Develop Reference

Action Bar android change height [duplicate]

I would like to change the action bar size. I have tried the following coding.
<style name="MyTheme" parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo.Light">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/CustomActionBar</item>
</style>
<style name="CustomActionBar" parent="#android:style/Widget.Holo.Light.ActionBar">
<!-- <item name="android:background">#drawable/action_bar_style</item> -->
<item name="android:actionBarSize">15dp</item>
<item name="android:background">#drawable/header_bar</item>
</style>
But the action bar size didn't change. Is there another way? I am using api level 11.
Thanks.

Use height attribute, actionBarSize if for something else.
<item name="android:height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
Explanantion:
From source code of ActionBar:
mContentHeight = a.getLayoutDimension(R.styleable.ActionBar_height, 0);
We can see that R.styleable.ActionBar_height is being used for height. Stylable property names are generated as component_attribute (If you have ever used a custom stylable view, you'd have notice this). Hence, Actionbar is the name of component and height is the name of the attribute to use. Since this is a system attribute, hence defined under android namespace.
Update Dec-2014:
AppCompat library is now provided to extend support for latest ActionBar (or Toolbar) and theme support to old android versions. Below is an example of such an application theme /res/values/styles.xml:
<resources>
<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light">
<!-- Main theme colors -->
<!-- your app branding color for the app bar -->
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item>
<!-- darker variant for the status bar and contextual app bars -->
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/primary_dark</item>
<!-- theme UI controls like checkboxes and text fields -->
<!-- native widgets will now be "tinted" with accent color -->
<item name="colorAccent">#color/accent</item>
<!--Action bar style-->
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar</item>
<item name="actionBarStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.ActionBar" parent="Widget.AppCompat.Light.ActionBar">
<item name="android:titleTextStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText</item>
<item name="titleTextStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText</item>
<item name="android:height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
<item name="height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText" parent="TextAppearance.AppCompat.Widget.ActionBar.Title">
<item name="android:textSize">#dimen/bar_text_size</item>
<item name="android:textColor">#color/bar_text_color</item>
</style>
</resources>
This style can now be set as app theme by using android:theme="#style/AppTheme" in <application> tag of the AndroidManifest.xml.
Note the use of duplicate entries
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">
<item name="actionBarStyle">
The ones without android namespace are there for supporting both compatibility library and native attributes.Some of these attributes didn't exist under android namespace on older versions and belong to support library.
In some other places, you'll need to use app namespace (xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"), for example app:showAsAction="always" in menu xml files.
Update Apr 2015
AppCompat Library v22 is also available. Read through the article to know what's new.

Simply put actionBarSize item under MyTheme style, like this:
<style name="MyTheme" parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo.Light">
<item name="android:actionBarSize">15dp</item>
<item name="actionBarSize">15dp</item>
...
</style>
Explanation:
In R.styleable we see that R.styleable.Theme_actionBarSize is a styleable attribute defined at Theme level.
Also, from source code res/values/styles.xml we see how actionBarSize is used to set height:
<style name="Widget.ActionBar">
...
<item name="android:height">?android:attr/actionBarSize</item>

Add this to the custom theme style XML that you are referencing from your manifest file:
<item name="android:windowTitleSize">58dip</item>
For instance if your manifest file looks something like this:
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
**android:theme="#style/AppTheme"** >
Your theme style should be -at least- like this:
<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="AppBaseTheme">
<item name="android:windowTitleSize">54dip</item>
</style>

S.D.'s solution does not work for me.
I used AppCompat v-21 library in my case.
And I just add
android:layout_height="#dimen/actionBarSize"
android:minHeight="#dimen/actionBarSize"
to my layout file and it works.

Make sure to add S.D.'s code to styles.xml and then add
android:theme="#style/thin_ab"
to the <application> element in the main manifest. (I'm a noob and it took me about 2 hours to find that out.)

windowContentOverlay "no resource found that matches the given name"

I'm trying to create an app theme with a completely transparent appcompat action bar. I'm trying to remove the shadow below the action bar using windowContentOverlay, however for whatever reason I cannot build using this attribute. The elevation attribute only works for lollipop+ devices and my minimum API level is 16.
What is the issue here?
Error:(12, 29) No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'windowContentOverlay'.
<resources>
<!-- Base application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light">
<!-- Customize your theme here. -->
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/colorPrimary</item>
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
<item name="colorAccent">#color/colorAccent</item>
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/TransparentActionBar</item>
<item name="android:windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:windowContentOverlay">#null</item>
<!-- Support library compatibility -->
<item name="actionBarStyle">#style/TransparentActionBar</item>
<item name="windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
<item name="windowContentOverlay">#null</item>
</style>
<!-- Transparent Action Bar Style -->
<style name="TransparentActionBar"
parent="Widget.AppCompat.Light.ActionBar.Solid.Inverse">
<item name="android:background">#android:color/transparent</item>
<!-- Support library compatibility -->
<item name="background">#android:color/transparent</item>
</style>

Copied Drew's answer from the comments section.
It turns out that the windowContentOverlay only works with the android prefix: <item name="android:windowContentOverlay">#null<item/>.
Trying to also define it without the prefix results in the resource not found error (this error points to the one with the prefix for whatever reason).
I honestly don't understand why this occurs. I can only assume appcompat doesn't support the windowContentOverlay attribute.

