Modular Navigation Recipe (Hilt)

This recipe demonstrates how to structure a multi-module application using Navigation 3 and Dagger/Hilt for dependency injection. The goal is to create a decoupled architecture where navigation is defined and implemented in separate feature modules.

How it works

The application is divided into several modules:

  • app module: This is the main application module. It initializes a common Navigator and injects a set of EntryProviderInstallers from the feature modules. It then uses these installers to build the final entryProvider for the NavDisplay.

  • common module: This module contains the core navigation logic, including:

    • A Navigator class that manages the back stack.
    • An EntryProviderInstaller type, which is a function that feature modules use to contribute their navigation entries to the application's entryProvider.

  • Feature modules (e.g., conversation, profile): Each feature is split into two sub-modules:

    • api module: Defines the public API for the feature, including its navigation routes. This allows other modules to navigate to this feature without needing to know about its implementation details.
    • impl module: Provides the implementation of the feature, including its composables and an EntryProviderInstaller that maps the feature's routes to its composables. This installer is then provided to the app module using Dagger/Hilt.

This modular approach allows for a clean separation of concerns, making the codebase more scalable and maintainable. Each feature is responsible for its own navigation logic, and the app module only combines these pieces together.

package com.example.nav3recipes.modular.hilt

import androidx.compose.foundation.background
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
import androidx.compose.material3.Text
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
import dagger.Module
import dagger.Provides
import dagger.hilt.InstallIn
import dagger.hilt.android.components.ActivityRetainedComponent
import dagger.multibindings.IntoSet

// API
object Profile

// IMPLEMENTATION
@Module
@InstallIn(ActivityRetainedComponent::class)
object ProfileModule {

    @IntoSet
    @Provides
    fun provideEntryProviderInstaller() : EntryProviderInstaller = {
        entry<Profile>{
            ProfileScreen()
        }
    }
}

@Composable
private fun ProfileScreen() {
    val profileColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant
    Column(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxSize()
            .background(profileColor)
            .padding(16.dp),
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center
    ) {
        Text(
            text = "Profile Screen",
            style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface
        )
    }
}

ProfileModule.kt
 
package com.example.nav3recipes.modular.hilt

import android.os.Bundle
import androidx.activity.ComponentActivity
import androidx.activity.compose.setContent
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
import androidx.compose.material3.Scaffold
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.navigation3.ui.NavDisplay
import androidx.navigation3.runtime.entryProvider
import com.example.nav3recipes.ui.setEdgeToEdgeConfig
import dagger.hilt.android.AndroidEntryPoint
import javax.inject.Inject

@AndroidEntryPoint
class HiltModularActivity : ComponentActivity() {

    @Inject
    lateinit var navigator: Navigator

    @Inject
    lateinit var entryProviderScopes: Set<@JvmSuppressWildcards EntryProviderInstaller>

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setEdgeToEdgeConfig()
        setContent {
            Scaffold { paddingValues ->
                NavDisplay(
                    backStack = navigator.backStack,
                    modifier = Modifier.padding(paddingValues),
                    onBack = { navigator.goBack() },
                    entryProvider = entryProvider {
                        entryProviderScopes.forEach { builder -> this.builder() }
                    }
                )
            }
        }
    }
}

HiltModularActivity.kt
 
package com.example.nav3recipes.modular.hilt

import androidx.compose.foundation.background
import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
import androidx.compose.material3.Button
import androidx.compose.material3.ListItem
import androidx.compose.material3.ListItemDefaults
import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
import androidx.compose.material3.Text
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
import androidx.lifecycle.compose.dropUnlessResumed
import com.example.nav3recipes.ui.theme.colors
import dagger.Module
import dagger.Provides
import dagger.hilt.InstallIn
import dagger.hilt.android.components.ActivityRetainedComponent
import dagger.multibindings.IntoSet

// API
object ConversationList
data class ConversationDetail(val id: Int) {
    val color: Color
        get() = colors[id % colors.size]
}

// IMPL
@Module
@InstallIn(ActivityRetainedComponent::class)
object ConversationModule {

    @IntoSet
    @Provides
    fun provideEntryProviderInstaller(navigator: Navigator): EntryProviderInstaller =
        {
            entry<ConversationList> {
                ConversationListScreen(
                    onConversationClicked = { conversationDetail ->
                        navigator.goTo(conversationDetail)
                    }
                )
            }
            entry<ConversationDetail> { key ->
                ConversationDetailScreen(key) { navigator.goTo(Profile) }
            }
        }
}

@Composable
private fun ConversationListScreen(
    onConversationClicked: (ConversationDetail) -> Unit
) {
    LazyColumn(
        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
    ) {
        items(10) { index ->
            val conversationId = index + 1
            val conversationDetail = ConversationDetail(conversationId)
            val backgroundColor = conversationDetail.color
            ListItem(
                modifier = Modifier
                    .fillMaxWidth()
                    .clickable(onClick = dropUnlessResumed {
                        onConversationClicked(conversationDetail)
                    }),
                headlineContent = {
                    Text(
                        text = "Conversation $conversationId",
                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineSmall,
                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface
                    )
                },
                colors = ListItemDefaults.colors(
                    containerColor = backgroundColor // Set container color directly
                )
            )
        }
    }
}

@Composable
private fun ConversationDetailScreen(
    conversationDetail: ConversationDetail,
    onProfileClicked: () -> Unit
) {
    Column(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxSize()
            .background(conversationDetail.color)
            .padding(16.dp),
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center
    ) {
        Text(
            text = "Conversation Detail Screen: ${conversationDetail.id}",
            style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface
        )
        Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(16.dp))
        Button(onClick = dropUnlessResumed(block = onProfileClicked)) {
            Text("View Profile")
        }
    }
}

ConversationModule.kt
 
package com.example.nav3recipes.modular.hilt

import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateListOf
import androidx.compose.runtime.snapshots.SnapshotStateList
import androidx.navigation3.runtime.EntryProviderScope
import dagger.hilt.android.scopes.ActivityRetainedScoped


typealias EntryProviderInstaller = EntryProviderScope<Any>.() -> Unit

@ActivityRetainedScoped
class Navigator(startDestination: Any) {
    val backStack : SnapshotStateList<Any> = mutableStateListOf(startDestination)

    fun goTo(destination: Any){
        backStack.add(destination)
    }

    fun goBack(){
        backStack.removeLastOrNull()
    }
}
CommonModule.kt
 
package com.example.nav3recipes.modular.hilt

import dagger.Module
import dagger.Provides
import dagger.hilt.InstallIn
import dagger.hilt.android.components.ActivityRetainedComponent
import dagger.hilt.android.scopes.ActivityRetainedScoped

@Module
@InstallIn(ActivityRetainedComponent::class)
object AppModule {

    @Provides
    @ActivityRetainedScoped
    fun provideNavigator() : Navigator = Navigator(startDestination = ConversationList)
}

AppModule.kt