Building an animated responsive app layout with Material 3

1. Introduction

Material 3 is the latest version of Google's open-source design system. Flutter has been expanding support for building beautiful applications using Material 3. In this codelab you start with an empty Flutter application and build out a fully styled and animated application using Material 3 with Flutter.

What you'll build

In this codelab, you're going to build a mock messaging application. Your app will:

  • Use adaptive design, so it works on desktop or mobile.
  • Use animation to easily and fluidly switch between different layouts.
  • Use Material 3 for expressive styling.
  • Run on Android, iOS, the web, Windows, Linux, and macOS.

4111f0eb4aba816f.png

This codelab is focused on Material 3 with Flutter. Non-relevant concepts and code blocks are glossed over and are provided for you to simply copy and paste.

2. Set up your Flutter environment

What you'll need

This codelab has been tested to deploy on Android, iOS, the web, Windows, Linux, and macOS. Some of these deployment targets require additional software installed to be able to deploy to. A good way of getting an understanding of whether your platform is correctly set up is to run flutter doctor.

$ flutter doctor
Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v):
[✓] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.10.1, on macOS 13.4 22F5037d darwin-arm64, locale en)
[✓] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK version 33.0.0)
[✓] Xcode - develop for iOS and macOS (Xcode 14.3)
[✓] Chrome - develop for the web
[✓] Android Studio (version 2021.2)
[✓] IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition (version 2022.2.2)
[✓] VS Code (version 1.78.2)
[✓] Connected device (2 available)
[✓] Network resources

• No issues found!

If there are issues listed in the output that impact your chosen deployment target, run flutter doctor -v to get more detailed information. If you can't resolve the issue after trying the steps listed by flutter doctor -v, consider reaching out to the Flutter community.

3. Getting started

Creating an empty Flutter application

Most Flutter developers create a basic, "counting button taps" app with flutter create, and then spend a couple of minutes removing what they don't need. As of Flutter 3.7 you can create an empty Flutter project (using the --empty param), with just the bare essentials to get an app up and running.

$ flutter create animated_responsive_layout --empty
Creating project animated_responsive_layout...
Running "flutter pub get" in animated_responsive_layout...
Resolving dependencies in animated_responsive_layout... (1.4s)
+ async 2.10.0
+ boolean_selector 2.1.1
+ characters 1.2.1
+ clock 1.1.1
+ collection 1.17.0
+ fake_async 1.3.1
+ flutter 0.0.0 from sdk flutter
+ flutter_lints 2.0.1
+ flutter_test 0.0.0 from sdk flutter
+ js 0.6.5 (0.6.6 available)
+ lints 2.0.1
+ matcher 0.12.13 (0.12.14 available)
+ material_color_utilities 0.2.0
+ meta 1.8.0
+ path 1.8.2 (1.8.3 available)
+ sky_engine 0.0.99 from sdk flutter
+ source_span 1.9.1
+ stack_trace 1.11.0
+ stream_channel 2.1.1
+ string_scanner 1.2.0
+ term_glyph 1.2.1
+ test_api 0.4.16 (0.4.18 available)
+ vector_math 2.1.4
Changed 23 dependencies in animated_responsive_layout!
Wrote 126 files.

All done!
You can find general documentation for Flutter at: https://docs.flutter.dev/
Detailed API documentation is available at: https://api.flutter.dev/
If you prefer video documentation, consider: https://www.youtube.com/c/flutterdev

In order to run your empty application, type:

  $ cd animated_responsive_layout
  $ flutter run

Your empty application code is in animated_responsive_layout/lib/main.dart.

You can run this code, either through your code editor, or directly from the command line. Depending on which toolchains you have installed, and whether you have simulators or emulators running, you might be asked to decide which deployment target to run the application on. Here, for example, is how you can choose to run the empty application in a web browser by selecting the "Chome" option.

$ cd animated_responsive_layout
$ flutter run
Multiple devices found:
macOS (desktop) • macos  • darwin-arm64   • macOS 13.2 22D5038i darwin-arm64
Chrome (web)    • chrome • web-javascript • Google Chrome 108.0.5359.124
[1]: macOS (macos)
[2]: Chrome (chrome)
Please choose one (To quit, press "q/Q"): 2
Launching lib/main.dart on Chrome in debug mode...
Waiting for connection from debug service on Chrome...             10.0s
This app is linked to the debug service: ws://127.0.0.1:56599/gxM2gOqxliM=/ws
Debug service listening on ws://127.0.0.1:56599/gxM2gOqxliM=/ws

💪 Running with sound null safety 💪

🔥  To hot restart changes while running, press "r" or "R".
For a more detailed help message, press "h". To quit, press "q".

An Observatory debugger and profiler on Chrome is available at: http://127.0.0.1:56599/gxM2gOqxliM=
The Flutter DevTools debugger and profiler on Chrome is available at:
http://127.0.0.1:9100?uri=http://127.0.0.1:56599/gxM2gOqxliM=

In this scenario, you will see the empty app running in a Chrome web browser. You can also choose to run it in Android, iOS, or your desktop operating system.

152efb79ce615edb.png

4. Make a messenger app

Creating Avatars

Every messaging application needs images of its users. These images represent the users , and are referred to as avatars. Next, create an assets directory at the top of the project tree, and fill it with a series of images from the git repository for this codelab. One way to do this is to use the wget command-line tool as follows.

$ mkdir assets
$ cd assets
$ for name in avatar_1 avatar_2 avatar_3 avatar_4 \
              avatar_5 avatar_6 avatar_7 thumbnail_1; \
  do wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/flutter/codelabs/main/animated-responsive-layout/step_04/assets/$name.png ; \
  done

This downloads the following images into your app's assets directory:

avatar_1.png

avatar_2.png

avatar_3.png

avatar_4.png

avatar_5.png

avatar_6.png

avatar_7.png

thumbnail_1.png

Now that you have the avatar image assets, you need to add them to the pubspec.yaml file as follows:

pubspec.yaml

name: animated_responsive_layout
description: A new Flutter project.
publish_to: 'none'
version: 0.1.0

environment:
  sdk: '>=3.0.1 <4.0.0'

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter

dev_dependencies:
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter
  flutter_lints: ^2.0.0

flutter:
  uses-material-design: true

                                        # Add from here...
  assets:
    - assets/avatar_1.png
    - assets/avatar_2.png
    - assets/avatar_3.png
    - assets/avatar_4.png
    - assets/avatar_5.png
    - assets/avatar_6.png
    - assets/avatar_7.png
    - assets/thumbnail_1.png
                                        # ... to here.

