auto_route 9.1.0 auto_route: ^9.1.0 copied to clipboard
AutoRoute is a declarative routing solution, where everything needed for navigation is automatically generated for you.
- Introduction
- Generated routes
- Navigation
- Deep Linking
- Declarative Navigation
- Working with Paths
- Route guards
- Wrapping routes
- Navigation Observers
- Customization
- Others
- Examples
Migration guides #
Old documentation #
Introduction #
What is AutoRoute?
It’s a Flutter navigation package, it allows for strongly-typed arguments passing, effortless deep-linking and it uses code generation to simplify routes setup. With that being said, it requires a minimal amount of code to generate everything needed for navigation inside of your App.
Why AutoRoute?
If your App requires deep-linking or guarded routes or just a clean routing setup, you'll need to use named/generated routes and you’ll end up writing a lot of boilerplate code for mediator argument classes, checking for required arguments, extracting arguments and a bunch of other stuff. AutoRoute does all that for you and much more.
Installation #
dependencies:
auto_route: [latest-version]
dev_dependencies:
auto_route_generator: [latest-version]
build_runner:
Setup And Usage #
- Create a router class and annotate it with
@AutoRouterConfig
then extend "RootStackRouter" from The auto_route package - Override the routes getter and start adding your routes.
@AutoRouterConfig()
class AppRouter extends RootStackRouter {
@override
List<AutoRoute> get routes => [
/// routes go here
];
}
Using part builder #
To generate a part-of file simply add a part
directive to your AppRouter
.
Note: The deferredLoading
functionality does not work with part-file setup.
Generating Routable pages #
Routable pages are just simple everyday widgets annotated with @RoutePage()
which allows them to be constructed by the router.
@RoutePage()
class HomeScreen extends StatefulWidget {}
Now simply run the generator
Use the [watch] flag to watch the files' system for edits and rebuild as necessary.
dart run build_runner watch
If you want the generator to run one time and exit, use
dart run build_runner build
Add the generated route to your routes list
@AutoRouterConfig(replaceInRouteName: 'Screen|Page,Route')
class AppRouter extends RootStackRouter {
@override
RouteType get defaultRouteType => RouteType.material(); //.cupertino, .adaptive ..etc
@override
List<AutoRoute> get routes => [
// HomeScreen is generated as HomeRoute because
// of the replaceInRouteName property
AutoRoute(page: HomeRoute.page),
];
@override
List<AutoRouteGuard> get guards => [
// optionally add root guards here
];
}
Finalize the setup
After you run the generator, your router class will be generated. Then simply hook it up with your MaterialApp.
// assuming this is the root widget of your App
class App extends StatelessWidget {
// make sure you don't initiate your router
// inside of the build function.
final _appRouter = AppRouter();
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context){
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(),
);
}
}
Generated Routes #
A PageRouteInfo
object will be generated for every declared AutoRoute. These objects hold strongly-typed page arguments which are extracted from the page's default constructor. Think of them as string path segments on steroids.
class BookListRoute extends PageRouteInfo {
const BookListRoute({
List<PagerouteInfo>? children,
}) : super(name, initialChildren: children);
static const String name = 'BookListRoute';
static const PageInfo page = PageInfo(name,builder: (...));
}
Navigating Between Screens #
AutoRouter
offers the same known push, pop and friends methods to manipulate the pages stack using both the generated PageRouteInfo
objects and paths.
// get the scoped router by calling
AutoRouter.of(context);
// or using the extension
context.router;
// adds a new entry to the pages stack
router.push(const BooksListRoute());
// or by using paths
router.pushNamed('/books');
// removes last entry in stack and pushes provided route
// if last entry == provided route page will just be updated
router.replace(const BooksListRoute());
// or by using paths
router.replaceNamed('/books');
// pops until provided route, if it already exists in stack
// else adds it to the stack (good for web Apps).
router.navigate(const BooksListRoute());
// or by using paths
router.navigateNamed('/books');
// on Web it calls window.history.back();
// on Native it navigates you back
// to the previous location
router.back();
// adds a list of routes to the pages stack at once
router.pushAll([
BooksListRoute(),
BookDetailsRoute(id: 1),
]);
// This is like providing a completely new stack as it rebuilds the stack
// with the list of passed routes
// entries might just update if already exist
router.replaceAll([
LoginRoute(),
]);
// pops the last page unless blocked or stack has only 1 entry
context.router.maybePop();
// pops the most top page of the most top router unless blocked
// or stack has only 1 entry
context.router.maybePopTop();
// keeps popping routes until predicate is satisfied
context.router.popUntil((route) => route.settings.name == 'HomeRoute');
// a simplified version of the above line
context.router.popUntilRouteWithName('HomeRoute');
// keeps popping routes until route with provided path is found
context.router.popUntilRouteWithPath('/some-path');
// pops all routes down to the root
context.router.popUntilRoot();
// removes the top most page in stack even if it's the last
// remove != pop, it doesn't respect WillPopScopes it just
// removes the entry.
