Flutter Layouts Deep Dive: Mastering Row, Column, Stack, and Expanded

Flutter, Google’s UI toolkit, provides powerful widgets for building responsive layouts. This article explores the fundamental layout widgets: Row, Column, Stack, and Expanded, essential for creating flexible and maintainable UIs.

Row Widget Overview

The Row widget arranges children horizontally. It is ideal for aligning widgets like buttons and icons horizontally.

• mainAxisAlignment: Aligns children horizontally (start, center, spaceBetween).
• crossAxisAlignment: Aligns children vertically within the row.
• children: A list of widgets to display horizontally.

Use cases include horizontal navigation menus and custom cards.

Column Widget Overview

The Column widget arranges children vertically. It is used to stack widgets like text and images.

• mainAxisAlignment: Aligns children vertically.
• crossAxisAlignment: Aligns children horizontally within the column.
• children: A list of widgets to arrange vertically.

Use cases include forms and lists of content.

Stack Widget Overview

The Stack widget overlays widgets on top of each other. It's like a pile of widgets, each layered on the previous.

• alignment: Controls the alignment of children.
• fit: Determines how non-positioned children are sized.
• children: A list of widgets to be stacked.

Use cases include badges on icons and floating action buttons.

Expanded Widget Overview

The Expanded widget occupies available space within a Row or Column, stretching a child to fill remaining space.

• flex: Defines how much space this child should take compared to others.

Use cases include responsive layouts and equal spacing between widgets.

Combining Widgets for Complex Layouts

Combine these widgets for dynamic layouts. For example, use a Column with nested Rows and Stacks for a modern, adaptive UI.

Best Practices

• Don't over-nest widgets.
• Use Expanded wisely, only inside flex widgets.
• Leverage Spacer() for empty space in flex layouts.

Mastering these widgets enables creating appealing and responsive Flutter apps. Experiment with different layouts until you find the best one.