The application requires a data source for the messages it displays. In the lib directory of your project, make a models subdirectory. You can do this on the command line with mkdir, or in your text editor of choice. Create a models.dart file in the lib/models directory with the following content:

lib/models/models.dart

class Attachment {
  const Attachment({
    required this.url,
  });

  final String url;
}

class Email {
  const Email({
    required this.sender,
    required this.recipients,
    required this.subject,
    required this.content,
    this.replies = 0,
    this.attachments = const [],
  });

  final User sender;
  final List<User> recipients;
  final String subject;
  final String content;
  final List<Attachment> attachments;
  final double replies;
}

class Name {
  const Name({
    required this.first,
    required this.last,
  });

  final String first;
  final String last;
  String get fullName => '$first $last';
}

class User {
  const User({
    required this.name,
    required this.avatarUrl,
    required this.lastActive,
  });

  final Name name;
  final String avatarUrl;
  final DateTime lastActive;
}

Now that you have a definition for the shape of the data, create a data.dart file in the lib/models directory with the following content:

lib/models/data.dart

import 'models.dart';

final User user_0 = User(
    name: const Name(first: 'Me', last: ''),
    avatarUrl: 'assets/avatar_1.png',
    lastActive: DateTime.now());
final User user_1 = User(
    name: const Name(first: '老', last: '强'),
    avatarUrl: 'assets/avatar_2.png',
    lastActive: DateTime.now().subtract(const Duration(minutes: 10)));
final User user_2 = User(
    name: const Name(first: 'So', last: 'Duri'),
    avatarUrl: 'assets/avatar_3.png',
    lastActive: DateTime.now().subtract(const Duration(minutes: 20)));
final User user_3 = User(
    name: const Name(first: 'Lily', last: 'MacDonald'),
    avatarUrl: 'assets/avatar_4.png',
    lastActive: DateTime.now().subtract(const Duration(hours: 2)));
final User user_4 = User(
    name: const Name(first: 'Ziad', last: 'Aouad'),
    avatarUrl: 'assets/avatar_5.png',
    lastActive: DateTime.now().subtract(const Duration(hours: 6)));

final List<Email> emails = [
  Email(
    sender: user_1,
    recipients: [],
    subject: '豆花鱼',
    content: '最近忙吗?昨晚我去了你最爱的那家饭馆,点了他们的特色豆花鱼,吃着吃着就想你了。',
  ),
  Email(
    sender: user_2,
    recipients: [],
    subject: 'Dinner Club',
    content:
        "I think it's time for us to finally try that new noodle shop downtown that doesn't use menus. Anyone else have other suggestions for dinner club this week? I'm so intrigued by this idea of a noodle restaurant where no one gets to order for themselves - could be fun, or terrible, or both :)\n\nSo",
  ),
  Email(
      sender: user_3,
      recipients: [],
      subject: 'This food show is made for you',
      content:
          "Ping– you'd love this new food show I started watching. It's produced by a Thai drummer who started getting recognized for the amazing vegan food she always brought to shows.",
      attachments: [const Attachment(url: 'assets/thumbnail_1.png')]),
  Email(
    sender: user_4,
    recipients: [],
    subject: 'Volunteer EMT with me?',
    content:
        'What do you think about training to be volunteer EMTs? We could do it together for moral support. Think about it??',
  ),
];

final List<Email> replies = [
  Email(
    sender: user_2,
    recipients: [
      user_3,
      user_2,
    ],
    subject: 'Dinner Club',
    content:
        "I think it's time for us to finally try that new noodle shop downtown that doesn't use menus. Anyone else have other suggestions for dinner club this week? I'm so intrigued by this idea of a noodle restaurant where no one gets to order for themselves - could be fun, or terrible, or both :)\n\nSo",
  ),
  Email(
    sender: user_0,
    recipients: [
      user_3,
      user_2,
    ],
    subject: 'Dinner Club',
    content:
        "Yes! I forgot about that place! I'm definitely up for taking a risk this week and handing control over to this mysterious noodle chef. I wonder what happens if you have allergies though? Lucky none of us have any otherwise I'd be a bit concerned.\n\nThis is going to be great. See you all at the usual time?",
  ),
];

With that data in hand, it's time to define a couple of widgets to display that data. Create a subdirectory under lib called widgets. You'll create four files in widgets, and you'll probably have some warnings from your editor until you all four are created. Remember, the point of this codelab is to style the app using Material 3. So, add each of the following four file with the listed content:

lib/widgets/email_list_view.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../models/data.dart' as data;
import '../models/models.dart';
import 'email_widget.dart';
import 'search_bar.dart' as search_bar;

class EmailListView extends StatelessWidget {
  const EmailListView({
    super.key,
    this.selectedIndex,
    this.onSelected,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final int? selectedIndex;
  final ValueChanged<int>? onSelected;
  final User currentUser;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Padding(
      padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 8.0),
      child: ListView(
        children: [
          const SizedBox(height: 8),
          search_bar.SearchBar(currentUser: currentUser),
          const SizedBox(height: 8),
          ...List.generate(
            data.emails.length,
            (index) {
              return Padding(
                padding: const EdgeInsets.only(bottom: 8.0),
                child: EmailWidget(
                  email: data.emails[index],
                  onSelected: onSelected != null
                      ? () {
                          onSelected!(index);
                        }
                      : null,
                  isSelected: selectedIndex == index,
                ),
              );
            },
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

Being able to display a list of emails seems like something a messaging application should be able to do. You will have a couple of complaints from the editor, but you can fix some of them by adding the next file email_widget.dart.

lib/widgets/email_widget.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import '../models/models.dart';
import 'star_button.dart';

enum EmailType {
  preview,
  threaded,
  primaryThreaded,
}

class EmailWidget extends StatefulWidget {
  const EmailWidget({
    super.key,
    required this.email,
    this.isSelected = false,
    this.isPreview = true,
    this.isThreaded = false,
    this.showHeadline = false,
    this.onSelected,
  });

  final bool isSelected;
  final bool isPreview;
  final bool showHeadline;
  final bool isThreaded;
  final void Function()? onSelected;
  final Email email;

  @override
  State<EmailWidget> createState() => _EmailWidgetState();
}

class _EmailWidgetState extends State<EmailWidget> {
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late Color unselectedColor = Color.alphaBlend(
    _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.08),
    _colorScheme.surface,
  );

