Flutter Smart Editor

A highly customizable, pure Dart and Flutter rich text HTML editor. No WebViews, no JavaScriptβ€”built entirely for native performance and full control.

Pub Version License: MIT

flutter_smart_editor is a full-featured WYSIWYG editor designed from scratch to eliminate the overhead and bugs associated with WebView-based editors. It provides a premium, Material 3 experience with clean HTML input/output.

πŸ“Œ Table of Contents

✨ Features

🎨 Formatting & Styling

  • Inline Styles: Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough.
  • Dynamic Fonts: Custom Font Family and Font Size selection.
  • Rich Colors: Foreground (text) and Highlight (background) color pickers.
  • Block Types: Paragraphs and Headings (H1–H6).
  • Alignment: Left, Center, Right, and Justify.

🧩 Core Editor Capabilities

  • Pure HTML: Clean output and robust parsing of existing HTML content.
  • Dynamic Height: The editor expands as you type and can be limited via maxLines.
  • Native Paste: Premium clipboard supportβ€”paste rich text/HTML from browsers and other apps.
  • Lists (v2.1+): Robust, atomic Bullet and Numbered lists with smart reordering.
  • Tables (v2.1+): Full support for HTML tables with dynamic row/column management (insertion, deletion, and cell updates).
  • Mobile Optimized: Smart backspace bridge for soft keyboards and accessory bar avoidance.
  • Undo/Redo: Built-in history management.
  • Material 3 Toolbar: Scrollable, Grid, or Expandable layouts.

πŸš€ Getting Started

Add flutter_smart_editor to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  flutter_smart_editor: ^2.1.0

πŸ“– Basic Usage

import 'package:flutter_smart_editor/flutter_smart_editor.dart';

// ... inside your widget ...
SmartEditor(
  controller: _controller,
  editorSettings: const SmartEditorSettings(
    hint: 'Start typing...',
    initialText: '<p>Hello <b>World</b></p>',
  ),
  toolbarSettings: const SmartToolbarSettings(
    toolbarType: SmartToolbarType.scrollable,
  ),
)

βš™οΈ Detailed Configuration

1. SmartEditorSettings

Core & HTML

Parameter Type Default Description
initialText String? null The starting HTML content in the editor.
hint String? null Placeholder text shown when the editor is empty.
defaultFontSize double 16.0 The base font size for paragraph text.
darkMode bool? null Force light or dark mode. If null, follows system brightness.
disabled bool false Completely disables interaction and grays out the editor.
readOnly bool false Disables text input but allows selection and copying.
maxLines int? null Max height in lines before scrolling. null = grows indefinitely.
characterLimit int? null Max number of characters allowed in the editor.
spellCheck bool false Enables browser/OS native spell checking.
processInputHtml bool true Sanitizes and prepares input HTML string.
processOutputHtml bool true Cleans up empty tags in the produced HTML output.
processNewLineAsBr bool false Converts \n to <br> in input strings.

Scroll & Layout

Parameter Type Default Description
autoAdjustHeight bool true Allows the editor to grow vertically as the user types.
ensureVisible bool false Scrolls the editor into view when it gains focus.
scrollPhysics ScrollPhysics? null Custom physics for the editor's scroll view.

Keyboard

Parameter Type Default Description
inputType SmartInputType .text The type of virtual keyboard to display.
autofocus bool false Opens the keyboard immediately on mount.
textInputAction TextInputAction? null The action button on the keyboard (e.g. Done, Search).
keyboardAppearance Brightness? null Force a dark or light keyboard on iOS.
adjustForKeyboard bool true Automatically shrinks the editor when the keyboard appears.

Selection & Cursor

Parameter Type Default Description
cursorColor Color? Theme The color of the blinking vertical text cursor.
cursorWidth double 2.0 Width of the cursor in logical pixels.
cursorRadius Radius? Circular(2) Corner rounding of the cursor tip.
cursorHeight double? null Fixed height for the cursor.
showCursor bool true Whether to show the blinking cursor at all.
selectionColor Color? Theme Background color for highlighted text.
selectionHandleColor Color? Theme Color of the drag handles on mobile.
enableInteractiveSelection bool true Allows users to select text via tap/hold.

Style & Decoration

Parameter Type Default Description
decoration BoxDecoration? null Decoration around the entire editor container.
editorDecoration BoxDecoration? null Decoration around just the text input area.
editorPadding EdgeInsets all(12) Internal padding of the text input area.
editorBackgroundColor Color? null Background color of the editing area.
borderRadius BorderRadius? null Rounded corners for the default editor border.

Lists & Horizontal Rules

Parameter Type Default Description
maxListDepth int 3 Maximum nesting depth for lists (1-5 recommended).
defaultBulletStyle SmartBulletStyle .filledCircle Default bullet shape for unordered lists.
hrStyle SmartHrStyle (defaults) Visual configuration for Horizontal Rule dividers.
draggableBlockTypes Set<BlockType> null Types of blocks that show reordering handles (e.g. {BlockType.bulletList}).

