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@auto-submit auto-submit bot commented Jul 2, 2025

Reverts: #168437

Initiated by: chingjun

Reason for reverting: broke internal customers

Original PR Author: loic-sharma

Reviewed By: {bkonyi, justinmc, matanlurey}

This change reverts the following previous change:

Motivation

We'd like to let users opt-in to experimental features so that they can give early feedback while we iterate on the feature. For example:

Example feature flags:

  1. Android sensitive content: [Android] Implement setting content sensitivity on Android #158473. When enabled, Flutter will tell Android when the view contains sensitive content like a password.
  2. Desktop multi-window. When enabled, Flutter will use child windows to allow things like a context menu to "escape" outside of the current window.

Use case

Users will be able to turn on features by:

  • Option 1: Run flutter config --enable-my-feature. This enables the feature for all projects on the machine
  • Option 2: Add enable-my-feature: true in their pubspec.yaml, under the flutter section. This would enable the for a single project on the machine.

Turning on a feature affects both development-time (flutter run) and deployment-time (flutter build x). For example, I can flutter build windows to create an .exe with multi-window features enabled.

How this works

This adds a new runtimeId property to the tool's Feature class. If a feature is on and has a runtimeId, its runtimeId will be stamped into the Dart application as a Dart define. The framework uses this Dart define to determine which features are enabled.

Multi-window example

#168697 shows how this new feature flag system can be used to add a multi-window feature flag:

  1. It adds a new multi-window feature to the Flutter tool. This can be turned on using flutter config --enable-multi-window or by putting enable-multi-window: true in an app's .pubspec, under the flutter section.
  2. It adds a new isMultiWindowEnabled property to the framework.
  3. The Material library can use this new property to determine whether it should create a new window. Example.

Limitations

Tool and framework only

For now, these feature flags are available only to the Flutter tool and Flutter framework. The flags are not automatically available to the embedder or the engine.

For example, embedders need to configure their surfaces differently if Impeller is enabled. This configuration must happen before the Dart isolate is launched. As a result, the framework's feature flags is not a viable solution for this scenario for now. For these kinds of scenarios, we should continue to use platform-specific configuration like the AndroidManifest.xml or Info.plist files.

This is a fixable limitation, we just need to invest in this plumbing :)

Tree shaking

Feature flags are not designed to help tree shaking. For example, you cannot conditionally import Dart code depending on the enabled feature flags. Code that is feature flagged off will still be imported into user's apps.

Pre-launch Checklist

If you need help, consider asking for advice on the #hackers-new channel on Discord.

@auto-submit auto-submit bot added the revert of Bot Only: Tracking label for bot. Tracks new revert of pull requests. label Jul 2, 2025
@auto-submit auto-submit bot requested a review from matanlurey as a code owner July 2, 2025 20:30
@auto-submit auto-submit bot added the revert of Bot Only: Tracking label for bot. Tracks new revert of pull requests. label Jul 2, 2025
@github-actions github-actions bot added c: contributor-productivity Team-specific productivity, code health, technical debt. tool Affects the "flutter" command-line tool. See also t: labels. framework flutter/packages/flutter repository. See also f: labels. d: docs/ flutter/flutter/docs, for contributors labels Jul 2, 2025
@auto-submit auto-submit bot added this pull request to the merge queue Jul 2, 2025
Merged via the queue into master with commit c2cd713 Jul 2, 2025
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mboetger pushed a commit to mboetger/flutter that referenced this pull request Jul 21, 2025
…r#171542)

<!-- start_original_pr_link -->
Reverts: flutter#168437
<!-- end_original_pr_link -->
<!-- start_initiating_author -->
Initiated by: chingjun
<!-- end_initiating_author -->
<!-- start_revert_reason -->
Reason for reverting: broke internal customers
<!-- end_revert_reason -->
<!-- start_original_pr_author -->
Original PR Author: loic-sharma
<!-- end_original_pr_author -->

<!-- start_reviewers -->
Reviewed By: {bkonyi, justinmc, matanlurey}
<!-- end_reviewers -->

<!-- start_revert_body -->
This change reverts the following previous change:
## Motivation

We'd like to let users opt-in to experimental features so that they can
give early feedback while we iterate on the feature. For example:

Example feature flags:

1. Android sensitive content:
flutter#158473. When enabled, Flutter
will tell Android when the view contains sensitive content like a
password.
2. Desktop multi-window. When enabled, Flutter will use child windows to
allow things like a context menu to "escape" outside of the current
window.

### Use case

Users will be able to turn on features by:

* **Option 1**: Run `flutter config --enable-my-feature`. This enables
the feature for all projects on the machine
* **Option 2**: Add `enable-my-feature: true` in their `pubspec.yaml`,
under the `flutter` section. This would enable the for a single project
on the machine.

