Deprecate `ButtonBar` in favor of `OverflowBar`
Summary
#
The ButtonBar widget was deprecated in favor of
the more efficient OverflowBar widget.
As a result, ThemeData.buttonBarTheme and
ButtonBarTheme were also deprecated.
Context
#
The ButtonBar widget lays out its children in a row and
in a column if there is not enough horizontal space.
The OverflowBar widget does the same, but it's
not tied to the Material library and is part of the core widgets.dart
library.
Description of change
#- Replace
ButtonBarwidget withOverflowBarwidget. -
By default,
ButtonBaraligns its children to the end of the layout, whileOverflowBaraligns its children to the start. To align theOverflowBarchildren to the end, set theOverflowBar.alignmentproperty toMainAxisAlignment.end. -
ButtonBar.buttonPaddingprovides spacing between buttons and padding around buttons. Replace it withOverflowBar.spacing, which provides spacing between buttons. Wrap theOverflowBarwidget withPaddingwidget to provide padding around the buttons. -
Replace
ButtonBar.overflowButtonSpacingwithOverflowBar.overflowSpacing, which provides spacing between buttons when the buttons are laid in a column when there is not enough horizontal space. - If it is specified, remove
ButtonBarThemeDatafromThemeData.
Migration guide
#
Replace ButtonBar with OverflowBar, override the default alignment if
necessary, replace ButtonBar.buttonPadding with Padding widget and
OverflowBar.spacing for spacing between and around buttons, and replace
ButtonBar.overflowButtonSpacing with OverflowBar.overflowSpacing
for
spacing between buttons when the buttons are laid in a column when there is not
enough horizontal space.
Before:
ButtonBar(
buttonPadding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
overflowButtonSpacing: 8.0,
children: <Widget>[
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 1'), onPressed: () {}),
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 2'), onPressed: () {}),
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 3'), onPressed: () {}),
],
),
After:
Padding(
padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
child: OverflowBar(
alignment: MainAxisAlignment.end,
spacing: 8.0,
overflowSpacing: 8.0,
children: <Widget>[
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 1'), onPressed: () {}),
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 2'), onPressed: () {}),
TextButton(child: const Text('Button 3'), onPressed: () {}),
],
),
),
If you specify a ThemeData.buttonBarTheme, remove it and
use the OverflowBar widget properties to customize the OverflowBar
widget.
Before:
ThemeData(
buttonBarTheme: ButtonBarThemeData(
alignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
),
),
After:
ThemeData(
// ...
),
If you use the ButtonBarTheme widget, remove it and
use the OverflowBar widget properties to customize the OverflowBar
widget.
Before:
ButtonBarTheme(
data: ButtonBarThemeData(
alignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
),
child: ButtonBar(
children: <Widget>[
// ...
],
),
),
After:
OverflowBar(
alignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
children: <Widget>[
// ...
],
),
Timeline
#
Landed in version: 3.22.0-2.0.pre
In stable release: 3.24.0
References
#API documentation:
Relevant issues:
Relevant PRs:
Unless stated otherwise, the documentation on this site reflects Flutter 3.35.5. Page last updated on 2025-10-28. View source or report an issue.