Expanded Explained | Flutter for Web Developers

What’s Expanded?

The Expanded class is a widget in Flutter that allows a child of a Row, Column, or Flex to expand and fill the available space. It is particularly useful for creating flexible layouts. Key properties include ‘flex’, which determines how much space the child should take relative to other Expanded widgets, and ‘child’, which is the widget that will be expanded.

Check the official documentation for more.

Expanded explained for Web Developers

From a web developer’s perspective, the Expanded class can be compared to layout components in frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue, where you often have to manage how elements fill available space. Just like CSS Flexbox, the Expanded widget allows for responsive design by distributing space among children based on their flex values. This makes it easier to create dynamic layouts that adapt to different screen sizes.

Example Code

Here is an example of how to use Expanded:

Column(
  children: <Widget>[
    Expanded(
      flex: 2,
      child: Container(color: Colors.blue),
    ),
    Expanded(
      flex: 1,
      child: Container(color: Colors.amber),
    ),
  ],
)

Expanded Remarks

The Expanded class is a powerful tool for Flutter developers, enabling the creation of flexible and responsive layouts. By understanding how to use it effectively, you can enhance your app’s UI and improve user experience.