prefer_center_over_align

v0.1.0 Warning Fix Widget Replacement

Flags Align widgets that use Alignment.center (or omit the alignment parameter, which defaults to center). In these cases, the Center widget is a clearer and more idiomatic replacement.

Why use this rule

Center is a specialized subclass of Align that always aligns to center. Using Center makes the intent immediately obvious and removes the redundant alignment: Alignment.center argument. If you omit alignment on Align, Flutter defaults to center anyway — so you should just use Center.

See also: Center | Align

Don’t

// Align with explicit Alignment.center
Align(alignment: Alignment.center, child: Text('Hello'));

// Align without alignment defaults to center
Align(child: Text('World'));

Do

// Use Center directly
Center(child: Text('Hello'));

Center(child: Text('World'));

Configuration

This rule is in the opinionated preset, so it is on with preset: opinionated, or by name:

many_lints.yaml

rules:
  prefer_center_over_align: true

To turn it off again:

many_lints.yaml

rules:
  prefer_center_over_align: false

To keep the rule on but skip certain paths, use per-rule exclude.

Related rules

• prefer_sized_box_square — Use SizedBox.square when width and height are equal.
• prefer_text_rich — Use Text.rich instead of RichText for better accessibility.
• prefer_align_over_container — Use Align instead of Container when only alignment is set.
• avoid_border_all — Use Border.fromBorderSide instead of Border.all for const support.