Returning a new Dart 3 type Record from the useState hook

[jezsung]

The useState hook returns a ValueNotifier which is a wrapper class for the value.

final counter = useState(0);

// Reading
counter.value

// Updating
counter.value++

A ValueNotifier adds an extra layer to access the actual value. This was inevitable due to the lack of destructuring features of Dart.

Dart 3 has introduced the Pattern which allows us to destructure a list, map, or class with the new syntax. Dart 3 also comes with a new type Record which allows returning multiple values from a function without a wrapper class.

I propose to change the return value to a Record so that we can write code like the below:

final (count, setCount) = useState<int>(0);

// Reading
count;

// Updating
setCount((previousValue) =>  previousValue + 1);

The advantages of this new syntax are:

• Separated ways of reading and updating the value
• Succient one-line declaration
• More React-like

This would attract more developers who have a React background. I'd like to discuss if this breaking change is worth it.