center_the_widgets 2.0.0

Keep mobile-first Flutter layouts centered and readable on web, desktop, tablets, and other large screens.

CenterTheWidgets

CenterTheWidgets keeps mobile-first Flutter layouts centered and readable on web, desktop, tablets, foldables, and other large screens.

Use it when an app was designed around a phone-sized surface, but still needs to run cleanly on wider viewports. Wrap a screen, route, or app root, choose the maximum width you trust, and let the rest of the screen become a controlled background instead of stretched UI.

At a Glance

Need	What CenterTheWidgets does
Mobile layout on wide screens	Keeps the child at a maximum width and centers it in the available space.
Web and desktop release without a full responsive rewrite	Preserves the phone-sized surface while you plan deeper responsive work.
Branded or calmer side area	Fills the edges with a color or image.
App-wide behavior	Wrap the root screen so dialogs, sheets, and route content stay in the same centered surface.
Fine control	Tune width, optional height, child alignment, image fit, and image alignment.

Install

dependencies:
  center_the_widgets: ^2.0.0

import 'package:center_the_widgets/center_the_widgets.dart';

Quick Start

Wrap the part of the UI that should keep its mobile-sized surface:

return CenterTheWidgets(
  maxWidthToResize: 430,
  color: const Color(0xfff8f8f8),
  child: Scaffold(
    appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('Mobile-first screen')),
    body: const Center(child: Text('Readable on large screens')),
  ),
);

For app-wide behavior, wrap the root screen:

void main() {
  runApp(
    const MaterialApp(
      home: CenterTheWidgets(
        maxWidthToResize: 430,
        child: HomeScreen(),
      ),
    ),
  );
}

By default, enabled follows Flutter's kIsWeb. Set enabled: true when you want the same centered surface on desktop, tablet, or mobile.

Before And After

Without CenterTheWidgets:

With CenterTheWidgets:

Backgrounds

Use a color for a quiet edge area:

CenterTheWidgets(
  color: const Color(0xff101820),
  child: const HomeScreen(),
);

Use an image when the surrounding space should carry visual identity:

CenterTheWidgets(
  edgesImage: const AssetImage('assets/background.jpg'),
  edgesImageFit: BoxFit.cover,
  edgesImageAlignment: Alignment.center,
  child: const HomeScreen(),
);

The color is still painted behind the image, so transparent images and loading states have a stable fallback.

Size And Alignment

CenterTheWidgets(
  maxWidthToResize: 430,
  maxHeightToResize: 932,
  alignment: Alignment.topCenter,
  child: const CheckoutFlow(),
);

Option	Default	Notes
maxWidthToResize	600	Maximum width assigned to the child while enabled.
maxHeightToResize	null	Optional maximum height. Leave null for full available height.
enabled	kIsWeb	Set true to opt in outside web.
color	Color(0xfff8f8f8)	Background color around the child.
edgesImage	null	Optional background image around the child.
edgesImageFit	BoxFit.cover	Fit used by edgesImage.
edgesImageAlignment	Alignment.center	Image alignment used by edgesImage.
alignment	Alignment.center	Child position inside the available space.

Example

cd example
flutter run -d chrome

The example intentionally uses an oversized child so the package behavior is easy to see.

Compatibility

CenterTheWidgets 2.x targets Dart 3 and current Flutter stable releases. Use the 1.x line only if you still need the old Dart 2 constraint.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.