use-dart-helper-utils

Use dart_helper_utils correctly

dart_helper_utils (DHU) is a batteries-included utility package. One import exposes three layers, and agents reliably misattribute or misname members across them - use the exact names below instead of memory.

The one-import model

import 'package:dart_helper_utils/dart_helper_utils.dart'; gives you:

1. DHU's own extensions and helpers (this skill).
2. ALL of package:collection (firstOrNull, groupBy, mapIndexed, DeepCollectionEquality, ...) - re-exported wholesale.
3. ALL of package:convert_object (Convert.toX, map getInt/tryGetString getters, convertToList, .convert fluent chains, toJsonString, ...).
4. ONLY five intl symbols: Bidi, BidiFormatter, DateFormat, Intl, NumberFormat. Anything else from intl needs a direct package:intl import.

Consequences:

• Do NOT add collection or convert_object imports next to a DHU import; the DHU import already provides them and duplicate imports invite ambiguous-extension errors with pre-6 DHU code.
• Conversion questions (getInt, fromJson factories, ConvertConfig, enum parsing) belong to convert_object. If the convert-object plugin is installed, its parse-with-convert-object skill is the deeper source.

Step 0: Inspect the project first

1. Resolved version: grep -A2 'dart_helper_utils' pubspec.lock. This skill documents 6.x. For 5.x-or-older projects, use the migrate-dart-helper-utils-v5-to-v6 skill before writing new code.
2. Match existing style: grep -rn "dart_helper_utils" lib/ | head to see how the project already uses it; do not mix idioms in one file.

Exact names agents get wrong (verified against source)

Task	WRONG guesses	Actual API
Dot-path read/write	getNested/setNested	map.getPath('db.host'), map.setPath('db.port', 5432) (String-keyed maps; items[0].id bracket indices supported)
Nested to flat and back	unflatMap	map.flatMap({delimiter, excludeArrays}) and map.unflatten({delimiter, parseIndices})
Raw multi-key lookup	altKeys:	map.tryGetRaw('id', alternativeKeys: ['userId', 'uid']) (first NON-null wins; from convert_object 1.1+)
Fixed-size chunks	chunked(2)	iterable.chunks(2)
Sliding windows	-	windowed(3, step: 1, partials: false)
Split by predicate	-	partition(pred) returns a (List<E>, List<E>) record (matching, rest)
Parse "1h 30m"	toDuration()	'1h 30m'.parseDuration() - ONLY clock (HH:mm:ss, mm:ss) and token (2d 3h 4m 5s) formats; no ISO-8601, no bare numbers; throws FormatException
HTTP date header	httpFormat (v5)	dateTime.httpDateFormat (getter, RFC-1123)
Retry delay for status	suggestedRetryDelay	statusCode.statusCodeRetryDelay (408 5s, 429 1m, 503 5m, 504 10s; zero for non-retryable)
UUID check	isValidUuid	'...'.isUuid (getter)

Casing, slugify, masking (all on String)

• Casing members are GETTERS, not methods: toCamelCase, toPascalCase, toSnakeCase, toKebabCase, toTitleCase, toScreamingSnakeCase, toDotCase, toWords, capitalizeFirstLetter, and more.
• slugify() is a method (separator param). ASCII-only: non-ASCII letters are DROPPED, not transliterated - do not use it for i18n slugs.
• maskEmail (getter) keeps the first two chars of the local part ('[email protected]' becomes 'jo****@gmail.com'); returns the original string unchanged when it is not a valid email.
• truncate(10) appends the '...' suffix ON TOP of the length (result is up to length + suffix.length chars) and only when the string is longer than length.
• MIME checks are filename/extension based getters on String?: isImage, isVideo, isPDF, isJSON, ... They do not read file contents unless you pass headerBytes to mimeType().

Map and collection semantics worth knowing

• deepMerge(other): recursive for nested String-keyed maps; other wins on conflicts; returns a NEW map.
• setIfMissing checks key PRESENCE - it will not overwrite an existing key even when its value is null.
• distinctBy(keySelector): pass equals and hashCode TOGETHER or neither; supplying only one throws ArgumentError.
• getRandom() throws StateError on an empty iterable; use tryGetRandom() on nullable iterables.
• Stats (mean, median, percentile, standardDeviation) exist on Iterable<num> directly; percentile(90) takes the 0-100 range (v6 change from 0-1).

Dates and durations

• date.isBetween(start, end) is start-INclusive, end-EXclusive by default.
• daysInMonth returns a full CALENDAR GRID (padded to whole Mon-Sun weeks), not just the month's days - use lastDayOfMonth.day for the day count.
• addBusinessDays(n) skips weekends (negative n supported).
• firstDayOfWeek()/lastDayOfWeek() are methods with a startOfWeek: DateTime.monday default.
• Duration: toClockString() gives HH:mm:ss; toHumanShort() gives 1h 3m 4s; 2.secondsDelay() and duration.delayed() schedule futures.

Intl wrappers

• 1234567.89.formatAsReadableNumber(trimTrailingZeros: true), formatAsCurrency, formatAsCompact, formatAsPercentage on num.
• dateTime.format('yMMMd') plus ~30 formatAsX shortcuts (formatAsyMMMMd, formatAsEEEE, ...).
• 'string'.dateFormat([locale]) returns a DateFormat for that string.
• count.pluralize(other: 'items', one: 'item') and 'name'.genderSelect(...) wrap Intl.

Verification

After edits: dart analyze the touched paths and run the project's tests. When you used a member from the table above, confirm it resolves (analyzer errors on undefined members mean a wrong name or a pre-6 DHU version).

Failure handling

• Undefined-member analyzer errors on names from this skill: check the resolved package version first (pubspec.lock); 5.x has different names (see the migrate-dart-helper-utils-v5-to-v6 skill).
• Ambiguous-extension errors: the file probably imports collection, convert_object, or an old DHU alongside the DHU import - keep exactly one provider per file.
• Anything about debouncing, throttling, streams, or bounded-concurrency futures: use the async-with-dart-helper-utils skill; those APIs have lifecycle rules this skill does not cover.

Full API tables

For the complete per-domain member lists (strings, casing, MIME, maps, iterables, numbers/HTTP/stats, dates, durations, URI, intl, bool, globals, constants), read references/api-quick-reference.md.

When NOT to use this package

• One trivial helper in a project that does not already depend on DHU: prefer plain Dart or the focused package (collection, intl) instead of adding a broad dependency.
• Type conversion only: depend on convert_object directly; DHU re-exports it but pulls in more.