Change color of Spinner background w/ Sherlock not working

I am using the following code to change the color of the background of my spinner. I am confused as to why it is not work.
style.xml
<style name="MyTheme" parent="#style/Theme.Sherlock.Light">
<item name="windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
<item name="actionDropDownStyle">#style/MyActionBarSpinnerStyle</item>
</style>
<style name="MyActionBarSpinnerStyle" parent="#style/Widget.Sherlock.Light.Spinner.DropDown.ActionBar">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/actionbar_spinner_background</item>
</style>
actionbar_spinner_background.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:drawable="#drawable/spinner_background_disabled" android:state_enabled="false"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/spinner_background_pressed" android:state_pressed="true"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/spinner_background_focused" android:state_focused="true" android:state_pressed="false"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/spinner_background_default"/>
</selector>
Is there something that I am missing or doing incorrectly?
I have separate styles.xml files for default and 11+. This was from my 11+ file. I removed the true from my 11+ file and still not working. Testing on a device running 4.4.4 does it matter that I am using Sherlock?

The problem is that the following line of code require API level 11 and up :
<item name="android:windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
Solution -
Make separate styles.xml in res/values-v11 to support the same functionality in android 3.0 and up.
For Android 3.0 and higher only
If your minSdkVersion is set to 11 or higher, your custom theme should use Theme.Holo theme (or one of its descendants) as your parent theme.
For example -
<resources>
<!-- the theme applied to the application or activity -->
<style name="CustomActionBarTheme"
parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo">
<item name="android:windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
</style>
</resources>
For Android 2.1 and higher
If your app is using the Support Library for compatibility on devices running versions lower than Android 3.0, your custom theme should use Theme.AppCompat theme (or one of its descendants) as your parent theme.
For example -
<resources>
<!-- the theme applied to the application or activity -->
<style name="CustomActionBarTheme"
parent="#android:style/Theme.AppCompat">
<item name="android:windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
<!-- Support library compatibility -->
<item name="windowActionBarOverlay">true</item>
</style>
</resources>
NOTE:
Notice that this theme includes two definitions for the windowActionBarOverlay style: one with the android: prefix and one without. The one with the android: prefix is for versions of Android that include the style in the platform and the one without the prefix is for older versions that read the style from the Support Library.
Reference:
https://developer.android.com/training/basics/actionbar/overlaying.html#EnableOverlay

Customize themes not working

i have to customize my whole application theme and i am trying to implement my custom theme.
i am able to implement custom theme but it is showing error when i apply it in manifest file.
here is my code for custome theme:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<!-- the theme applied to the application or activity -->
<style name="CustomActionBarTheme"
parent="#style/Theme.Holo.Light.DarkActionBar">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/MyActionBar</item>
</style>
<!-- ActionBar styles -->
<style name="MyActionBar"
parent="#style/Widget.Holo.Light.ActionBar.Solid.Inverse">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/actionbar_background</item>
</style>
</resources>

You should provide more details about the error you are getting. At first sight I can see you are using Theme.Holo.Light.DarkActionBar, which I believe is only available for Android 4.x, so if you are targeting a previous version of Android you could get an error.
Try adding a style.xml file to each of the following folders:
res/values
res/values-v11
res/values-v14
Replace the referenced theme with Theme.Light in the style.xml file of the first folder. Use Theme.Holo.Light for v11 and leave Theme.Holo.Light.DarkActionBar in the style.xml file under v14.
Also bear in mind you cannot style the action bar under versions prior to Honeycomb (v11). Check the documentation for the ActionBar to get more details, in particular the information related to the AppCompat library.
I hope that helps. Otherwise, please provide more information about the error you are getting.