  Color get _surfaceColor => switch (widget) {
        EmailWidget(isPreview: false) => _colorScheme.surface,
        EmailWidget(isSelected: true) => _colorScheme.primaryContainer,
        _ => unselectedColor,
      };

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return GestureDetector(
      onTap: widget.onSelected,
      child: Card(
        elevation: 0,
        color: _surfaceColor,
        clipBehavior: Clip.hardEdge,
        child: Column(
          crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
          mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
          children: [
            if (widget.showHeadline) ...[
              EmailHeadline(
                email: widget.email,
                isSelected: widget.isSelected,
              ),
            ],
            EmailContent(
              email: widget.email,
              isPreview: widget.isPreview,
              isThreaded: widget.isThreaded,
              isSelected: widget.isSelected,
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

class EmailContent extends StatefulWidget {
  const EmailContent({
    super.key,
    required this.email,
    required this.isPreview,
    required this.isThreaded,
    required this.isSelected,
  });

  final Email email;
  final bool isPreview;
  final bool isThreaded;
  final bool isSelected;

  @override
  State<EmailContent> createState() => _EmailContentState();
}

class _EmailContentState extends State<EmailContent> {
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final TextTheme _textTheme = Theme.of(context).textTheme;

  Widget get contentSpacer => SizedBox(height: widget.isThreaded ? 20 : 2);

  String get lastActiveLabel {
    final DateTime now = DateTime.now();
    if (widget.email.sender.lastActive.isAfter(now)) throw ArgumentError();
    final Duration elapsedTime =
        widget.email.sender.lastActive.difference(now).abs();
    return switch (elapsedTime) {
      Duration(inSeconds: < 60) => '${elapsedTime.inSeconds}s',
      Duration(inMinutes: < 60) => '${elapsedTime.inMinutes}m',
      Duration(inHours: < 24) => '${elapsedTime.inHours}h',
      Duration(inDays: < 365) => '${elapsedTime.inDays}d',
      _ => throw UnimplementedError(),
    };
  }

  TextStyle? get contentTextStyle => switch (widget) {
        EmailContent(isThreaded: true) => _textTheme.bodyLarge,
        EmailContent(isSelected: true) => _textTheme.bodyMedium
            ?.copyWith(color: _colorScheme.onPrimaryContainer),
        _ =>
          _textTheme.bodyMedium?.copyWith(color: _colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant),
      };

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Padding(
      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(20),
      child: Column(
        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
        children: [
          LayoutBuilder(builder: (context, constraints) {
            return Row(
              crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
              children: [
                if (constraints.maxWidth - 200 > 0) ...[
                  CircleAvatar(
                    backgroundImage: AssetImage(widget.email.sender.avatarUrl),
                  ),
                  const Padding(padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 6.0)),
                ],
                Expanded(
                  child: Column(
                    crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                    children: [
                      Text(
                        widget.email.sender.name.fullName,
                        overflow: TextOverflow.fade,
                        maxLines: 1,
                        style: widget.isSelected
                            ? _textTheme.labelMedium?.copyWith(
                                color: _colorScheme.onSecondaryContainer)
                            : _textTheme.labelMedium
                                ?.copyWith(color: _colorScheme.onSurface),
                      ),
                      Text(
                        lastActiveLabel,
                        overflow: TextOverflow.fade,
                        maxLines: 1,
                        style: widget.isSelected
                            ? _textTheme.labelMedium?.copyWith(
                                color: _colorScheme.onSecondaryContainer)
                            : _textTheme.labelMedium?.copyWith(
                                color: _colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant),
                      ),
                    ],
                  ),
                ),
                if (constraints.maxWidth - 200 > 0) ...[
                  const StarButton(),
                ]
              ],
            );
          }),
          const SizedBox(width: 8),
          Column(
            crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
            children: [
              if (widget.isPreview) ...[
                Text(
                  widget.email.subject,
                  style: const TextStyle(fontSize: 18)
                      .copyWith(color: _colorScheme.onSurface),
                ),
              ],
              if (widget.isThreaded) ...[
                contentSpacer,
                Text(
                  "To ${widget.email.recipients.map((recipient) => recipient.name.first).join(", ")}",
                  style: _textTheme.bodyMedium,
                )
              ],
              contentSpacer,
              Text(
                widget.email.content,
                maxLines: widget.isPreview ? 2 : 100,
                overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                style: contentTextStyle,
              ),
            ],
          ),
          const SizedBox(width: 12),
          widget.email.attachments.isNotEmpty
              ? Container(
                  height: 96,
                  decoration: BoxDecoration(
                    borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(8.0),
                    image: DecorationImage(
                      fit: BoxFit.cover,
                      image: AssetImage(widget.email.attachments.first.url),
                    ),
                  ),
                )
              : const SizedBox.shrink(),
          if (!widget.isPreview) ...[
            const EmailReplyOptions(),
          ],
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

class EmailHeadline extends StatefulWidget {
  const EmailHeadline({
    super.key,
    required this.email,
    required this.isSelected,
  });

  final Email email;
  final bool isSelected;

  @override
  State<EmailHeadline> createState() => _EmailHeadlineState();
}

class _EmailHeadlineState extends State<EmailHeadline> {
  late final TextTheme _textTheme = Theme.of(context).textTheme;
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return LayoutBuilder(builder: (context, constraints) {
      return Container(
        height: 84,
        color: Color.alphaBlend(
          _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.05),
          _colorScheme.surface,
        ),
        child: Padding(
          padding: const EdgeInsets.fromLTRB(24, 12, 12, 12),
          child: Row(
            mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.max,
            crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
            children: [
              Expanded(
                child: Column(
                  mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
                  crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                  children: [
                    Text(
                      widget.email.subject,
                      maxLines: 1,
                      overflow: TextOverflow.fade,
                      style: const TextStyle(
                          fontSize: 18, fontWeight: FontWeight.w400),
                    ),
                    Text(
                      '${widget.email.replies.toString()} Messages',
                      maxLines: 1,
                      overflow: TextOverflow.fade,
                      style: _textTheme.labelMedium
                          ?.copyWith(fontWeight: FontWeight.w500),
                    ),
                  ],
                ),
              ),
              // Display a "condensed" version if the widget in the row are
              // expected to overflow.
              if (constraints.maxWidth - 200 > 0) ...[
                SizedBox(
                  height: 40,
                  width: 40,
                  child: FloatingActionButton(
                    onPressed: () {},
                    elevation: 0,
                    backgroundColor: _colorScheme.surface,
                    child: const Icon(Icons.delete_outline),
                  ),
                ),
                const Padding(padding: EdgeInsets.only(right: 8.0)),
                SizedBox(
                  height: 40,
                  width: 40,
                  child: FloatingActionButton(
                    onPressed: () {},
                    elevation: 0,
                    backgroundColor: _colorScheme.surface,
                    child: const Icon(Icons.more_vert),
                  ),
                ),
              ]
            ],
          ),
        ),
      );
    });
  }
}

class EmailReplyOptions extends StatefulWidget {
  const EmailReplyOptions({super.key});

