Develop Reference

Custom theme for tabbed page's in android

I have made an app for android with Xamarin form in VS2015. I have added TabbedPage, but my TabbedPage's action bar has problem.
If tabbedPage has many ContentPage, title text is not 1 line, and I can't change tab's height, width, color(font, background), and scrollable tab.
I know the problem is theme, but I don't know how do I customized theme.
Below is my theme:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<resources>
<style name="MyTheme" parent="MyTheme.Base">
</style>
<!-- Base theme applied no matter what API -->
<style name="MyTheme.Base" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.DarkActionBar">
<!--If you are using revision 22.1 please use just windowNoTitle. Without android:-->
<item name="windowNoTitle">true</item>
<!--We will be using the toolbar so no need to show ActionBar-->
<item name="windowActionBar">false</item>
<!-- Set theme colors from http://www.google.com/design/spec/style/color.html#color-color-palette-->
<!-- colorPrimary is used for the default action bar background -->
<item name="colorPrimary">#2196F3</item>
<!-- colorPrimaryDark is used for the status bar -->
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#1976D2</item>
<!-- colorAccent is used as the default value for colorControlActivated
which is used to tint widgets -->
<item name="colorAccent">#FF4081</item>
<!-- You can also set colorControlNormal, colorControlActivated
colorControlHighlight and colorSwitchThumbNormal. -->
<item name="windowActionModeOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:datePickerDialogTheme">#style/AppCompatDialogStyle</item>
</style>
<style name="AppCompatDialogStyle" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.Dialog">
<item name="colorAccent">#FF4081</item>
</style>
</resources>
now, my app need AppCompact theme, so I don't know how do I fix it.

Try using "scrollable" Tab mode.
<android.support.design.widget.TabLayout
android:id="#+id/tabs"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
app:tabGravity="fill"
app:tabMode="scrollable"
style="#style/MyCustomTabLayout" />
Here I used customized TabLayout style. Below is the MyCustomTabLayout style. Define this style into your values/styles.xml file.
values/styles.xml
<!-- TabLayout Style -->
<style name="MyCustomTabLayout" parent="Widget.Design.TabLayout">
<item name="tabIndicatorColor">#FFFFFF</item>
<item name="tabIndicatorHeight">3dp</item>
<item name="tabBackground">?attr/selectableItemBackground</item>
<item name="tabTextAppearance">#style/MyCustomTabTextAppearance</item>
<item name="tabSelectedTextColor">#FFFFFF</item>
</style>
Hope this will help~

If your style theme is AppCompact(see in manifest file) then your class should be extend AppCompactActivity class otherwise it will throw error.
I think viewPager is comfortable to use.
Look at This code How i change textcolor,height,tabindicator color in ViewPager
<android.support.design.widget.AppBarLayout
android:id="#+id/appBarLayout"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:theme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar">
<android.support.design.widget.TabLayout
android:id="#+id/tabs"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#499b97"
app:tabGravity="fill"
app:tabIndicatorColor="#cfc31b"
app:tabIndicatorHeight="6dp"
app:tabMode="fixed" />
</android.support.design.widget.AppBarLayout>
<style name="MyTrasparent" parent="#style/Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<item name="android:background">#android:color/transparent</item>
<item name="android:windowIsTranslucent">true</item>
<item name="android:colorBackground">#android:color/transparent</item>
<item name="android:windowBackground">#color/soloColor</item>
<item name="android:windowFullscreen">true</item>
<item name="android:windowAnimationStyle">#android:style/Animation</item>

Android Toolbar menu text color

I'm trying to change my Toolbar's menu item text color here, but it doesn't work. Here's my style:
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/colorPrimary</item>
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
<item name="colorAccent">#color/colorAccent</item>
<item name="toolbarStyle">#style/AppTheme.ToolbarStyle</item>
<item name="buttonStyle">#style/AppTheme.ButtonStyle</item>
<item name="colorControlHighlight">#color/colorPrimary</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.ToolbarStyle" parent="Base.Theme.AppCompat.Light.DarkActionBar">
<item name="android:background">#color/colorPrimary</item>
<item name="titleTextColor">#android:color/white</item>
<item name="titleTextAppearance">#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Widget.ActionBar.Title
</item>
<item name="actionMenuTextColor">#android:color/white</item>
</style>
layout xml:
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"
app:title="#string/app_name"
app:titleMarginStart="#dimen/margin_l"
/>
I have tried to set the Toolbar theme directly in xml, but the menu item is still back. Is there a solution to this?

