EditableText class Null safety

A basic text input field.

This widget interacts with the TextInput service to let the user edit the text it contains. It also provides scrolling, selection, and cursor movement. This widget does not provide any focus management (e.g., tap-to-focus).

Handling User Input

Currently the user may change the text this widget contains via keyboard or the text selection menu. When the user inserted or deleted text, you will be notified of the change and get a chance to modify the new text value:

The inputFormatters will be first applied to the user input.
The controller's TextEditingController.value will be updated with the formatted result, and the controller's listeners will be notified.
The onChanged callback, if specified, will be called last.

Input Actions

A TextInputAction can be provided to customize the appearance of the action button on the soft keyboard for Android and iOS. The default action is TextInputAction.done.

Many TextInputActions are common between Android and iOS. However, if a textInputAction is provided that is not supported by the current platform in debug mode, an error will be thrown when the corresponding EditableText receives focus. For example, providing iOS's "emergencyCall" action when running on an Android device will result in an error when in debug mode. In release mode, incompatible TextInputActions are replaced either with "unspecified" on Android, or "default" on iOS. Appropriate textInputActions can be chosen by checking the current platform and then selecting the appropriate action.

Lifecycle

Upon completion of editing, like pressing the "done" button on the keyboard, two actions take place:

1st: Editing is finalized. The default behavior of this step includes an invocation of onChanged. That default behavior can be overridden. See onEditingComplete for details.

2nd: onSubmitted is invoked with the user's input value.

onSubmitted can be used to manually move focus to another input widget when a user finishes with the currently focused input widget.

When the widget has focus, it will prevent itself from disposing via AutomaticKeepAliveClientMixin.wantKeepAlive in order to avoid losing the selection. Removing the focus will allow it to be disposed.

Rather than using this widget directly, consider using TextField, which is a full-featured, material-design text input field with placeholder text, labels, and Form integration.

Text Editing Intents and Their Default Actions

This widget provides default Actions for handling common text editing Intents such as deleting, copying and pasting in the text field. These Actions can be directly invoked using Actions.invoke or the Actions.maybeInvoke method. The default text editing keyboard Shortcuts also use these Intents and Actions to perform the text editing operations they are bound to.

The default handling of a specific Intent can be overridden by placing an Actions widget above this widget. See the Action class and the Action.overridable constructor for more information on how a pre-defined overridable Action can be overridden.

Intents for Deleting Text and Their Default Behavior

Intent Class	Default Behavior when there's selected text	Default Behavior when there is a caret (The selection is TextSelection.collapsed)
DeleteCharacterIntent	Deletes the selected text	Deletes the user-perceived character before or after the caret location.
DeleteToNextWordBoundaryIntent	Deletes the selected text and the word before/after the selection's TextSelection.extent position	Deletes from the caret location to the previous or the next word boundary
DeleteToLineBreakIntent	Deletes the selected text, and deletes to the start/end of the line from the selection's TextSelection.extent position	Deletes from the caret location to the logical start or end of the current line

Intents for Moving the Caret

Intent Class	Default Behavior when there's selected text	Default Behavior when there is a caret (TextSelection.collapsed)
ExtendSelectionByCharacterIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the logical start/end of the selection	Moves the caret past the user-perceived character before or after the current caret location.
ExtendSelectionToNextWordBoundaryIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the word boundary before/after the selection's TextSelection.extent position	Moves the caret to the previous/next word boundary.
ExtendSelectionToNextWordBoundaryOrCaretLocationIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the word boundary before/after the selection's TextSelection.extent position, or TextSelection.base, whichever is closest in the given direction	Moves the caret to the previous/next word boundary.
ExtendSelectionToLineBreakIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the start/end of the line at the selection's TextSelection.extent position	Moves the caret to the start/end of the current line .
ExtendSelectionVerticallyToAdjacentLineIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the position closest to the selection's TextSelection.extent, on the previous/next adjacent line	Moves the caret to the closest position on the previous/next adjacent line.
ExtendSelectionToDocumentBoundaryIntent(`collapseSelection: true`)	Collapses the selection to the start/end of the document	Moves the caret to the start/end of the document.

