Making a responsive dashboard format for JetLagged with Jetpack Compose

Posted by Rebecca Franks – Developer Relations Engineer

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We’ve heard the information, creating adaptive layouts in Jetpack Compose is simpler than ever. As a declarative UI toolkit, Jetpack Compose is properly suited to designing and implementing layouts that regulate themselves to render content material otherwise throughout quite a lot of sizes. Through the use of logic coupled with Window Measurement Lessons, Circulation layouts, movableContentOf and LookaheadScope, we will guarantee fluid responsive layouts in Jetpack Compose.

Following the discharge of the JetLagged pattern at Google I/O 2023, we determined so as to add extra examples to it. Particularly, we wished to reveal how Compose can be utilized to create a wonderful dashboard-like format. This text exhibits how we’ve achieved this.

Use FlowRow and FlowColumn to construct layouts that reply to totally different display sizes

Utilizing Circulation layouts ( FlowRow and FlowColumn ) make it a lot simpler to implement responsive, reflowing layouts that reply to display sizes and robotically circulate content material to a brand new line when the accessible house in a row or column is full.

Within the JetLagged instance, we use a FlowRow, with a maxItemsInEachRow set to three. This ensures we maximize the house accessible for the dashboard, and place every particular person card in a row or column the place house is used correctly, and on cell units, we largely have 1 card per row, provided that the gadgets are smaller are there two seen per row.

Some playing cards leverage Modifiers that don’t specify a precise dimension, due to this fact permitting the playing cards to develop to fill the accessible width, for example utilizing Modifier.widthIn(max = 400.dp), or set a sure dimension, like Modifier.width(200.dp).

FlowRow(
    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
    horizontalArrangement = Association.Middle,
    verticalArrangement = Association.Middle,
    maxItemsInEachRow = 3
) {
    Field(modifier = Modifier.widthIn(max = 400.dp))
    Field(modifier = Modifier.width(200.dp))
    Field(modifier = Modifier.dimension(200.dp))
    // and so forth 
}

We may additionally leverage the burden modifier to divide up the remaining space of a row or column, take a look at the documentation on merchandise weights for extra info.

Use WindowSizeClasses to distinguish between units

WindowSizeClasses are helpful for increase breakpoints in our UI for when components ought to show otherwise. In JetLagged, we use the lessons to know whether or not we should always embody playing cards in Columns or preserve them flowing one after the opposite.

For instance, if WindowWidthSizeClass.COMPACT, we preserve gadgets in the identical FlowRow, the place as if the format it bigger than compact, they’re positioned in a FlowColumn, nested inside a FlowRow:

            FlowRow(
                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                horizontalArrangement = Association.Middle,
                verticalArrangement = Association.Middle,
                maxItemsInEachRow = 3
            ) {
                JetLaggedSleepGraphCard(uiState.worth.sleepGraphData)
                if (windowSizeClass == WindowWidthSizeClass.COMPACT) {
                    AverageTimeInBedCard()
                    AverageTimeAsleepCard()
                } else {
                    FlowColumn {
                        AverageTimeInBedCard()
                        AverageTimeAsleepCard()
                    }
                }
                if (windowSizeClass == WindowWidthSizeClass.COMPACT) {
                    WellnessCard(uiState.worth.wellnessData)
                    HeartRateCard(uiState.worth.heartRateData)
                } else {
                    FlowColumn {
                        WellnessCard(uiState.worth.wellnessData)
                        HeartRateCard(uiState.worth.heartRateData)
                    }
                }
            }

From the above logic, the UI will seem within the following methods on totally different gadget sizes:

Use movableContentOf to keep up bits of UI state throughout display resizes

Movable content material permits you to save the contents of a Composable to maneuver it round your format hierarchy with out shedding state. It must be used for content material that’s perceived to be the identical – simply in a special location on display.

Think about this, you’re transferring home to a special metropolis, and also you pack a field with a clock within it. Opening the field within the new house, you’d see that the time would nonetheless be ticking from the place it left off. It won’t be the right time of your new timezone, however it would positively have ticked on from the place you left it. The contents contained in the field don’t reset their inside state when the field is moved round.

What for those who may use the identical idea in Compose to maneuver gadgets on display with out shedding their inside state?

Take the next state of affairs under consideration: Outline totally different Tile composables that show an infinitely animating worth between 0 and 100 over 5000ms.

@Composable
enjoyable Tile1() {
    val repeatingAnimation = rememberInfiniteTransition()

    val float = repeatingAnimation.animateFloat(
        initialValue = 0f,
        targetValue = 100f,
        animationSpec = infiniteRepeatable(repeatMode = RepeatMode.Reverse,
            animation = tween(5000))
    )
    Field(modifier = Modifier
        .dimension(100.dp)
        .background(purple, RoundedCornerShape(8.dp))){
        Textual content("Tile 1 ${float.worth.roundToInt()}",
            modifier = Modifier.align(Alignment.Middle))
    }
}

We then show them on display utilizing a Column Format – exhibiting the infinite animations as they go:

However what If we wished to put the tiles otherwise, based mostly on if the telephone is in a special orientation (or totally different display dimension), and we don’t need the animation values to cease operating? One thing like the next:

@Composable
enjoyable WithoutMovableContentDemo() {
    val mode = bear in mind {
        mutableStateOf(Mode.Portrait)
    }
    if (mode.worth == Mode.Panorama) {
        Row {
           Tile1()
           Tile2()
        }
    } else {
        Column {
           Tile1()
           Tile2()
        }
    }
}

This seems fairly customary, however operating this on gadget – we will see that switching between the 2 layouts causes our animations to restart.