  @override
  State<EmailReplyOptions> createState() => _EmailReplyOptionsState();
}

class _EmailReplyOptionsState extends State<EmailReplyOptions> {
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return LayoutBuilder(
      builder: (context, constraints) {
        if (constraints.maxWidth < 100) {
          return const SizedBox.shrink();
        }
        return Row(
          children: [
            Expanded(
              child: TextButton(
                style: ButtonStyle(
                  backgroundColor:
                      WidgetStateProperty.all(_colorScheme.onInverseSurface),
                ),
                onPressed: () {},
                child: Text(
                  'Reply',
                  style: TextStyle(color: _colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant),
                ),
              ),
            ),
            const SizedBox(width: 8),
            Expanded(
              child: TextButton(
                style: ButtonStyle(
                  backgroundColor:
                      WidgetStateProperty.all(_colorScheme.onInverseSurface),
                ),
                onPressed: () {},
                child: Text(
                  'Reply All',
                  style: TextStyle(color: _colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant),
                ),
              ),
            ),
          ],
        );
      },
    );
  }
}

Yes, there is a lot going on in that widget. It's worth studying in some detail, especially to see how color is applied throughout the widget. This will become a recurring theme. Next, search_bar.dart.

lib/widgets/search_bar.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../models/models.dart';

class SearchBar extends StatelessWidget {
  const SearchBar({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return SizedBox(
      height: 56,
      child: Container(
        decoration: BoxDecoration(
          borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(100),
          color: Colors.white,
        ),
        padding: const EdgeInsets.fromLTRB(31, 12, 12, 12),
        child: Row(
          crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
          children: [
            const Icon(Icons.search),
            const SizedBox(width: 23.5),
            Expanded(
              child: TextField(
                maxLines: 1,
                decoration: InputDecoration(
                  isDense: true,
                  border: InputBorder.none,
                  hintText: 'Search replies',
                  hintStyle: Theme.of(context).textTheme.bodyMedium,
                ),
              ),
            ),
            CircleAvatar(
              backgroundImage: AssetImage(currentUser.avatarUrl),
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

A much simpler, and stateless, widget. Next, add another simple widget, star_button.dart:

lib/widgets/star_button.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class StarButton extends StatefulWidget {
  const StarButton({super.key});

  @override
  State<StarButton> createState() => _StarButtonState();
}

class _StarButtonState extends State<StarButton> {
  bool state = false;
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;

  Icon get icon {
    final IconData iconData = state ? Icons.star : Icons.star_outline;

    return Icon(
      iconData,
      color: Colors.grey,
      size: 20,
    );
  }

  void _toggle() {
    setState(() {
      state = !state;
    });
  }

  double get turns => state ? 1 : 0;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return AnimatedRotation(
      turns: turns,
      curve: Curves.decelerate,
      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 300),
      child: FloatingActionButton(
        elevation: 0,
        shape: const CircleBorder(),
        backgroundColor: _colorScheme.surface,
        onPressed: () => _toggle(),
        child: Padding(
          padding: const EdgeInsets.all(10.0),
          child: icon,
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Next, update the main star of the show, lib/main.dart. Replace the current contents of that file with the following.

lib/main.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'models/data.dart' as data;
import 'models/models.dart';
import 'widgets/email_list_view.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MainApp());
}

class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MainApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData.light(useMaterial3: true),
      home: Feed(currentUser: data.user_0),
    );
  }
}

class Feed extends StatefulWidget {
  const Feed({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  State<Feed> createState() => _FeedState();
}

class _FeedState extends State<Feed> {
  late final _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final _backgroundColor = Color.alphaBlend(
      _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.14), _colorScheme.surface);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Container(
        color: _backgroundColor,
        child: EmailListView(
          currentUser: widget.currentUser,
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        backgroundColor: _colorScheme.tertiaryContainer,
        foregroundColor: _colorScheme.onTertiaryContainer,
        onPressed: () {},
        child: const Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
    );
  }
}

The most important line in this file from the point of view of this codelab, is the MaterialApp's theme argument, which sets useMaterial3 to true. The useMaterial3 argument decides whether widgets in your app are styled according to the Material 2 or Material 3 design guidelines. Setting the useMaterial3 argument to true also surfaces new features like selectable IconButtons.

Run the app to see what you're starting with.

43f8d99b09e0f983.png

5. Add a NavigationBar

At the end of the previous step the starter app had a list of messages, but not a lot else going on. In this step, you add a NavigationBar to add more visual interest. As the app morphs from a UI sketch into a real application, the navigation bar provides different areas of the application for the user to use.

To have a NavigationBar implies that there are destinations to navigate to. Create a new file in the lib directory called destinations.dart and fill it with the following code.

lib/destinations.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class Destination {
  const Destination(this.icon, this.label);
  final IconData icon;
  final String label;
}

const List<Destination> destinations = <Destination>[
  Destination(Icons.inbox_rounded, 'Inbox'),
  Destination(Icons.article_outlined, 'Articles'),
  Destination(Icons.messenger_outline_rounded, 'Messages'),
  Destination(Icons.group_outlined, 'Groups'),
];

This gives the application four destinations for the NavigationBar to display. Next, wire this list of destinations into the lib/main.dart file as follows:

lib/main.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'destinations.dart';                    // Add this import
import 'models/data.dart' as data;
import 'models/models.dart';
import 'widgets/email_list_view.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MainApp());
}

class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MainApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData.light(useMaterial3: true),
      home: Feed(currentUser: data.user_0),
    );
  }
}

class Feed extends StatefulWidget {
  const Feed({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  State<Feed> createState() => _FeedState();
}

class _FeedState extends State<Feed> {
  late final _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final _backgroundColor = Color.alphaBlend(
      _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.14), _colorScheme.surface);

  int selectedIndex = 0;                       // Add this variable

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Container(
        color: _backgroundColor,
        child: EmailListView(
                                              // Add from here...
          selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
          onSelected: (index) {
            setState(() {
              selectedIndex = index;
            });
          },
                                              // ... to here.
          currentUser: widget.currentUser,
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        backgroundColor: _colorScheme.tertiaryContainer,
        foregroundColor: _colorScheme.onTertiaryContainer,
        onPressed: () {},
        child: const Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
                                                  // Add from here...
      bottomNavigationBar: NavigationBar(
        elevation: 0,
        backgroundColor: Colors.white,
        destinations: destinations.map<NavigationDestination>((d) {
          return NavigationDestination(
            icon: Icon(d.icon),
            label: d.label,
          );
        }).toList(),
        selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
        onDestinationSelected: (index) {
          setState(() {
            selectedIndex = index;
          });
        },
      ),
                                                // ...to here.
    );
  }
}