Add these lines in your AppTheme style
<item name="actionMenuTextColor">#color/white</item>
<item name="android:actionMenuTextColor">#color/white</item>

Having a material toolbar you can play with styling modifying text title and menu texts as follows:
<com.google.android.material.appbar.MaterialToolbar
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="?actionBarSize"
android:background="#android:color/white"
android:elevation="6dp"
android:theme="#style/App.ToolbarStyle"
app:titleTextAppearance="#style/App.ToolbarTitleTex"
app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
app:menu="#menu/create_item_menu"
app:titleTextColor="#android:color/black" />
Where this style lets you change the color of the icon of the left:
<style name="App.ToolbarStyle" parent="ThemeOverlay.MaterialComponents.Toolbar.Primary">
<item name="colorOnPrimary">#color/colorPrimary</item>
</style>
Also you can change the title text appearance with another style:
<style name="App.ToolbarTitleTex" parent="ThemeOverlay.MaterialComponents.Toolbar.Primary">
<item name="android:textSize">18sp</item>
<item name="fontFamily">#font/roboto_bold</item>
</style>
And finally to change the menu item style you need to add this item property to the main style/theme of the app (the one you set in the AndroidManifest file:
<item name="actionMenuTextAppearance">#style/App.ToolbarMenuItem</item>
With:
<style name="App.ToolbarMenuItem" parent="ThemeOverlay.MaterialComponents.Toolbar.Primary">
<item name="android:textSize">14sp</item>
<item name="fontFamily">#font/roboto_bold</item>
<item name="textAllCaps">true</item>
<item name="android:textStyle">bold</item>
</style>
The final result would be something like this:

You need to declare a Theme like this
<style name="Theme.PopupOverlay.Menu" parent="ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light" >
<item name="android:textColor">#android:color/white</item>
</style>
And then, in your Toolbar in layout view you must specify to use that theme
<androidx.appcompat.widget.Toolbar xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"
android:background="?attr/colorPrimary"
app:popupTheme="#style/Theme.PopupOverlay.Menu" />

Modern way under Material3 theming.
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.Material3.Dark">
<item name="toolbarStyle">#style/ToolBarStyle</item>
...
</style>
<style name="ToolBarStyle" parent="#style/Widget.Material3.Toolbar">
<item name="titleTextColor">#android:color/holo_green_light</item>
<item name="navigationIconTint">#android:color/holo_blue_light</item>
<item name="materialThemeOverlay">#style/ToolbarThemeOverlay</item>
</style>
<style name="ToolbarThemeOverlay" parent="">
<item name="actionMenuTextColor">#android:color/holo_red_light</item>
</style>
materialThemeOverlay - is the key to apply the colors to action menu items

In your theme file you have to put this :
<style name="AppTheme.ActionBar" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.DarkActionBar">
...
<item name="actionMenuTextColor">#color/text_color</item>
...
</style>
and apply above theme to Toolbar view as like this android:theme="#style/AppTheme.ActionBar"
detailed example:
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
android:id="#+id/main_toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"
android:background="?attr/colorPrimary"
android:layout_gravity="top"
app:popupTheme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light"
android:theme="#style/AppTheme.ActionBar"/>

How to remove background of action menu item?