Change to
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<!-- the theme applied to the application or activity -->
<style name="CustomActionBarTheme"
parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo.Light.DarkActionBar">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/MyActionBar</item>
</style>
<!-- ActionBar styles -->
<style name="MyActionBar"
parent="#android:style/Widget.Holo.Light.ActionBar.Solid.Inverse">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/actionbar_background</item>
</style>
</resources>
In manifest apply theme as
android:theme="#style/CustomActionBarTheme" >
Your min sdk in manifest should be 14. Use appcompact from the support library if you wish to support actionbar below api level 11.
Also check this
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html
https://developer.android.com/training/basics/actionbar/styling.html

<style name="CustomTheme" parent="android:Theme">
<item name="android:windowTitleSize">35dip</item>
<item name="android:windowTitleBackgroundStyle">#style/CustomWindowTitleBackground</item>
<item name="android:windowNoTitle">false</item>
<item name="android:windowBackground">#color/transparent</item>
</style>
<style name="CustomWindowTitleBackground">
<item name="android:background">#drawable/button_black</item>
</style>
put this code in style.xml and just change theme attribute of application tag in AndroidManifest.xml like
<application android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:theme="#style/CustomTheme">
.
Thats it.

How to change action bar size

I would like to change the action bar size. I have tried the following coding.
<style name="MyTheme" parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo.Light">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/CustomActionBar</item>
</style>
<style name="CustomActionBar" parent="#android:style/Widget.Holo.Light.ActionBar">
<!-- <item name="android:background">#drawable/action_bar_style</item> -->
<item name="android:actionBarSize">15dp</item>
<item name="android:background">#drawable/header_bar</item>
</style>
But the action bar size didn't change. Is there another way? I am using api level 11.
Thanks.

Use height attribute, actionBarSize if for something else.
<item name="android:height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
Explanantion:
From source code of ActionBar:
mContentHeight = a.getLayoutDimension(R.styleable.ActionBar_height, 0);
We can see that R.styleable.ActionBar_height is being used for height. Stylable property names are generated as component_attribute (If you have ever used a custom stylable view, you'd have notice this). Hence, Actionbar is the name of component and height is the name of the attribute to use. Since this is a system attribute, hence defined under android namespace.
Update Dec-2014:
AppCompat library is now provided to extend support for latest ActionBar (or Toolbar) and theme support to old android versions. Below is an example of such an application theme /res/values/styles.xml:
<resources>
<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light">
<!-- Main theme colors -->
<!-- your app branding color for the app bar -->
<item name="colorPrimary">#color/primary</item>
<!-- darker variant for the status bar and contextual app bars -->
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">#color/primary_dark</item>
<!-- theme UI controls like checkboxes and text fields -->
<!-- native widgets will now be "tinted" with accent color -->
<item name="colorAccent">#color/accent</item>
<!--Action bar style-->
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar</item>
<item name="actionBarStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.ActionBar" parent="Widget.AppCompat.Light.ActionBar">
<item name="android:titleTextStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText</item>
<item name="titleTextStyle">#style/AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText</item>
<item name="android:height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
<item name="height">#dimen/bar_height</item>
</style>
<style name="AppTheme.ActionBar.TitleText" parent="TextAppearance.AppCompat.Widget.ActionBar.Title">
<item name="android:textSize">#dimen/bar_text_size</item>
<item name="android:textColor">#color/bar_text_color</item>
</style>
</resources>
This style can now be set as app theme by using android:theme="#style/AppTheme" in <application> tag of the AndroidManifest.xml.
Note the use of duplicate entries
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">
<item name="actionBarStyle">
The ones without android namespace are there for supporting both compatibility library and native attributes.Some of these attributes didn't exist under android namespace on older versions and belong to support library.
In some other places, you'll need to use app namespace (xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"), for example app:showAsAction="always" in menu xml files.
Update Apr 2015
AppCompat Library v22 is also available. Read through the article to know what's new.

Simply put actionBarSize item under MyTheme style, like this:
<style name="MyTheme" parent="#android:style/Theme.Holo.Light">
<item name="android:actionBarSize">15dp</item>
<item name="actionBarSize">15dp</item>
...
</style>
Explanation:
In R.styleable we see that R.styleable.Theme_actionBarSize is a styleable attribute defined at Theme level.
Also, from source code res/values/styles.xml we see how actionBarSize is used to set height:
<style name="Widget.ActionBar">
...
<item name="android:height">?android:attr/actionBarSize</item>

Add this to the custom theme style XML that you are referencing from your manifest file:
<item name="android:windowTitleSize">58dip</item>
For instance if your manifest file looks something like this:
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
**android:theme="#style/AppTheme"** >
Your theme style should be -at least- like this:
<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="AppBaseTheme">
<item name="android:windowTitleSize">54dip</item>
</style>

S.D.'s solution does not work for me.
I used AppCompat v-21 library in my case.
And I just add
android:layout_height="#dimen/actionBarSize"
android:minHeight="#dimen/actionBarSize"
to my layout file and it works.

Make sure to add S.D.'s code to styles.xml and then add
android:theme="#style/thin_ab"
to the <application> element in the main manifest. (I'm a noob and it took me about 2 hours to find that out.)