zpl_kit 0.0.4

A declarative layout engine for generating Zebra Programming Language (ZPL) strings with Flexbox-like components.

0.0.4 - 2026-04-07

Major Architectural Upgrade

• 3-Pass Layout Engine: Refactored the internal engine to separate size calculation, coordinate assignment, and rendering.
  • Pass 1: performLayout (Bottom-Up sizing)
  • Pass 2: finalizeLayout (Top-Down absolute positioning)
  • Pass 3: compile or paint (Rendering)
• Native Preview Support: Added ZplPreview widget for instant, offline visual label preview without Labelary API.
• Offline Barcode Rendering: Integrated barcode package for high-fidelity 1D barcode previews on the Flutter canvas.

Components & Core

• ZplPreview: New widget for rendering ZPL layouts directly to a Flutter canvas.
• Improved Performance: Separating coordinate calculation from ZPL generation speeds up complex label builds.
• Refined Layouts: ZplColumn and ZplRow now handle coordinate propagation more robustly.

0.0.3 - 2026-04-01

• New Layout Components: Added ZplCenter, ZplExpanded, ZplSpacer, and ZplDivider for advanced alignment and spacing control.
• Flex Layout Improvements: ZplRow and ZplColumn now support weighted distribution using ZplExpanded and improved constraint propagation.
• Rich Text Features: ZplText now supports multi-line wrapping with maxLines and text alignment (Left, Center, Right, Justified) via the ZPL Field Block (^FB) command.
• Validation Suite: Introduced automated internal tests for validating layout primitives and complex shipping label designs.
• Documentation Overhaul: Major README updates with deep-dive examples, before/after code blocks, and feature highlights.

0.0.2

• Advanced Layout: Added ZplStack for overlapping elements and ZplGraphicBox for lines and boxes.
• Label Dimensions: Introduced ZplLabelSize with pre-defined standards like Shipping (4x6).
• Improved API: Added ZplFont.helvetica() helper for simpler scalable font management.
• Printing Support: Added ZebraPrinterService in the example app for direct socket-based network printing.
• Example Enhancements: Updated the example app with a full professional shipping label layout and printer settings.

0.0.1+1

• Added comprehensive DartDoc documentation for core API elements.
• Fixed class names in the README example.
• Improved library-level documentation for pub.dev scoring.

0.0.1

• Initial Release: Core declarative layout engine for Zebra Programming Language (ZPL).
• Layout Components: Added ZplColumn, ZplRow, and ZplPadding for coordinate-free design.
• Basic Widgets: Implemented ZplText and ZplBarcode (supporting Code 128 and other common types).
• Compiler: Integrated ZplBuilder to transform the component tree into raw ZPL strings.
• Example Project: Added a full Flutter example app for interactive testing and demonstration.