Master Text to Speech in Flutter

Master Text to Speech in Flutter

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is Flutter TTS?
3. Installing Flutter TTS
4. Configuration for iOS
5. Configuration for Android
6. Importing the Flutter TTS Package
7. Creating a Flutter TTS instance
8. Adding a button for text-to-speech
9. Implementing the speak method
10. Changing the language and pitch
11. Adding a text input field for speech synthesis
12. Conclusion

Introduction

In this article, we will explore a powerful dependency called Flutter TTS (Text-to-Speech). Flutter TTS allows us to integrate text-to-speech functionality into our Flutter applications, opening up a world of possibilities for accessibility and user interaction. We will discuss how to install and configure Flutter TTS for both iOS and Android, as well as demonstrate how to implement the various features and options provided by the package. Let's dive in!

What is Flutter TTS?

Flutter TTS is a dependency that allows developers to add text-to-speech functionality to their Flutter applications. With Flutter TTS, You can convert text strings into spoken words, providing a more engaging and accessible experience for your users. This dependency supports multiple languages and offers various customization options such as adjusting the speech rate, pitch, and volume.

Installing Flutter TTS

To get started with Flutter TTS, we need to add the dependency to our project. Open your project's pubspec.yaml file and add the following line under the dependencies section:

flutter_tts: <version_number>

Replace <version_number> with the latest version of the Flutter TTS package. Save the file and run flutter pub get in your terminal or IDE to download and sync the dependency.

Configuration for iOS

When using plugins that utilize Swift code in a Flutter Project created with the Objective-C template, there may be some known issues. If you encounter issues integrating Flutter TTS in an iOS project, refer to the official documentation for any potential solutions or workarounds.

Configuration for Android

For Android, we need to make a small configuration change in the app/build.gradle file. Open the file and locate the minSdkVersion property. Change the value from the default 19 to 21, which is the minimum SDK version required for Flutter TTS. Save the file and sync your project to Apply the changes.

Importing the Flutter TTS package

To use the Flutter TTS package in our Flutter application, we need to import it in our desired Dart file. At the top of the file, add the following line:

import 'package:flutter_tts/flutter_tts.dart';

This will allow us to access the classes, methods, and options provided by the Flutter TTS package.

Creating a Flutter TTS instance

To initialize Flutter TTS, we need to Create an instance of the FlutterTts class. In our Dart file, create an instance of FlutterTts by adding the following line:

final flutterTts = FlutterTts();

We can now use this instance to Interact with the Flutter TTS functionality throughout our application.

Adding a button for text-to-speech

Let's begin by adding a button to trigger the text-to-speech functionality. We can use the RaisedButton widget for this purpose. Add the following code snippet inside the build method of your widget:

RaisedButton(
  onPressed: () {
    // Implement text-to-speech functionality here
  },
  child: Text('Press this button to say hello'),
)

Replace the comment with the necessary code to trigger the text-to-speech functionality.

Implementing the speak method

The text-to-speech functionality can be implemented by utilizing the speak method provided by the FlutterTts class. Inside the onPressed callback of your button, add the following code:

void speak() async {
  await flutterTts.speak('Hello');
}

This code will speak the word 'Hello' when the button is pressed. You can replace 'Hello' with any text STRING of your choice.

Changing the language and pitch

To change the language of the speech synthesis, we can utilize the setLanguage method provided by FlutterTts. Before calling the speak method, add the following code to set the language:

await flutterTts.setLanguage('en-US');

Replace 'en-US' with the desired language code of your choice. You can find a list of supported language codes by calling flutterTts.getLanguages().

To adjust the pitch of the speech, we can use the setPitch method. Insert the following line before calling speak:

await flutterTts.setPitch(1.0);

The pitch value can range from 0.5 to 1.5, with 1.0 being the default pitch level. Experiment with different pitch values to achieve the desired voice effect.

Continue reading the article to learn how to add a text input field for speech synthesis and other advanced features of Flutter TTS.

Adding a text input field for speech synthesis

To allow the user to input text for speech synthesis, we can add a TextField widget to our interface. Add the following code snippet inside the build method of your widget:

TextField(
  controller: TextEditingController(),
  onChanged: (text) {
    // Update the text input
  },
),

Replace the comment with the necessary code to handle the text input.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the capabilities of Flutter TTS (Text-to-Speech), a powerful dependency that allows us to integrate text-to-speech functionality into our Flutter applications. We discussed how to install and configure Flutter TTS for both iOS and Android, as well as demonstrated how to implement the various features and options provided by the package. With Flutter TTS, we can create more accessible and engaging user experiences by converting text strings into spoken words. Experiment with the different customization options and expand the functionality of your Flutter applications.