Turning on a feature affects _both_ development-time (`flutter run`) and
deployment-time (`flutter build x`). For example, I can `flutter build
windows` to create an `.exe` with multi-window features enabled.

## How this works

This adds a new
[`runtimeId`](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-0ded384225f19a4c34d43c7c11f7cb084ff3db947cfa82d8d52fc94c112bb2a7R243-R247)
property to the tool's `Feature` class. If a feature is on and has a
`runtimeId`, its `runtimeId` will be [stamped into the Dart application
as a Dart
define](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-bd662448bdc2e6f50e47cd3b20b22b41a828561bce65cb4d54ea4f5011cc604eR293-R327).
The framework uses this Dart define to [determine which features are
enabled](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-c8dbd5cd3103bc5be53c4ac5be8bdb9bf73e10cd5d8e4ac34e737fd1f8602d45).

### Multi-window example

flutter#168697 shows how this new
feature flag system can be used to add a multi-window feature flag:

1. It adds a new [multi-window
feature](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-0ded384225f19a4c34d43c7c11f7cb084ff3db947cfa82d8d52fc94c112bb2a7R189-R198)
to the Flutter tool. This can be turned on using `flutter config
--enable-multi-window` or by putting `enable-multi-window: true` in an
app's .pubspec, under the `flutter` section.
2. It adds a new
[`isMultiWindowEnabled`](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-c8dbd5cd3103bc5be53c4ac5be8bdb9bf73e10cd5d8e4ac34e737fd1f8602d45R7-R11)
property to the framework.
3. The Material library can use this new property to determine whether
it should create a new window.
[Example](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-2cbc1634ed6b61d61dfa090e7bfbbb7c60b74c8abc3a28df6f79eee691fd1b73).

## Limitations

### Tool and framework only

For now, these feature flags are available only to the Flutter tool and
Flutter framework. The flags are not automatically available to the
embedder or the engine.

For example, embedders need to configure their surfaces differently if
Impeller is enabled. This configuration must happen before the Dart
isolate is launched. As a result, the framework's feature flags is not a
viable solution for this scenario for now. For these kinds of scenarios,
we should continue to use platform-specific configuration like the
`AndroidManifest.xml` or `Info.plist` files.

This is a fixable limitation, we just need to invest in this plumbing :)

### Tree shaking

Feature flags are not designed to help tree shaking. For example, you
cannot conditionally import Dart code depending on the enabled feature
flags. Code that is feature flagged off will still be imported into
user's apps.

## Pre-launch Checklist

- [x] I read the [Contributor Guide] and followed the process outlined
there for submitting PRs.
- [x] I read the [Tree Hygiene] wiki page, which explains my
responsibilities.
- [x] I read and followed the [Flutter Style Guide], including [Features
we expect every widget to implement].
- [x] I signed the [CLA].
- [x] I listed at least one issue that this PR fixes in the description
above.
- [x] I updated/added relevant documentation (doc comments with `///`).
- [x] I added new tests to check the change I am making, or this PR is
[test-exempt].
- [x] I followed the [breaking change policy] and added [Data Driven
Fixes] where supported.
- [x] All existing and new tests are passing.

If you need help, consider asking for advice on the #hackers-new channel
on [Discord].

<!-- Links -->
[Contributor Guide]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#overview
[Tree Hygiene]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md
[test-exempt]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#tests
[Flutter Style Guide]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md
[Features we expect every widget to implement]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md#features-we-expect-every-widget-to-implement
[CLA]: https://cla.developers.google.com/
[flutter/tests]: https://github.com/flutter/tests
[breaking change policy]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#handling-breaking-changes
[Discord]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Chat.md
[Data Driven Fixes]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Data-driven-Fixes.md

<!-- end_revert_body -->

Co-authored-by: auto-submit[bot] <[email protected]>
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Aug 14, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Aug 14, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2025
engine-flutter-autoroll added a commit to engine-flutter-autoroll/packages that referenced this pull request Aug 16, 2025
lucaantonelli pushed a commit to lucaantonelli/flutter that referenced this pull request Nov 21, 2025
…r#171542)

<!-- start_original_pr_link -->
Reverts: flutter#168437
<!-- end_original_pr_link -->
<!-- start_initiating_author -->
Initiated by: chingjun
<!-- end_initiating_author -->
<!-- start_revert_reason -->
Reason for reverting: broke internal customers
<!-- end_revert_reason -->
<!-- start_original_pr_author -->
Original PR Author: loic-sharma
<!-- end_original_pr_author -->

<!-- start_reviewers -->
Reviewed By: {bkonyi, justinmc, matanlurey}
<!-- end_reviewers -->

<!-- start_revert_body -->
This change reverts the following previous change:
## Motivation

We'd like to let users opt-in to experimental features so that they can
give early feedback while we iterate on the feature. For example:

Example feature flags:

1. Android sensitive content:
flutter#158473. When enabled, Flutter
will tell Android when the view contains sensitive content like a
password.
2. Desktop multi-window. When enabled, Flutter will use child windows to
allow things like a context menu to "escape" outside of the current
window.

