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Migration guide for ignoringSemantics in IgnorePointer and related classes

Summary

#

The IgnoringPointer widget allows you to designate an area of the UI where you don't want to accept pointer events, for example, when you don't want to allow the user to enter text in a text field.

Previously, the IgnorePointer not only blocked pointer events but also dropped its subtree from the semantics tree. The ignoreSemantics parameter was introduced as a workaround to preserve the semantics tree when using IgnorePointers.

The IgnorePointer behavior has changed in that it no longer drops the entire semantics subtree but merely blocks semantics actions in the subtree. The ignoringSemantics workaround is no longer needed and is deprecated.

This change also applies to the AbsorbPointer and SliverIgnorePointer widgets.

Description of change

#

ignoringSemantics was removed.

Migration guide

#

If you set this parameter to true in these widgets, consider using ExcludeSemantics instead.

Code before migration:

dart 
IgnorePointer(
  ignoringSemantics: true,
  child: const PlaceHolder(),
);
​
AbsorbPointer(
  ignoringSemantics: true,
  child: const PlaceHolder(),
);
​
SliverIgnorePointer(
  ignoringSemantics: true,
  child: const PlaceHolder(),
);

Code after migration:

dart 
ExcludeSemantics(
  child: IgnorePointer(
    child: const PlaceHolder(),
  ),
);
​
ExcludeSemantics(
  child: AbsorbPointer(
    child: const PlaceHolder(),
  ),
);
​
SliverIgnorePointer(
  child: ExcludeSemantics(
    child: const PlaceHolder(),
  ),
);

If you are previously using IgnorePointers with ignoringSemantics set to false, you can achieve the same behavior by copying the follow widgets directly into your code and use.

dart 
/// A widget ignores pointer events without modifying the semantics tree.
class _IgnorePointerWithSemantics extends SingleChildRenderObjectWidget {
  const _IgnorePointerWithSemantics({
    super.child,
  });
​
  @override
  _RenderIgnorePointerWithSemantics createRenderObject(BuildContext context) {
    return _RenderIgnorePointerWithSemantics();
  }
}
​
class _RenderIgnorePointerWithSemantics extends RenderProxyBox {
  _RenderIgnorePointerWithSemantics();
​
  @override
  bool hitTest(BoxHitTestResult result, { required Offset position }) => false;
}
​
/// A widget absorbs pointer events without modifying the semantics tree.
class _AbsorbPointerWithSemantics extends SingleChildRenderObjectWidget {
  const _AbsorbPointerWithSemantics({
    super.child,
  });
​
  @override
  _RenderAbsorbPointerWithSemantics createRenderObject(BuildContext context) {
    return _RenderAbsorbPointerWithSemantics();
  }
}
​
class _RenderAbsorbPointerWithSemantics extends RenderProxyBox {
  _RenderAbsorbPointerWithSemantics();
​
  @override
  bool hitTest(BoxHitTestResult result, { required Offset position }) {
    return size.contains(position);
  }
}
​
/// A sliver ignores pointer events without modifying the semantics tree.
class _SliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics extends SingleChildRenderObjectWidget {
  const _SliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics({
    super.child,
  });
​
  @override
  _RenderSliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics createRenderObject(BuildContext context) {
    return _RenderSliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics();
  }
}
​
class _RenderSliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics extends RenderProxySliver {
  _RenderSliverIgnorePointerWithSemantics();
​
  @override
  bool hitTest(BoxHitTestResult result, { required Offset position }) => false;
}

Timeline

#

Landed in version: 3.10.0-2.0.pre
In stable release: 3.13.0

References

#

Relevant PRs:

  • PR 120619: Fixes IgnorePointer and AbsorbPointer to only block user interactions in a11y.

Unless stated otherwise, the documentation on this site reflects Flutter 3.35.5. Page last updated on 2025-10-30. View source or report an issue.