Shared element transitions are a seamless way to transition between composables that have content that is consistent between them. They are often used for navigation, allowing you to visually connect different screens as a user navigates between them.
For example, in the following video, you can see the image and title of the snack are shared from the listing page, to the detail page.
In Compose, there are a few high level APIs that help you create shared elements:
SharedTransitionLayout
: The outermost layout required to implement shared element transitions. It provides aSharedTransitionScope
. Composables need to be in aSharedTransitionScope
to use the shared element modifiers.Modifier.sharedElement()
: The modifier that flags to theSharedTransitionScope
the composable that should be matched with another composable.Modifier.sharedBounds()
: The modifier that flags to theSharedTransitionScope
that this composable's bounds should be used as the container bounds for where the transition should take place. In contrast tosharedElement()
,sharedBounds()
is designed for visually different content.
An important concept when creating shared elements in Compose is how they work with overlays and clipping. Take a look at the clipping and overlays section to learn more about this important topic.
Basic Usage
The following transition will be built in this section, transitioning from the smaller "list" item, to the larger detailed item:
![](/https/developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/animations/shared-element/basic_shared_element_jetsnack.gif)
The best way to use Modifier.sharedElement()
is in conjunction with
AnimatedContent
, AnimatedVisibility
or NavHost
as this manages
the transition between composables automatically for you.
The starting point is an existing basic AnimatedContent
that has a
MainContent
, and DetailsContent
composable before adding shared elements:
AnimatedContent
without any shared element transitions.
In order to make the shared elements animate between the two layouts, surround the
AnimatedContent
composable withSharedTransitionLayout
. The scopes fromSharedTransitionLayout
andAnimatedContent
are passed to theMainContent
andDetailsContent
:var showDetails by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } SharedTransitionLayout { AnimatedContent( showDetails, label = "basic_transition" ) { targetState -> if (!targetState) { MainContent( onShowDetails = { showDetails = true }, animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedContent, sharedTransitionScope = this@SharedTransitionLayout ) } else { DetailsContent( onBack = { showDetails = false }, animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedContent, sharedTransitionScope = this@SharedTransitionLayout ) } } }
Add
Modifier.sharedElement()
to your composable modifier chain on the two composables that match. Create aSharedContentState
object and remember it withrememberSharedContentState()
. TheSharedContentState
object is storing the unique key which determines the elements that are shared. Provide a unique key to identify the content, and userememberSharedContentState()
for the item to be remembered. TheAnimatedContentScope
is passed into the modifier, which is used to coordinate the animation.@Composable private fun MainContent( onShowDetails: () -> Unit, modifier: Modifier = Modifier, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope, animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope ) { Row( // ... ) { with(sharedTransitionScope) { Image( painter = painterResource(id = R.drawable.cupcake), contentDescription = "Cupcake", modifier = Modifier .sharedElement( rememberSharedContentState(key = "image"), animatedVisibilityScope = animatedVisibilityScope ) .size(100.dp) .clip(CircleShape), contentScale = ContentScale.Crop ) // ... } } } @Composable private fun DetailsContent( modifier: Modifier = Modifier, onBack: () -> Unit, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope, animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope ) { Column( // ... ) { with(sharedTransitionScope) { Image( painter = painterResource(id = R.drawable.cupcake), contentDescription = "Cupcake", modifier = Modifier .sharedElement( rememberSharedContentState(key = "image"), animatedVisibilityScope = animatedVisibilityScope ) .size(200.dp) .clip(CircleShape), contentScale = ContentScale.Crop ) // ... } } }
To get information on if a shared element match has occurred, extract
rememberSharedContentState()
into a variable, and query isMatchFound
.
Which results in the following automatic animation:
![](/https/developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/animations/shared-element/basic_shared_element_jetsnack.gif)
You may notice that the background color and size of the whole container still
uses the default AnimatedContent
settings.
Shared bounds versus shared element
Modifier.sharedBounds()
is similar to Modifier.sharedElement()
.
However, the modifiers are different in the following ways:
sharedBounds()
is for content that is visually different but should share the same area between states, whereassharedElement()
expects the content to be the same.- With
sharedBounds()
, the content entering and exiting the screen is visible during the transition between the two states, whereas withsharedElement()
only the target content is rendered in the transforming bounds.Modifier.sharedBounds()
hasenter
andexit
parameters for specifying how the content should transition, similar to howAnimatedContent
works. - The most common use case for
sharedBounds()
is the container transform pattern, whereas forsharedElement()
the example use case is a hero transition. - When using
Text
composables,sharedBounds()
is preferred to support font changes such as transitioning between italic and bold or color changes.