context.router.removeLast();
// removes any route in stack that satisfies the predicate
// this works exactly like removing items from a regular List
// <PageRouteInfo>[...].removeWhere((r)=>)
context.router.removeWhere((route) => );
// you can also use the common helper methods from context extension to navigate
context.pushRoute(const BooksListRoute());
context.replaceRoute(const BooksListRoute());
context.navigateTo(const BooksListRoute());
context.navigateNamedTo('/books');
context.back();
context.maybePop();
Passing Arguments #
That's the fun part! AutoRoute automatically detects and handles your page arguments for you, the generated route object will deliver all the arguments your page needs including path/query params.
e.g. The following page widget will take an argument of type Book
.
@RoutePage()
class BookDetailsPage extends StatelessWidget {
const BookDetailsPage({required this.book});
final Book book;
...
Note: Default values are respected. Required fields are also respected and handled properly.
The generated BookDetailsRoute
will deliver the same arguments to its corresponding page.
router.push(BookDetailsRoute(book: book));
Note: All arguments are generated as named parameters regardless of their original type.
Returning Results #
You can return results by either using the pop completer or by passing a callback function as an argument the same way you'd pass an object.
1. Using the pop
completer
var result = await router.push(LoginRoute());
then inside of your LoginPage
, pop with results
router.maybePop(true);
Specifying the type of the result is optional, but it's recommended to avoid runtime errors.
var result = await router.push<bool>(LoginRoute());
and of course we pop with the same type
router.maybePop<bool>(true);
2. Passing a callback function as an argument.
We only have to add a callback function as a parameter to our page constructor like follows:
@RoutePage()
class BookDetailsPage extends StatelessWidget {
const BookDetailsRoute({this.book, required this.onRateBook});
final Book book;
final void Function(int) onRateBook;
...
The generated BookDetailsRoute
will deliver the same arguments to its corresponding page.
context.pushRoute(
BookDetailsRoute(
book: book,
onRateBook: (rating) {
// handle result
},
),
);
If you're finishing with results, make sure you call the callback function as you pop the page
onRateBook(RESULT);
context.maybePop();
Note: Default values are respected. Required fields are also respected and handled properly.
Nested Navigation #
Nested navigation means building an inner router inside of a page of another router, for example in the below diagram users page is built inside of dashboard page.
Defining nested routes is as easy as populating the children field of the parent route. In the following example UsersPage
, PostsPage
and SettingsPage
are nested children of DashboardPage
.
@AutoRouterConfig(replaceInRouteName: 'Page,Route')
class AppRouter extends RootStackRouter {
@override
List<AutoRoute> get routes => [
AutoRoute(
path: '/dashboard',
page: DashboardRoute.page,
children: [
AutoRoute(path: 'users', page: UsersRoute.page),
AutoRoute(path: 'posts', page: PostsRoute.page),
AutoRoute(path: 'settings', page: SettingsRoute.page),
],
),
AutoRoute(path: '/login', page: LoginRoute.page),
];
}
To render/build nested routes we need an AutoRouter
widget that works as an outlet or a nested router-view inside of our dashboard page.
class DashboardPage extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Row(
children: [
Column(
children: [
NavLink(label: 'Users', destination: const UsersRoute()),
NavLink(label: 'Posts', destination: const PostsRoute()),
NavLink(label: 'Settings', destination: const SettingsRoute()),
],
),
Expanded(
// nested routes will be rendered here
child: AutoRouter(), // this is important
),
],
);
}
}
Note NavLink is just a button that calls router.push(destination). Now if we navigate to /dashboard/users
, we will be taken to the DashboardPage
and the UsersPage
will be shown inside of it.
What if want to show one of the child pages at /dashboard
? We can simply do that by giving the child routes an empty path ''
to make initial or by setting initial to true.
AutoRoute(
path: '/dashboard',
page: DashboardRoute.page,
children: [
AutoRoute(path: '', page: UsersRoute.page),
AutoRoute(path: 'posts', page: PostsRoute.page),
],
)
or by using a RedirectRoute
AutoRoute(
path: '/dashboard',
page: DashboardRoute.page,
children: [
RedirectRoute(path: '', redirectTo: 'users'),
AutoRoute(path: 'users', page: UsersRoute.page),
AutoRoute(path: 'posts', page: PostsRoute.page),
],
)
Creating Empty Shell routes
Empty shell routes build a screen that contain the AutoRouter
widget, which is used to render nested routes.