Instead of defining different content for each destination, change the state of individual messages to reflect the selected destination in the NavigationBar. For consistency, this works in reverse as well: selecting a message displays the corresponding destination in the NavigationBar. Run the application to verify these changes:

9b3f7628fd32679c.png

This looks reasonable in a narrow configuration, however if you make the window wider, or rotate the phone simulator to horizontal, it looks a bit odd. To fix this, introduce a NavigationRail on the left hand side of the screen when the application is wide enough. This is handled in the next step.

6. Add a NavigationRail

This step adds a NavigationRail to your application. The idea is to show only one of the two navigation Widgets depending on the screen size, which means you need to hide or show the NavigationBar when required. In the lib/widgets directory, create a disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart file and add the following code:

lib/widgets/disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../destinations.dart';

class DisappearingBottomNavigationBar extends StatelessWidget {
  const DisappearingBottomNavigationBar({
    super.key,
    required this.selectedIndex,
    this.onDestinationSelected,
  });

  final int selectedIndex;
  final ValueChanged<int>? onDestinationSelected;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return NavigationBar(
      elevation: 0,
      backgroundColor: Colors.white,
      destinations: destinations.map<NavigationDestination>((d) {
        return NavigationDestination(
          icon: Icon(d.icon),
          label: d.label,
        );
      }).toList(),
      selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
      onDestinationSelected: onDestinationSelected,
    );
  }
}

In the same directory, add another file called disappearing_navigation_rail.dart with the following code:

lib/widgets/disappearing_navigation_rail.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../destinations.dart';

class DisappearingNavigationRail extends StatelessWidget {
  const DisappearingNavigationRail({
    super.key,
    required this.backgroundColor,
    required this.selectedIndex,
    this.onDestinationSelected,
  });

  final Color backgroundColor;
  final int selectedIndex;
  final ValueChanged<int>? onDestinationSelected;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    final colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
    return NavigationRail(
      selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
      backgroundColor: backgroundColor,
      onDestinationSelected: onDestinationSelected,
      leading: Column(
        children: [
          IconButton(
            onPressed: () {},
            icon: const Icon(Icons.menu),
          ),
          const SizedBox(height: 8),
          FloatingActionButton(
            shape: const RoundedRectangleBorder(
              borderRadius: BorderRadius.all(
                Radius.circular(15),
              ),
            ),
            backgroundColor: colorScheme.tertiaryContainer,
            foregroundColor: colorScheme.onTertiaryContainer,
            onPressed: () {},
            child: const Icon(Icons.add),
          ),
        ],
      ),
      groupAlignment: -0.85,
      destinations: destinations.map((d) {
        return NavigationRailDestination(
          icon: Icon(d.icon),
          label: Text(d.label),
        );
      }).toList(),
    );
  }
}

With the navigation idioms refactored into their own widgets, the lib/main.dart file requires some modifications:

lib/main.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

// Remove the destination.dart import, it's not required
import 'models/data.dart' as data;
import 'models/models.dart';
import 'widgets/disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart';  // Add import
import 'widgets/disappearing_navigation_rail.dart';        // Add import
import 'widgets/email_list_view.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MainApp());
}

class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MainApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData.light(useMaterial3: true),
      home: Feed(currentUser: data.user_0),
    );
  }
}

class Feed extends StatefulWidget {
  const Feed({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  State<Feed> createState() => _FeedState();
}

class _FeedState extends State<Feed> {
  late final _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final _backgroundColor = Color.alphaBlend(
      _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.14), _colorScheme.surface);

  int selectedIndex = 0;
                                                  // Add from here...
  bool wideScreen = false;

  @override
  void didChangeDependencies() {
    super.didChangeDependencies();

    final double width = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width;
    wideScreen = width > 600;
  }
                                                 // ... to here.

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
                                                 // Modify from here...
    return Scaffold(
      body: Row(
        children: [
          if (wideScreen)
            DisappearingNavigationRail(
              selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
              backgroundColor: _backgroundColor,
              onDestinationSelected: (index) {
                setState(() {
                  selectedIndex = index;
                });
              },
            ),
          Expanded(
            child: Container(
              color: _backgroundColor,
              child: EmailListView(
                selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
                onSelected: (index) {
                  setState(() {
                    selectedIndex = index;
                  });
                },
                currentUser: widget.currentUser,
              ),
            ),
          ),
        ],
      ),
      floatingActionButton: wideScreen
          ? null
          : FloatingActionButton(
              backgroundColor: _colorScheme.tertiaryContainer,
              foregroundColor: _colorScheme.onTertiaryContainer,
              onPressed: () {},
              child: const Icon(Icons.add),
            ),
      bottomNavigationBar: wideScreen
          ? null
          : DisappearingBottomNavigationBar(
              selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
              onDestinationSelected: (index) {
                setState(() {
                  selectedIndex = index;
                });
              },
            ),
    );
                                                    // ... to here.
  }
}

The first important change to the main.dart file is the addition of a wideScreen state that updates whenever the user resizes the display, whether it's by resizing a browser window, or rotating a phone. The next change modifies the NavigationBar and the FloatingActionButton to be dependent on whether the app is in wideScreen mode. Finally, the NavigationRail is conditionally introduced on the left if the screen is wide enough. Run the application on the web or desktop and resize the screen to show the two different layouts.

Having the two different layouts is good, however the transition between the two isn't great. Replacing the bar with the rail (and visa versa) in a more dynamic way would dramatically improve this application. You'll add this animation in the next step.

