Develop Reference

Android EditText with animated hint?

How can I create an Android EditText with a hint like this (with animation)?
So when I tap inside the EditText, the hint shrinks and goes on top of the input text, like in this example:

Use the code given below for all purposes:
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/textField"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/label">
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
For Password filed with toggle eye use this:
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
...
app:endIconMode="password_toggle">
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
...
android:inputType="textPassword" />
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
Learn more from here: https://material.io/components/text-fields/android

TextInputLayout hint not working when using databinding

I am using databinding together with the TextInputLayout/TextInputEditText combo as shown in the xml.
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/lastname_input_layout"
style="#style/TextInputLayout"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
app:endIconMode="clear_text"
app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="#+id/firstname_input_layout"
app:visible="#{viewModel.showFields}">
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
android:id="#+id/lastname_input"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/lastname"
android:inputType="textCapWords"
android:text="#={viewModel.lastName}"
android:textAppearance="#style/TextAppearance.Input" />
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/email_input_layout"
style="#style/TextInputLayout"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
app:endIconMode="clear_text"
app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="#+id/lastname_input_layout"
app:visible="#{viewModel.showFields}">
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
android:id="#+id/email_input"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#{viewModel.watchMediaTextHint}"
android:inputType="#{viewModel.watchMediaInputType}"
android:text="#={viewModel.mediaText}"
android:textAppearance="#style/TextAppearance.Input" />
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
As you can see, both fields are theoretically the same, the only difference is that one of them has the hint text given with a string resource, the other one with a databinding. Both have the same style, text appearance and so on, yet, the hint on the TextInputEditText using the databinding has different color. Also, when the view gets focus, the label doesn't animate up, as it does with the first field.
Setting the hint with a string resource gets this behavior to go back to normal, any ideas on why is this anomaly happening? I would prefer to solve this with a databinding rather than a programmatic solution.
Thanks.

The hint attribute only works in combination with databinding, if it is set to <TextInputLayout> instead of <TextInputEditText>.
The <TextInputEditText>s hint attribute is only applied once during inflation and thereby will not be updated/applied when used in combination with databinding.
Heads up for #Mike M.'s comment. I converted it as an answer, in order to be found more easily by others.

Want to customize EditText attribute with a hint

I'm new to android mobile development and java. And wonder if anybody can help me with my issue.
Now, I'm making XML file of my android app and want it to have something like displayed below.
Can it be made in XML file without deep knowledge of java? I just want to have fixed text in my EditText attribute. Using LinearLayout to my first app. I appreciate any kind of help.
Using API 28 for testing.

Yes, there is a default layout TextInputLayout and TextInputEditText.
Here's documentation:
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/support/design/widget/TextInputLayout
https://material.io/develop/android/components/text-input-layout/

This is called TextInputLayout.Read here. Demo example here
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
app:hintEnabled="true">
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputEditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="Username" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

You are looking for the TextInputLayout component:
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/username"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="Username"
app:boxBackgroundColor="#color/white"
app:boxStrokeColor="#color/text_input_layout_stroke_color"
app:counterMaxLength="15"
app:counterEnabled="true"
>
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
/>
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>

How to create textarea and edittext with border and fixed label?

I am new to Android. I am wondering how can we get a bordered Edittext and Textarea like we have in HTML something like this:
I am finding it hard to get such output in Lollipop devices as it shows as a line and a floating label.

In situation like this according to Google docs you would prefer TextInputLayout
For example:
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/password_layout"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content>
<EditText
android:id="#+id/input_password"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/password_hint"
android:textColor="#777777"
android:textColorHint="#777777"
android:textSize="#dimen/text_20"
android:imeActionId="#+id/input_password"
android:imeOptions="actionNext"
android:inputType="textPassword"
android:singleLine="true" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

How to use TextInputLayout in new android design library

Recently google introduced new Android Design Library in that how to use TextInputLayout field to enable the Floating Hint feature of EditText.
Not much guidance is available here.
This page says
you can now wrap it in a TextInputLayout
But No idea because smart prediction (Ctrl+SPACE) doesn't predicts any attributes to the TextInputLayout. So my questions are:
How do we get hold of the EditText underlying this component?
How can we get data from EditText?

TextInputLayout extends ViewGroup class.
So which means that you have to wrap your EditText in a TextInputLayout.
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<EditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="hint"
android:id="#+id/editText1" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

Do wrap the TextInputLayout around TextInputEditText instead of EditText.
Wrapping around EditText does have issue in landscape mode. Refer to
this article for more details.
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputEditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="hint"
android:id="#+id/editText1" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

This is defined in design support library under "Floating labels for editing text".
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/name_et_textinputlayout"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop="#dimen/activity_vertical_margin">
<EditText
android:id="#+id/FeedBackerNameET"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="hinttext"
android:inputType="textPersonName|textCapWords" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

To make this works well, you should let you app theme extends from Theme.AppCompat (or its descendant) theme, like extends from Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar.

<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:id="#+id/til_message"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<EditText
android:id="#+id/et_message"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/type_message"
android:maxLines="5"/>
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>
hint will automatically shift up once you start typing in the edit text and to have those errors which appear below edit text set error on text input layout like this not on edit text
tilMessage.setError("Message field is empty!");
to disable error
tilMessage.setErrorEnabled(false);

The correct way...
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="10dp">
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputEditText
android:id="#+id/card_id_edit_text"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/form_card_id_text"
android:inputType="number"
android:maxLength="10"/>
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>
If you use EditText like a child of TextInputLayout, you will see this message in Android Monitor:
I/TextInputLayout: EditText added is not a TextInputEditText. Please switch to using that class instead.

With the Material Components Library there is a new TextInputLayout component.
Just use:
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/hint_text">
<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
In the official doc you can find all the info.

We can use AppCompactEditText also for this need to add support:appcompat in gradle
<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margin="20dp">
<android.support.v7.widget.AppCompatEditText
android:id="#+id/et_name"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:hint="#string/hint"
android:maxLength="100"
android:inputType="textNoSuggestions"
android:textColor="#color/colorPrimary"
android:textSize="#dimen/font_size_large" />
</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

Rule of Thumb : TextInputLayout should wrap TextInputEditText instead of the normal EditText.
Reason?
TextInputEditText is a sub-class of EditText and is designed for use as a child of TextInputLayout.
Furthermore, using an EditText instead would shoot us a warning : EditText added is not a TextInputEditText. Please switch to using that class instead.