So you can build the widget your self like follows:
@RoutePage()
class MyShellPage extends StatelessWidget {
const MyShellPage({Key? key}) : super(key: key);
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
/// you can wrap the AutoRouter with any widget you want
return AutoRouter();
}
}
You can shorten the code above a bit by directly extending the AutoRouter
Widget.
@RoutePage()
class MyShellPage extends AutoRouter {
const MyShellPage({Key? key}) : super(key: key);
}
finally you can create a shell route without code generation using the EmptyShellRoute
helper
const BooksTab = EmptyShellRoute('BooksTab');
context.push(BooksTab());
Things to keep in mind when implementing nested navigation #
- Each router manages its own pages stack.
- Navigation actions like push, pop and friends are handled by the topmost router and bubble up if it couldn't be handled.
Tab Navigation #
If you're working with flutter mobile, you're most likely to implement tabs navigation, that's why auto_route
makes tabs navigation as easy and straightforward as possible.
In the previous example we used an AutoRouter
widget to render nested child routes, AutoRouter
is just a shortcut for AutoStackRouter
. StackRouters
manage a stack of pages inside of them, where the active/visible page is always the one on top and you'd need to pop it to see the page beneath it.
Now we can try to implement our tabs using an AutoRouter
(StackRouter) by pushing or replacing a nested route every time the tab changes and that might work, but our tabs state will be lost, not to mention the transition between tabs issue, luckily auto_route comes equipped with an AutoTabsRouter
, which is especially made to handle tab navigation.
AutoTabsRouter
lets you switch between different routes while preserving offstage-routes state, tab routes are lazily loaded by default (can be disabled) and it finally allows to create whatever transition animation you want.
Let's change the previous example to use tab navigation.
Notice that we're not going to change anything in our routes declaration map, we still have a dashboard page that has three nested children: users, posts and settings.
class DashboardPage extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return AutoTabsRouter(
// list of your tab routes
// routes used here must be declared as children
// routes of /dashboard
routes: const [
UsersRoute(),
PostsRoute(),
SettingsRoute(),
],
transitionBuilder: (context,child,animation) => FadeTransition(
opacity: animation,
// the passed child is technically our animated selected-tab page
child: child,
),
builder: (context, child) {
// obtain the scoped TabsRouter controller using context
final tabsRouter = AutoTabsRouter.of(context);
// Here we're building our Scaffold inside of AutoTabsRouter
// to access the tabsRouter controller provided in this context
//
// alternatively, you could use a global key
return Scaffold(
body: child,
bottomNavigationBar: BottomNavigationBar(
currentIndex: tabsRouter.activeIndex,
onTap: (index) {
// here we switch between tabs
tabsRouter.setActiveIndex(index);
},
items: [
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Users', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Posts', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Settings', ...),
],
),
);
},
);
}
}
If you think the above setup is a bit messy you could use the shipped-in AutoTabsScaffold
that makes things much cleaner.
class DashboardPage extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return AutoTabsScaffold(
routes: const [
UsersRoute(),
PostsRoute(),
SettingsRoute(),
],
bottomNavigationBuilder: (_, tabsRouter) {
return BottomNavigationBar(
currentIndex: tabsRouter.activeIndex,
onTap: tabsRouter.setActiveIndex,
items: const [
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Users', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Posts', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Settings', ...),
],
);
},
);
}
}
Using PageView #
Use the AutoTabsRouter.pageView
constructor to implement tabs using PageView
AutoTabsRouter.pageView(
routes: [
BooksTab(),
ProfileTab(),
SettingsTab(),
],
builder: (context, child, _) {
final tabsRouter = AutoTabsRouter.of(context);
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(
title: Text(context.topRoute.name),
leading: AutoLeadingButton(),
),
body: child,
bottomNavigationBar: BottomNavigationBar(
currentIndex: tabsRouter.activeIndex,
onTap: tabsRouter.setActiveIndex,
items: [
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Books', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Profile', ...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Settings', ...),
],
),
);
},
);
Using TabBar #
Use the AutoTabsRouter.tabBar
constructor to implement tabs using TabBar
AutoTabsRouter.tabBar(
routes: [
BooksTab(),
ProfileTab(),
SettingsTab(),
],
builder: (context, child, controller) {
final tabsRouter = AutoTabsRouter.of(context);
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(
title: Text(context.topRoute.name),
leading: AutoLeadingButton(),
bottom: TabBar(
controller: controller,
tabs: const [
Tab(text: '1', icon: Icon(Icons.abc)),
Tab(text: '2', icon: Icon(Icons.abc)),
Tab(text: '3', icon: Icon(Icons.abc)),
],
),
),
body: child,
bottomNavigationBar: BottomNavigationBar(
currentIndex: tabsRouter.activeIndex,
onTap: tabsRouter.setActiveIndex,
items: [
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Books',...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Profile',...),
BottomNavigationBarItem(label: 'Settings',...),
],
),
);
},
);
Finding The Right Router #
Every nested AutoRouter
has its own routing controller to manage the stack inside of it and the easiest way to obtain a scoped controller is by using the BuildContext
.
