🚀 Why Implicit Animations in FlutterFlow Matter: A Real-World Example

General
,
1

In FlutterFlow, animations aren’t just about visual flair - they play a key role in enhancing user experience. While FlutterFlow offers several animation types (page load, action-triggered, and more), Implicit Animations often go unnoticed despite their simplicity and power.

Recently, while working on a project dashboard, I faced a challenge that turned into a perfect case study for using implicit animations effectively. Here’s what happened - and how FlutterFlow’s implicit animations helped me craft a smooth, professional UI.

:puzzle_piece: The Problem: Clunky Animation with Conditional Visibility

I wanted to create a collapsible sidebar for the dashboard - something that toggles between a compact and expanded state. My first instinct was to use Conditional Visibility based on a boolean variable.

While this worked functionally, the transition was abrupt - the sidebar snapped between states instead of sliding smoothly. Trying to apply an Action-triggered animation didn’t help much either, as it’s designed more for discrete state changes like fades, moves, or rotations tied to a button tap.

:light_bulb: The Solution: Implicit Animation to the Rescue

To achieve a fluid and responsive animation, I switched to Implicit Animations - a powerful yet simple feature in FlutterFlow.

Here’s what I did:

  • Wrapped the sidebar in a Container.
  • Enabled the Animate on State Change toggle.
  • Tied the Container’s width to a state variable (say, isExpanded).
  • Set different widths for collapsed (70px) and expanded (250px) states.
  • FlutterFlow handled the rest - the transition was automatically animated whenever the state changed!

:framed_picture: The Result in Action

Below is the visual proof:

:play_button: Expanded Sidebar with Implicit Animation:
example

The transition is visually smooth, giving the dashboard a polished and dynamic feel - without any complex animations or custom code.

:white_check_mark: Why This Matters

  • No Code Required: Implicit animations are built into the visual editor - just toggle and bind properties.
  • Better UX: Smooth transitions like expanding sidebars make your app feel modern and responsive.
  • Lightweight: Unlike heavy animation frameworks, implicit animations don’t impact performance.
  • Scoped & Precise: You control exactly what property animates (width, padding, color, etc.).

:end_arrow: Final Thoughts

If you’re building with FlutterFlow and feel stuck with abrupt UI changes or clunky visual effects, Implicit Animations are your secret weapon. Whether it’s a sidebar, card expansion, or form reveal - just changing a property like width, opacity, or padding with Animate on State Change can make your app feel dramatically better.

Next time you’re debating between logic and beauty - go implicit and get both. :glowing_star:

Share your thought’s in comment section :grin:

1 Like