accordion_custom

A customizable, zero-dependency accordion (expandable panel list) for Flutter. Simple to set up, yet scales to real needs: single or multiple open panels, a programmatic controller, nested accordions, keyboard navigation, and full styling — colors, borders, corner radius, padding, and the icon.

Works on every Flutter platform: Android · iOS · Web · Windows · macOS · Linux. It is a pure-Dart package (no native code, no platform channels, no third-party dependencies), so it runs anywhere Flutter runs.

Why another accordion?

Flutter's built-in ExpansionPanelList/ExpansionTile is rigid: limited styling, no single-vs-multiple switch, and awkward programmatic control. accordion_custom gives you full control with zero dependencies:

• Single or multiple — open one panel at a time (classic accordion) or let panels open independently, via AccordionMode.
• Slot-based, any widget — each panel's header and content are ordinary widgets, so a panel can hold anything, including another accordion (nesting).
• .builder for lists — build panels lazily from a data list, like ListView.builder.
• Programmatic control — an AccordionController (a ChangeNotifier) with expand, collapse, toggle, expandAll, collapseAll, and read-back of which panels are open.
• Full styling — background (collapsed and expanded), border color/width, corner radius, padding, text style, and a rotating icon with configurable side, through AccordionHeaderStyle and AccordionContentStyle.
• Keyboard & accessible — ↑/↓ move focus between headers, Enter/Space toggle, and each header carries Semantics (button + expanded state).
• Simple by default — the basic case is a list of AccordionItems; every extra feature is opt-in.

Preview

Getting started

Add the package:

flutter pub add accordion_custom

Import it:

import 'package:accordion_custom/accordion_custom.dart';

Basic usage

By default the accordion is in single mode: opening one panel closes the others.

AccordionCustom(
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Section 1'),
      content: Text('Body of the first section.'),
    ),
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Section 2'),
      content: Text('Body of the second section.'),
    ),
  ],
)

Multiple open panels

Set mode: AccordionMode.multiple to let panels open and close independently — any number can be open at once.

AccordionCustom(
  mode: AccordionMode.multiple,
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Panel one'),
      content: Text('Stays open independently.'),
      initiallyExpanded: true,
    ),
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Panel two'),
      content: Text('Also independent.'),
    ),
  ],
)

Building from a data list

Use AccordionCustom.builder to create panels lazily from a list, like ListView.builder — ideal for long or dynamic data such as an FAQ.

AccordionCustom.builder(
  itemCount: faqs.length,
  itemBuilder: (context, index) => AccordionItem(
    header: Text(faqs[index].question),
    content: Text(faqs[index].answer),
  ),
)

Programmatic control

Attach an AccordionController to open, close, or toggle panels from anywhere in your code (e.g. another button), and to read which panels are currently open.

final controller = AccordionController();

AccordionCustom(
  mode: AccordionMode.multiple,
  controller: controller,
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('A'), content: Text('...')),
    AccordionItem(header: Text('B'), content: Text('...')),
  ],
);

// Elsewhere:
controller.expandAll();
controller.collapse(0);
controller.toggle(1);
print(controller.expandedIndexes); // e.g. {1}
controller.addListener(() => print(controller.expandedIndexes));

Panels are addressed by their zero-based index. Dispose the controller when you are done, like any ChangeNotifier.

Styling

AccordionHeaderStyle controls the header and the panel outline (border and radius); AccordionContentStyle controls the content area.

AccordionCustom(
  itemSpacing: 12,
  headerStyle: AccordionHeaderStyle(
    backgroundColor: Colors.indigo.shade50,
    expandedBackgroundColor: Colors.indigo.shade100,
    borderColor: Colors.indigo,
    borderWidth: 1.5,
    borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(16),
    iconColor: Colors.indigo,
    iconPosition: AccordionIconPosition.leading,
    textStyle: const TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
  ),
  contentStyle: AccordionContentStyle(
    backgroundColor: Colors.indigo.shade50,
    dividerColor: Colors.indigo.shade100,
  ),
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('Themed'), content: Text('Fully styled.')),
  ],
)

Per-panel styling

headerStyle/contentStyle on AccordionCustom apply to every panel. To style one panel differently, set headerStyle/contentStyle on its AccordionItem — they replace the accordion-level style for that panel:

AccordionCustom(
  children: [
    AccordionItem(
      header: const Text('Success'),
      headerStyle: AccordionHeaderStyle(backgroundColor: Colors.green.shade50),
      contentStyle: AccordionContentStyle(backgroundColor: Colors.green.shade50),
      content: const Text('Green header and body.'),
    ),
    AccordionItem(
      header: const Text('Warning'),
      headerStyle: AccordionHeaderStyle(backgroundColor: Colors.orange.shade50),
      contentStyle: AccordionContentStyle(backgroundColor: Colors.orange.shade50),
      content: const Text('Orange header and body.'),
    ),
  ],
)

To inherit the accordion's style and change only a few fields, pass a copyWith: contentStyle: myBaseContentStyle.copyWith(backgroundColor: ...).

