Is the navigation graph obsolete when I use Jetpack Compose Navigation?

Question

Before I use a navigation graph in my Android Studio project, just like the article says.

I use an xml file located in res avigation folder to include all my different destinations.

At present, I'm learning Jetpack Compose Navigation by the article.

Code A is from the official sample project mentioned in the above article.

It seems that Jetpack Compose Navigation use Code A and other codes to navigate, and I can't find any XML file in res avigation folder.

1: Is the navigation graph obsoleted when I use Jetpack Compose Navigation ?

2: Don't I need to use the navigation graph located in res avigation folder again when I use Jetpack Compose Navigation?

Code A

@Composable
fun RallyNavHost(navController: NavHostController, modifier: Modifier = Modifier) {
    NavHost(
        navController = navController,
        startDestination = Overview.name,
        modifier = modifier
    ) {
        composable(Overview.name) {
            OverviewBody(
                onClickSeeAllAccounts = { navController.navigate(Accounts.name) },
                onClickSeeAllBills = { navController.navigate(Bills.name) },
                onAccountClick = { name ->
                    navigateToSingleAccount(navController, name)
                },
            )
        }
        composable(Accounts.name) {
            AccountsBody(accounts = UserData.accounts) { name ->
                navigateToSingleAccount(navController = navController, accountName = name)
            }
        }
        composable(Bills.name) {
            BillsBody(bills = UserData.bills)
        }
        ...
    }
}

user_1676363 · Answer

Navigation has always had three ways of building a NavGraph object:

Manually, by using the NavGraph constructor itself. While this serves as the basis for all other methods listed here, you aren't meant to use these APIs directly.
Building the graph via Navigation XML. This is a way of building a graph at compile time using the Navigator Editor tooling and the Safe Args plugin. This method only supports Navigation with Fragments.
Using the Navigation Kotlin DSL. This provides a type-safe way of building a navigation graph programmatically, at runtime by using a Kotlin DSL. This method supports both Navigation with Fragments and Navigation Compose.

As Compose is a way of programmatically building your UI, Navigation only supports the programmatic version of building the graph - via that Kotlin DSL that is exactly what that trailing lambda of NavHost provides you: it is that same NavGraphBuilder scope that allows you to call navigation(...) {} to build a nested graph or composable to add a new destination to your graph.

All of the concepts are the same because the underlying NavGraph you construct ends up being the exact same set of objects at runtime, no matter how you actually build the graph.

Is the navigation graph obsolete when I use Jetpack Compose Navigation?

1 Answers