That is the proper case for movable content material – it’s the similar Composables on display, they’re simply in a special location. So how will we use it? We will simply outline our tiles in a movableContentOf block, utilizing bear in mind to make sure its saved throughout compositions:

val tiles = bear in mind {
        movableContentOf {
            Tile1()
            Tile2()
        }
 }

Now as a substitute of calling our composables once more contained in the Column and Row respectively, we name tiles() as a substitute.

@Composable
enjoyable MovableContentDemo() {
    val mode = bear in mind {
        mutableStateOf(Mode.Portrait)
    }
    val tiles = bear in mind {
        movableContentOf {
            Tile1()
            Tile2()
        }
    }
    Field(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
        if (mode.worth == Mode.Panorama) {
            Row {
                tiles()
            }
        } else {
            Column {
                tiles()
            }
        }

        Button(onClick = {
            if (mode.worth == Mode.Portrait) {
                mode.worth = Mode.Panorama
            } else {
                mode.worth = Mode.Portrait
            }
        }, modifier = Modifier.align(Alignment.BottomCenter)) {
            Textual content("Change format")
        }
    }
}

This may then bear in mind the nodes generated by these Composables and protect the interior state that these composables at present have.

We will now see that our animation state is remembered throughout the totally different compositions. Our clock within the field will now preserve state when it is moved world wide.

Utilizing this idea, we will preserve the animating bubble state of our playing cards, by inserting the playing cards in movableContentOf:

Language
val timeSleepSummaryCards = bear in mind {
            movableContentOf {
                AverageTimeInBedCard()
                AverageTimeAsleepCard()
            }
        }
        LookaheadScope {
            FlowRow(
                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                horizontalArrangement = Association.Middle,
                verticalArrangement = Association.Middle,
                maxItemsInEachRow = 3
            ) {
                //..
                if (windowSizeClass == WindowWidthSizeClass.Compact) {
                    timeSleepSummaryCards()
                } else {
                    FlowColumn {
                        timeSleepSummaryCards()
                    }
                }
                //
            }
        }

This permits the playing cards state to be remembered and the playing cards will not be recomposed. That is evident when observing the bubbles within the background of the playing cards, on resizing the display the bubble animation continues with out restarting the animation.

Use Modifier.animateBounds() to have fluid animations between totally different window sizes

From the above instance, we will see that state is maintained between adjustments in format dimension (or format itself), however the distinction between the 2 layouts is a bit jarring. We’d like this to animate between the 2 states with out challenge.

Within the newest compose-bom-alpha (2024.09.03), there’s a new experimental customized Modifier, Modifier.animateBounds(). The animateBounds modifier requires a LookaheadScope.

LookaheadScope permits Compose to carry out intermediate measurement passes of format adjustments, notifying composables of the intermediate states between them. LookaheadScope can also be used for the brand new shared component APIs, that you could have seen not too long ago.

To make use of Modifier.animateBounds(), we wrap the top-level FlowRow in a LookaheadScope, after which apply the animateBounds modifier to every card. We will additionally customise how the animation runs, by specifying the boundsTransform parameter to a customized spring spec:

val boundsTransform = { _ : Rect, _: Rect ->
   spring(
       dampingRatio = Spring.DampingRatioNoBouncy,
       stiffness = Spring.StiffnessMedium,
       visibilityThreshold = Rect.VisibilityThreshold
   )
}


LookaheadScope {
   val animateBoundsModifier = Modifier.animateBounds(
       lookaheadScope = this@LookaheadScope,
       boundsTransform = boundsTransform)
   val timeSleepSummaryCards = bear in mind {
       movableContentOf {
           AverageTimeInBedCard(animateBoundsModifier)
           AverageTimeAsleepCard(animateBoundsModifier)
       }
   }
   FlowRow(
       modifier = Modifier
           .fillMaxSize()
           .windowInsetsPadding(insets),
       horizontalArrangement = Association.Middle,
       verticalArrangement = Association.Middle,
       maxItemsInEachRow = 3
   ) {
       JetLaggedSleepGraphCard(uiState.worth.sleepGraphData, animateBoundsModifier.widthIn(max = 600.dp))
       if (windowSizeClass == WindowWidthSizeClass.Compact) {
           timeSleepSummaryCards()
       } else {
           FlowColumn {
               timeSleepSummaryCards()
           }
       }


       FlowColumn {
           WellnessCard(
               wellnessData = uiState.worth.wellnessData,
               modifier = animateBoundsModifier
                   .widthIn(max = 400.dp)
                   .heightIn(min = 200.dp)
           )
           HeartRateCard(
               modifier = animateBoundsModifier
                   .widthIn(max = 400.dp, min = 200.dp),
               uiState.worth.heartRateData
           )
       }
   }
}

Making use of this to our format, we will see the transition between the 2 states is extra seamless with out jarring interruptions.

Making use of this logic to our complete dashboard, when resizing our format, you will note that we now have a fluid UI interplay all through the entire display.

Abstract

As you may see from this text, utilizing Compose has enabled us to construct a responsive dashboard-like format by leveraging circulate layouts, WindowSizeClasses, movable content material and LookaheadScope. These ideas may also be used on your personal layouts that will have gadgets transferring round in them too.

For extra info on these totally different matters, remember to take a look at the official documentation, for the detailed adjustments to JetLagged, check out this pull request.