I have got the following action menu:
As you can see all of these action menu items are having a
background. i guess it is the same background like the parent.
How can i remove this background?
My style.xml is the following:
<resources xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools">
<style name="AppTheme" parent="AppTheme.Base"></style>
<style name="AppTheme.Base" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/primaryColorDark</item>
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/primaryColor</item>
<item name="colorAccent">#color/accentColor</item>
<item name="android:textColorPrimary">#color/textcolorsecundary</item>
<item name="android:textColorSecondary">#color/textcolorsecundary</item>
<item name="android:actionModeBackground">#color/primaryColor</item>
<item name="android:windowActionModeOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:activatedBackgroundIndicator">#drawable/custom_background_listview_item</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.Toolbar" parent="ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar">
<item name="android:textColorPrimary">#color/textcolorsecundary</item>
<item name="actionMenuTextColor">#color/textcolorsecundary</item>
<item name="android:textColorSecondary">#color/textcolorsecundary</item>
<item name="android:showDividers">beginning</item>
<item name="android:divider">#color/primaryColorDark</item>
<item name="android:background">#drawable/custom_background_blue</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.Toolbar.PopupMenu" parent="ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark">
<item name="android:popupBackground">#color/primaryColor</item>
</style>
</resources>
My Toolbar:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="?android:attr/actionBarSize"
android:elevation="2dp"
android:focusable="false"
app:popupTheme="#style/AppTheme.Toolbar.PopupMenu"
app:theme="#style/AppTheme.Toolbar" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/toolbar_title"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="start"
android:background="#null"
android:textColor="#color/white"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:textStyle="bold" />
</android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar>

The following line is the problem
<style name="AppTheme.Toolbar" parent="ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/custom_background_blue</item>
</style>
Since the above is applied not as style but as a theme (presumably via popupTheme attribute on your Toolbar element), all the widgets inside the toolbar inherit these settings. What you want is android:popupBackground instead of android:background.
Edit: OP stated the above is not sufficient. For styling toolbar's popup menu (not the toolbar itself) use the app:popupTheme attribute. The theme is going to be similar to this:
<style name="AppTheme.Toolbar.PopupMenu" parent="ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark">
<item name="android:popupBackground">#drawable/custom_background_blue</item>
</style>

You're setting the action background color explicitly in your style.xml same as the primary color.
<item name="android:actionModeBackground">#color/primaryColor</item>
Try removing this from your XML or changing it to a color that seems appropriate for your UI and it should work. If you don't choose to manually specify a color for the android:actionModeBackground, it will simple derive it's default value from the parent theme (in your case, Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar).

Toolbar ActionMode background pre Lollipop does not work

Toolbar ActionMode seems to ignore my style on devices pre Lollipop.
Here is my style:
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<item name="android:windowNoTitle">true</item>
<!--We will be using the toolbar so no need to show ActionBar-->
<item name="windowActionBar">false</item>
<item name="android:windowDrawsSystemBarBackgrounds">true</item>
<item name="windowActionModeOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:textColorPrimary">#DD000000</item>
<item name="android:textColorSecondary">#8A000000</item>
<!-- Set theme colors from http://www.google.com/design/spec/style/color.html#color-color-palette-->
<!-- colorPrimary is used for the default action bar background -->
<!-- Set AppCompat’s color theming attrs -->
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item>
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/secondary</item>
<item name="colorAccent">#color/accent</item>
<item name="android:actionModeStyle">#style/Widget.ActionMode</item>
<item name="android:actionModeBackground">#drawable/toolbar_action_background</item>
<item name="android:actionModeCloseDrawable">#drawable/ic_arrow_back_white_24dp</item>
</style>
<style name="Widget.ActionMode" parent="#style/Widget.AppCompat.ActionMode">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/toolbar_action_background</item>
<item name="android:titleTextStyle">#style/TitleTextStyle</item>
</style>
<style name="TitleTextStyle" parent="#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Widget.ActionBar.Title">
<item name="android:textColor">#fff</item>
</style>
And my toolbar xml
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:elevation="4dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:minHeight="?attr/actionBarSize"
app:theme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar"
app:popupTheme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light"
android:background="?attr/colorPrimary" />
I've checked these questions:
How to specify dark action mode with my theme
Toolbar and Contextual ActionBar with AppCompat-v7
Unable to style action mode when using Toolbar
Expected behaviour, works fine on lollipop:
How it looks on kitkat:

