Develop Reference

android:visibility="gone" does not clear up the space on certain devices:

I have the following portion of layout in one of my layouts:
.....
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/llBottom"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:orientation="vertical">
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/llGameInformation"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginBottom="5dp"
android:layout_marginLeft="20dp"
android:layout_marginRight="20dp"
android:gravity="center_vertical">
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/imgBtnVolume"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentStart="true"
android:background="#drawable/icon_button_selector"
android:src="#drawable/icon_button_sound" />
<!--app:srcCompat="#drawable/icon_button_sound"-->
<me.grantland.widget.AutofitTextView
android:id="#+id/tvGameCardText"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="#color/cl_game_screen_card_name_text_color"
android:textSize="30dp"
tools:text="card name"
android:gravity="center"
autofit:minTextSize="22dp"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:textAppearance="#style/TextAppearance.GothamBook"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#+id/imgBtnShowCards"
android:layout_toRightOf="#+id/imgBtnVolume"/>
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/imgBtnShowCards"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentEnd="true"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:background="#drawable/icon_button_selector"
app:srcCompat="#drawable/icon_button_view"/>
</RelativeLayout>
<com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
android:id="#+id/adView"
android:visibility="gone"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
ads:adSize="FLUID"
ads:adUnitId="#string/banner_ad_unit_id">
</com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>
</LinearLayout>
....
As you can understand from it's name llBottom is a LinearLayout that should be at the bottom of the screen, and it is. In it I have a RelativeLayout that contains several views and under it I placed an AdView.
I start the AdView with visibility="gone" and I intend to display it based on sever preferences.
The problem is: While this behaves as intended on Nexus 5X the AdView is removed and llGameInformation is the most lower ViewGroup in the layout, on Galaxy devices on the other side AdView is not visible but still takes up the space, so the llGameInformation has an empty space bellow it.
Does someone know what would be the right way to handle this? so no empty space will be left on all devices?

You should wrap your AdView with FrameLayout and set its viability to gone, it could be that the view change it's visibility on it's own.
If you like to dive deeper or if previous not working, you can write a costume FrameLayout and see if somebody actually try to change its visibility that is not you, in such case you will be able to debug it and block it, as its your view.
There is no way somebody will be able to change your FrameLayout viability if you don't like it to.

How to implement this material design feature? (Button floating above keyboard)

Please check this screenshot
How to add buttons like this in android. Is there a library for it or what is it called?
Please note that when keyboard is hidden, this button takes up the space for navigation buttons.
Another question: How to change the size of the blue app bar when keyboard appears or hides?
**UPDATE : ** I can implement a similar layout using borderless buttons in frame layout and setting the gravity to bottom. Then I used android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize"
in the manifest file to make it work with keyboard hide/unhide. Still these buttons are not taking the space of navigation buttons. Also still need guidance for change app bar size on keyboard appear.

You can use
1- AppIntro
2- AppTour

Well, I would say that the button is not related in any way with they keyboard. I bet it's just a button inside a FrameLayout with the android:layout_gravity="bottom" property set.

It is a borderless button placed in a container(probably LinearLayout)
container itself is called buttonBar
Borderless button
One design that can be useful is a "borderless" button. Borderless
buttons resemble basic buttons except that they have no borders or
background but still change appearance during different states, such
as when clicked.
To create a borderless button, apply the borderlessButtonStyle style
to the button. For example:
<Button
android:id="#+id/button_send"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/button_send"
android:onClick="sendMessage"
style="?android:attr/borderlessButtonStyle" />
sample for button bar
<LinearLayout android:id="#+id/footer" android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:orientation="horizontal"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" style="#android:style/ButtonBar">
<Button android:id="#+id/saveButton" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="#string/menu_done" />
<Button android:id="#+id/cancelButton" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="#string/menu_cancel" />
</LinearLayout>
Effect of everything else collapsing and this button bar being at top op keyboard can be achieved by keeping your entire view except buttonBar in a scroll view.