Callbacks

Callback Signature Description
onChangeContent (String? html) Triggered whenever text or formatting changes.
onFocus () Triggered when the editor gains focus.
onBlur () Triggered when the editor loses focus.
onInit () Triggered when the editor is fully initialized.
onEnter () Triggered when the Enter/Return key is pressed.
onChangeSelection (Map<String, dynamic>) Triggered when cursor moves; provides active formatting state.
onPaste () Triggered when content is pasted into the editor.
onTagSerialize (Type, Tag, Attr, Styles, Content) Custom tag serialization interceptor (see below).
onKeyUp / onKeyDown (String? key) Raw key event callbacks.

πŸ› οΈ Interactive List Customization

Version 2.1.0 introduces the ability for users to live-change their bullet point symbols (pointers).

Enabling the Bullet Picker

To show the bullet style picker in your toolbar, ensure listStyles is enabled in your SmartListButtons group:

SmartToolbarSettings(
  defaultButtons: [
    const SmartListButtons(
      ul: true,
      ol: true,
      listStyles: true, // Enables the style picker button
    ),
  ],
)

Customizing Available Styles

You can filter which pointers are available to the user:

SmartListButtons(
  listStyles: true,
  availableStyles: [
    SmartBulletStyle.filledCircle,
    SmartBulletStyle.diamond,
    SmartBulletStyle.star,
  ],
)

Custom Serialization Example

You can intercept any HTML tag before it is written to the output. The styles map allows you to precisely modify inline CSS properties without string parsing.

SmartEditorSettings(
  onTagSerialize: (type, tag, attributes, styles, content) {
    if (type == SmartTagType.bold) {
      // Add custom inline style to bold tags
      styles['color'] = 'royal-blue';
      return null; // Return null to let the editor build the final HTML using modified styles
    }
    
    if (type == SmartTagType.heading1) {
      // Completely replace h1 with a styled div
      return '<div class="h1-alternate" style="text-shadow: 1px 1px #eee;">$content</div>';
    }
    
    return null;
  },
)

4. Programmatic Table & List APIs

SmartEditorController provides a rich set of programmatic APIs to manipulate tables and lists dynamically from your parent widgets, custom toolbar buttons, or keyboard listeners.

πŸ“Š Table Management APIs

When the user is interacting with tables, you can use these controller methods to perform programmatic modifications:

Method / Getter Return Type Description
insertTable({int rows, int cols}) void Inserts a new responsive HTML table grid with specified dimensions after the active block.
insertRow() void Inserts a new table row below the currently focused table cell.
insertColumn() void Inserts a new table column to the right of the currently focused table cell.
deleteRow() void Deletes the row containing the currently focused table cell.
deleteColumn() void Deletes the column containing the currently focused table cell.
deleteTable() void Deletes the entire focused table block.
isInsideTable bool Returns true if the caret/cursor is currently inside a table cell.
focusedTableInfo ({int blockIndex, int row, int col})? Returns the exact coordinate position of the focused cell, or null.
Code Example: Context-Aware Table Modification
final controller = SmartEditorController();

// 1. Insert a 3x3 table programmatically
controller.insertTable(rows: 3, cols: 3);

// 2. perform context-aware row addition
if (controller.isInsideTable) {
  print("Focused cell coordinates: ${controller.focusedTableInfo}");
  
  // Add a new row below the focused cell
  controller.insertRow();
}

πŸ”’ List & Numbered List APIs

To toggle lists and adjust indentation programmatically:

Method / Getter Arguments Description
setBlockType(BlockType type) BlockType.bulletList Converts the active block to an Unordered Bullet List (<ul>).
setBlockType(BlockType type) BlockType.orderedList Converts the active block to an Ordered Numbered List (<ol>).
setBlockType(BlockType type) BlockType.paragraph Converts a list item back to standard paragraph text (<p>).
documentController.increaseIndent(int blockIndex) blockIndex Increases list nesting depth/indentation (supports up to 3 levels).
documentController.decreaseIndent(int blockIndex) blockIndex Decreases list nesting depth/outdents the list block.
Code Example: Programmatic List Customization
final controller = SmartEditorController();

// Convert current block to a Bullet List
controller.setBlockType(BlockType.bulletList);

// Convert current block to a Numbered List
controller.setBlockType(BlockType.orderedList);

// Increase Indentation on the active block index
final activeIndex = controller.documentController.focusedBlockIndex;
controller.documentController.increaseIndent(activeIndex);

πŸŽ›οΈ Toolbar Customization

The toolbar is built using modular button groups. You can fully customize which groups appear and which specific buttons within those groups are active.

