AnimationController Explained | Flutter for Android Developers

What’s AnimationController?

The AnimationController class is a key component in Flutter for managing animations. It allows developers to control the playback of animations, including starting, stopping, and reversing them. Important methods include forward(), reverse(), and stop(), which facilitate the animation’s lifecycle.

Check the official documentation for more.

AnimationController explained for Android Developers

For Android developers, the AnimationController can be compared to the Animator class in Android, which also manages animations. Just like in Android, where you can start an animation and control its duration, the AnimationController provides similar functionality but is more integrated with Flutter’s reactive framework. The use of TickerProvider in Flutter is akin to using ValueAnimator in Android, where you need a mechanism to update the animation frames.

Example Code

Here is an example of how to use AnimationController:

class Foo extends StatefulWidget {
  const Foo({ super.key, required this.duration });
  final Duration duration;
  @override
  State createState() => _FooState();
}

class _FooState extends State<Foo> with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late AnimationController _controller;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _controller = AnimationController(
      vsync: this,
      duration: widget.duration,
    );
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _controller.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Container(); // ...
  }
}

AnimationController Remarks

In conclusion, the AnimationController class in Flutter provides a powerful and flexible way to manage animations, similar to the animation frameworks in Android. Understanding its methods and lifecycle is crucial for creating smooth and responsive animations in your Flutter applications.