Use this as a reference. Insert your layout inside ScrollView.
<LinearLayout
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"
android:orientation="vertical"
>
<ScrollView
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="vertical"
>
<EditText
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:lines="1"
/>
</LinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="horizontal"
>
<View
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
/>
<Button
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="button"
/>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

getLayoutParams for LinearLayout under ScrollView not working

I have a LinearLayout and I controlled the height of this layout using getLayoutParams previously and it was working beautifully. Now I want the layout to be scrollable so I placed it under a ScrollView. Now for some reason the getLayoutParams stopped working. I seem to have come to a dead end trying to resolve this. Please help.
Here is my code
if(subHistories.getLayoutParams().height==0)
(subHistories.getLayoutParams()).height=ViewGroup.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT;
else
(subHistories.getLayoutParams()).height=0;
Here subHistories is the layout object I want to control the height for. I want it to switch it's height from zero to wrap_content on every onClick event
And here is the relevant xml code:
...<ScrollView
android:id="#+id/left"
android:layout_width="200dp"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_below="#id/head"
android:animateLayoutChanges="true">
<LinearLayout
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/historyBut"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
android:background="#5261a5"
android:paddingBottom="5dp"
android:paddingLeft="5dp"
android:paddingRight="5dp"
android:paddingTop="5dp"
android:text="Historical Places"
android:textAllCaps="false"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:typeface="normal" />
<!-- historical places category -->
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/histories"
android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:animateLayoutChanges="true" >...

After touching layout params, call requestLayout() for the changes to take effect.
For hiding/showing a layout, consider using setVisibility() with GONE and VISIBLE instead.

Android add background behind imagebutton, edittext, imagebutton

I'm trying to add a footer containing an imagebutton, an textview and another imagebutton to my activity (I want to make an app like whatsapp and it should nearly look the same). I have tried many ways, but all didnt work.
I tried to make a footer like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/chatBottom"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="55dp"
android:background="#D8D8D8"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" >
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/emojiButton"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:src="#drawable/emoji_button"
android:background="#D8D8D8"
android:padding="10dp"
android:contentDescription="#string/empty"/>
<EditText
android:id="#+id/enterMessage"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="55dp"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_marginBottom="5dp"
android:padding="5dp"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#+id/sendMessage"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/emojiButton"
android:background="#drawable/textfield_multiline_activated_holo_dark"
android:hint="" />
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/sendMessage"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:background="#D8D8D8"
android:contentDescription="#string/empty"
android:padding="10dp"
android:src="#drawable/action_send_message" />
and add it using include in xml or via addView() in java, but nothing worked properly. Most important is that the footer has its on background colour (always when I tried to set a colour to the layout where the footer is in, the whole activity got this colour) and that the textview resizes automatically.
Best regards, Oliver

Android Scrollview in RelativeLayout with ButtonBar

I'm trying to implement a login view where several EditTexts and a logo are displayed on the screen with a ButtonBar at the bottom, something like this:
alt text http://russellhaering.com/media/addAccount.png
The problem is that on very small screens, especially when they are rotated sideways, the entire main view doesn't fit onto the screen.
I currently have
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="#234C59" >
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:paddingTop="5dip"
android:paddingLeft="15dip"
android:paddingRight="15dip"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/logo"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:scaleType="fitCenter"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:src="#drawable/logo" />
<EditText
android:id="#+id/input_email"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop="10dip"
android:inputType="textEmailAddress"
android:singleLine="true"
android:hint="Username or email" />
<EditText
android:id="#+id/input_password"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop=""
android:inputType="textPassword"
android:singleLine="true"
android:hint="Password" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/buttonbar_login"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:orientation="horizontal"
style="#android:style/ButtonBar" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button_signup"
android:layout_width="0dip"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Sign Up" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button_login"
android:layout_width="0dip"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Log In" />
</LinearLayout>
</RelativeLayout>
I've tried encapsulating the first LinnearLayout in a ScrollView that looks like this:
<ScrollView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<!-- Linear Layout Here -->
</ScrollView>
But that introduces two problems:
The ScrollView doesn't scroll, even on screens where the data doesn't all fit
The ButtonBar floats on top of the onscreen keyboard, obscuring even more of the screen when the keyboard comes up.
Everything worked great when I had the buttons inside the ScrollView, but now that I have them in the ButtonBar I'm having a lot of trouble figuring this out.

It turned out that the solution required two steps:
The inability to scroll was a result of the ScrollView being behind the Button Bar. To fix this, I defined the ScrollView below the Button Bar, then used android:layout_above="#id/buttonbar_login" to force the ScrollView to reside entirely above the Button Bar.
Apparently when the onscreen keyboard is opened, if you have a ScrollView it will be resized allowing the Button Bar to float up with the keyboard. To fix this I modified the manifest and added android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustPan" to prevent the ScrollView from resizing.

If your use case supports hiding of the button bar in landscape orientation you can check Resources.getSystem().getConfiguration().orientation == Configuration.ORIENTATION_LANDSCAPE and set the button bar to View.GONE.
You also probably need to set android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize" on the <activity> in your manifest file. Android will only put it in adjustResize automatically when the root layout is a ScrollView (iirc).