Is there any issue/"initiative" to decompose TextF...

# compose

[Jan Skrasek]

Is there any issue/"initiative" to decompose TextField? Such simple thing as setting a background color seems quite impossible.
(outline api doesn't provide bg color property, filled text field applies 0.12% transparency on the passed value...)
All building blocks are internal/private 😞

[Adam Powell]

Please file an issue listing the functionality you would like to see and what you are trying to accomplish. Text fields are a hot topic of conversation so having more data about developer needs now will help us decide how to proceed

[Adam Powell]

We definitely recognize the current confusion

[Jan Skrasek]

I just found BaseTextField. Will take a look there. But from what I see around it in Material's version, there is a lot to cover.

Issue created here: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/167951441
Thanks!

[Ian Lake]

I mean, a Material TextField is a very, very specific thing with defined styles from the Material spec. BaseTextField is indeed the non-private building block you'd want to build your own custom styling on top of. Maybe also consider creating issues about what made it difficult to use BastTextField if you want a non-material style

[Zhelyazko Atanasov]

It's a bit confusing having a specific implementation of a component (the Material implementation) named after the generic component - TextField, while the barebone, non-specific implementation is BaseTextField.
Wouldn't it be better to rename:
• BaseTextField -> TextField
• TextField -> MaterialTextField
or similar.

[Louis Pullen-Freilich [G]]

That used to be the case, but then we heard the opposite feedback - developers would intuitively reach for TextField first, and be confused because it has no opinionated UX or styling, and requires a lot of work to look like a Material TextField. The current rename was to point developers to the opinionated component first, as this is usually the desired component.

On a separate note, although the component is opinionated about design / styling, things such as the default 12% transparency should ideally not be forced and it would be easier to use if these 'hidden' changes to the colors provided could be modified too.

[gildor]

I think a part of expectations that TextField is styled as material design component comes from current situation with Android views, when material library replaces standard views during inflation of layout

[Jan Skrasek]

Thanks for comments on the original topic. Will try BaseTextField and see if I don't copy-past much just to get something small differently.

[Zach Klippenstein (he/him) [MOD]]

I think it will be in the next alpha release, I saw a CL to fix that a while back.