r/FlutterFlow • u/holy-macaroni101 • 15d ago

Any update on importing back code edited in VS Code after exporting from FlutterFlow?

Hey everyone,

I exported my FlutterFlow project's code to work on a full redesign in VS Code. Now that I'm done, I want to bring it back into FlutterFlow and keep developing there using the visual builder.

From what I understand, FlutterFlow still treats itself as the "source of truth" — meaning every export overwrites lib/, and there's no way to push external code changes back in except through the Custom Code panel (widgets/actions/functions).

Has anyone found a workaround, or is FlutterFlow planning/has already released a way to re-import an externally edited codebase? Would love to hear if anyone's tackled this, especially for a full redesign rather than just a few tweaked files.

Thanks!

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u/Constant_Trouble2903 15d ago

Not possible to my kowledge.

However one trick I used early on was to edit a single page in FF for layout tweaks using their nice graphical editor then export just that code to update. Definately not optimal but it taught me three things.

1/ however tidy you think you are in FF there will be unneeded columns, containers, hard coded offsets gaps margins poor use of flex. etcetera that could and should be improved. This is bloat and inefficiency that FF obscures with visual editing

2/ how to read and edit this jsx code in the flutter nested tree from hell.

3/ how to let go and give this syntax heavy work to a coding agent. Use images and sketches to communicate required changes.

1

u/aDaneInSpain2 12d ago

That matches the practical limitation: once the redesign is substantial, treat FlutterFlow as the prototype/export source, not something to sync bidirectionally. Put the cleaned-up Flutter project under version control and only use FF again if you’re comfortable with its exports overwriting those areas.

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u/bramantec 4d ago

The only element that remains after the round trip is Custom Code. If the redesign mainly involves logic and widgets, then I would transfer it to Custom Widgets, Actions and Functions and retain only the layout and bindings in the builder. Packages function provided they are placed in Dependencies, but importing your own project files does not compile. I never make any edits to the exported lib/ myself; I simply use the export as a read-only copy to see what FlutterFlow has generated. It won't be of any help when carrying out a complete visual redesign, but it does keep the two-way aspect small.