In the previous example, DashboardPage
is a root level stack entry so calling AutoRouter.of(context)
anywhere inside of it will get us the root routing controller.
AutoRouter
widgets that are used to render nested routes, insert a new router scope into the widgets tree, so when a nested route calls for the scoped controller, they will get the closest parent controller in the widgets tree; not the root controller.
class Dashboard extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
// this will get us the root routing controller
AutoRouter.of(context);
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Dashboard page')),
// this inserts a new router scope into the widgets tree
body: AutoRouter()
);
}
}
Here's a simple diagram to help visualize this
As you can tell from the above diagram it's possible to access parent routing controllers by calling router.parent<T>()
, we're using a generic function because we have two different routing controllers: StackRouter
and TabsRouter
, one of them could be the parent controller of the current router and that's why we need to specify a type.
router.parent<StackRouter>() // this returns the parent router as a Stack Routing controller
router.parent<TabsRouter>() // this returns the parent router as a Tabs Routing controller
On the other hand, obtaining the root controller does not require type casting because it's always a StackRouter
.
router.root // this returns the root router as a Stack Routing controller
You can obtain access to inner-routers from outside their scope using a global key
class DashboardPage extends StatefulWidget {
@override
_DashboardPageState createState() => _DashboardPageState();
}
class _DashboardPageState extends State<DashboardPage> {
final _innerRouterKey = GlobalKey<AutoRouterState>();
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Row(
children: [
Column(
children: [
NavLink(
label: 'Users',
onTap: () {
final router = _innerRouterKey.currentState?.controller;
router?.push(const UsersRoute());
},
),
...
],
),
Expanded(
child: AutoRouter(key: _innerRouterKey),
),
],
);
}
}
You could also obtain access to inner-routers from outside their scope without a global key, as long as they're initiated.
// assuming this is the root router
context.innerRouterOf<StackRouter>(UserRoute.name);
// or if we're using an AutoTabsRouter inside of DashboardPage
context.innerRouterOf<TabsRouter>(UserRoute.name);
Accessing the DashboardPage
inner router from the previous example.
class Dashboard extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(
title: Text('Dashboard'),
actions: [
IconButton(
icon: Icon(Icons.person),
onPressed: () {
// accessing the inner router from
// outside the scope
final router = context.innerRouterOf<StackRouter>(DashboardRoute.name)
router?.push(const UsersRoute());
},
),
],
),
body: AutoRouter(), // we're trying to get access to this
);
}
}
Navigating Without Context #
To navigate without context you can simply assign your generated router to a global variable
// declare your route as a global variable
final appRouter = AppRouter();
class MyApp extends StatefulWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: appRouter.config(),
);
}
}
Note: Using global variable is not recommended and is considered bad practice and most of the times you should use dependency injection instead.
Here's an example using get_it
(which is just a personal favorite). You can use any dependency injection package you like.
void main(){
// make sure you register it as a Singleton or a lazySingleton
getIt.registerSingleton<AppRouter>(AppRouter());
runApp(MyApp());
}
class MyApp extends StatefulWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
final appRouter = getIt<AppRouter>();
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: appRouter.config(),
);
}
}
Now you can access your router anywhere inside of your app without using context.
getIt<AppRouter>().push(...);
Note: Navigating without context is not recommended in nested navigation unless you use navigate
instead of push
and you provide a full hierarchy, e.g router.navigate(SecondRoute(children: [SubChild2Route()]))
Deep Linking #
AutoRoute will automatically handle deep-links coming from the platform, but native platforms require some setup, see Deep linking topic in flutter documentation.
Using Deep-link Transformer #
Deep link transformer intercepts deep-links before they're processed by the matcher, it's useful for stripping or modifying deep-links before they're matched.
In the following example we will strip a prefix from the deep-link before it's matched.
MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
deepLinkTransformer: (uri) {
if (uri.path.startsWith('/prefix')) {
return SynchronousFuture(
uri.replace(path: uri.path.replaceFirst('/prefix', '')),
);
}
return SynchronousFuture(uri);
}
),
);
Note for prefix stripping use the shipped-in DeepLink.prefixStripper('prefix')
MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
deepLinkTransformer: DeepLink.prefixStripper('prefix'),
),
);
### Using Deep-link Builder
Deep link builder is an interceptor for deep-links where you can validate or override deep-links coming from the platform.