From the previous example, adding Modifier.sharedBounds()
onto the Row
and
Column
in the two different scenarios will allow us to share the bounds of the
two and perform the transition animation, allowing them to grow
between each other:
@Composable private fun MainContent( onShowDetails: () -> Unit, modifier: Modifier = Modifier, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope, animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope ) { with(sharedTransitionScope) { Row( modifier = Modifier .padding(8.dp) .sharedBounds( rememberSharedContentState(key = "bounds"), animatedVisibilityScope = animatedVisibilityScope, enter = fadeIn(), exit = fadeOut(), resizeMode = SharedTransitionScope.ResizeMode.ScaleToBounds() ) // ... ) { // ... } } } @Composable private fun DetailsContent( modifier: Modifier = Modifier, onBack: () -> Unit, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope, animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope ) { with(sharedTransitionScope) { Column( modifier = Modifier .padding(top = 200.dp, start = 16.dp, end = 16.dp) .sharedBounds( rememberSharedContentState(key = "bounds"), animatedVisibilityScope = animatedVisibilityScope, enter = fadeIn(), exit = fadeOut(), resizeMode = SharedTransitionScope.ResizeMode.ScaleToBounds() ) // ... ) { // ... } } }
Understand Scopes
To use Modifier.sharedElement()
, the composable needs to be in a
SharedTransitionScope
. The SharedTransitionLayout
composable provides the
SharedTransitionScope
. Make sure to place at the same top-level point in your
UI hierarchy that contains the elements you want to share.
Generally, the composables should also be placed inside an
AnimatedVisibilityScope
. This is typically provided by using AnimatedContent
to switch between composables or when using AnimatedVisibility
directly, or by
the NavHost
composable function, unless you manage the visibility
manually. In order
to use multiple scopes, save your required scopes in a
CompositionLocal, use context receivers in Kotlin, or pass the
scopes as parameters to your functions.
Use CompositionLocals
in the scenario where you have multiple scopes to keep
track of, or a deeply nested hierarchy. A CompositionLocal
lets you choose the
exact scopes to save and use. On the other hand, when you use context receivers,
other layouts in your hierarchy might accidentally override the provided scopes.
For example, if you have multiple nested AnimatedContent
, the scopes could be
overridden.
val LocalNavAnimatedVisibilityScope = compositionLocalOf<AnimatedVisibilityScope?> { null } val LocalSharedTransitionScope = compositionLocalOf<SharedTransitionScope?> { null } @Composable private fun SharedElementScope_CompositionLocal() { // An example of how to use composition locals to pass around the shared transition scope, far down your UI tree. // ... SharedTransitionLayout { CompositionLocalProvider( LocalSharedTransitionScope provides this ) { // This could also be your top-level NavHost as this provides an AnimatedContentScope AnimatedContent(state, label = "Top level AnimatedContent") { targetState -> CompositionLocalProvider(LocalNavAnimatedVisibilityScope provides this) { // Now we can access the scopes in any nested composables as follows: val sharedTransitionScope = LocalSharedTransitionScope.current ?: throw IllegalStateException("No SharedElementScope found") val animatedVisibilityScope = LocalNavAnimatedVisibilityScope.current ?: throw IllegalStateException("No AnimatedVisibility found") } // ... } } } }
Alternatively, if your hierarchy isn't deeply nested you can pass the scopes down as parameters:
@Composable fun MainContent( animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope ) { } @Composable fun Details( animatedVisibilityScope: AnimatedVisibilityScope, sharedTransitionScope: SharedTransitionScope ) { }
Shared elements with AnimatedVisibility
Previous examples showed how to use shared elements with AnimatedContent
, but
shared elements work with AnimatedVisibility
too.
For example, in this lazy grid example each element is wrapped in
AnimatedVisibility
. When the item is clicked on - the content has the
visual effect of being pulled out of the UI into a dialog-like component.
var selectedSnack by remember { mutableStateOf<Snack?>(null) } SharedTransitionLayout(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) { LazyColumn( // ... ) { items(listSnacks) { snack -> AnimatedVisibility( visible = snack != selectedSnack, enter = fadeIn() + scaleIn(), exit = fadeOut() + scaleOut(), modifier = Modifier.animateItem() ) { Box( modifier = Modifier .sharedBounds( sharedContentState = rememberSharedContentState(key = "${snack.name}-bounds"), // Using the scope provided by AnimatedVisibility animatedVisibilityScope = this, clipInOverlayDuringTransition = OverlayClip(shapeForSharedElement) ) .background(Color.White, shapeForSharedElement) .clip(shapeForSharedElement) ) { SnackContents( snack = snack, modifier = Modifier.sharedElement( state = rememberSharedContentState(key = snack.name), animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedVisibility ), onClick = { selectedSnack = snack } ) } } } } // Contains matching AnimatedContent with sharedBounds modifiers. SnackEditDetails( snack = selectedSnack, onConfirmClick = { selectedSnack = null } ) }
AnimatedVisibility
.Modifier ordering
With Modifier.sharedElement()
and Modifier.sharedBounds()
the order of your
modifier chain matters,
as with the rest of Compose. The incorrect placement of size-affecting modifiers
can cause unexpected visual jumps during shared element matching.
