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Introduction

Jetpack Compose has revolutionized Android UI development by providing a declarative and reactive approach to building user interfaces. One of its most powerful and commonly used layout components is Scaffold. It simplifies setting up standard app layouts by offering ready-to-use slots for placing items like a TopBarBottomBarFloatingActionButton, and more.

In this article, we will explore what Scaffold is, what it provides, and also what it doesn’t, helping you understand how and when to use it effectively in your Jetpack Compose projects.

What is Scaffold in Jetpack Compose?

At its core, Scaffold is a composable that provides a structured layout, designed to handle the basic layout patterns that are commonly used in Android apps. It allows developers to place key components such as an app bar, a bottom navigation bar, and floating action buttons with ease, while also giving full control over the main content of the screen.

Here’s a breakdown of the main components that Scaffold provides:

  • TopBar: For placing a toolbar or custom top app bar.
  • BottomBar: For a bottom navigation bar or similar UI elements.
  • FloatingActionButton (FAB): For an action button that floats above the content.
  • Drawer: To add navigation drawers.
  • Snackbar: For showing snackbars when user feedback is required.
  • Content: The main area where most of the app’s UI will live.

Let’s dive deeper into these individual capabilities.

Capabilities of Scaffold
TopBar

The TopBar slot is a convenient place to add a TopAppBar, which is commonly used to display the app’s title, navigation icons, and actions. Here’s how you can add a TopAppBar to a Scaffold:

Scaffold(
    topBar = {
        TopAppBar(
            title = { Text("My App") },
            navigationIcon = {
                IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle navigation */ }) {
                    Icon(Icons.Filled.Menu, contentDescription = "Menu")
                }
            },
            actions = {
                IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle action */ }) {
                    Icon(Icons.Filled.Favorite, contentDescription = "Favorite")
                }
            }
        )
    },
    content = { /* Content here */ }
)
BottomBar

BottomBar can be used for navigation or displaying key actions. Below is an example of how to add a simple BottomAppBar inside the Scaffold:

Scaffold(
    bottomBar = {
        BottomAppBar {
            IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle home */ }) {
                Icon(Icons.Filled.Home, contentDescription = "Home")
            }
            Spacer(Modifier.weight(1f, true)) // Push the next icon to the end
            IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle profile */ }) {
                Icon(Icons.Filled.Person, contentDescription = "Profile")
            }
        }
    },
    content = { /* Content here */ }
)
FloatingActionButton (FAB)

One of the most iconic elements in Android apps, the FAB, is easy to integrate with Scaffold:

Scaffold(
    floatingActionButton = {
        FloatingActionButton(onClick = { /* Handle FAB click */ }) {
            Icon(Icons.Filled.Add, contentDescription = "Add")
        }
    },
    content = { /* Content here */ }
)
DrawerContent

If you need a navigation drawer, Scaffold makes it easy to add one using the drawerContent parameter. This allows users to swipe from the side to reveal a drawer with navigation or other options.

Scaffold(
    drawerContent = {
        Column {
            Text("Home")
            Text("Profile")
            Text("Settings")
        }
    },
    content = { /* Content here */ }
)
Snackbar

Stay tuned for upcoming articles where I’ll dive into customizing snackbars. For now, let’s keep it simple.

Snackbars are essential for showing brief messages to the user. You can trigger them using the ScaffoldState, which is tied to the Scaffold:

val scaffoldState = rememberScaffoldState()
val scope = rememberCoroutineScope()

Scaffold(
    scaffoldState = scaffoldState,
    content = { /* Content here */ },
    floatingActionButton = {
        FloatingActionButton(onClick = {
            scope.launch {
                scaffoldState.snackbarHostState.showSnackbar("This is a Snackbar")
            }
        }) {
            Icon(Icons.Filled.Info, contentDescription = "Show Snackbar")
        }
    }
)

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Content Slot

The content slot is where most of the app’s layout will reside. This is where you define your custom UI, such as a LazyColumnBox, or any other Compose component.

Scaffold(
    topBar = { /* TopAppBar */ },
    content = { padding ->
        LazyColumn(
            contentPadding = padding
        ) {
            items(100) {
                Text("Item #$it", Modifier.padding(16.dp))
            }
        }
    }
)
What Scaffold Does Not Have

While Scaffold provides many useful features, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Here are a few things it doesn’t provide:

Multi-layered Layouts

Scaffold works well for simple layouts, but if your UI requires complex nested scaffolds or multiple layers of drawers or toolbars, you’ll need to manage those layouts manually.

Custom Animations

While Compose supports animations, Scaffold doesn’t provide built-in transitions for elements like showing and hiding the FAB or BottomBar. You’ll need to manually manage these animations.

Built-in State Management

Scaffold focuses on UI structure, and it doesn’t manage state like whether a drawer is open or closed. That’s up to you to manage using ScaffoldState and rememberCoroutineScope.

Advanced Drawer Behavior

For more advanced navigation drawer patterns (like multi-step drawers), you’ll need to implement custom logic or use other Compose features to handle the complexity.

Combining Scaffold with Other Compose Components

Scaffold is highly flexible, and one of its strengths is its ability to integrate seamlessly with other composables. Here’s an example of how you can combine Scaffold with a LazyColumn to create a scrollable list:

Scaffold(
    topBar = { /* TopAppBar */ },
    content = { padding ->
        LazyColumn(
            contentPadding = padding
        ) {
            items(50) { index ->
                Text("Item $index", Modifier.padding(16.dp))
            }
        }
    }
)

You can also easily integrate bottom sheets, dialogs, and more into your Scaffold layout, making it the perfect foundation for your app’s UI.

Performance and Usability Considerations

When working with Scaffold, it’s important to be aware of potential performance issues. Overusing nesting or placing too many heavy elements inside a Scaffold can slow down your app, especially on low-end devices. Keep the layout lightweight and avoid unnecessary recompositions to ensure smooth performance.

Conclusion

Scaffold in Jetpack Compose is a powerful and flexible tool for laying out the basic structure of your Android UI. It simplifies the integration of standard components like app bars, FABs, and drawers, while also providing a customizable content area where your app’s main interface will live.

However, it’s not without limitations. More complex layouts and advanced animations will require additional handling. But when used correctly, Scaffold can help you rapidly develop polished and intuitive interfaces.

Explore the power of Scaffold in your next Jetpack Compose project and build layouts with ease!

Dobri Kostadinov
Android Consultant | Trainer
Email me | Follow me on LinkedIn | Follow me on Medium | Buy me a coffee

This article is previously published on proandroiddev.com

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