TruthIn Scanner

A Flutter package for barcode scanning with TruthIn product database integration. Scan barcodes and get instant access to detailed product information including nutritional facts, ingredients, ratings, and health insights.

Platform Support

This package currently supports Android and iOS platforms only.

Platform	Support
Android	✅
iOS	✅
Web	❌
Desktop	❌

Features

• Fast Barcode Scanning: Real-time barcode detection with camera preview
• Multiple Format Support: Supports EAN13, UPC-A, EAN8, UPC-E, ITF, Code39, and Code128
• Product Information: Detailed product data including:
  • Product name, brand, and images
  • TruthIn health ratings
  • Nutritional facts and serving sizes
  • Ingredient lists and additives
  • Allergen information
  • Health tags and dietary information
• Integrated API: Built-in API client for TruthIn product database
• Customizable: Support for custom base URLs and configuration
• Easy Integration: Simple API key initialization

Upcoming Features

We're actively working on enhancing the package with the following features:

• UI Customization: Full customization support for fonts, colors, and other UI-related configurations
• Dark Mode Support: Native dark mode theme support for better user experience
• Reduced Package Footprint: Optimizations to decrease the overall package size and improve performance
• Performance Optimizations: Enhanced scanning speed and reduced memory consumption
• Dependency Override Protocols: Ability to use app-level dependencies for API calls, giving you more control over HTTP clients and networking libraries

Stay tuned for these updates in future releases!

Installation

Add truthinscanner to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  truthinscanner: ^0.0.2-dev6

Then run:

flutter pub get

Requirements

Platforms: Android and iOS only (Web and Desktop are not supported)

• Flutter SDK: >=3.22.0
• Dart SDK: >=3.4.0
• iOS: 11.0 or higher
• Android: API level 21 (Android 5.0) or higher

Platform-Specific Setup

iOS

Add camera permissions to your ios/Runner/Info.plist:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app needs camera access to scan barcodes</string>

Android

Add camera permissions to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera"/>

Usage

1. Initialize the Package

Initialize TruthInScanner with your API key in main.dart before running your app:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:truthinscanner/truthinscanner.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  // Initialize TruthInScanner with your API key
  TruthInScanner.initialize(
    apiKey: 'your-api-key-here',
    // baseUrl: 'https://custom-api-url.com/', // Optional: custom base URL
  );

  runApp(MyApp());
}

2. Use the Barcode Scanner

Add the BarcodeScannerView widget to your app:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:truthinscanner/truthinscanner.dart';

class ScannerPage extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('Scan Product'),
      ),
      body: BarcodeScannerView(),
    );
  }
}

3. Navigate to Scanner

ElevatedButton(
  onPressed: () {
    Navigator.push(
      context,
      MaterialPageRoute(
        builder: (context) => BarcodeScannerView(),
      ),
    );
  },
  child: Text('Scan Barcode'),
)

Complete Example

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:truthinscanner/truthinscanner.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  // Initialize TruthInScanner
  TruthInScanner.initialize(
    apiKey: 'your-api-key-here',
  );

  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'TruthIn Scanner Demo',
      theme: ThemeData(
        primarySwatch: Colors.blue,
        useMaterial3: true,
      ),
      home: HomePage(),
    );
  }
}

class HomePage extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('TruthIn Scanner'),
        centerTitle: true,
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: Column(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
          children: [
            Icon(
              Icons.qr_code_scanner,
              size: 100,
              color: Colors.blue,
            ),
            SizedBox(height: 40),
            Text(
              'Scan Product Barcodes',
              style: TextStyle(
                fontSize: 24,
                fontWeight: FontWeight.bold,
              ),
            ),
            SizedBox(height: 60),
            ElevatedButton.icon(
              onPressed: () {
                Navigator.push(
                  context,
                  MaterialPageRoute(
                    builder: (context) => BarcodeScannerView(),
                  ),
                );
              },
              icon: Icon(Icons.qr_code_scanner),
              label: Text('Start Scanning'),
              style: ElevatedButton.styleFrom(
                padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(
                  horizontal: 32,
                  vertical: 16,
                ),
              ),
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

API Reference

TruthInScanner

Main initialization class for the package.

Methods

initialize({required String apiKey, String? baseUrl})

Initialize the scanner with your API key. Must be called before using any scanner functionality.

Parameters:

• apiKey (String, required): Your TruthIn API key
• baseUrl (String, optional): Custom base URL for API calls

TruthInScanner.initialize(
  apiKey: 'your-api-key',
  baseUrl: 'https://custom-url.com/', // Optional
);

apiKey (getter)

Get the configured API key. Throws an exception if not initialized.

isInitialized (getter)

Check if TruthInScanner has been initialized.

if (TruthInScanner.instance.isInitialized) {
  // Scanner is ready
}

BarcodeScannerView

The main barcode scanner widget with camera preview.

class BarcodeScannerView extends StatefulWidget

Features:

• Real-time barcode detection
• Camera preview with detection visualization
• Automatic product lookup
• Bottom sheet with product details
• Support for multiple barcode formats

ProductsApi (Advanced)

Direct access to the TruthIn API for advanced use cases.

import 'package:truthinscanner/truthinscanner.dart';

// Get product details
final api = ProductsApi();
final productDetails = await api.getProductDetail(
  barcode: '1234567890123',
);

Supported Barcode Formats

• EAN13 - European Article Number (13 digits)
• UPC-A - Universal Product Code (12 digits)
• EAN8 - European Article Number (8 digits)
• UPC-E - Compressed UPC code
• ITF - Interleaved 2 of 5
• Code39 - Standard barcode format
• Code128 - High-density barcode format

Configuration

Custom API Base URL

To use a custom API endpoint:

TruthInScanner.initialize(
  apiKey: 'your-api-key',
  baseUrl: 'https://your-custom-api.com/',
);

Environment Variables

You can also configure the base URL using environment variables:

flutter run --dart-define=API_URL=https://your-custom-api.com/

Error Handling

The package handles various error scenarios:

• Product Not Found: Displays a not found screen with options to upload product images
• Product Under Review: Shows a review pending message
• Network Errors: Handled gracefully with user feedback
• Camera Permissions: Prompts user to grant camera access

Troubleshooting

Camera Not Working

iOS: Ensure camera permissions are added to Info.plist Android: Verify camera permissions in AndroidManifest.xml and request runtime permissions

API Key Issues

If you see "TruthInScanner not initialized" error:

• Ensure TruthInScanner.initialize() is called in main() before runApp()
• Verify your API key is correct

Build Errors

Run these commands to resolve dependency issues:

flutter clean
flutter pub get

Dependencies

This package uses:

• camera - Camera functionality
• google_mlkit_barcode_scanning - ML Kit barcode scanning
• dio - HTTP client for API calls
• flutter_svg - SVG rendering
• shimmer - Loading animations
• auto_size_text - Responsive text
• visibility_detector - Widget visibility detection
• permission_handler - Runtime permissions handling

Example App

Check the example/ directory for a complete working example:

cd example
flutter run

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, please file an issue on the GitHub repository.

API Key

To get your TruthIn API key, contact TruthIn support or visit the TruthIn developer portal.

---

Made with ❤️ by the TruthIn team