Implementing Shimmer Effect in Flutter Using the Shimmer Package

In modern mobile apps, user experience is crucial. One of the best ways to enhance UX is by providing visual feedback while content is loading. Instead of displaying a blank screen or a static loader, you can use a shimmer effect to indicate ongoing loading activity. Flutter provides a powerful third-party package called Shimmer to implement this effect seamlessly.

What is the Shimmer Effect?

The shimmer effect is a subtle animation that creates a glowing effect, simulating content loading. This technique improves user perception by giving the illusion of faster loading times.

Installing the Shimmer Package

To use the Shimmer package in your Flutter project, first, add the dependency to your pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:

sdk: flutter
shimmer: ^3.0.0 # Check for the latest version on pub.dev Then, run:
flutter pub get

Implementing the Shimmer Effect

To create a basic shimmer effect, wrap your widget with Shimmer.fromColors() and define the highlight and base colors.

Example: Shimmer Effect on a List

import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; 
import 'package:shimmer/shimmer.dart';
class ShimmerList extends StatelessWidget 
{ 
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) 
   { 
     return ListView.builder(
     itemCount: 6,
     itemBuilder: (context, index) { return Shimmer.fromColors( 
     baseColor: Colors.grey[300]!, highlightColor: Colors.grey[100]!, 
     child: Container(
     margin: EdgeInsets.symmetric(vertical: 8.0, horizontal: 16.0),
     height: 80.0,
     decoration: BoxDecoration( color: Colors.white,
     borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10.0),
    ),
   ),
  );
 },
 );
}
}

Customizing the Shimmer Effect

You can customize the shimmer effect by adjusting properties such as the animation duration and color scheme. For example:

Shimmer.fromColors(
baseColor: Colors.blueGrey[300]!, highlightColor: Colors.blueGrey[100]!,
period: Duration(seconds: 2), 
child: Container( width: 200,
height: 50,
color: Colors.white,
),
)

When to Use the Shimmer Effect?

• When fetching data from an API.

• Before displaying images or network-dependent content.

• To improve perceived loading performance.

Conclusion

The Shimmer package in Flutter provides a simple and effective way to create a beautiful loading experience. By replacing traditional loaders with shimmer animations, you can enhance user engagement and make your app feel more polished.