Overview
open_file_plus is a Flutter plugin that enables opening files using native system applications across multiple platforms. It supports iOS (via UTI), Android (via Intent), desktop (via FFI), and web (via dart:html). The package returns a string result indicating success or failure, making it easy to handle file opening operations in a cross-platform way. It simplifies integration with native file handling systems without requiring platform-specific code.
Use cases
- Opening PDFs, images, and documents from within a Flutter app
- Launching external apps to view or edit files
- Integrating file previews in mobile and desktop apps
- Supporting file sharing workflows
- Enabling seamless document access on web and native platforms
Key features
- Cross-platform file opening (Android, iOS, PC, Web)
- Native app integration via platform-specific APIs
- String-based result feedback for operation status
- Simple API with minimal setup
- Support for UTI on iOS and Intents on Android
Suitable for
- Developers building file viewer apps
- Apps needing to open external documents
- Projects requiring platform-agnostic file handling
- Mobile and desktop apps with file interaction
- Web apps that need to trigger native file actions
Considerations
- Requires proper file path or URI input
- Platform-specific permissions may be needed
- Web support depends on browser capabilities
- Not all file types may be supported by default
- Result handling should be implemented for error cases