### Use case

Users will be able to turn on features by:

* **Option 1**: Run `flutter config --enable-my-feature`. This enables
the feature for all projects on the machine
* **Option 2**: Add `enable-my-feature: true` in their `pubspec.yaml`,
under the `flutter` section. This would enable the for a single project
on the machine.

Turning on a feature affects _both_ development-time (`flutter run`) and
deployment-time (`flutter build x`). For example, I can `flutter build
windows` to create an `.exe` with multi-window features enabled.

## How this works

This adds a new
[`runtimeId`](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-0ded384225f19a4c34d43c7c11f7cb084ff3db947cfa82d8d52fc94c112bb2a7R243-R247)
property to the tool's `Feature` class. If a feature is on and has a
`runtimeId`, its `runtimeId` will be [stamped into the Dart application
as a Dart
define](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-bd662448bdc2e6f50e47cd3b20b22b41a828561bce65cb4d54ea4f5011cc604eR293-R327).
The framework uses this Dart define to [determine which features are
enabled](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168437/files#diff-c8dbd5cd3103bc5be53c4ac5be8bdb9bf73e10cd5d8e4ac34e737fd1f8602d45).

### Multi-window example

flutter#168697 shows how this new
feature flag system can be used to add a multi-window feature flag:

1. It adds a new [multi-window
feature](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-0ded384225f19a4c34d43c7c11f7cb084ff3db947cfa82d8d52fc94c112bb2a7R189-R198)
to the Flutter tool. This can be turned on using `flutter config
--enable-multi-window` or by putting `enable-multi-window: true` in an
app's .pubspec, under the `flutter` section.
2. It adds a new
[`isMultiWindowEnabled`](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-c8dbd5cd3103bc5be53c4ac5be8bdb9bf73e10cd5d8e4ac34e737fd1f8602d45R7-R11)
property to the framework.
3. The Material library can use this new property to determine whether
it should create a new window.
[Example](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/168697/files#diff-2cbc1634ed6b61d61dfa090e7bfbbb7c60b74c8abc3a28df6f79eee691fd1b73).

## Limitations

### Tool and framework only

For now, these feature flags are available only to the Flutter tool and
Flutter framework. The flags are not automatically available to the
embedder or the engine.

For example, embedders need to configure their surfaces differently if
Impeller is enabled. This configuration must happen before the Dart
isolate is launched. As a result, the framework's feature flags is not a
viable solution for this scenario for now. For these kinds of scenarios,
we should continue to use platform-specific configuration like the
`AndroidManifest.xml` or `Info.plist` files.

This is a fixable limitation, we just need to invest in this plumbing :)

### Tree shaking

Feature flags are not designed to help tree shaking. For example, you
cannot conditionally import Dart code depending on the enabled feature
flags. Code that is feature flagged off will still be imported into
user's apps.

## Pre-launch Checklist

- [x] I read the [Contributor Guide] and followed the process outlined
there for submitting PRs.
- [x] I read the [Tree Hygiene] wiki page, which explains my
responsibilities.
- [x] I read and followed the [Flutter Style Guide], including [Features
we expect every widget to implement].
- [x] I signed the [CLA].
- [x] I listed at least one issue that this PR fixes in the description
above.
- [x] I updated/added relevant documentation (doc comments with `///`).
- [x] I added new tests to check the change I am making, or this PR is
[test-exempt].
- [x] I followed the [breaking change policy] and added [Data Driven
Fixes] where supported.
- [x] All existing and new tests are passing.

If you need help, consider asking for advice on the #hackers-new channel
on [Discord].

<!-- Links -->
[Contributor Guide]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#overview
[Tree Hygiene]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md
[test-exempt]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#tests
[Flutter Style Guide]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md
[Features we expect every widget to implement]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Style-guide-for-Flutter-repo.md#features-we-expect-every-widget-to-implement
[CLA]: https://cla.developers.google.com/
[flutter/tests]: https://github.com/flutter/tests
[breaking change policy]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Tree-hygiene.md#handling-breaking-changes
[Discord]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Chat.md
[Data Driven Fixes]:
https://github.com/flutter/flutter/blob/main/docs/contributing/Data-driven-Fixes.md

<!-- end_revert_body -->

Co-authored-by: auto-submit[bot] <[email protected]>
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