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A Flutter package that extends ScrollablePositionedList to enable grouped list sections with sticky headers. It allows users to organize items into logical groups, where section headers remain fixed at the top of the screen as users scroll through content. Ideal for long lists with clear categorization, such as contacts, messages, or product catalogs. The package supports all major platforms and integrates seamlessly with existing Flutter apps.
Use cases
Organizing contacts by alphabet
Displaying chat messages by date
Creating categorized product listings
Building a searchable directory
Implementing grouped task lists
Key features
Sticky section headers
Support for scrollable grouped items
Cross-platform compatibility
Easy integration with ScrollablePositionedList
Customizable header styling
Suitable for
Apps with categorized data
Long scrollable lists
User interfaces requiring section navigation
Developers using ScrollablePositionedList
Projects needing responsive group headers
Considerations
Requires careful handling of item keys
May impact performance with very large datasets
Header behavior depends on scroll position
Limited built-in animations
Not suitable for non-scrollable layouts
Original README
Original README snapshot from the linked source repository. Visit the repository for the latest content.
A ListView in which list items can be grouped to sections. Based on scrollable_positioned_list, which enables programatically scrolling of the list.
Features
Easy creation of chat-like interfaces.
List items can be separated in groups.
For the groups an individual header can be set.
Sticky headers with floating option.
All fields from ScrollablePositionedList available.
By using a pre defined element identifier. The identifier is defined by a Function which takes one element and returns a unique identifier of any type.
The methods scrollToElement and jumpToElement can be used to jump to an element by providing the elements identifier instead of the index:
A list of the data you want to display in the list
required
-
itemBuilder / indexedItemBuilder
Function which returns an Widget which defines the item. indexedItemBuilder provides the current index as well. If both are defined indexedItemBuilder is preferred
yes, either of them
-
groupBy
Function which maps an element to its grouped value
required
-
groupSeparatorBuilder
Function which gets a element and returns an Widget which defines the group header separator
required
-
separator
A Widget which defines a separator between items inside a group
no
no separator
floatingHeader
When set to true the sticky header will float over the list
no
false
stickyHeaderBackgroundColor
Defines the background color of the sticky header
no
Color(0xffF7F7F7)
itemScrollController
Instead of an ItemScrollController a GroupedItemScrollController needs to be provided.
no
-
elementIdentifier
Used by itemScrollController and defines the unique identifier for each element.
no
-
order
Change to StickyGroupedListOrder.DESC to reverse the group sorting
no
StickyGroupedListOrder.ASC
groupComparator
Can be used to define a custom sorting for the groups. Otherwise the natural sorting order is used
no
-
itemComparator
Can be used to define a custom sorting for the elements inside each group. Otherwise the natural sorting order is used
no
-
reverse
Scrolls in opposite from reading direction (Starting at bottom and scrolling up). Same as in scrollable_positioned_list.
no
false
GroupedItemScrollController.srollTo() and GroupedItemScrollController.jumpTo() automatic set the alignment so that the item is fully visible aligned under the group header. Both methods take automaticAlignment as a additional optional paramenter which needs to be set to true if alignment is specified.
Also the fields from ScrollablePositionedList.builder can be used.
Highlight - Chat Dialog
Easy creation of chat-like dialogs.
Just set the option reverse to true and the option order to StickyGroupedListOrder.DESC. A full example can be found in the examples.
The list will be scrolled to the end in the initial state and therefore scrolling will be against redeaing direction.
Difference between grouped_list and sticky_grouped_list:
TThe list views in the GroupedList package are based on the default flutter listview and the silver list. This package is based on the scrollable_positioned_list which enables the possibility to programatically scroll to certain positions in the list. So if you need the ability to programatically scroll the list use the this package otherwise I would recommend to use the GroupedList package.