Custom Label Text in TextFormField in Flutter

Today we will explore how to make a custom label above the text field whose style will change according to your tap on the text field/text form field. So that user can easily understand which text field is currently active.

Example:

In this, there are two fields, the first is email and the second is password. Currently, you easily understand that the email field is active and I am writing in that field because it is highlighting. But what if the email field is not highlighted even when you are typing in it? You can do this easily using text field input decorations property like this but what if you want to make a custom label for the text field You can do these with a few steps.

1.  Create Stateful Widgets

Dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class CustomLabel extends StatefulWidget {
    const CustomLabel({
        Key ? key
    }): super(key: key);

    @override
    State < CustomLabel > createState() => _CustomLabelState();
}

class _CustomLabelState extends State < CustomLabel > {
    @override
    Widget build(BuildContext context) {
        return const Scaffold();
    }
}

2. Create a variable as of the Focus node, bool

Single Textfield

final FocusNode focusNode = FocusNode(); // focusnode  for textfield
bool isFocus = false; // local variable

Multiple Fields

final FocusNode focusNode1 = FocusNode(); 
final FocusNode focusNode2 = FocusNode();
final FocusNode focusNode3 = FocusNode();
// Different focus nodes for different textfield

final Map<String, bool> _focusUnfocus = {
    "focus_node_1": false,
    "focus_node_2": false,
    "focus_node_3": false,
};

3. In the init state add Listener to the focus node and change the bool variable value depending upon whether the text field is tapped or not.

Single Text Field

@override
void initState() {

    super.initState();

    
// Add listener to textfield to change variable value depending upon it has focus or not
    focusNode.addListener(() {
        if (focusNode.hasFocus) {
            isFocus = true;
        } else {
            isFocus = false;
        }

        setState(() {});
    });
}

Multi TextField

// Add listener to textfield to change variable value in map depending upon it has focus or not

addListenerToNode(FocusNode focusNode, String key) {
    focusNode.addListener(() {
        if (focusNode.hasFocus) {
            _focusUnfocus[key] = true;
        } else {
            _focusUnfocus[key] = false;
        }
          setState(() {});
    });
}

@override
void initState() {
    super.initState();
    addListenerToNode(focusNode1, "focus_node_1");
    addListenerToNode(focusNode2, "focus_node_2");
    addListenerToNode(focusNode3, "focus_node_3");
}

4. Made and label of your choice just add color in that label text style on a condition like this.

Single text field 

Text(
    "Single Text Field",
    style: TextStyle(color: isFocus ? Colors.blue : Colors.grey),
), // Condition to change color depending upon textfield has focus or not

Multiple text field

Dart

@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
        body: Padding(
            padding: const EdgeInsets.all(18.0),
            child: Column(
                mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
                crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                children: [
                    getLabel(
                        title: "Multiple Text Field 1",
                        key: "focus_node_1",
                    ),
                    TextFormField(
                        focusNode: focusNode1,
                    ),
                    getLabel(
                        title: "Multiple Text Field 2",
                        key: "focus_node_2",
                    ),
                    TextFormField(
                        focusNode: focusNode2,
                    ),
                    getLabel(
                        title: "Multiple Text Field 3",
                        key: "focus_node_3",
                    ),
                    TextFormField(
                        focusNode: focusNode3,
                    ),
                ],
            ),
        ),
    );
}

Widget getLabel({required String title, required String key}) {
    return Padding(
        padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8.0),
        child: Text(
            title, style: TextStyle(
            color: _focusUnfocus[key] ? ? false ? Colors.blue : Colors.grey
            // Condition to change color depending upon textfield has focus or not in multitextfield
        )),
    );
}

5. Add that focus node to your text field

TextFormField(
    focusNode: focusNode,
),
 // Add focusnode in textformfield/textfield

Single Textfield

Dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class CustomLabel extends StatefulWidget {
    const CustomLabel({
        Key ? key
    }): super(key: key);

    @override
    State < CustomLabel > createState() => _CustomLabelState();
}

class _CustomLabelState extends State < CustomLabel > {
    final FocusNode focusNode = FocusNode(); //focusnode  for textfield
    bool isFocus = false; //local variable

    @override
    void initState() {
        super.initState();
        // Add listener to textfield to change variable value depending upon it has focus or not
        focusNode.addListener(() {
            if (focusNode.hasFocus) {
                isFocus = true;
            } else {
                isFocus = false;
            }
            setState(() {});
        });
    }
    // Add listener to textfield to change variable value in map depending upon it has focus or not

    @override
    Widget build(BuildContext context) {
        return Scaffold(
            body: Padding(
                padding: const EdgeInsets.all(18.0),
                child: Column(
                    mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
                    crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                    children: [
                        Text(
                            "Single Text Field",
                            style: TextStyle(color: isFocus ? Colors.blue : Colors.grey),
                        ),
                        TextFormField(
                            focusNode: focusNode,
                        ),
                    ],
                ),
            ),
        );
    } // Condition to change color depending upon textfield has focus or not in multitextfield
}

Multi TextField

Dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class CustomLabel extends StatefulWidget {
    const CustomLabel({
        Key ? key
    }): super(key: key);

    @override
    State < CustomLabel > createState() => _CustomLabelState();
}

class _CustomLabelState extends State < CustomLabel > {
    //local variable
    final FocusNode focusNode1 = FocusNode();
    final FocusNode focusNode2 = FocusNode();
    final FocusNode focusNode3 = FocusNode();

    final Map < String,
    bool > _focusUnfocus = {
        "focus_node_1": false,
        "focus_node_2": false,
        "focus_node_3": false,
    };
    @override
    void initState() {
        super.initState();

        // Add listener to textfield to change variable value depending upon it has focus or not
        addListenerToNode(focusNode1, "focus_node_1");
        addListenerToNode(focusNode2, "focus_node_2");
        addListenerToNode(focusNode3, "focus_node_3");
    }
    // Add listener to textfield to change variable value in map depending upon it has focus or not

    addListenerToNode(FocusNode focusnode, String key) {
        focusnode.addListener(() {
            if (focusnode.hasFocus) {
                _focusUnfocus[key] = true;
            } else {
                _focusUnfocus[key] = false;
            }
            setState(() {});
        });
    }

    @override
    Widget build(BuildContext context) {
        return Scaffold(
            body: Padding(
                padding: const EdgeInsets.all(18.0),
                    child: Column(
                        mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
                        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
                        children: [
                            getLabel(
                                title: "Multiple Text Field 1",
                                key: "focus_node_1",
                            ),
                            TextFormField(
                                focusNode: focusNode1,
                            ),
                            getLabel(
                                title: "Multiple Text Field 2",
                                key: "focus_node_2",
                            ),
                            TextFormField(
                                focusNode: focusNode2,
                            ),
                            getLabel(
                                title: "Multiple Text Field 3",
                                key: "focus_node_3",
                            ),
                            TextFormField(
                                focusNode: focusNode3,
                            ),
                        ],
                    ),
            ),
        );
    }

    Widget getLabel({
        required String title,
        required String key
    }) {
        return Padding(
            padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8.0),
                child: Text(title,
                    style: TextStyle(
                        color: _focusUnfocus[key] ? ? false ? Colors.blue : Colors.grey)),
        );
    } // Condition to change color depending upon textfield has focus or not in multitextfield
}