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Examples

Basic text area example

Basic text area with different configurations and features.

NeoTextArea(
  controller: controller, // Using e.g. useTextEditingController() hook
  label: "Comments",
  description: "Share your thoughts and feedback",
  onChanged: (value) {
    // Handle input
  },
),

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Properties

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Required

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controller
TextEditingController
required
The controller for managing the text content of the text area.

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Content

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label
String?
Optional label text displayed above the text area.
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placeholder
String?
default:"Type here..."
Hint text displayed when the text area is empty.
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description
String?
Optional helper text displayed below the text area. Hidden when errorText is present.
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errorText
String?
Error message displayed below the text area. Takes priority over description.
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inputFormatters
List<TextInputFormatter>?
List of input formatters to control text input behavior (e.g., length limits, character restrictions).
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autofillHints
List<String>?
Hints for autofill services.

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Layout

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minLines
int
default:"3"
Minimum number of lines to display.
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maxLines
int
default:"5"
Maximum number of lines for auto-sizing.
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maxResizeLines
int?
default:"20"
Maximum number of lines when manually resized. Set to null for unlimited resizing.
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showResizeHandle
bool
default:"true"
Whether to show the resize handle for manual height adjustment.
Double-tap the resize handle to reset to auto-sizing mode.

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Behavior

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onChanged
ValueChanged<String>?
Callback triggered when the text content changes.
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onSubmitted
ValueChanged<String>?
Callback triggered when text is submitted via keyboard shortcuts or when the field loses focus if submitOnBlur is enabled.
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submitOnEnter
bool
default:"false"
Controls keyboard submission behavior:
  • true: Enter submits, Shift+Enter adds new line (chat-style)
  • false: Cmd/Ctrl+Enter submits, Enter adds new line (editor-style)
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submitOnBlur
bool
default:"true"
Whether to automatically call onSubmitted when the text area loses focus. When true (default), the field will submit when the user moves focus away from it. Set to false to only submit via keyboard shortcuts.
Cannot be true when maintainFocusOnSubmit is also true. These two properties are mutually exclusive.
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maintainFocusOnSubmit
bool
default:"false"
Whether to keep focus on the text area after submission.
Cannot be true when submitOnBlur is also true. These two properties are mutually exclusive.

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State

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isEnabled
bool
default:"true"
Controls whether the text area is interactive. When disabled, the field appears dimmed and prevents all interaction.
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focusNode
FocusNode?
Optional focus node for advanced focus management. If not provided, an internal focus node is created.

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Best Practices

  • Use appropriate line limits: Set minLines and maxLines based on expected content length
  • Use chat-style submission for messaging: Set submitOnEnter: true with maintainFocusOnSubmit: true for chat interfaces. You would also probably want to set minLines to 1.
Last modified on November 21, 2025