ChatGPT wrote me this tech article with 5 prompts in under 4 minutes & it’s not bad (prompts included)

As a core Software Engineer myself, it’s not that great but it can be of great help if used wisely

I wanted some ideas about where to use Slivers in Flutter & how. I tried using ChatGPT to get some ideas on this. Surprisingly, it gave me some cool ideas and applications to try Slivers in, then I thought why not ask it to write an article with code snippets & see where it leads.

Below is the article completely written using ChatGPT including the title. The code snippets do not work independently but GPT mentioned at the end that you need to tailor the code snippets to your needs, which is not bad.

At the end, I have shared all the 5 prompts I used from the beginning till the refinement. Also, I have shared my own perspective as well on trying ChatGPT to write articles.

Over to you ChatGPT

Mastering Dynamic App Interfaces: A Technical Guide to Leveraging Slivers in Flutter

Introduction:

Mobile app development is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, where crafting responsive and visually appealing interfaces is paramount. Flutter, the versatile open-source UI software development toolkit from Google, has gained recognition for its ability to create captivating mobile applications. A defining feature that sets Flutter apart is its use of Sliver components within the CustomScrollView widget. Slivers provide developers with the tools to design flexible app bars, headers, and other elements that respond seamlessly to user interactions, resulting in a polished and interactive user experience. This comprehensive technical guide explores the application of Slivers in various contexts within Flutter, offering detailed code snippets and in-depth explanations.

1. AppBar with SliverAppBar

Example: A News Reader App

In a news reader app, the SliverAppBar widget is employed to create a dynamic app bar that smoothly transforms as users scroll. This approach ensures that the app bar both expands and collapses gracefully while displaying pertinent information, such as news categories.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      expandedHeight: 200.0,
      flexibleSpace: FlexibleSpaceBar(
        title: Text('Top Stories'),
        background: Image.asset('assets/news_header.jpg'),
      ),
    ),
    SliverList(
      delegate: SliverChildBuilderDelegate(
        (BuildContext context, int index) {
          return NewsCard(article: newsList[index]);
        },
        childCount: newsList.length,
      ),
    ),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• The CustomScrollView wraps the entire scrollable layout.
• The SliverAppBar widget is configured with an expandedHeight, creating an initial app bar height of 200.0 logical pixels.
• The FlexibleSpaceBar contains a title and an image that stretches as the user scrolls, creating a visually appealing parallax effect.
• The SliverList widget is used to display a list of news articles, utilizing a SliverChildBuilderDelegate for efficient item rendering.

2. ListView with SliverList and SliverGrid

Example: E-commerce Product List

E-commerce apps often require scrollable product lists with sticky headers for product categories. SliverList and SliverGrid, when embedded within a CustomScrollView, are the tools of choice for this purpose.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      // App bar configuration
    ),
    SliverList(
      delegate: SliverChildBuilderDelegate(
        (BuildContext context, int index) {
          return ProductItem(product: productList[index]);
        },
        childCount: productList.length,
      ),
    ),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• A CustomScrollView encapsulates the scrollable layout.
• The SliverAppBar is defined for the app bar configuration.
• The SliverList widget is employed to create a scrollable list of products using a SliverChildBuilderDelegate, which efficiently generates product items based on the list's length.

3. Nested Scroll Views with Slivers

Example: Social Media Profile

Creating dynamic layouts with user profile elements, cover photos, and tabs for posts, photos, and friends in a social media profile screen is simplified by using NestedScrollView and SliverAppBar.

Code Snippet:

NestedScrollView(
  headerSliverBuilder: (BuildContext context, bool innerBoxIsScrolled) {
    return <Widget>[
      SliverAppBar(
        // App bar configuration
      ),
    ];
  },
  body: TabBarView(
    children: <Widget>[
      // Posts tab content
      // Photos tab content
      // Friends tab content
    ],
  ),
)

Explanation:

• NestedScrollView allows for nesting different scrolling behaviors within a single layout.
• The headerSliverBuilder generates slivers that serve as the app bar and other headers.
• The SliverAppBar is a key component that offers scrolling effects for the app bar.
• The TabBarView provides a way to switch between different content tabs seamlessly.

4. Custom Scroll Effects with Slivers

Example: Weather Forecast

Custom scroll effects can enhance the user experience in a weather app, as demonstrated by the implementation of a pull-to-refresh animation. When users pull down, a refreshing animation is triggered to fetch the latest weather data.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      // App bar configuration
    ),
    SliverRefreshIndicator(
      onRefresh: () async {
        await fetchWeatherData();
        // Update the UI with new weather data
      },
      child: WeatherForecastList(forecast: weatherForecast),
    ),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• The CustomScrollView is employed to create a flexible scrollable layout.
• The SliverAppBar is configured as the app bar.
• The SliverRefreshIndicator widget introduces a pull-to-refresh behavior and is triggered when the user initiates a refresh action.
• The onRefresh callback function is responsible for fetching new weather data.

