Develop Reference

Vertical centering of text in texview not working

I'm sure this has been answered before but I've searched relentlessly and can't find an answer that fixes my exact problem, which is:
I have a TextView on top of an ImageView setup like this:
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:src="#drawable/my_ball_3" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textOnBall"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margin="1dp"
android:textColor="#000000"
android:textSize="50dp"
android:hint="10"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="false"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:layout_alignTop="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:layout_alignLeft="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:layout_alignBottom="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:layout_alignRight="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:gravity="center" />
</RelativeLayout>
The TextView is aligned with the ImageView to make it the same size and I want the text to be centered both horizontally and vertically.
The render in Android Studio shows it to be centered correctly This Pic Shows That
But when I actually run the app on a real device the text only centers horizontally. I've tried all the different combinations of android:gravity= but nothing seams to work.
What am I doing wrong?

I'll preface this with saying I really dislike RelativeLayout, and here's a great example. Its powerful, but can be seriously confusing, and simplicity is important.
You've got many layout directives that can easily conflict with each other. Try something like:
<FrameLayout
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
>
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/imageForCustomAdapter"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:src="#drawable/my_ball_3" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textOnBall"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="#000000"
android:textSize="50dp"
android:hint="10"
android:layout_gravity="center" />
</FrameLayout>
The 'wrap_content' is important on the FrameLayout, btw. Assuming the ImageView is always bigger than the TextView, it'll drive the parent height. If the TextView might be bigger, make sure to center the ImageView as well.
Why it works in studio and not in real life, no idea.

What would be a way working with layout weight

I have tried this. I planned to do like this:
But it showing in this way:
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="horizontal" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tvHiragana"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Hiragana"
android:layout_weight="2"
android:textSize="22sp" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tvKanji"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Kanji"
android:textColor="#color/redColor"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:textSize="20sp" />
</LinearLayout>
What should I do make it work correct in the terms of layout_weight? How to avoid making new lines in TextView?

What should I do make it work correct in the terms of layout_weight?
First, when using weight with a horizontal layout, your width should be 0dp. Similarly, if your layout is vertical then your height should be 0dp.
How to avoid making new lines in TextView?
use android:singleLine="true" if you want to
Constrains the text to a single horizontally scrolling line instead of letting it wrap onto multiple lines
TextView Docs
If this doesn't answer your question then please be a little more clear because its a bit confusing on what you're asking.

unable to align views horizontally in linear layout

I'm trying to horizontally place views inside a linear layout such that I can align these views horizontally but not next to each other. I tried giving margin,padding values etc. but nothing worked for me. All the views remain placed next to each other.
I want the digital clock in the extreme right and the WiFi image in the center.
Please suggest what should I use to align views with separation within them using minimum hard code.
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/top_bar_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/top_bar"
android:orientation="horizontal" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/signal_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/signal1" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/nosim_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/wifi_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/wifi1" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/battery_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/battery1"
/>
<DigitalClock
android:id="#+id/digClock_id"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
/>
</LinearLayout>

If you want to align things more Relatively, so that something is always at the left edge, and so on, you should use a RelativeLayout. It gives you more flexibility to work on things like that.

You should use Relative Layout. Its much more easier to make layouts with that. In your case they remain next to each, because I guess you have set the android:layout_width="wrap_content" try changing it to android:layout_width="match_parent" and try.

ImageButton behind ImageView and offset

So I'm working on making a design for my app and I need to put a imagebutton directly below an imageview. But since my imageview has a border around it with a drop shadow I need to hide (shift up) maybe 10 pixels of my imagebutton behind my imageview. Here is a quick drawing of what I want.
I hope that makes sense. I've been messing around with all kinds of different arrangements but I cant get what I want. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

First of all use a RelativeLayout. Add first the ImageButton and then the ImageView, in this way the ImageView will be on top of your ImageButton. Then you should set on your ImageButton the following :
<ImageButton
....
android:layout_below="#id/ImageViewId"
android:layout_marginTop="-10px" />

Use relative layout as said. Refer
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/RelativeLayout.LayoutParams.html
for more positions and easy design.
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_below="#+id/Imageview"
android:layout_marginTop="-16dp" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/Imageview"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginTop="46dp"
android:adjustViewBounds="true"
android:contentDescription="#string/description_logo"
android:src="#drawable/imagename" />
</RelativeLayout>

