Keeping Keyboard Focus After Selecting Values in Autocomplete in Flutter

Описание: Learn how to effectively maintain keyboard focus when using the Autocomplete widget in Flutter, enhancing usability and accessibility for users.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/73938497/ asked by the user 'Searles' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/289782/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73938996/ provided by the user 'Peter Koltai' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14726230/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Keeping Keyboard Focus After Selecting Values in Autocomplete in Flutter

When building user interfaces, especially in web applications, maintaining proper keyboard navigation is crucial for usability and accessibility. A specific issue arises with the Autocomplete widget in Flutter—after selecting a value from the dropdown, the focus sometimes shifts away, disrupting keyboard navigation. This post delves into this issue and presents a solution to keep the keyboard focus on the text field after a selection is made.

The Problem

When using the Autocomplete widget, users often rely on keyboard navigation for efficiency. In a typical scenario, this navigation involves tabbing through various UI elements such as buttons and text fields. However, users have reported that after selecting an option from the Autocomplete dropdown, the keyboard focus moves away from the text field, causing frustration and inefficiency.

For example, consider the following user interface setup:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

After navigating to the autocomplete text field and selecting a value using the Enter key, the focus reverts to the previous element (in this case, Button1). This issue is particularly challenging for visually impaired users who depend on keyboard navigation.

The Solution

To resolve this keyboard focus issue, we can utilize the fieldViewBuilder property of the Autocomplete widget. This will allow us to regain focus on the text field after a selection is made. Below is an effective implementation of this solution:

Step-by-Step Implementation

Setup the Environment: Start with a basic Flutter application.

Create a Focus Node: This will allow us to control the focus programmatically.

Modify the Autocomplete Widget: Use the onSelected callback to request focus when an option is selected.

Here's the complete code to achieve this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

FocusNode: We created a private _focusNode to hold the current focus state of the text field.

onSelected Callback: The onSelected callback is employed to call requestFocus() on the _focusNode whenever an option from the Autocomplete is selected. This ensures the text field retains the focus.

fieldViewBuilder: This property constructs the text field and binds the focus node, allowing it to regain focus post-selection.

Conclusion

Maintaining keyboard focus in UI components like Autocomplete is critical for providing a smooth user experience. By utilizing the fieldViewBuilder in conjunction with the onSelected callback, you can ensure that focus remains on the text field after an option is selected. This adjustment is particularly beneficial for users who rely heavily on keyboard navigation, including those with visual impairments.

Implementing these strategies not only enhances usability but also promotes accessibility, making your Flutter web applications more user-friendly.