What does “flutter mounted” mean in Flutter?
When we talk about “flutter mounted” in the context of Flutter, it refers to the lifecycle state of a Flutter widget. A Flutter widget can go through several different lifecycle states, one of which is the “mounted” state.
When a widget is considered “flutter mounted,” it means that the widget is being displayed on the screen and is fully operational. It has gone through the initialization process and is ready to respond to user interactions and perform any required rendering.
Here’s an example to help understand the concept:
class MyWidget extends StatefulWidget {
@override
_MyWidgetState createState() => _MyWidgetState();
}
class _MyWidgetState extends State {
@override
void initState() {
super.initState();
print("Widget initialized.");
}
@override
void didChangeDependencies() {
super.didChangeDependencies();
print("Dependencies changed.");
}
@override
void dispose() {
super.dispose();
print("Widget disposed.");
}
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
print("Widget being built.");
return Container();
}
}
void main() {
runApp(MyApp());
}
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
home: Scaffold(
body: MyWidget(),
),
);
}
}
In the above example, the MyWidget
widget goes through different lifecycle states. When the app starts, it initializes the widget by calling the initState()
method. This prints “Widget initialized.” Next, the widget builds its UI by calling the build()
method and returns a container. This prints “Widget being built.”
If some dependencies of the widget change (e.g., due to state changes in a parent widget), the framework calls the didChangeDependencies()
method. This is useful when the widget needs to react to changes in its dependencies.
Finally, when the widget is removed from the screen or the app is closed, the framework calls the dispose()
method. This is used to release any resources held by the widget (e.g., closing streams, cancelling timers). In this example, it prints “Widget disposed.”
To summarize, “flutter mounted” means that a widget is in the fully operational state and ready to be rendered on the screen. Understanding the lifecycle of a Flutter widget is crucial for managing resources efficiently and providing a smooth user experience.