Preventing Flutter Widgets from Resizing When the Keyboard Appears

Preventing Flutter Widgets from Resizing When the Keyboard Appears

19 December 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Tech-Help

In Flutter development, a common issue arises when the on-screen keyboard appears, causing the widgets to resize. This can disrupt the user interface, particularly when using Expanded widgets within a Column. This guide provides a practical solution to maintain the layout integrity when the keyboard is triggered.

Understanding the Problem

When working with a Column containing Expanded widgets, the appearance of the keyboard changes the available screen space, leading to unintended resizing of widgets. This can be particularly problematic in applications where consistent layout is crucial, such as data entry forms.

Solution Overview

The recommended approach is to utilize the resizeToAvoidBottomInset property within the Scaffold. Setting this property to false prevents the widgets from resizing when the keyboard appears.

Implementation Steps

  • Modify the Scaffold: Set the resizeToAvoidBottomInset property to false in your Scaffold widget.
    Scaffold(
      resizeToAvoidBottomInset: false,
      body: YourWidgets(),
    )
  • Use a SingleChildScrollView: Wrap your Column with a SingleChildScrollView to ensure the content is scrollable when the keyboard appears without affecting the overall layout.
    Widget build(BuildContext context) {
      return Scaffold(
        body: SingleChildScrollView(
          child: ConstrainedBox(
            constraints: BoxConstraints(
              minWidth: MediaQuery.of(context).size.width,
              minHeight: MediaQuery.of(context).size.height,
            ),
            child: IntrinsicHeight(
              child: Column(
                children: [
                  // Your content here
                ],
              ),
            ),
          ),
        ),
      );
    }

Additional Considerations

While the above solution addresses the resizing issue, ensure that the widgets do not get obscured by the keyboard. The SingleChildScrollView helps in maintaining visibility by enabling automatic scrolling.

Enhancing Testing with Repeato

As you implement these solutions, testing becomes crucial to ensure that your application behaves as expected across different scenarios. This is where Repeato can be beneficial. Repeato, a no-code test automation tool, allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests for your Flutter apps. Its features, such as fast editing and running of tests through computer vision and AI, make it an ideal choice for ensuring your application’s robustness against UI changes, like those caused by keyboard appearances.

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