I have defined a tablet-specific layout in the res/layout-sw600dp folder. Now. It loads correctly in tablet emulator and is checked and managed by code as expected. The problem is that I cannot access this layout variant to use in mobile emulator after I check that orientation is landscape. When I type in code R.layout., no hint is given as to the specific tablet layout, only one instance is given, activity_main. How can I use that tablet layout in the landscape orientation as well?
./app/src/main/res/layout-sw600dp/activity_filter.xml
./app/src/main/res/layout/activity_filter.xml
The "smallest width" qualifier doesn't care about device orientation. You'll have to make a copy of your layout and put it in the res/layout-land/ directory if you want that same layout on phones in landscape.
If you don't want to have two exact duplicate layouts (one in sw600dp and one in land), you can look into using a resource alias: https://developer.android.com/training/multiscreen/screensizes.html#TaskUseAliasFilters
I have created various layout resource files in order to ensure that my app supports all screen and devices sizes.
My problem is which one of the below is suitable to use in my AndroidManifest file. Once the user switches the device to landscape I would like Android to choose the landscape resource file instead of portrait.
android:configChanges="screenSize|keyboardHidden"
android:configChanges="orientation"
Which one is more suitable to use?.
You just create One extra folder in your res folder named layout-land and put all landscape layouts in this folder then operating system automatic show the layouts according device orientation.
No need to add anything Manifest File.
Android system does it automatically. You don't need to put anything in your manifest.
Is there a way to lock different screen orientation for different screen sizes? So for screens with smallest width smaller than 600 dp to lock portrait orientation and for screens with smallest width greater than 600 dp to lock landscape orientation? I understand that this can be done programmatically with setRequestedOrientation, but can it be done in xml resources somehow? In Android.manifest, or by referencing different resource values defined in res folders?
Option 1: Use the following code for each activity inside AndroidManifest.xml:
android:screenOrientation="nosensor"
The "nosensor" setting tells your app to use the natural orientation for the device, and will not change if the user rotates the device. So tablets will use landscape orientation for your app, and phones will always use portrait orientation.
Next you can create a separate layout file for landscape native devices (i.e. tablets) by creating a folder called layout-land in your res folder. Put the XML layout files for tablets into the layout-land folder.
Option 2: Use the smallest width qualifier, as described in the Android developer documentation here: http://developer.android.com/training/multiscreen/screensizes.html#TaskUseSWQuali
In this case you will create a layout folder in the res directory called layout-sw600dp. Inside there you will put your alternate XML files for devices with more than 600dp. In the top level of the XML files for your linear layout, or relatively layout, for example, be sure to include the following:
android:orientation="horizontal"
In your main XML files for devices with less than 600dp, you will force them to vertical orientation:
android:orientation="vertical"
I am designing with LinearLayout which is working for portrait but landscape it does arranged properly. I do not use x,y positions. If I change anything in xml it affects the design -- how do I design both portrait and landscape?
You can specify a layout-land folder, to put all your landscape layouts (duplicate them, but with little differences in order to they show properly in corresponding orientation). In order to avoid this, you should work with RelativeLayouts. But if it's too late and you don't want to change everything, you can create the mentioned folder and make the proper layout changes.
So you will have a
layout/activity.xml
and a
layout-land/activity.xml
If your app is big, it might become a pain to make every change two times, but it's not so bad.
Not recommended, but you can also avoid changing orientation by supporting only portrait orientation in your app: you would have to put "android:screenOrientation="portrait"" in your app's Manifest then.
You can define a second xml file that is the layout for the landscape version. That file must be named the same and placed in a layout-land folder:
i.e.
Portrait:
layout/main.xml
Landscape:
layout-land/main.xml
I've seen references to being able to specify two separate layout xml files for an activity, one for Portrait and one for Landscape. I've not been to find any information on how to do that though. How do I specify for each activity which xml file is it's portrait layout and which is the Landscape layout?
Is it also possible to specify different layouts for different screen sizes? If so, how is this done?
Create a layout-land directory and put the landscape version of your layout XML file in that directory.
You just have to put it under separate folders with different names depending on orientation and resolution, the device will automatically select the right one for its screen settings
More info here:
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html
under "Resource directory qualifiers for screen size and density"
For Mouse lovers! I say right click on resources folder and Add new resource file, and from Available qualifiers select the orientation :
But still you can do it manually by say, adding the sub-folder "layout-land" to
"Your-Project-Directory\app\src\main\res"
since then any layout.xml file under this sub-folder will only work for landscape mode automatically.
Use "layout-port" for portrait mode.
Just a reminder:
Remove orientation from android:configChanges attribute for the activity in your manifest xml file if you defined it:
android:configChanges="orientation|screenLayout|screenSize"
Fastest way for Android Studio 3.x.x and Android Studio 4.x.x
1.Go to the design tab of the activity layout
2.At the top you should press on the orientation for preview button, there is a option to create a landscape layout (check image), a new folder will be created as your xml layout file for that particular orientation
Update: On newer versions the options have been moved to the context menu of the .xml filename button. (Big thanks to Oliver Hoffmann for pointing that out).
I think the easiest way in the latest Android versions is by going to Design mode of an XML (not Text).
Then from the menu, select option - Create Landscape Variation.
This will create a landscape xml without any hassle in a few seconds. The latest Android Studio version allows you to create a landscape view right away.
I hope this works for you.
Create a new directory layout-land, then create xml file with same name in layout-land as it was layout directory and align there your content for Landscape mode.
Note that id of content in both xml is same.
The last line below is an example for applying two quantifiers: landscape and smallest width(600dp) screen. Update 600dp with the ones you need.
res/layout/main_activity.xml # For handsets
res/layout-land/main_activity.xml # For handsets in landscape
res/layout-sw600dp/main_activity.xml # For 7” tablets
res/layout-sw600dp-land/main_activity.xml # For 7” tablets in landscape
The above applies to dimens as well
res/values/dimens.xml # For handsets
res/values-land/dimens.xml # For handsets in landscape
res/values-sw600dp/dimens.xml # For 7” tablets
res/values-sw600dp-land/dimens.xml # For 7” tablets in landscape
A useful device metrics: https://material.io/tools/devices/
Or use this:
<ScrollView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:scrollbars="vertical"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="fill_parent">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<!-- Add your UI elements inside the inner most linear layout -->
</LinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
Right click res folder,
New -> Android Resource File
in Available qualifiers, select Orientation,
add to Chosen qualifier
in Screen orientation, select Landscape
Press OK
Using Android Studio 3.4.1, it no longer creates layout-land folder. It will create a folder and put two layout files together.
In Android Studio Chipmunk, the options you are looking for are here.
For landscape, the option is "Create Landscape Qualifier" in the XML name drop-down.
For different screen sizes, the option is "Create Tablet Qualifier"
these have been moved from previous Android Studio versions.
Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/74047314/3718756