Navigation in the mobile client is managed by the powerful go_router package. This provides a declarative, URL-based routing system that is robust, type-safe, and easy to maintain. All routing configuration is centralized within the lib/router/ directory.
GoRouter: The main router instance that controls the application’s navigation stack. It is configured with a list of routes, redirect logic, and a refresh listener.
Routes Class: A class located in lib/router/routes.dart that defines all route paths and names as static const String constants. Using named routes (e.g., context.goNamed(Routes.settingsName)) instead of raw path strings is a best practice that prevents typos and makes the code more maintainable.
StatefulShellRoute: This is a key component from go_router used to implement persistent UI elements, such as the main bottom navigation bar. It wraps the main sections of the app (e.g., Headlines Feed, Search, Account) and manages a separate navigation stack for each section, preserving the navigation state as the user switches between tabs.
Centralized Configuration
All route definitions are located in lib/router/router.dart. This file contains the GoRouter setup, including the tree of GoRoute and StatefulShellRoute widgets that define the entire navigation map of the application.
Authentication-Aware Redirects
The router is configured with a redirect logic that depends on the application’s authentication status, which is provided by the AppBloc. This ensures that unauthenticated users are automatically redirected to the sign-in page, while authenticated users are directed to the main app content, creating a secure and seamless user experience.
Type-Safe Navigation
By using named routes defined in the Routes class, navigation calls throughout the app are type-safe. This approach reduces runtime errors and makes it easy to refactor or update routes, as any changes only need to be made in one central location.
Passing Arguments
The router is used to pass complex data between pages. For example, when navigating to a details page, the full Headline object is passed via the extra parameter of the navigation call. This is more efficient than passing an ID and re-fetching data that is already available.