compose-focus-navigation

Create a FocusRequester with remember, attach it via Modifier.focusRequester, then call requestFocus() inside a LaunchedEffect. If the target appears after loading, key the effect to the loaded condition rather than Unit so focus is requested only after composition succeeds.

Use natively focusable components like Button and clickable surfaces, then override directional behavior with Modifier.focusProperties only where default spatial search fails. Handle special keys with onPreviewKeyEvent, returning true only for consumed keys.

requestFocus fails when called before the target is composed, such as directly in the composable body or when content has not loaded yet. Move the call into a LaunchedEffect keyed to the condition that guarantees the focus target exists.

Use performKeyInput with pressKey to send real key events like Key.DirectionDown, then assert the expected node with assertIsFocused. Prefer asserting focused semantics over visual styling, and avoid simulating clicks for keyboard or TV interfaces.

Use focusProperties only when default spatial focus search produces wrong navigation, such as jumping between a header and a grid row. Overusing hard-coded focus links creates stale focus graphs when layouts change, so prefer natural focus order.

Track the focused item by stable id rather than index, and use stable key values in lazy lists. After refresh, re-request focus for the same id if it still exists, otherwise fall back deterministically to a neighbor, first item, or parent container.