In the following example we will only allow deep-links starting with `/products`
```dart
MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
deepLinkBuilder: (deepLink) {
if (deepLink.path.startsWith('/products')) {
// continue with the platform link
return deepLink;
} else {
return DeepLink.defaultPath;
// or DeepLink.path('/')
// or DeepLink([HomeRoute()])
}
}
),
);
Deep Linking to non-nested Routes #
AutoRoute can build a stack from a linear route list as long as they're ordered properly and can be matched as prefix, e.g /
is a prefix match of /products
, and /products
is prefix match of /products/:id
. Then we have a setup that looks something like this:
/
/products
/products/:id
Now, receiving this deep-link /products/123
will add all above routes to the stack. This of course requires includePrefixMatches
to be true in the root config (default is !kWeb
) or when using pushNamed
, navigateNamed
and replaceNamed
.
Things to keep in mind:
- If a full match can not finally be found, no prefix matches will be included.
- Paths that require a full path match =>
AutoRoute(path:'path', fullMatch: true)
will not be included as prefix matches. - In the above example, if
/products/:id
comes before/products
,/products
will not be included.
Declarative Navigation #
To use declarative navigation with auto_route, you simply use the AutoRouter.declarative
constructor and return a list of routes based on state.
AutoRouter.declarative(
routes: (handler) => [
BookListRoute(),
if(_selectedBook != null) {
BookDetailsRoute(id: _selectedBook.id),
}
],
);
Note: The handler contains a temp-list of pending initial routes which can be read only once.
Working with Paths #
Working with paths in AutoRoute is optional because PageRouteInfo
objects are matched by name unless pushed as a string using the deepLinkBuilder
property in root delegate or pushNamed
, replaceNamed
navigateNamed
methods.
If you don’t specify a path it’s going to be generated from the page name e.g. BookListPage
will have ‘book-list-page’ as a path, if initial arg is set to true the path will be /
, unless it's relative then it will be an empty string ''
.
When developing a web application or a native app that requires deep-linking, you'd probably need to define paths with clear memorable names, and that's done using the path
argument in AutoRoute
.
AutoRoute(path: '/books', page: BookListPage),
Path Parameters (dynamic segments) #
You can define a dynamic segment by prefixing it with a colon
AutoRoute(path: '/books/:id', page: BookDetailsPage),
The simplest way to extract path parameters from path and gain access to them is by annotating constructor params with @PathParam('optional-alias')
with the same alias/name of the segment.
class BookDetailsPage extends StatelessWidget {
const BookDetailsPage({@PathParam('id') this.bookId});
final int bookId;
...
}
Now writing /books/1
in the browser will navigate you to BookDetailsPage
and automatically extract the bookId
argument from path and inject it to your widget.
Inherited Path Parameters
To inherit a path-parameter from a parent route's path, we need to use @PathParam.inherit
annotation in the child route's constructor. Let's say we have the following setup:
AutoRoute(
path: '/product/:id',
page: ProductRoute.page,
children: [
AutoRoute(path: 'review',page: ProductReviewRoute.page),
],
)
Now ProductReviewScreen
expects a path-param named id
but, from the above snippet we know that the path corresponding with it. review
has no path parameters, but we can inherit 'id' from the parent /product/:id
like follows:
@RoutePage()
class ProductReviewScreen extends StatelessWidget {
// the path-param 'id' will be inherited and it can not be passed
// as a route arg by user
const ProductReviewScreen({super.key, @PathParam.inherit('id') required String id});
}
Query Parameters #
Query parameters are accessed the same way, simply annotate the constructor parameter to hold the value of the query param with @QueryParam('optional-alias')
and let AutoRoute do the rest.
You could also access path/query parameters using the scoped RouteData
object.
RouteData.of(context).pathParams;
// or using the extension
context.routeData.queryParams;
Tip
: if your parameter name is the same as the path/query parameter, you could use the const @pathParam
or @queryParam
and not pass a slug/alias.
@RoutePage()
class BookDetailsPage extends StatelessWidget {
const BookDetailsPage({@pathParam this.id});
final int id;
...
}
Redirecting Paths #
Paths can be redirected using RedirectRoute
. The following setup will navigate us to /books
when /
is matched.
<AutoRoute> [
RedirectRoute(path: '/', redirectTo: '/books'),
AutoRoute(path: '/books', page: BookListRoute.page),
]
When redirecting initial routes the above setup can be simplified by setting the /books
path as initial and AutoRoute will automatically generate the required redirect code for you.
<AutoRoute> [
AutoRoute(path: '/books', page: BookListRoute.page, initial: true),
]
You can also redirect paths with params like follows:
<AutoRoute> [
RedirectRoute(path: 'books/:id', redirectTo: '/books/:id/details'),
AutoRoute(path: '/books/:id/details', page: BookDetailsRoute.page),
]
Note: RedirectRoutes
are fully matched.
