Deprecated TextField.canRequestFocus

TextField.canRequestFocus is deprecated. The same functionality can be achieved by setting the canRequestFocus parameter of the TextField's FocusNode.

TextField.canRequestFocus was added to support DropdownMenu, which has a TextField that sometimes isn't interactive. However, the same functionality can be achieved by setting the canRequestFocus parameter of a TextField's FocusNode. DropdownMenu has been migrated to this approach, and other use cases should follow the same pattern.

Apps that use TextField.canRequestFocus display the following error when run in debug mode: "Use focusNode instead.". Specifically, this means that users should pass a FocusNode to TextField.focusNode with the FocusNode.canRequestFocus parameter set.

To migrate, remove the TextField.canRequestFocus parameter. Create a FocusNode with the FocusNode.canRequestFocus parameter set to the desired value, and pass that to TextField.focusNode.

Code before migration:

class _MyWidgetState extends State<MyWidget> {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return TextField(
      canRequestFocus: false,
    );
  }
}

Code after migration:

class _MyWidgetState extends State<MyWidget> {
  final FocusNode _focusNode = FocusNode(canRequestFocus: false);
​
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return TextField(
      focusNode: _focusNode,
    );
  }
}

Landed in version: Reverted, waiting to reland
In stable release: Not yet

API documentation:

• DropdownMenu
• FocusNode.canRequestFocus
• TextField.canRequestFocus
• TextField.focusNode

Relevant issues:

• Broken selection on TextField if canRequestFocus: false
• DropdownMenu Disable text input

Relevant PRs:

• Add requestFocusOnTap to DropdownMenu
• Replace TextField.canRequestFocus with TextField.focusNode.canRequestFocus