reel-text-usage

Reel Text

Principle

Use motion to clarify a state transition. Do not use motion to make static text more interesting.

reel_text is for short, high-signal Flutter text whose change carries meaning: commands, status, counters, rotating labels, styled inline phrases, anchored inline widgets, and editable corrections. Keep ordinary reading content in Flutter Text.

Decision Workflow

1. Audit candidate text before installing or editing code.
2. Keep only short text that changes because of user action, async state, numeric change, rotation, or inline correction.
3. Reject decorative use. If the transition does not explain state, keep Text.
4. Pick the narrowest reel_text API for the interaction.
5. Preserve layout, semantics, reduced motion, and controller lifecycle.
6. Verify with Flutter analysis/tests and a UI pass when practical.

Agent Output Contract

Before editing, state the accepted candidate transition and the API choice. If no candidate qualifies, say that plain Text is the correct choice and stop.

For code changes, report:

• The text transition being animated.
• The API chosen and why.
• How the dependency was added or confirmed.
• The layout constraint that prevents size jumps.
• The lifecycle owner for any controller.
• The verification command run.

Install

For an app that does not already depend on the package:

flutter pub add reel_text

If pubspec.yaml is carefully grouped, commented, sorted, or otherwise hand-structured, do not let a command rewrite it blindly. Run flutter pub add reel_text --dry-run to see the default compatible constraint without editing files, then add reel_text: <constraint> under dependencies by hand and run flutter pub get. If dry-run cannot resolve the package, look up the current compatible constraint from pub.dev. Do not copy a hardcoded version from this skill.

Then import:

import 'package:reel_text/reel_text.dart';

Do not add the dependency just because the task mentions animation. First find a good candidate transition.