Solved by specifying booth android namspace and without in my theme:
...
<item name="actionModeStyle">#style/ActionMode</item>
<item name="android:actionModeStyle">#style/ActionMode</item>
...
<style name="ActionMode" parent="Widget.AppCompat.ActionMode">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/toolbar_action_background</item>
<item name="background">#drawable/toolbar_action_background</item>
</style>

Look at your Toolbar's theme:
app:theme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar"
The first style, you didn't give a name. You missed some lines. Then, let's suppose the style which has no name, its name is ToolbarStyle which has a line of <item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item> which does matter. Then at your Toolbar layout, replace your app:theme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar" by app:theme="#style/ToolbarStyle". Then <item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item> will color your Toolbar's background. Are we clear now?

Android Support Toolbar colorControlNormal color

I would like to set my spinner drop down color to white, whilst keeping the other elements in my theme the default color. Here is the situation:
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
android:layout_height="#dimen/action_bar_height"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:minHeight="?attr/actionBarSize"
android:background="?attr/colorPrimary"
app:theme="#style/ToolbarTheme.Base"
app:popupTheme="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light">
<Spinner
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"/>
</android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar>
And the style is:
<!-- My base app theme -->
<style name="AppTheme.Base" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item>
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/primary_dark</item>
<item name="colorAccent">#color/theme_tint</item>
<!-- <item name="colorControlNormal">#FFFFFF</item> -->
<item name="android:windowNoTitle">true</item>
<item name="windowActionBar">false</item>
<item name="android:typeface">sans</item>
<item name="android:windowBackground">#color/background_primary</item>
</style>
<!-- My Toolbar theme -->
<style name="ToolbarTheme.Base" parent="#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar">
<item name="colorControlNormal">#FFFFFF</item>
</style>
If I was to put <item name="colorControlNormal">#FFFFFF</item> in the App theme (commented out above) then the spinner drop down will do to white BUT the checkbox will also turn white. So how can I get the spinner ONLY to go white?

Finally, I have found a solution on how to change arrow color of Spinner to white.
1) In styles.xml, add the following style:
<style name="ActionBarThemeOverlay" parent="">
<item name="android:textColorPrimary">#ffffff</item>
<item name="colorControlNormal">#ffffff</item>
<item name="colorControlHighlight">#ff33b5e5</item>
</style>
<style name="Widget.MyTheme.HeaderBar.Spinner" parent="Widget.AppCompat.Light.Spinner.DropDown.ActionBar">
<item name="android:theme">#style/ActionBarThemeOverlay</item>
</style>
2) In the layout, where you use the Spinner (in your case with Toolbar), add the style to your spinner:
<Spinner
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/my_spinner"
style="#style/Widget.MyTheme.HeaderBar.Spinner"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

Just stumbled across this questions. Even though it has been asked some time ago I just wanted to leave an answer that should work:
Toolbar *.xml
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
<!-- leave the theme stuff out of here -->
style="#style/MyToolbarStyle"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content">
Styles / Themes
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
<!-- your other attributes -->
<!-- following is used to tint the checkbox - purple for demo purpose -->
<item name="colorControlNormal">#2196F3</item>
</style>
<style name="MyToolbarStyle">
<item name="android:minHeight">?actionBarSize</item>
<item name="android:background">?colorPrimary</item>
<item name="popupTheme">#style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light</item>
<item name="theme">#style/MyToolbarTheme</item>
</style>
<style name="MyToolbarTheme">
<!-- Used to tint the back arrow, menu and spinner arrow -->
<item name="colorControlNormal">#FFF</item>
</style>
Result
Note: I made the checkbox purple for demo purpose