For example, if you place a padding modifier in a different position on two shared elements, there is a visual difference in the animation.
var selectFirst by remember { mutableStateOf(true) } val key = remember { Any() } SharedTransitionLayout( Modifier .fillMaxSize() .padding(10.dp) .clickable { selectFirst = !selectFirst } ) { AnimatedContent(targetState = selectFirst, label = "AnimatedContent") { targetState -> if (targetState) { Box( Modifier .padding(12.dp) .sharedBounds( rememberSharedContentState(key = key), animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedContent ) .border(2.dp, Color.Red) ) { Text( "Hello", fontSize = 20.sp ) } } else { Box( Modifier .offset(180.dp, 180.dp) .sharedBounds( rememberSharedContentState( key = key, ), animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedContent ) .border(2.dp, Color.Red) // This padding is placed after sharedBounds, but it doesn't match the // other shared elements modifier order, resulting in visual jumps .padding(12.dp) ) { Text( "Hello", fontSize = 36.sp ) } } } }
Matched bounds |
Unmatched bounds: Notice how the shared element animation appears a bit off as it needs to resize to the incorrect bounds |
---|---|
The modifiers used before the shared element modifiers provide constraints to the shared element modifiers, which is then used to derive the initial and target bounds, and subsequently the bounds animation.
The modifiers used after the shared element modifiers use the constraints from before to measure and calculate the child's target size. The shared element modifiers create a series of animated constraints to gradually transform the child from the initial size to the target size.
The exception to this is if you use resizeMode = ScaleToBounds()
for
the animation, or Modifier.skipToLookaheadSize()
on a composable. In this
case, Compose lays out the child using the target constraints, and instead uses
a scale factor to perform the animation instead of changing the layout size
itself.
Unique keys
When working with complex shared elements, it is a good practice to create a key that is not a string, because strings can be error prone to match. Each key must be unique for matches to occur. For example, in Jetsnack we have the following shared elements:
![](/https/developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/animations/shared-element/unique_keys_shared_elements.jpeg)
You could create an enum to represent the shared element type. In this example
the whole snack card can also appear from multiple different places on the home
screen, for example in a "Popular" and a "Recommended" section. You can create a
key that has the snackId
, the origin
("Popular" / "Recommended"), and the
type
of the shared element that will be shared:
data class SnackSharedElementKey( val snackId: Long, val origin: String, val type: SnackSharedElementType ) enum class SnackSharedElementType { Bounds, Image, Title, Tagline, Background } @Composable fun SharedElementUniqueKey() { // ... Box( modifier = Modifier .sharedElement( rememberSharedContentState( key = SnackSharedElementKey( snackId = 1, origin = "latest", type = SnackSharedElementType.Image ) ), animatedVisibilityScope = this@AnimatedVisibility ) ) // ... }
Data classes are recommended for keys since they implement hashCode()
and
isEquals()
.
Manage the visibility of shared elements manually
In cases where you may not be using AnimatedVisibility
or AnimatedContent
,
you can manage the shared element visibility yourself. Use
Modifier.sharedElementWithCallerManagedVisibility()
and provide your own
conditional that determines when an item should be visible or not:
var selectFirst by remember { mutableStateOf(true) } val key = remember { Any() } SharedTransitionLayout( Modifier .fillMaxSize() .padding(10.dp) .clickable { selectFirst = !selectFirst } ) { Box( Modifier .sharedElementWithCallerManagedVisibility( rememberSharedContentState(key = key), !selectFirst ) .background(Color.Red) .size(100.dp) ) { Text(if (!selectFirst) "false" else "true", color = Color.White) } Box( Modifier .offset(180.dp, 180.dp) .sharedElementWithCallerManagedVisibility( rememberSharedContentState( key = key, ), selectFirst ) .alpha(0.5f) .background(Color.Blue) .size(180.dp) ) { Text(if (selectFirst) "false" else "true", color = Color.White) } }
Current limitations
These APIs have a few limitations. Most notably:
- No interoperability between Views and Compose is supported. This includes
any composable that wraps
AndroidView
, such as aDialog
. - There is no automatic animation support for the following:
- Shared Image composables:
ContentScale
is not animated by default. It snaps to the set endContentScale
.
- Shape clipping - There is no built-in support for automatic animation between shapes - for example animating from a square to a circle as the item transitions.
- For the unsupported cases, use
Modifier.sharedBounds()
instead ofsharedElement()
and addModifier.animateEnterExit()
onto the items.
- Shared Image composables: