Resolving the “Vertical Viewport Was Given Unbounded Height” Error in Flutter

Resolving the "Vertical Viewport Was Given Unbounded Height" Error in Flutter

19 December 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Tech-Help

Encountering the “Vertical viewport was given unbounded height” error in Flutter can be a common frustration for developers. This issue typically arises when a scrollable widget is nested inside another scrollable widget, leading to unbounded constraints. In this guide, we’ll explore practical solutions to address this issue effectively.

Understanding the Error

The error occurs because a scroll view, such as a ListView or GridView, is placed inside a Column without constraints, leading to an infinite vertical expansion. This can result in rendering issues and application crashes.

Effective Solutions

Below are some of the most effective solutions to resolve this error:

1. Use shrinkWrap in ListView

One of the simplest solutions is to set the shrinkWrap property to true in your ListView. This makes the ListView wrap its content, thus taking up only as much space as needed.

ListView.builder(
    scrollDirection: Axis.vertical,
    shrinkWrap: true,
    // Other properties
)

While this solution is easy to implement, it might not always be the most efficient due to potential performance drawbacks in larger lists.

2. Wrap in Expanded or Flexible

For a more performance-oriented solution, wrap your ListView or GridView inside an Expanded or Flexible widget. This ensures that the scrollable widget takes up the remaining space within a Column.

Column(
  children: <Widget>[
    Expanded(
      child: ListView(
        // ListView properties
      ),
    ),
  ],
)

3. Set a Bounded Height Using SizedBox

If you prefer more control over the layout, you can wrap the ListView in a SizedBox with a fixed height.

Column(
  children: <Widget>[
    SizedBox(
      height: 400, // Set a fixed height
      child: ListView(
        // ListView properties
      ),
    ),
  ],
)

4. Add physics for Scrolling

To ensure smooth scrolling, especially when using shrinkWrap, add the physics property.

ListView.builder(
    scrollDirection: Axis.vertical,
    shrinkWrap: true,
    physics: ScrollPhysics(),
    // Other properties
)

Conclusion

By applying these strategies, you can effectively resolve the “Vertical viewport was given unbounded height” error and enhance the performance and stability of your Flutter applications.

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