Flutter setState() or markNeedsBuild() called when

Question

I am having trouble finding the source to this exception, and the app is quite complex so it is hard to show any relevant part of the code. This is my repository at the point where the error happens: Github repo

I suspect the following code might be the perpetrator:

Widget buildResultCard(Map result, BuildContext context) {
    String name = result["value"];
    String description =
        result["label"].replaceAll(new RegExp(r"<(?:.|\n)*?>"), "");
    TextEditingController controller = new TextEditingController(text: name);

    Function onPressed = () {
      showDialog(
          context: context,
          child: new AlertDialog(
            title: new Text("Name your schedule"),
            content: new TextField(
              autofocus: true,
              controller: controller,
            ),
            actions: <Widget>[
              new FlatButton(
                  onPressed: () {
                    String givenName = controller.text;
                    ScheduleMeta schedule = new ScheduleMeta(
                        givenName: givenName,
                        name: name,
                        type: _selectedChoice.value,
                        description: description);

                    scheduleStore
                        .dispatch(new AddScheduleAction(schedule: schedule));

                    scheduleStore.dispatch(
                        new SetCurrentScheduleAction(schedule: schedule));

                    fetchAllSchedules(scheduleStore.state.schedules)
                        .then((weeks) {
                      scheduleStore.dispatch(
                          new SetWeeksForCurrentScheduleAction(weeks: weeks));
                    });

                    Scaffold.of(context).showSnackBar(new SnackBar(
                          content: new Text("Added " + givenName),
                          action: new SnackBarAction(
                              label: "Undo",
                              onPressed: () {
                                scheduleStore.dispatch(
                                    new RemoveScheduleAction(schedule: name));

                                Scaffold.of(context).showSnackBar(new SnackBar(
                                      content: new Text(
                                          "Deleted " + givenName),
                                    ));
                              }),
                        ));

                    Navigator.of(context).pop();
                  },
                  child: new Text("Add")),
            ],
          ));
    };

    return new Card(
      child: new Column(
        mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
        children: <Widget>[
          new ListTile(
            leading: const Icon(Icons.schedule),
            title: new Text(name),
            subtitle: new Text(description),
            isThreeLine: true,
            dense: true,
          ),
          new ButtonTheme.bar(
            child: new ButtonBar(
              children: <Widget>[
                new FlatButton(
                    child: const Text('Add Schedule'),
                    onPressed: scheduleStore.state.schedules
                            .any((schedule) => schedule.name == name)
                        ? null
                        : onPressed)
              ],
            ),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }

The error appears when showing a dialog, and when the user presses a button on the dialog, two Redux store dispatches are sent directly after each other. The UI behind the dialog subscribes to changes in the Redux store.

I thought Dart/Flutter was single-threaded so no collision like this could happen, where it seems like a thread is calling setState() on a widget while another has put a lock on the widget tree.

Is there a way of checking if the widget tree is locked so this can be avoided?

The stack provides this info:

