174003

Deprecate Objective-C plugin template #174003

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okorohelijah commented Aug 19, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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