In Flutter, the term “view” doesn’t have a fixed definition, but generally, a view is a widget or a group of widgets that represents a complete screen or a self-contained UI component with its own logic and state.

What is a View in Flutter Architecture?

A view is typically a widget that consumes UI state from a ViewModel and displays it to the user. Most of the time, this view corresponds to a screen, like HomeScreen or LoginScreen, and contains a Scaffold node at the root of its widget tree. But not always.

Sometimes a view can be something smaller and reusable, like a LogoutButton. As long as it connects to its own logic via a ViewModel (LogoutViewModel In this case, it qualifies as a view within the app's architectural boundaries.

✅ Key idea: A view is a widget or group of widgets that:

• Displays UI state from the ViewModel

• Rebuilds when that state changes

• Calls ViewModel methods on user interaction

Views Aren’t Always Screens

Although views often represent full screens, they can also be reusable UI elements. For example:

• HomeScreen might be a full-screen view with its own route and scaffold.

• LogoutButton might be a small, reusable component dropped into multiple screens, but still built as a view because it connects to its own ViewModel.

On larger screens (like tablets or desktops), you may have multiple views on the screen at once, each with its own independent ViewModel.

Clarifying the View-Widget Relationship

A view is not the same as a single widget. It’s often a collection of widgets composed together with a shared purpose and backed by a single ViewModel.

So, while widgets are composable building blocks, the view groups those blocks together and gives them state-awareness via the ViewModel.

Responsibilities of Widgets Within a View

Widgets inside a view generally have three key responsibilities:

1. Display data from the ViewModel (e.g., show a user’s name or booking list).

2. Listen for updates to the UI state and rebuild when necessary.

3. Handle user input by calling appropriate ViewModel methods (e.g., tapping a logout button or submitting a form).

Example: HomeScreen View

Here’s how a simple HomeScreen is defined with its corresponding HomeViewModel:

class HomeScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  const HomeScreen({super.key, required this.viewModel});

  final HomeViewModel viewModel;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      // Build the UI using viewModel.user and viewModel.bookings
    );
  }
}

• The viewModel is passed into the view, making the data flow explicit and testable.

• The view’s only other input is typically a Key, which all widgets accept for identification.

• All display logic (rendering bookings, showing loading spinners, etc.) is driven by the ViewModel.