Wildcards #
AutoRoute supports wildcard matching to handle invalid or undefined paths.
AutoRoute(
path: '*',
page: UnknownRoute.page,
)
// it could be used with defined prefixes
AutoRoute(
path: '/profile/*',
page: ProfileRoute.page,
)
// or it could be used with RedirectRoute
RedirectRoute(
path: '*',
redirectTo: '/',
)
Note: Be sure to always add your wildcards at the end of your route list because routes are matched in order.
Route Guards #
Think of route guards as middleware or interceptors, routes can not be added to the stack without going through their assigned guards. Guards are useful for restricting access to certain routes.
We create a route guard by extending AutoRouteGuard
from the AutoRoute package and implementing our logic inside of the onNavigation method.
class AuthGuard extends AutoRouteGuard {
@override
void onNavigation(NavigationResolver resolver, StackRouter router) {
// the navigation is paused until resolver.next() is called with either
// true to resume/continue navigation or false to abort navigation
if(authenticated) {
// if user is authenticated we continue
resolver.next(true);
} else {
// we redirect the user to our login page
// tip: use resolver.redirect to have the redirected route
// automatically removed from the stack when the resolver is completed
resolver.redirect(
LoginRoute(onResult: (success) {
// if success == true the navigation will be resumed
// else it will be aborted
resolver.next(success);
},
);
);
}
}
}
Important: resolver.next()
should only be called once.
The NavigationResolver
object contains the guarded route which you can access by calling the property resolver.route
and a list of pending routes (if there are any) accessed by calling resolver.pendingRoutes
.
Now we assign our guard to the routes we want to protect.
AutoRoute(
page: ProfileRoute.page,
guards: [AuthGuard()],
);
Guarding all stack-routes
You can have all your stack-routes (non-tab-routes) go through a list of global guards by overriding the guards property inside your router class. Lets say you have an app with no public screens, we'd have a global guard that only allows navigation if the user is authenticated or if we're navigating to the LoginRoute.
@AutoRouterConfig()
class AppRouter extends RootStackRouter{
@override
late final List<AutoRouteGuard> guards = [
AutoRouteGuard.simple((resolver, router) {
if(isAuthenticated || resolver.routeName == LoginRoute.name) {
// we continue navigation
resolver.next();
} else {
// else we navigate to the Login page so we get authenticated
// tip: use resolver.redirect to have the redirected route
// automatically removed from the stack when the resolver is completed
resolver.redirect(LoginRoute(onResult: (didLogin) => resolver.next(didLogin)));
}
},
),
// add more guards here
];
// ..routes[]
}
Using a Reevaluate Listenable #
Route guards can prevent users from accessing private pages until they're logged in for example, but auth state may change when the user is already navigated to the private page, to make sure private pages are only accessed by logged-in users all the time, we need a listenable that tells the router that the auth state has changed and you need to re-evaluate your stack.
The following auth provider mock will act as our re-valuate listenable
class AuthProvider extends ChangeNotifier {
bool _isLoggedIn = false;
bool get isLoggedIn => _isLoggedIn;
void login() {
_isLoggedIn = true;
notifyListeners();
}
void logout() {
_isLoggedIn = false;
notifyListeners();
}
}
We simply pass an instance of our AuthProvider
to reevaluateListenable
inside of router.config
MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
reevaluateListenable: authProvider,
),
);
Now, every time AutoProvider
notifies listeners, the stack will be re-evaluated and AutoRouteGuard.onNavigation()
. Methods will be re-called on all guards
In the above example, we assigned our AuthProvider
to reevaluateListenable
directly, that's because reevaluateListenable
takes a Listenable
and AuthProvider extends ChangeNotifier
which is a Listenable
, if your auth provider is a stream you can use reevaluateListenable: ReevaluateListenable.stream(YOUR-STREAM)
Note: When the Stack is re-evaluated, the whole existing hierarchy will be re-pushed, so if you want to stop re-evaluating routes at some point, use resolver.resolveNext(<options>)
which is like resolver.next()
but with more options.
@override
void onNavigation(NavigationResolver resolver, StackRouter router) async {
if (authProvider.isAuthenticated) {
resolver.next();
} else {
resolver.redirect(
WebLoginRoute(
onResult: (didLogin) {
// stop re-pushing any pending routes after current
resolver.resolveNext(didLogin, reevaluateNext: false);
},
),
);
}
}
Wrapping Routes #
In some cases we want to wrap our screen with a parent widget, usually to provide some values through context, e.g wrapping your route with a custom Theme
or a Provider
. To do that, simply implement AutoRouteWrapper
, and have wrappedRoute(context) method return (this) as the child of your wrapper widget.
@RoutePage()
class ProductsScreen extends StatelessWidget implements AutoRouteWrapper {
@override
Widget wrappedRoute(BuildContext context) {
return Provider(create: (ctx) => ProductsBloc(), child: this);
}
...
}
Navigation Observers #
Navigation observers are used to observe when routes are pushed ,replaced or popped ..etc.
We implement an AutoRouter observer by extending an AutoRouterObserver
which is just a NavigatorObserver
with tab route support.
class MyObserver extends AutoRouterObserver {
@override
void didPush(Route route, Route? previousRoute) {
print('New route pushed: ${route.settings.name}');
}
// only override to observer tab routes
@override
void didInitTabRoute(TabPageRoute route, TabPageRoute? previousRoute) {
print('Tab route visited: ${route.name}');
}
@override
void didChangeTabRoute(TabPageRoute route, TabPageRoute previousRoute) {
print('Tab route re-visited: ${route.name}');
}
}
Then we pass our observer to the <routerName>.config().
Important: Notice that navigatorObservers
property is a builder function that returns a list of observers and the reason for that is a navigator observer instance can only be used by a single router, so unless you're using a single router or you don't want your nested routers to inherit observers, make sure navigatorObservers builder always returns fresh observer instances.
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
navigatorObservers: () => [MyObserver()],
),
);
The following approach won't work if you have nested routers unless they don't inherit the observers.
final _observer = MyObserver();
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
// this should always return new instances
navigatorObservers: () => [_observer],
),
);
Every nested router can have it's own observers and inherit it's parent's.
AutoRouter(
inheritNavigatorObservers: true, // true by default
navigatorObservers:() => [list of observers],
);
AutoTabsRouter(
inheritNavigatorObservers: true, // true by default
navigatorObservers:() => [list of observers],
);
We can also make a certain screen route aware by subscribing to an AutoRouteObserver
(route not router).
First we provide our AutoRouteObserver
instance
return MaterialApp.router(
routerConfig: _appRouter.config(
navigatorObservers: () => [AutoRouteObserver()],
),
);
Next, we use an AutoRouteAware
mixin which is a RouteAware
mixin with tab support to provide the needed listeners, then subscribe to our AutoRouteObserver
.
class BooksListPage extends State<BookListPage> with AutoRouteAware {
AutoRouteObserver? _observer;
@override
void didChangeDependencies() {
super.didChangeDependencies();
// RouterScope exposes the list of provided observers
// including inherited observers
_observer = RouterScope.of(context).firstObserverOfType<AutoRouteObserver>();
if (_observer != null) {
// we subscribe to the observer by passing our
// AutoRouteAware state and the scoped routeData
_observer.subscribe(this, context.routeData);
}
}
@override
void dispose() {
super.dispose();
// don't forget to unsubscribe from the
// observer on dispose
_observer.unsubscribe(this);
}
// only override if this is a tab page
@override
void didInitTabRoute(TabPageRoute? previousRoute) {}
// only override if this is a tab page
@override
void didChangeTabRoute(TabPageRoute previousRoute) {}
@override
void didPopNext() {}
@override
void didPushNext() {}
@override
void didPush() {}
@override
void didPop() {}
}
AutoRouteAwareStateMixin
The above code can be simplified using AutoRouteAwareStateMixin
class BooksListPage extends State<BookListPage> with AutoRouteAwareStateMixin<BookListPage> {
// only override if this is a tab page
@override
void didInitTabRoute(TabPageRoute? previousRoute) {}
// only override if this is a tab page
@override
void didChangeTabRoute(TabPageRoute previousRoute) {}
// only override if this is a stack page
@override
void didPopNext() {}
// only override if this is a stack page
@override
void didPushNext() {}
}
Customizations #
MaterialAutoRouter | CupertinoAutoRouter | AdaptiveAutoRouter
Property | Default value | Definition |
---|---|---|
replaceInRouteName [String] | Page|Screen,Route | Used to replace conventional words in generated route name (pattern, replacement) |
Custom Route Transitions #
To use custom route transitions use a CustomRoute
and pass in your preferences. The TransitionsBuilder
function needs to be passed as a static/const reference that has the same signature as the TransitionsBuilder
function of the PageRouteBuilder
class.
CustomRoute(
page: LoginRoute.page,
// TransitionsBuilders class contains a preset of common transitions builders.
transitionsBuilder: TransitionsBuilders.slideBottom,
durationInMilliseconds: 400,
)
Tip:
Override defaultRouteType
in generated router to define global custom route transitions.
