Flutter/Dart Static variables lost / keep getting reinitialized

I toyed around for an hour and realise what appears to be the reason. Apparently when I do:

import 'package:flutter_test_app/main.dart';

It is different from

import 'main.dart';

Even if both source files belong to the same package.

So in the end my test code looks like:

main.dart:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'pageA.dart';
import 'pageB.dart';
import 'pageH.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(new MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {

  static bool testFlag = false;
  // This widget is the root of your application.
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {

    testFlag = true;
    ThemeData mainTheme = new ThemeData(
      primarySwatch: Colors.cyan,
    );
    print("testFlag @ MyApp: " + testFlag.toString());
    MaterialApp mainApp = new MaterialApp(
      title: 'Instabazaar',
      theme: mainTheme,
      home: new HomePage(title: 'Instabazaar'),
    );

    return mainApp;
  }
}

class HomePage extends StatefulWidget {

  final String title;
  HomePage({Key key, this.title}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  _HomePageState createState() {

    return new _HomePageState();
  }
}

class _HomePageState extends State<HomePage> {
  int _currentPageID = 0; // 0=home, 1=pageA, 2=pageB



  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {

    print("testFlag @ HomePage: " + MyApp.testFlag.toString());


    AppBar appBar = new AppBar(
        title: new Text("TestApp"),
        centerTitle: true,
    );

    BottomNavigationBar bottomNavigationBar = new BottomNavigationBar(
        type: BottomNavigationBarType.shifting,
        items: <BottomNavigationBarItem>[
          new BottomNavigationBarItem(icon: new Icon(Icons.home), title: new Text('Home'), backgroundColor: Theme.of(context).accentColor),
          new BottomNavigationBarItem(icon: new Icon(Icons.explore), title: new Text('PageA'), backgroundColor: Colors.purple),
          new BottomNavigationBarItem(icon: new Icon(Icons.star), title: new Text('PageB'), backgroundColor: Colors.redAccent),
        ],
        onTap: (i) => setState( () => _currentPageID = i ),
        currentIndex: _currentPageID
    );


    Scaffold mainScaffold = new Scaffold(
      appBar: appBar,
      body: _getNewSubPage(),
      bottomNavigationBar: bottomNavigationBar,
    );
    return mainScaffold;
  }


  //MARK: navigation


  Widget _getNewSubPage(){
    switch (_currentPageID)
    {
      case 1:
        return new pageA();
      case 2:
        return new pageB();
      default:
        return new pageH();
    }
  }


}

pageA.dart / pageB.dart:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter_test_app/main.dart';

class pageA extends StatefulWidget{
  pageAState createState() => new pageAState();
}


class pageAState extends State<pageA> {

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    print("testFlag @ pageA: " + MyApp.testFlag.toString());
    return new Container();
  }
}

pageH.dart:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'main.dart';

class pageH extends StatefulWidget{
  pageHState createState() => new pageHState();
}


class pageHState extends State<pageH> {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    print("testFlag @ pageH: " + MyApp.testFlag.toString());
    return new Container();
  }
}

The only difference is the import statement. However, for pageA/pageB, the print statement would give “false”. As for pageH, the print statement would give “true”. I have switched around the import statements and it checks out. I am not familiar with how dart actually interprets the code, so I am not sure if it is a dart thing, a setup thing or a flutter thing. I will continue investigating but for now my problem is solved.

Thanks for everyone’s help.