7. Animate the transitions

Creating an animated experience involves crafting a series of animations, with each component appropriately choreographed. For this animation, you'll start by creating a new file in the lib directory called animations.dart with the animation curves you need.

lib/animations.dart

import 'package:flutter/animation.dart';

class BarAnimation extends ReverseAnimation {
  BarAnimation({required AnimationController parent})
      : super(
          CurvedAnimation(
            parent: parent,
            curve: const Interval(0, 1 / 5),
            reverseCurve: const Interval(1 / 5, 4 / 5),
          ),
        );
}

class OffsetAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  OffsetAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(
            2 / 5,
            3 / 5,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized,
          ),
          reverseCurve: Interval(
            4 / 5,
            1,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized.flipped,
          ),
        );
}

class RailAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  RailAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(0 / 5, 4 / 5),
          reverseCurve: const Interval(3 / 5, 1),
        );
}

class RailFabAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  RailFabAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(3 / 5, 1),
        );
}

class ScaleAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  ScaleAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(
            3 / 5,
            4 / 5,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized,
          ),
          reverseCurve: Interval(
            3 / 5,
            1,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized.flipped,
          ),
        );
}

class ShapeAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  ShapeAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(
            2 / 5,
            3 / 5,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized,
          ),
        );
}

class SizeAnimation extends CurvedAnimation {
  SizeAnimation({required super.parent})
      : super(
          curve: const Interval(
            0 / 5,
            3 / 5,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized,
          ),
          reverseCurve: Interval(
            2 / 5,
            1,
            curve: Curves.easeInOutCubicEmphasized.flipped,
          ),
        );
}

Developing these curves requires iteration, which Flutter's hot reload makes much easier. To use these animations, you need some transitions. Make a subdirectory in the lib directory called transitions, and add a file called bottom_bar_transition.dart with the following code:

lib/transitions/bottom_bar_transition.dart

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

class BottomBarTransition extends StatefulWidget {
  const BottomBarTransition(
      {super.key,
      required this.animation,
      required this.backgroundColor,
      required this.child});

  final Animation<double> animation;
  final Color backgroundColor;
  final Widget child;

  @override
  State<BottomBarTransition> createState() => _BottomBarTransition();
}

class _BottomBarTransition extends State<BottomBarTransition> {
  late final Animation<Offset> offsetAnimation = Tween<Offset>(
    begin: const Offset(0, 1),
    end: Offset.zero,
  ).animate(OffsetAnimation(parent: widget.animation));

  late final Animation<double> heightAnimation = Tween<double>(
    begin: 0,
    end: 1,
  ).animate(SizeAnimation(parent: widget.animation));

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ClipRect(
      child: DecoratedBox(
        decoration: BoxDecoration(color: widget.backgroundColor),
        child: Align(
          alignment: Alignment.topLeft,
          heightFactor: heightAnimation.value,
          child: FractionalTranslation(
            translation: offsetAnimation.value,
            child: widget.child,
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Add another file to the lib/transitions directory called nav_rail_transition.dart and add the following code:

lib/transitions/nav_rail_transition.dart

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

class NavRailTransition extends StatefulWidget {
  const NavRailTransition(
      {super.key,
      required this.animation,
      required this.backgroundColor,
      required this.child});

  final Animation<double> animation;
  final Widget child;
  final Color backgroundColor;

  @override
  State<NavRailTransition> createState() => _NavRailTransitionState();
}

class _NavRailTransitionState extends State<NavRailTransition> {
  // The animations are only rebuilt by this method when the text
  // direction changes because this widget only depends on Directionality.
  late final bool ltr = Directionality.of(context) == TextDirection.ltr;
  late final Animation<Offset> offsetAnimation = Tween<Offset>(
    begin: ltr ? const Offset(-1, 0) : const Offset(1, 0),
    end: Offset.zero,
  ).animate(OffsetAnimation(parent: widget.animation));
  late final Animation<double> widthAnimation = Tween<double>(
    begin: 0,
    end: 1,
  ).animate(SizeAnimation(parent: widget.animation));

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ClipRect(
      child: DecoratedBox(
        decoration: BoxDecoration(color: widget.backgroundColor),
        child: AnimatedBuilder(
          animation: widthAnimation,
          builder: (context, child) {
            return Align(
              alignment: Alignment.topLeft,
              widthFactor: widthAnimation.value,
              child: FractionalTranslation(
                translation: offsetAnimation.value,
                child: widget.child,
              ),
            );
          },
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

These two transition widgets wrap the navigation rail and bar widgets, to animate their appearance and disappearance. To use these two transition widgets, update two widgets, starting with disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart:

lib/widgets/disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../animations.dart';                          // Add this import
import '../destinations.dart';
import '../transitions/bottom_bar_transition.dart';   // Add this import

class DisappearingBottomNavigationBar extends StatelessWidget {
  const DisappearingBottomNavigationBar({
    super.key,
    required this.barAnimation,                       // Add this parameter
    required this.selectedIndex,
    this.onDestinationSelected,
  });

  final BarAnimation barAnimation;                   // Add this variable
  final int selectedIndex;
  final ValueChanged<int>? onDestinationSelected;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
                                                // Modify from here...
    return BottomBarTransition(
      animation: barAnimation,
      backgroundColor: Colors.white,
      child: NavigationBar(
        elevation: 0,
        backgroundColor: Colors.white,
        destinations: destinations.map<NavigationDestination>((d) {
          return NavigationDestination(
            icon: Icon(d.icon),
            label: d.label,
          );
        }).toList(),
        selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
        onDestinationSelected: onDestinationSelected,
      ),
    );
                                               // ... to here.
  }
}

The previous modification adds one of the animations, and integrates a transition. This gives you the ability to control how the navigation bar appears and disappears.

Next, modify disappearing_navigation_rail.dart as follows:

lib/widgets/disappearing_navigation_rail.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../animations.dart';                          // Add this import
import '../destinations.dart';
import '../transitions/nav_rail_transition.dart';     // Add this import
import 'animated_floating_action_button.dart';        // Add this import

class DisappearingNavigationRail extends StatelessWidget {
  const DisappearingNavigationRail({
    super.key,
    required this.railAnimation,                      // Add this parameter
    required this.railFabAnimation,                   // Add this parameter
    required this.backgroundColor,
    required this.selectedIndex,
    this.onDestinationSelected,
  });

  final RailAnimation railAnimation;                  // Add this variable
  final RailFabAnimation railFabAnimation;            // Add this variable
  final Color backgroundColor;
  final int selectedIndex;
  final ValueChanged<int>? onDestinationSelected;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    // Delete colorScheme
                                                // Modify from here ...
    return NavRailTransition(
      animation: railAnimation,
      backgroundColor: backgroundColor,
      child: NavigationRail(
        selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
        backgroundColor: backgroundColor,
        onDestinationSelected: onDestinationSelected,
        leading: Column(
          children: [
            IconButton(
              onPressed: () {},
              icon: const Icon(Icons.menu),
            ),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            AnimatedFloatingActionButton(
              animation: railFabAnimation,
              elevation: 0,
              onPressed: () {},
              child: const Icon(Icons.add),
            ),
          ],
        ),
        groupAlignment: -0.85,
        destinations: destinations.map((d) {
          return NavigationRailDestination(
            icon: Icon(d.icon),
            label: Text(d.label),
          );
        }).toList(),
      ),
    );
                                               // ... to here.
  }
}