Placing text view over an image view using FrameLayout

Below is how I have designed my xml. Now what I am trying to fit a textview inside the white box shown below. But am being restricted by FrameLayout (at least I think so) that I need to hard code values to make the text view fit in the middle or some where inside the white box. I cannot use Relative or other layouts for this purpose as I have understood by my trials as this whole is a single image.
Here is my layout,
<FrameLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:visibility="visible" android:layout_marginTop="60dip"
android:layout_gravity="center" android:id="#+id/xxx">
<ImageView android:id="#+id/calloutquizImage"
android:background="#drawable/callout" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:scaleType="fitCenter" />
<ImageView android:id="#+id/triviaImage"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignTop="#+id/calloutquizImage" android:layout_gravity="left"
android:src="#drawable/trivia" android:background="#drawable/trivia"
android:layout_marginTop="50dip" android:layout_marginLeft="85dip"></ImageView>
<TextView android:text="TextView" android:id="#+id/triviAnswerText"
android:layout_marginTop="125dip" android:layout_marginLeft="85dip"
android:layout_gravity="left" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:textColor="#000000"
android:typeface="sans"></TextView>
<ImageButton android:id="#+id/triviaanswercloseButton"
android:src="#drawable/closebtn" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:background="#drawable/closebtn"
android:layout_marginRight="8dip" android:layout_marginTop="43dip"
android:layout_gravity="right" android:onClick="triviaanswerClose"></ImageButton>
<ImageView android:id="#+id/buttontoclose"
android:layout_gravity="left"
android:visibility="visible" android:onClick="triviaanswerClose"
android:layout_marginTop="50dip" android:layout_marginLeft="75dip"
android:layout_width="230dip" android:layout_height="170dip"></ImageView>
</FrameLayout>
Because of this the text view looks in different positions in various handsets.
Any guesses what can be done for this instead?
Below is my image :

I think you are not doing the right thing. If you want a text to appear inside a white box (or even resize it, if there is to many text to fit to it) - you can still avoid any layouts ad do it with only one TextView.
Please have a look what is NinePatch image in Android:
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/graphics/NinePatch.html
http://developer.android.com/tools/help/draw9patch.html - drawing tools
So basically you will need only 1 textView and your image, properly converted to 9-patch with 2nd link. (Basically - just add a few black pixels on image border).
No just set this 9-patch as a background of textView. It will place text right where you need, and will shrink white box if you'll define so in 9-patch.
UPD:
Please find the resulting screenshot:
As you can see, textView not handles
WhiteBox" itself, filling it with text and resizing the box if necessary.
Here is how to make it work:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/first"
android:background="#drawable/back"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Manymanymany text
Manymanymany text
Manymanymany text
Manymanymany text
Manymanymany text
Manymanymany text" />
<TextView
android:layout_below="#+id/first"
android:background="#drawable/back"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Not so many text" />
</RelativeLayout>
And here is your image, converted to 9patch. Just place it to "drawable/" folder. Note: it MUST have "back.9.png" name.
For details of how 9patch works you can check links above. The main idea: by making black dots on left and top border - you specify which part of the image will be stretched when image must be upscaled. By making dots on right/bottom side you tell the View where to place the content. In our case content is a text of the TextView.
Hope it helps, good luck

I think you can use a RelativeLayout within the FrameLayout for the ImageView and the TextView, and by using the parameters, you can navigate the TextView to the white box. Refer to the LayoutParams documentation for details.
for eg. you can add the ImageView block first and then the TextView, so that the TextView will lay over the ImageView, and by using align bottom, and specifying top margin with a negative value, you can make the TextView go over the image. Or rather, if you are using eclipse, you can directly move the text view in the graphic layout.
<FrameLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:id="#+id/xxx"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center"
android:layout_marginTop="0dp"
android:visibility="visible" >
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margintop="0dp" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/imageView1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:src="#drawable/user2" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/Textviewtitle"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/hello_world"
android:layout_below="#+id/imageView1"
android:layout_marginTop="-10dp"
app:context=".TestActivity" />
</RelativeLayout>
</FrameLayout>
Similar to above, you can specify margin left and right to properly position your TextView as you want. Check with graphic layout for feedback to know the correct position.
Please reply if this helped.
Use your images and values for the height and width. I just tried for testing.