5. SliverPersistentHeader

Example: Music Player

A music player app benefits from the use of SliverPersistentHeader to create a persistent control panel at the bottom of the screen. This panel houses playback controls, song information, and album artwork, allowing users to manage music playback while navigating playlists or songs.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    // Slivers for content
    SliverPersistentHeader(
      pinned: true,
      delegate: MusicPlayerHeaderDelegate(),
    ),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• A CustomScrollView envelops the scrollable content, and additional slivers may be added as needed.
• The SliverPersistentHeader is pinned, ensuring that it remains visible as the user scrolls.
• The header’s behavior and content are customized by using a delegate, which in this case is a MusicPlayerHeaderDelegate.

6. SliverToBoxAdapter

Example: Contact Information

In a contact information screen, SliverToBoxAdapter serves to insert non-scrollable content. This may include contact details, such as name, phone number, and address, along with action buttons for calling or emailing the contact.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      // App bar configuration
    ),
    SliverToBoxAdapter(
      child: ContactDetails(contact: selectedContact),
    ),
    // Slivers for additional content
  ],
)

Explanation:

• A CustomScrollView is employed for scrollable content.
• The SliverAppBar is configured as per the app's requirements.
• The SliverToBoxAdapter is used to insert a non-scrollable widget into the scrollable content.
• In this example, ContactDetails represents the non-scrollable contact information widget.

7. SliverFillRemaining

Example: To-Do List

In a to-do list app, SliverFillRemaining ensures that the list of tasks takes up the remaining screen space. Users can scroll through tasks and add, complete, or delete them as needed.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      // App bar configuration
    ),
    SliverToBoxAdapter(
      child: TodoList(tasks: todoTasks),
    ),
    SliverFillRemaining(),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• A CustomScrollView defines the scrollable content, and additional slivers can be added above or below.
• A SliverToBoxAdapter introduces a non-scrollable widget within the scrollable content.
• The SliverFillRemaining ensures that the widget within it fills the remaining screen space, guaranteeing a responsive and user-friendly interface.

8. SliverOverlapAbsorber and SliverOverlapInjector

Example: Product Details with Reviews

In e-commerce applications, it’s common to have nested headers with varying scroll behaviors. For instance, when viewing a product, you might want an overview section at the top and a reviews section below it. These sections can have different scroll behaviors, and the absorber and injector ensure smooth scrolling between them.

Code Snippet:

CustomScrollView(
  slivers: <Widget>[
    SliverAppBar(
      // App bar configuration for product details
    ),
    SliverOverlapInjector(
      handle: NestedScrollView.sliverOverlapAbsorberHandleFor(context),
    ),
    SliverOverlapAbsorber(
      handle: NestedScrollView.sliverOverlapAbsorberHandleFor(context),
      sliver: SliverTabBar(),
    ),
  ],
)

Explanation:

• The CustomScrollView is used to establish a flexible scrollable layout.
• The SliverAppBar is configured to handle the app bar for product details.
• SliverOverlapInjector and SliverOverlapAbsorber work in tandem to ensure smooth interaction between nested headers with distinct scroll behaviors.
• In this scenario, a SliverTabBar is included to demonstrate the concept of nested headers with varying scroll effects.

Conclusion

Slivers in Flutter provide developers with a powerful set of tools to craft highly customizable and responsive scrollable interfaces. By incorporating these Sliver components into your app, you can create user-friendly, engaging, and interactive mobile app interfaces. Tailor the provided code snippets to your app’s specific needs to ensure a dynamic and responsive user experience. As you explore the world of Slivers in Flutter, you’ll unlock new possibilities for your app’s interface, earning the appreciation of your users.

It’s me again

So how was it?

It was not bad. But for me, as someone who is skeptical on everything they write, it has a lot of problems in it. First off, it is not me. I don’t write that way. I have a unique style (everybody has) & that reflects in the articles I write. It’s not reflecting in this. Second, technical articles are more than just a combination of data pulled up. The code snippets need a lot of refactoring to work, or should I say some snippets need to be rewritten. Some code snippets are not even correct (SliverRefreshIndicator is not a thing in Flutter). I tried asking it to write independently runnable code snippets, they were better but longer. Developers reading technical articles need context more than a running code. ChatGPT might have given that too if I would have spent more time on prompting.

I think prompting is an art & I am not that good at it so I will try to share more insights on how good ChatGPT does with technical articles when you prompt it better.

Thoughts

I can write articles using ChatGPT but those won’t be really great in terms of the personal human touch. I would rather write factual articles using ChatGPT, which will be amazing!

What if I feed my articles to it & ask it to write me articles in the way I write them!!!!

Prompts I used in order

Tell me some places in mobile app screens where I can use slivers from Flutter framework

Now write me a publishable article on this using code snippets as examples for all of the places you have given me above

Make every example above a little more detailed giving real examples of screens where these snippets can fit

I want to publish all of the above as an article. Make it a professional publishable article with a catchy title

Rewrite the article with some more technical explanation of the code snippets

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