While entering the previous code you probably had a set of error warnings about an undefined widget - the FloatingActionButton. To fix this, add a file called animated_floating_action_button.dart to lib/widgets with the following code:

lib/widgets/animated_floating_action_button.dart

import 'dart:ui';

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

class AnimatedFloatingActionButton extends StatefulWidget {
  const AnimatedFloatingActionButton({
    super.key,
    required this.animation,
    this.elevation,
    this.onPressed,
    this.child,
  });

  final Animation<double> animation;
  final VoidCallback? onPressed;
  final Widget? child;
  final double? elevation;

  @override
  State<AnimatedFloatingActionButton> createState() =>
      _AnimatedFloatingActionButton();
}

class _AnimatedFloatingActionButton
    extends State<AnimatedFloatingActionButton> {
  late final ColorScheme _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final Animation<double> _scaleAnimation =
      ScaleAnimation(parent: widget.animation);
  late final Animation<double> _shapeAnimation =
      ShapeAnimation(parent: widget.animation);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ScaleTransition(
      scale: _scaleAnimation,
      child: FloatingActionButton(
        elevation: widget.elevation,
        shape: RoundedRectangleBorder(
          borderRadius: BorderRadius.all(
            Radius.circular(lerpDouble(30, 15, _shapeAnimation.value)!),
          ),
        ),
        backgroundColor: _colorScheme.tertiaryContainer,
        foregroundColor: _colorScheme.onTertiaryContainer,
        onPressed: widget.onPressed,
        child: widget.child,
      ),
    );
  }
}

To bring these changes into the application, update the main.dart file as follows:

lib/main.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'animations.dart';                               // Add this import
import 'models/data.dart' as data;
import 'models/models.dart';
import 'widgets/animated_floating_action_button.dart';  // Add this import
import 'widgets/disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart';
import 'widgets/disappearing_navigation_rail.dart';
import 'widgets/email_list_view.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MainApp());
}

class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MainApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData.light(useMaterial3: true),
      home: Feed(currentUser: data.user_0),
    );
  }
}

class Feed extends StatefulWidget {
  const Feed({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  State<Feed> createState() => _FeedState();
}

// Add SingleTickerProviderStateMixin to _FeedState
class _FeedState extends State<Feed> with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late final _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final _backgroundColor = Color.alphaBlend(
      _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.14), _colorScheme.surface);
                                                    // Add from here...
  late final _controller = AnimationController(
      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 1000),
      reverseDuration: const Duration(milliseconds: 1250),
      value: 0,
      vsync: this);
  late final _railAnimation = RailAnimation(parent: _controller);
  late final _railFabAnimation = RailFabAnimation(parent: _controller);
  late final _barAnimation = BarAnimation(parent: _controller);
                                                    // ... to here.

  int selectedIndex = 0;
  // Remove wideScreen
  bool controllerInitialized = false;                   // Add this variable

  @override
  void didChangeDependencies() {
    super.didChangeDependencies();

    final double width = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width;
    // Remove wideScreen reference
                                                  // Add from here ...
    final AnimationStatus status = _controller.status;
    if (width > 600) {
      if (status != AnimationStatus.forward &&
          status != AnimationStatus.completed) {
        _controller.forward();
      }
    } else {
      if (status != AnimationStatus.reverse &&
          status != AnimationStatus.dismissed) {
        _controller.reverse();
      }
    }
    if (!controllerInitialized) {
      controllerInitialized = true;
      _controller.value = width > 600 ? 1 : 0;
    }
                                                   // ... to here.
  }

                                                  // Add from here ...
  @override
  void dispose() {
    _controller.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }
                                                  // ... to here.

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
                                                 // Modify from here ...
    return AnimatedBuilder(
      animation: _controller,
      builder: (context, _) {
        return Scaffold(
          body: Row(
            children: [
              DisappearingNavigationRail(
                railAnimation: _railAnimation,
                railFabAnimation: _railFabAnimation,
                selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
                backgroundColor: _backgroundColor,
                onDestinationSelected: (index) {
                  setState(() {
                    selectedIndex = index;
                  });
                },
              ),
              Expanded(
                child: Container(
                  color: _backgroundColor,
                  child: EmailListView(
                    selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
                    onSelected: (index) {
                      setState(() {
                        selectedIndex = index;
                      });
                    },
                    currentUser: widget.currentUser,
                  ),
                ),
              ),
            ],
          ),
          floatingActionButton: AnimatedFloatingActionButton(
            animation: _barAnimation,
            onPressed: () {},
            child: const Icon(Icons.add),
          ),
          bottomNavigationBar: DisappearingBottomNavigationBar(
            barAnimation: _barAnimation,
            selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
            onDestinationSelected: (index) {
              setState(() {
                selectedIndex = index;
              });
            },
          ),
        );
      },
    );
                                                     // ... to here.
  }
}

Run the app. Initially, it should look the same as before. Resize the screen to see the UI toggle between navigation rail and navigation bar, depending on the size and dimensions. The motion of these transitions should now appear fluid and playful. Use hot reload to change the animation curves used to see how it changes the feel of the application.