Full Toolbar Example

Here is how you would configure a toolbar with every available group active:

SmartToolbarSettings(
  toolbarType: SmartToolbarType.expandable,
  defaultButtons: [
    const SmartStyleButtons(),      // Heading 1-6 & Paragraph
    const SmartFontButtons(
      strikethrough: true,
      fontSize: true,
      clearAll: true,
    ),
    const SmartColorButtons(
      foregroundColor: true,
      highlightColor: true,
    ),
    const SmartListButtons(
      ul: true,
      ol: true,
      hr: true,
      listStyles: true,             // Enables interactive bullet picker
    ),
    const SmartFontFamilyButtons(),
    const SmartParagraphButtons(),    // Alignment: Left, Center, Right, Justify
    const SmartOtherButtons(
      undo: true,
      redo: true,
      copy: true,
      paste: true,
    ),
  ],
)

Breakdown of Button Groups

Group Class Description
SmartStyleButtons Controls the paragraph style dropdown (Heading 1 to Heading 6 and Normal text).
SmartFontButtons Standard formatting: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Font Size, and Clear Formatting.
SmartColorButtons Integrated color pickers for text color and background highlight color.
SmartFontFamilyButtons A dropdown for selecting from your application's available font families.
SmartListButtons Bullet/Numbered list toggles, horizontal dividers (HR), and the premium Bullet Style Picker.
SmartParagraphButtons Text alignment controls: Left, Center, Right, and Full Justify.
SmartOtherButtons Utility actions: Undo, Redo, Copy to Clipboard, and Paste.

2. SmartToolbarSettings

Layout & Position

Parameter Type Default Description
toolbarType SmartToolbarType .scrollable Layout: .scrollable, .grid, or .expandable.
toolbarPosition SmartToolbarPosition .above Position relative to editor: .above or .below.
initiallyExpanded bool false Starts the expandable toolbar in the open state.
showBorder bool false Separation border between editor and toolbar.
showSeparators bool true Vertical lines between button groups.
itemHeight double 36 Height of individual buttons and chips.
gridSpacingH double 5 Horizontal gap between buttons in grid layout.
gridSpacingV double 5 Vertical gap between buttons in grid layout.
separatorWidget Widget? null Custom widget to use as a separator.

Content

Parameter Type Default Description
defaultButtons List<SmartToolbarGroup> [...] List of button groups to display.
customButtons List<Widget> [] Custom widgets to insert into the toolbar.
customButtonInsertionIndices List<int> [] Position indices for custom buttons.

Container Styling

Parameter Type Default Description
decoration BoxDecoration? null Styling for the toolbar background/border.
padding EdgeInsets? null Internal padding of the toolbar container.

Button & Text Styling

Parameter Type Default Description
buttonColor Color? null Base color for toolbar icons.
buttonSelectedColor Color? null Icon color when a style is active.
buttonFillColor Color? null Background color of the button.
buttonBorderRadius BorderRadius? null Corner rounding for buttons.
buttonIconSize double 20.0 Size of the toolbar icons.
textStyle TextStyle? null Style for text labels in the toolbar.
Parameter Type Default Description
dropdownBackgroundColor Color? null Background color of popup menus.
dropdownElevation int 8 Shadow depth for popup menus.
dropdownItemHeight double? null Height of items inside dropdowns.
dropdownIconSize double 24 Size of the dropdown arrow icon.

Interceptors

Callback Signature Description
onButtonPressed (Type, bool, Fn) Intercept any button click to add custom logic.
onDropdownChanged (Type, val, Fn) Intercept any dropdown selection change.

πŸƒ Migration Guide (v1.0.x βž” v2.x.x)

Version 2.x.x introduces a Unified Settings API. Instead of separate ScrollSettings, KeyboardSettings, etc., all editor-related properties are now in SmartEditorSettings.

Old:

SmartEditor(
  scrollSettings: SmartScrollSettings(autoAdjustHeight: true),
  styleSettings: SmartStyleSettings(editorPadding: EdgeInsets.all(16)),
)

New:

SmartEditor(
  editorSettings: SmartEditorSettings(
    autoAdjustHeight: true,
    editorPadding: EdgeInsets.all(16),
  ),
)

πŸ› οΈ Upcoming Features

  • Markdown Shortcuts: Auto-format headers and lists during typing.
  • Find & Replace: Native search overlay with match highlighting.
  • Image Blocks: Support for network/local images with resize handles.
  • Code Blocks: Syntax highlighting for 100+ languages.
  • Hyperlinks: Comprehensive link insertion and management dialogs.
  • Focus Mode: Zen mode for distraction-free writing.
  • Live Statistics: Real-time word, character, and reading time counters.
  • Auto-Save: Background persistence and draft recovery.
  • AI Assistant: context-aware writing improvements and summaries.
  • PDF Export: Generate high-quality PDFs directly from Dart.
  • Real-time Sync: Collaborative editing via WebSocket/CRDT.
  • Slash Commands: Notion-style / menu for quick block insertion.
  • Mobile Haptics: Tactile feedback for editing actions.

❓ Troubleshooting

Failed to load 'libsuper_native_extensions.so'

If you encounter errors when using the Paste feature:

  1. flutter clean
  2. flutter pub get
  3. Perform a cold start (full rebuild) of the app. This is required to bundle the native clipboard libraries.

πŸ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Libraries

flutter_smart_editor
A pure Flutter rich text HTML editor.
smart_editor
smart_editor_controller