Divider between header and content

By default there is no line separating the header from the content. To show one, set dividerColor (and optionally dividerWidth) on the content style:

AccordionCustom(
  contentStyle: AccordionContentStyle(
    dividerColor: Colors.grey.shade300,
    dividerWidth: 1, // optional, defaults to 1
  ),
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('What is accordion_custom?'),
      content: Text('A line now separates this content from the header.'),
    ),
  ],
)

The divider only shows while the panel is expanded.

Custom padding

The header and the content have independent padding (EdgeInsetsGeometry, so only/symmetric/EdgeInsetsDirectional all work):

AccordionCustom(
  headerStyle: const AccordionHeaderStyle(
    padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 20, vertical: 18),
  ),
  contentStyle: const AccordionContentStyle(
    padding: EdgeInsets.all(24),
  ),
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('Roomy panel'), content: Text('More breathing room.')),
  ],
)

Defaults: header EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 16, vertical: 14), content EdgeInsets.fromLTRB(16, 4, 16, 16).

Custom header

Provide a completely custom header with headerBuilder, which receives the current expanded state:

AccordionItem(
  headerBuilder: (context, isExpanded) => Row(
    children: [
      Icon(isExpanded ? Icons.folder_open : Icons.folder),
      const SizedBox(width: 8),
      const Text('Custom header'),
    ],
  ),
  content: const Text('...'),
)

Custom or hidden icon

Swap the default chevron for any widget, change its rotation, or hide it:

AccordionCustom(
  headerStyle: const AccordionHeaderStyle(
    icon: Icon(Icons.add),        // any widget
    expandedIconTurns: 0.125,     // 45° turn when expanded (a + becomes ×)
    iconPosition: AccordionIconPosition.leading,
  ),
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('Custom icon'), content: Text('...')),
  ],
)

// Or hide the icon entirely:
AccordionCustom(
  headerStyle: const AccordionHeaderStyle(showIcon: false),
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('No icon'), content: Text('...')),
  ],
)

Disabled panels

A panel with enabled: false is dimmed and ignores taps (a controller can still change it):

AccordionCustom(
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Unavailable'),
      content: Text('You cannot open this by tapping.'),
      enabled: false,
    ),
  ],
)

Initial state

Mark a panel initiallyExpanded: true to have it open on first build. In single mode, if several set it, only the first wins:

AccordionCustom(
  mode: AccordionMode.multiple,
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(
      header: Text('Open on start'),
      content: Text('Visible without a tap.'),
      initiallyExpanded: true,
    ),
    AccordionItem(header: Text('Closed'), content: Text('...')),
  ],
)

Animation

Tune the expand/collapse (and icon rotation) animation:

AccordionCustom(
  animationDuration: const Duration(milliseconds: 500),
  animationCurve: Curves.easeInOutBack,
  children: const [
    AccordionItem(header: Text('Slow & bouncy'), content: Text('...')),
  ],
)

Nesting

A panel's content is any widget, so an accordion can contain another:

AccordionCustom(
  children: [
    AccordionItem(
      header: const Text('Outer'),
      content: AccordionCustom(
        children: const [
          AccordionItem(header: Text('Inner'), content: Text('Nested body.')),
        ],
      ),
    ),
  ],
)

API overview

Property	Description
children / .builder(itemCount, itemBuilder)	The panels, given directly or built lazily.
mode	AccordionMode.single (default) or AccordionMode.multiple.
controller	Optional AccordionController for programmatic control.
headerStyle	Header + panel outline styling (AccordionHeaderStyle).
contentStyle	Content area styling (AccordionContentStyle).
animationDuration / animationCurve	Expand/collapse animation.
itemSpacing	Vertical gap between panels.
enableKeyboardNavigation	↑/↓ focus movement between headers.

AccordionItem: header or headerBuilder, content, initiallyExpanded, enabled, semanticLabel, and optional per-panel headerStyle / contentStyle.

AccordionController: expand, collapse, toggle, expandAll, collapseAll, isExpanded(index), expandedIndexes.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.