Intents for Extending the Selection

Intent Class	Default Behavior when there's selected text	Default Behavior when there is a caret (TextSelection.collapsed)
ExtendSelectionByCharacterIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent past the user-perceived character before/after it
ExtendSelectionToNextWordBoundaryIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the previous/next word boundary
ExtendSelectionToNextWordBoundaryOrCaretLocationIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the previous/next word boundary, or TextSelection.base whichever is closest in the given direction	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the previous/next word boundary.
ExtendSelectionToLineBreakIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the start/end of the line
ExtendSelectionVerticallyToAdjacentLineIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the closest position on the previous/next adjacent line
ExtendSelectionToDocumentBoundaryIntent(`collapseSelection: false`)	Moves the selection's TextSelection.extent to the start/end of the document
SelectAllTextIntent	Selects the entire document

Other Intents

Intent Class	Default Behavior
DoNothingAndStopPropagationTextIntent	Does nothing in the input field, and prevents the key event from further propagating in the widget tree.
ReplaceTextIntent	Replaces the current TextEditingValue in the input field's TextEditingController, and triggers all related user callbacks and TextInputFormatters.
UpdateSelectionIntent	Updates the current selection in the input field's TextEditingController, and triggers the onSelectionChanged callback.
CopySelectionTextIntent	Copies or cuts the selected text into the clipboard
PasteTextIntent	Inserts the current text in the clipboard after the caret location, or replaces the selected text if the selection is not collapsed.

Gesture Events Handling

This widget provides rudimentary, platform-agnostic gesture handling for user actions such as tapping, long-pressing and scrolling when rendererIgnoresPointer is false (false by default). To tightly conform to the platform behavior with respect to input gestures in text fields, use TextField or CupertinoTextField. For custom selection behavior, call methods such as RenderEditable.selectPosition, RenderEditable.selectWord, etc. programmatically.

Keep the caret visible when focused

When focused, this widget will make attempts to keep the text area and its caret (even when showCursor is false) visible, on these occasions:

When the user focuses this text field and it is not readOnly.
When the user changes the selection of the text field, or changes the text when the text field is not readOnly.
When the virtual keyboard pops up.

Troubleshooting Common Accessibility Issues

Customizing User Input Accessibility Announcements

To customize user input accessibility announcements triggered by text changes, use SemanticsService.announce to make the desired accessibility announcement.

On iOS, the on-screen keyboard may announce the most recent input incorrectly when a TextInputFormatter inserts a thousands separator to a currency value text field. The following example demonstrates how to suppress the default accessibility announcements by always announcing the content of the text field as a US currency value:

onChanged: (String newText) {
  if (newText.isNotEmpty) {
    SemanticsService.announce('\$' + newText, Directionality.of(context));
  }
}

Constructors

EditableText({Key? key, required TextEditingController controller, required FocusNode focusNode, bool readOnly = false, String obscuringCharacter = '•', bool obscureText = false, bool autocorrect = true, SmartDashesType? smartDashesType, SmartQuotesType? smartQuotesType, bool enableSuggestions = true, required TextStyle style, StrutStyle? strutStyle, required Color cursorColor, required Color backgroundCursorColor, TextAlign textAlign = TextAlign.start, TextDirection? textDirection, Locale? locale, double? textScaleFactor, int? maxLines = 1, int? minLines, bool expands = false, bool forceLine = true, TextHeightBehavior? textHeightBehavior, TextWidthBasis textWidthBasis = TextWidthBasis.parent, bool autofocus = false, bool? showCursor, bool showSelectionHandles = false, Color? selectionColor, TextSelectionControls? selectionControls, TextInputType? keyboardType, TextInputAction? textInputAction, TextCapitalization textCapitalization = TextCapitalization.none, ValueChanged<String>? onChanged, VoidCallback? onEditingComplete, ValueChanged<String>? onSubmitted, AppPrivateCommandCallback? onAppPrivateCommand, SelectionChangedCallback? onSelectionChanged, VoidCallback? onSelectionHandleTapped, TapRegionCallback? onTapOutside, List<TextInputFormatter>? inputFormatters, MouseCursor? mouseCursor, bool rendererIgnoresPointer = false, double cursorWidth = 2.0, double? cursorHeight, Radius? cursorRadius, bool cursorOpacityAnimates = false, Offset? cursorOffset, bool paintCursorAboveText = false, BoxHeightStyle selectionHeightStyle = ui.BoxHeightStyle.tight, BoxWidthStyle selectionWidthStyle = ui.BoxWidthStyle.tight, EdgeInsets scrollPadding = const EdgeInsets.all(20.0), Brightness keyboardAppearance = Brightness.light, DragStartBehavior dragStartBehavior = DragStartBehavior.start, bool? enableInteractiveSelection, ScrollController? scrollController, ScrollPhysics? scrollPhysics, Color? autocorrectionTextRectColor, ToolbarOptions? toolbarOptions, Iterable<String>? autofillHints = const <String>[], AutofillClient? autofillClient, Clip clipBehavior = Clip.hardEdge, String? restorationId, ScrollBehavior? scrollBehavior, bool scribbleEnabled = true, bool enableIMEPersonalizedLearning = true}): Creates a basic text input control.

