> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/juuaaann456/DMI-Practica06/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment Configuration

> Set up API keys and sensitive configuration using a .env file loaded at startup by flutter_dotenv.

Cinemapedia reads sensitive configuration values — such as the TheMovieDB API key — from a `.env` file at runtime. The file is loaded before the app starts using the `flutter_dotenv` package.

## Prerequisites

Make sure `flutter_dotenv` is listed in your `pubspec.yaml` dependencies and that the `.env` file is declared as a Flutter asset:

```yaml pubspec.yaml theme={null}
dependencies:
  flutter_dotenv: ^6.0.0

flutter:
  assets:
    - .env
```

## Creating the .env file

Create a `.env` file in the **root of the project** (next to `pubspec.yaml`) with the following content:

```env .env theme={null}
THE_MOVIEDB_KEY=your_api_key_here
```

Replace `your_api_key_here` with a valid API key from [TheMovieDB](https://www.themoviedb.org/settings/api).

<Warning>
  Never commit the `.env` file to version control. It contains secret API keys that should not be exposed in a public repository. Add `.env` to your `.gitignore` file immediately.

  ```bash .gitignore theme={null}
  .env
  ```
</Warning>

## How the .env file is loaded

`main()` is declared `async` and calls `dotenv.load()` before `runApp`, guaranteeing that environment variables are available as soon as any widget or service requests them.

```dart lib/main.dart theme={null}
Future<void> main() async {
  // Loads all variables from the .env file into dotenv.env
  await dotenv.load(fileName: '.env');

  runApp(const ProviderScope(child: MainApp()));
}
```

## The Environment class

All environment variable access is centralised in a single class so the rest of the app never imports `flutter_dotenv` directly.

```dart lib/config/constants/environment.dart theme={null}
import 'package:flutter_dotenv/flutter_dotenv.dart';

class Environment {
  static String theMovieDbKey =
      dotenv.env['THE_MOVIEDB_KEY'] ?? 'No hay api key';
}
```

If `THE_MOVIEDB_KEY` is missing from the `.env` file, the field falls back to the string `'No hay api key'`. API calls will fail in this state, so always verify the key is present before running the app.

## Environment variables reference

<ParamField path="THE_MOVIEDB_KEY" type="string" required>
  API key for [TheMovieDB](https://www.themoviedb.org/). Used to authenticate every HTTP request made to the TMDB REST API. Obtain a free key by creating an account and requesting API access in your account settings.
</ParamField>

## Using the value in your code

Import the `Environment` class wherever you need the key:

```dart theme={null}
import 'package:cinemapedia_220083/config/constants/environment.dart';

final apiKey = Environment.theMovieDbKey;
```

<Note>
  Because `theMovieDbKey` is a `static` field it is read once when the class is first loaded. `dotenv.load()` must complete before any code accesses `Environment.theMovieDbKey`, which is why it is awaited in `main()`.
</Note>