You can of course use your own transitionsBuilder function, as long as it has the same function signature. The function has to take in exactly one BuildContext
, Animation<Double>
, Animation<Double>
and a child Widget
and it needs to return a Widget
. Typically, you would wrap your child with one of Flutter's transition widgets as follows:
CustomRoute(
page: ZoomInScreen,
transitionsBuilder:
(BuildContext context, Animation<double> animation, Animation<double> secondaryAnimation, Widget child) {
// you get an animation object and a widget
// make your own transition
return ScaleTransition(scale: animation, child: child);
},
)
Custom Route Builder #
You can use your own custom route by passing a CustomRouteBuilder
function to `CustomRoute' and implement the builder function the same way we did with the TransitionsBuilder function, the most important part here is passing the page argument to our custom route.
make sure you pass the return type
CustomRoute(
page: CustomPage,
customRouteBuilder: <T>(BuildContext context, Widget child, AutoRoutePage<T> page) {
return PageRouteBuilder<T>(
fullscreenDialog: page.fullscreenDialog,
// this is important
settings: page,
pageBuilder: (_,__,___) => child,
);
},
)
Others #
Including Micro/External Packages #
To include routes inside of a depended-on package, we generated the routes inside the micro package like normal, then either use the generated routes inside your main router individually, or declare them inside your micro router and merge them with the main router.
final myMicroRouter = MyMicroRouter();
@override
List<AutoRoute> get routes => [
AutoRoute(page: HomeRoute.page, initial: true),
/// use micro routes individually
AutoRoute(page: RouteFromMicroPackage.page),
/// or merge all routes from micro router
...myMicroRouter.routes,
];
Tip:
You can add export MyMicroRouter
to app_router.dart
, so you only import app_router.dart
inside of your code.
// ...imports
export 'package:my_package/my_micro_router.dart'
@AutoRouterConfig()
class AppRouter extends RootStackRouter {}
Configuring builders #
To pass builder configuration to auto_route_generator
we need to add build.yaml
file next to pubspec.yaml
if not already added.
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_route_generator:
# configs for @RoutePage() generator ...
auto_route_generator:auto_router_generator:
# configs for @AutoRouterConfig() generator ...
Passing custom ignore_for_file rules #
You can pass custom ignore_for_file rules to the generated router by adding the following:
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_router_generator:
options:
ignore_fore_file:
- custom_rule_1
- custom_rule_2
Optimizing generation time #
The first thing you want to do to reduce generation time, is specifying the files build_runner should process and we do that by using globs. Globs are kind of regex patterns with little differences that's used to match file names. Note: for this to work on file level you need to follow a naming convention
let's say we have the following files tree
├── lib
│ ├── none_widget_file.dart
│ ├── none_widget_file2.dart
│ └── ui
│ ├── products_screen.dart
│ ├── products_details_screen.dart
By default, the builder will process all of these files to check for a page with @RoutePage()
annotation, we can help by letting it know what files we need processed, e.g only process the files
inside the ui folder:
Note (**) matches everything including '/';
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_route_generator:
generate_for:
- lib/ui/**.dart
Let's say you have widget files inside of the ui folder, but we only need to process files ending with _screen.dart
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_route_generator:
generate_for:
- lib/ui/**_screen.dart
Now only products_screen.dart
, products_details_screen.dart
will be processed
The same goes for @AutoRouterConfig
builder
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_route_generator: # this for @RoutePage
generate_for:
- lib/ui/**_screen.dart
auto_route_generator:auto_router_generator: # this for @AutoRouterConfig
generate_for:
- lib/ui/router.dart
Enabling cached builds #
This is still experimental When cached builds are enabled, AutoRoute will try to prevent redundant re-builds by analyzing whether the file changes has any effect on the extracted route info, e.g any changes inside of the build method should be ignored.
Note Enable cached builds on both generators
targets:
$default:
builders:
auto_route_generator:auto_route_generator: # this for @RoutePage
options:
enable_cached_builds: true
generate_for:
- lib/ui/**_screen.dart
auto_route_generator:auto_router_generator: # this for @AutoRouterConfig
options:
enable_cached_builds: true
generate_for:
- lib/ui/router.dart
AutoLeadingButton-BackButton #
AutoLeadingButton
is AutoRoute's replacement to the default BackButton to handle nested or parent stack popping. To use it, simply assign it to the leading
property inside of AppBar
AppBar(
title: Text(context.topRoute.name),
leading: AutoLeadingButton(),
)
ActiveGuardObserver #
ActiveGuardObserver
can notify you when a guard is being checked and what guard it is. This can be used to implement a loading indicator for example.
var isLoading = false;
void initState(){
final guardObserver = context.router.activeGuardObserver;
guardObserver.addListener(() {
setState((){
isLoading = guardObserver.guardInProgress;
});
});
}
Examples #
Support auto_route #
You can support auto_route by liking it on Pub and staring it on Github, sharing ideas on how we can enhance a certain functionality or by reporting any problems you encounter and of course buying a couple coffees will help speed up the development process