Properties

autocorrect → bool: Whether to enable autocorrection.
final
autocorrectionTextRectColor → Color?: The color to use when painting the autocorrection Rect.
final
autofillClient → AutofillClient?: The AutofillClient that controls this input field's autofill behavior.
final
autofillHints → Iterable<String>?: A list of strings that helps the autofill service identify the type of this text input.
final
autofocus → bool: Whether this text field should focus itself if nothing else is already focused.
final
backgroundCursorColor → Color: The color to use when painting the background cursor aligned with the text while rendering the floating cursor.
final
clipBehavior → Clip: The content will be clipped (or not) according to this option.
final
controller → TextEditingController: Controls the text being edited.
final
cursorColor → Color: The color to use when painting the cursor.
final
cursorHeight → double?: How tall the cursor will be.
final
cursorOffset → Offset?: The offset that is used, in pixels, when painting the cursor on screen.
final
cursorOpacityAnimates → bool: Whether the cursor will animate from fully transparent to fully opaque during each cursor blink.
final
cursorRadius → Radius?: How rounded the corners of the cursor should be.
final
cursorWidth → double: How thick the cursor will be.
final
dragStartBehavior → DragStartBehavior: Determines the way that drag start behavior is handled.
final
enableIMEPersonalizedLearning → bool: Whether to enable that the IME update personalized data such as typing history and user dictionary data.
final
enableInteractiveSelection → bool: Whether to enable user interface affordances for changing the text selection.
final
enableSuggestions → bool: Whether to show input suggestions as the user types.
final
expands → bool: Whether this widget's height will be sized to fill its parent.
final
focusNode → FocusNode: Controls whether this widget has keyboard focus.
final
forceLine → bool: Whether the text will take the full width regardless of the text width.
final
hashCode → int: The hash code for this object.
nonVirtual">@nonVirtualread-onlyinherited
inputFormatters → List<TextInputFormatter>?: Optional input validation and formatting overrides.
final
key → Key?: Controls how one widget replaces another widget in the tree.
finalinherited
keyboardAppearance → Brightness: The appearance of the keyboard.
final
keyboardType → TextInputType: The type of keyboard to use for editing the text.
final
locale → Locale?: Used to select a font when the same Unicode character can be rendered differently, depending on the locale.
final
maxLines → int?: The maximum number of lines to show at one time, wrapping if necessary.
final
minLines → int?: The minimum number of lines to occupy when the content spans fewer lines.
final
mouseCursor → MouseCursor?: The cursor for a mouse pointer when it enters or is hovering over the widget.
final
obscureText → bool: Whether to hide the text being edited (e.g., for passwords).
final
obscuringCharacter → String: Character used for obscuring text if obscureText is true.
final
onAppPrivateCommand → AppPrivateCommandCallback?: This is used to receive a private command from the input method.
final
onChanged → ValueChanged<String>?: Called when the user initiates a change to the TextField's value: when they have inserted or deleted text.
final
onEditingComplete → VoidCallback?: Called when the user submits editable content (e.g., user presses the "done" button on the keyboard).
final
onSelectionChanged → SelectionChangedCallback?: Called when the user changes the selection of text (including the cursor location).
final
onSelectionHandleTapped → VoidCallback?: A callback that's optionally invoked when a selection handle is tapped.
final
onSubmitted → ValueChanged<String>?: Called when the user indicates that they are done editing the text in the field.
final
onTapOutside → TapRegionCallback?: Called for each tap that occurs outside of theTextFieldTapRegion group when the text field is focused.
final
paintCursorAboveText → bool: If the cursor should be painted on top of the text or underneath it.
final
readOnly → bool: Whether the text can be changed.
final
rendererIgnoresPointer → bool: If true, the RenderEditable created by this widget will not handle pointer events, see RenderEditable and RenderEditable.ignorePointer.
final
restorationId → String?: Restoration ID to save and restore the scroll offset of the EditableText.
final
runtimeType → Type: A representation of the runtime type of the object.
read-onlyinherited
scribbleEnabled → bool: Whether iOS 14 Scribble features are enabled for this widget.
final
scrollBehavior → ScrollBehavior?: A ScrollBehavior that will be applied to this widget individually.
final
scrollController → ScrollController?: The ScrollController to use when vertically scrolling the input.
final
scrollPadding → EdgeInsets: Configures padding to edges surrounding a Scrollable when the Textfield scrolls into view.
final
scrollPhysics → ScrollPhysics?: The ScrollPhysics to use when vertically scrolling the input.
final
selectionColor → Color?: The color to use when painting the selection.
final
selectionControls → TextSelectionControls?: Optional delegate for building the text selection handles and toolbar.
final
selectionEnabled → bool: Same as enableInteractiveSelection.
read-only
selectionHeightStyle → BoxHeightStyle: Controls how tall the selection highlight boxes are computed to be.
final
selectionWidthStyle → BoxWidthStyle: Controls how wide the selection highlight boxes are computed to be.
final
showCursor → bool: Whether to show cursor.
final
showSelectionHandles → bool: Whether to show selection handles.
final
smartDashesType → SmartDashesType: Whether to allow the platform to automatically format dashes.
final
smartQuotesType → SmartQuotesType: Whether to allow the platform to automatically format quotes.
final
strutStyle → StrutStyle: The strut style used for the vertical layout.
read-only
style → TextStyle: The text style to use for the editable text.
final
textAlign → TextAlign: How the text should be aligned horizontally.
final
textCapitalization → TextCapitalization: Configures how the platform keyboard will select an uppercase or lowercase keyboard.
final
textDirection → TextDirection?: The directionality of the text.
final
textHeightBehavior → TextHeightBehavior?: Defines how to apply TextStyle.height over and under text.
final
textInputAction → TextInputAction?: The type of action button to use with the soft keyboard.
final
textScaleFactor → double?: The number of font pixels for each logical pixel.
final
textWidthBasis → TextWidthBasis: Defines how to measure the width of the rendered text.
final
toolbarOptions → ToolbarOptions: Configuration of toolbar options.
final