I/flutter (13466): ══╡ EXCEPTION CAUGHT BY WIDGETS LIBRARY ╞═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
I/flutter (13466): The following assertion was thrown while finalizing the widget tree:
I/flutter (13466): setState() or markNeedsBuild() called when widget tree was locked.
I/flutter (13466): This _ModalScope widget cannot be marked as needing to build because the framework is locked.
I/flutter (13466): The widget on which setState() or markNeedsBuild() was called was:
I/flutter (13466):   _ModalScope([LabeledGlobalKey<_ModalScopeState>#cb4cc]; state: _ModalScopeState#d4c02())
I/flutter (13466): 
I/flutter (13466): When the exception was thrown, this was the stack:
I/flutter (13466): #0      Element.markNeedsBuild.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3250)
I/flutter (13466): #2      Element.markNeedsBuild (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3226)
I/flutter (13466): #3      State.setState (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1072)
I/flutter (13466): #4      _ModalScopeState._routeSetState (package:flutter/src/widgets/routes.dart:473)
I/flutter (13466): #5      ModalRoute.setState (package:flutter/src/widgets/routes.dart:552)
I/flutter (13466): #6      ModalRoute.changedInternalState (package:flutter/src/widgets/routes.dart:889)
I/flutter (13466): #7      TransitionRoute&&LocalHistoryRoute.removeLocalHistoryEntry (package:flutter/src/widgets/routes.dart:317)
I/flutter (13466): #8      LocalHistoryEntry.remove (package:flutter/src/widgets/routes.dart:267)
I/flutter (13466): #9      DrawerControllerState.dispose (package:flutter/src/material/drawer.dart:147)
I/flutter (13466): #10     StatefulElement.unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3550)
I/flutter (13466): #11     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1626)
I/flutter (13466): #12     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #13     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #14     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #15     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #16     MultiChildRenderObjectElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:4421)
I/flutter (13466): #17     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #18     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #19     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #20     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #21     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #22     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #23     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #24     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #25     SingleChildRenderObjectElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:4321)
I/flutter (13466): #26     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #27     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #28     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #29     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #30     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #31     SingleChildRenderObjectElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:4321)
I/flutter (13466): #32     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #33     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #34     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #35     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #36     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #37     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #38     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #39     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #40     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #41     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #42     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #43     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #44     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #45     _InactiveElements._unmount.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1624)
I/flutter (13466): #46     ComponentElement.visitChildren (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:3427)
I/flutter (13466): #47     _InactiveElements._unmount (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1622)
I/flutter (13466): #48     _InactiveElements._unmountAll (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:1636)
I/flutter (13466): #49     BuildOwner.finalizeTree.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:2228)
I/flutter (13466): #50     BuildOwner.lockState (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:2060)
I/flutter (13466): #51     BuildOwner.finalizeTree (package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart:2227)
I/flutter (13466): #52     BindingBase&SchedulerBinding&GestureBinding&ServicesBinding&RendererBinding&WidgetsBinding.drawFrame (package:flutter/src/widgets/binding.dart:505)
I/flutter (13466): #53     BindingBase&SchedulerBinding&GestureBinding&ServicesBinding&RendererBinding._handlePersistentFrameCallback (package:flutter/src/rendering/binding.dart:189)
I/flutter (13466): #54     BindingBase&SchedulerBinding._invokeFrameCallback (package:flutter/src/scheduler/binding.dart:688)
I/flutter (13466): #55     BindingBase&SchedulerBinding.handleDrawFrame (package:flutter/src/scheduler/binding.dart:636)
I/flutter (13466): #56     _drawFrame (file:///b/build/slave/Linux_Engine/build/src/flutter/lib/ui/hooks.dart:70)
I/flutter (13466): (elided one frame from class _AssertionError)
I/flutter (13466): ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Answer 1

As a workaround wrap your code that calling setState into WidgetsBinding.addPostFrameCallback:

WidgetsBinding.instance
        .addPostFrameCallback((_) => setState(() {}));

That way you can be sure it gets executed after the current widget is built.

Answer 2

I faced the same issue when making a widget that need to do Navigator.pop before returning an Widget in build.

Let me call the code from Rémi Rousselet:

Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    Navigator.pop(context);
    return Container();
}

This code above would cause the error, but you could only pop becasue context is in build, so how to do?

Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    if(datas != null) // check datas
    {
      SchedulerBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_){ // make pop action to next cycle
        Navigator.of(context).pop(datas); /*...your datas*/
      });
    }
    return Container();
}

This method is the combination of the others, but I'm not sure If this is the best practice, If there are any errors, please leave a comment to point me out!

Answer 3

As the provided answer seems true, I had a work around as, in my case, it was not possible to simply remove it from the build.

I used Future.delayed(Duration.zero, () => setState(() { ... })); instead of setState and the same for methods that may use setState as well.

EDIT: source

Answer 4

Special case of using Scaffold and Drawer:

That fail can also happen if you try to rebuild the tree with opened Drawer. For example if you send a message to a Bloc that forces rebuilding of the whole page/screen.

Consider to call Navigator.pop(context) first in your tap handler.

Answer 5

This is not a thread problem. This error means that you are calling setState during the build phase.

A typical example would be the following :

Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    myParentWidgetState.setState(() { print("foo"); });
    return Container();
}

But the setState call may be less obvious. For example a Navigator.pop(context) does a setState internally. So the following :

Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    Navigator.pop(context);
    return Container();
}

is a no go either.

---

Looking at the stacktrace it seems that simultaneously with the Navigator.pop(context) your modal try to update with new data.