8. Adding a list/detail view

As a bonus, a messaging app is a great place to show off a list/detail layout, but only if the display is wide enough. Start with a adding a file in lib/widgets called reply_list_view.dart and fill it with the following code:

lib/widgets/reply_list_view.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import '../models/data.dart' as data;
import 'email_widget.dart';

class ReplyListView extends StatelessWidget {
  const ReplyListView({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Padding(
      padding: const EdgeInsets.only(right: 8.0),
      child: ListView(
        children: [
          const SizedBox(height: 8),
          ...List.generate(data.replies.length, (index) {
            return Padding(
              padding: const EdgeInsets.only(bottom: 8.0),
              child: EmailWidget(
                email: data.replies[index],
                isPreview: false,
                isThreaded: true,
                showHeadline: index == 0,
              ),
            );
          }),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

Next, in lib/transitions add a list_detail_transition.dart and fill it with the following code:

lib/transitions/list_detail_transition.dart

import 'dart:ui';

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

class ListDetailTransition extends StatefulWidget {
  const ListDetailTransition({
    super.key,
    required this.animation,
    required this.one,
    required this.two,
  });

  final Animation<double> animation;
  final Widget one;
  final Widget two;

  @override
  State<ListDetailTransition> createState() => _ListDetailTransitionState();
}

class _ListDetailTransitionState extends State<ListDetailTransition> {
  Animation<double> widthAnimation = const AlwaysStoppedAnimation(0);
  late final Animation<double> sizeAnimation =
      SizeAnimation(parent: widget.animation);
  late final Animation<Offset> offsetAnimation = Tween<Offset>(
    begin: const Offset(1, 0),
    end: Offset.zero,
  ).animate(OffsetAnimation(parent: sizeAnimation));
  double currentFlexFactor = 0;

  @override
  void didChangeDependencies() {
    super.didChangeDependencies();

    final double width = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width;
    double nextFlexFactor = switch (width) {
      >= 800 && < 1200 => lerpDouble(1000, 2000, (width - 800) / 400)!,
      >= 1200 && < 1600 => lerpDouble(2000, 3000, (width - 1200) / 400)!,
      >= 1600 => 3000,
      _ => 1000,
    };

    if (nextFlexFactor == currentFlexFactor) {
      return;
    }

    if (currentFlexFactor == 0) {
      widthAnimation =
          Tween<double>(begin: 0, end: nextFlexFactor).animate(sizeAnimation);
    } else {
      final TweenSequence<double> sequence = TweenSequence([
        if (sizeAnimation.value > 0) ...[
          TweenSequenceItem(
            tween: Tween(begin: 0, end: widthAnimation.value),
            weight: sizeAnimation.value,
          ),
        ],
        if (sizeAnimation.value < 1) ...[
          TweenSequenceItem(
            tween: Tween(begin: widthAnimation.value, end: nextFlexFactor),
            weight: 1 - sizeAnimation.value,
          ),
        ],
      ]);

      widthAnimation = sequence.animate(sizeAnimation);
    }

    currentFlexFactor = nextFlexFactor;
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return widthAnimation.value.toInt() == 0
        ? widget.one
        : Row(
            children: [
              Flexible(
                flex: 1000,
                child: widget.one,
              ),
              Flexible(
                flex: widthAnimation.value.toInt(),
                child: FractionalTranslation(
                  translation: offsetAnimation.value,
                  child: widget.two,
                ),
              ),
            ],
          );
  }
}

Integrate this content into the app by updating lib/main.dart as follows:

lib/main.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'animations.dart';
import 'models/data.dart' as data;
import 'models/models.dart';
import 'transitions/list_detail_transition.dart';          // Add import
import 'widgets/animated_floating_action_button.dart';
import 'widgets/disappearing_bottom_navigation_bar.dart';
import 'widgets/disappearing_navigation_rail.dart';
import 'widgets/email_list_view.dart';
import 'widgets/reply_list_view.dart';                     // Add import

void main() {
  runApp(const MainApp());
}

class MainApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MainApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData.light(useMaterial3: true),
      home: Feed(currentUser: data.user_0),
    );
  }
}

class Feed extends StatefulWidget {
  const Feed({
    super.key,
    required this.currentUser,
  });

  final User currentUser;

  @override
  State<Feed> createState() => _FeedState();
}

class _FeedState extends State<Feed> with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late final _colorScheme = Theme.of(context).colorScheme;
  late final _backgroundColor = Color.alphaBlend(
      _colorScheme.primary.withOpacity(0.14), _colorScheme.surface);
  late final _controller = AnimationController(
      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 1000),
      reverseDuration: const Duration(milliseconds: 1250),
      value: 0,
      vsync: this);
  late final _railAnimation = RailAnimation(parent: _controller);
  late final _railFabAnimation = RailFabAnimation(parent: _controller);
  late final _barAnimation = BarAnimation(parent: _controller);

  int selectedIndex = 0;
  bool controllerInitialized = false;

  @override
  void didChangeDependencies() {
    super.didChangeDependencies();

    final double width = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width;
    final AnimationStatus status = _controller.status;
    if (width > 600) {
      if (status != AnimationStatus.forward &&
          status != AnimationStatus.completed) {
        _controller.forward();
      }
    } else {
      if (status != AnimationStatus.reverse &&
          status != AnimationStatus.dismissed) {
        _controller.reverse();
      }
    }
    if (!controllerInitialized) {
      controllerInitialized = true;
      _controller.value = width > 600 ? 1 : 0;
    }
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _controller.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return AnimatedBuilder(
      animation: _controller,
      builder: (context, _) {
        return Scaffold(
          body: Row(
            children: [
              DisappearingNavigationRail(
                railAnimation: _railAnimation,
                railFabAnimation: _railFabAnimation,
                selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
                backgroundColor: _backgroundColor,
                onDestinationSelected: (index) {
                  setState(() {
                    selectedIndex = index;
                  });
                },
              ),
              Expanded(
                child: Container(
                  color: _backgroundColor,
                                                // Update from here ...
                  child: ListDetailTransition(
                    animation: _railAnimation,
                    one: EmailListView(
                      selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
                      onSelected: (index) {
                        setState(() {
                          selectedIndex = index;
                        });
                      },
                      currentUser: widget.currentUser,
                    ),
                    two: const ReplyListView(),
                  ),
                                                // ... to here.
                ),
              ),
            ],
          ),
          floatingActionButton: AnimatedFloatingActionButton(
            animation: _barAnimation,
            onPressed: () {},
            child: const Icon(Icons.add),
          ),
          bottomNavigationBar: DisappearingBottomNavigationBar(
            barAnimation: _barAnimation,
            selectedIndex: selectedIndex,
            onDestinationSelected: (index) {
              setState(() {
                selectedIndex = index;
              });
            },
          ),
        );
      },
    );
  }
}

Run the app to see it all pulled together. You have Material 3 styling, and animation between different layouts, in an app that represents a real application. It should look as follows:

94b96bd9d65a829.png

9. Congratulations

Congratulations, you've successfully built your first Material 3 Flutter app!

To review all of the steps of this codelab in code, please look at it in the Flutter codelabs GitHub repository.

What's next?

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Further reading