Methods

createElement() → StatefulElement: Creates a StatefulElement to manage this widget's location in the tree.
inherited
createState() → EditableTextState: Creates the mutable state for this widget at a given location in the tree.
override
debugDescribeChildren() → List<DiagnosticsNode>: Returns a list of DiagnosticsNode objects describing this node's children.
protected">@protectedinherited
debugFillProperties(DiagnosticPropertiesBuilder properties) → void: Add additional properties associated with the node.
override
noSuchMethod(Invocation invocation) → dynamic: Invoked when a non-existent method or property is accessed.
inherited
toDiagnosticsNode({String? name, DiagnosticsTreeStyle? style}) → DiagnosticsNode: Returns a debug representation of the object that is used by debugging tools and by DiagnosticsNode.toStringDeep.
inherited
toString({DiagnosticLevel minLevel = DiagnosticLevel.info}) → String: A string representation of this object.
inherited
toStringDeep({String prefixLineOne = '', String? prefixOtherLines, DiagnosticLevel minLevel = DiagnosticLevel.debug}) → String: Returns a string representation of this node and its descendants.
inherited
toStringShallow({String joiner = ', ', DiagnosticLevel minLevel = DiagnosticLevel.debug}) → String: Returns a one-line detailed description of the object.
inherited
toStringShort() → String: A short, textual description of this widget.
inherited

Operators

operator ==(Object other) → bool: The equality operator.
nonVirtual">@nonVirtualinherited

Static Properties

debugDeterministicCursor ↔ bool: Setting this property to true makes the cursor stop blinking or fading on and off once the cursor appears on focus. This property is useful for testing purposes.
read / write