Changing the Color of CircularProgressIndicator in Flutter

Changing the Color of CircularProgressIndicator in Flutter

19 December 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Tech-Help

The CircularProgressIndicator in Flutter is a widget that displays a circular loading progress indicator, often used to indicate that the app is busy. By default, it uses the accent color defined in the app’s theme. However, there may be times when you want to customize the color of the progress indicator to better fit the aesthetic of your application.

Simple Method to Change Color

The most straightforward way to change the color of a CircularProgressIndicator is by using the valueColor property. This property accepts an Animation, but if you want to avoid the complexity of animations, you can use AlwaysStoppedAnimation to set a static color.

CircularProgressIndicator(
  valueColor: AlwaysStoppedAnimation(Colors.white)
)

Using Theme to Set Global Colors

If you prefer a more global approach, you can define the color in the app’s theme. This can be achieved by setting the accentColor in the ThemeData of your MaterialApp. This method ensures that the color is consistently applied to all CircularProgressIndicator instances across your app.

MaterialApp(
  title: 'My App',
  home: MainPage(),
  theme: ThemeData(accentColor: Colors.blue),
)

Advanced Customization with Theme Widget

For more specific use cases, you might want to customize the color of a CircularProgressIndicator within a particular widget tree. This can be accomplished by wrapping the indicator with a Theme widget and specifying the desired color using ColorScheme.

Theme(
  data: Theme.of(context).copyWith(
    colorScheme: ColorScheme(
      primary: Colors.red,
      // Other properties if needed
    )
  ),
  child: CircularProgressIndicator(),
)

Utilizing ProgressIndicatorTheme

For applications using the latest versions of Flutter, you can also leverage the progressIndicatorTheme property in ThemeData to define a theme specifically for progress indicators.

ThemeData(
  progressIndicatorTheme: ProgressIndicatorThemeData(color: Colors.white),
)

Conclusion

Changing the color of a CircularProgressIndicator can be done easily with the methods described above, allowing you to enhance the visual consistency of your Flutter application. Whether you choose to apply a global theme or customize individual widgets, Flutter provides flexible options to suit your needs.

As you continue to refine your app’s user interface, consider leveraging tools like Repeato to ensure your changes do not inadvertently introduce bugs. Repeato offers a no-code test automation solution specifically for Flutter mobile apps, allowing you to create, run, and maintain automated tests with ease. This can be particularly beneficial when implementing UI changes, ensuring that your app functions smoothly across all devices.

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