Friday, March 29, 2024

Customisable Timelines in Flutter

A package to help build customisable timelines in Flutter.

Example


Timeline Showcase

Football Timeline

Activity Timeline

Success Timeline

Delivery Timeline

Weather Timeline

Horizontal Timelines

Getting Started

A Timeline consists in a group of TimelineTiles. To build a tile you can simply use:

TimelineTile()

Which will build a default tile with a vertical axis, that aligns to the start, with a height of 100:

Simple Timeline

The axis can be switched to render an horizontal tile, aligned to the start, with a default width of 100:

TimelineTile(axis: TimelineAxis.horizontal)
Horizontal Simple Timeline

There are 4 types of alignment.

  • TimelineAlign.start
  • TimelineAlign.end
  • TimelineAlign.center
  • TimelineAlign.manual

The start and end alignment allows a child in their opposite sides. On the other hand, both center and manual allows children on both sides. For example, one tile with alignment to the center:

TimelineTile(
  alignment: TimelineAlign.center,
  endChild: Container(
    constraints: const BoxConstraints(
      minHeight: 120,
    ),
    color: Colors.lightGreenAccent,
  ),
  startChild: Container(
    color: Colors.amberAccent,
  ),
);

When providing children to the vertical tile, the height will be as minimum as possible, so you can control it with a height constraint (at least minHeight). This way the tile knows how to size it properly.

Centered Tile

If the axis is horizontal, the things are the opposite. The width will be as minimum as possible, so you can control it with a width constraint (at least minWidth). This way the tile knows how to size it properly.

TimelineTile(
  axis: TimelineAxis.horizontal,
  alignment: TimelineAlign.center,
  endChild: Container(
    constraints: const BoxConstraints(
      minWidth: 120,
    ),
    color: Colors.lightGreenAccent,
  ),
  startChild: Container(
    color: Colors.amberAccent,
  ),
);
Horizontal Centered Tile

Manual aligning the idicator

With TimelineAlign.manual you can provide the lineXY, which allows you to specify a value from 0.0 to 1.0, that represents a size percentage. For example, aligning at 30% of the width or height:

TimelineTile(
  alignment: TimelineAlign.manual,
  lineXY: 0.3,
  endChild: Container(
    constraints: const BoxConstraints(
      minHeight: 120,
    ),
    color: Colors.lightGreenAccent,
  ),
  startChild: Container(
    color: Colors.amberAccent,
  ),
);
Manual align indicator
TimelineTile(
  axis: TimelineAxis.horizontal,
  alignment: TimelineAlign.manual,
  lineXY: 0.3,
  endChild: Container(
    constraints: const BoxConstraints(
      minWidth: 120,
    ),
    color: Colors.lightGreenAccent,
  ),
  startChild: Container(
    color: Colors.amberAccent,
  ),
);
Horizontal manual align indicator

Is it the first or the last?

You can decide if a tile is the first os the last in a timeline. This way you control whether a before or after line must be rendered.

First and last
Horizontal first and last

See the implementation here

Start to make a timeline

You can finally start to combine some tiles to make a Timeline. The flag hasIndicator can control whether an indicator should or shouldn’t be rendered.

Timeline
Horizontal timeline

See the implementation here

Customize the indicator as you wish

The default indicator is a circle, and you can customize it as you wish. With IndicatorStyle you can change the color, the X/Y position based on values from 0.0 to 1.0 or give it a padding. You must explicitly provide its width (vertical) or height (horizontal) though.

Custom indicator
Horizontal custom indicator

See the implementation here

Give an icon to the indicator

With IconStyle you can provide an Icon to be rendered inside the default indicator.

Icon indicator
Horizontal icon indicator

See the implementation here

Or provide your custom indicator

With the indicator parameter you can customize the tile with your own indicator. However, you must control its size through both width and height parameters.

Custom indicator
Horizontal custom indicator

See the implementation here

Customize the tile’s line

With LineStyle you can customize both beforeLine and afterLine.

Custom line
Horizontal custom line

See the implementation here

Connect tiles with TimelineDivider

The TimelineDivider widget allows you to connect tiles that are aligned in different X/Y axis, when combined with TimelineAlign.manual.

Timeline divider
Timeline divider