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Android layout: chat bubble with date text in bottom right and baseline of message text

This question has been asked many times but never got a correct answer.
How can I build up a layout (that is similar to the most common messaging apps like Whatsapp, Telegram) with following characteristics:
It has a view that acts as container and has a background with a image of a bubble.
In the container there are two elements, a text message and the text date.
The text message start from top left and can have multiple lines.
The text date is aligned to the baseline of the last text message line, and on the right of it.
I've tried to reach it with relative layout.
<RelativeLayout android:id="#+id/message_bubble_container"
android:layout_below="#+id/message_date_separator_container"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:background="#drawable/chat_message_background"
android:padding="4dp">
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content">
<TextView
style="#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Medium"
android:id="#+id/message_text"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
tools:text="This is a message long that causes the date to leave the screen!" />
<TextView
style="#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Small"
android:id="#+id/message_time"
android:layout_alignBottom="#id/message_text"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/message_text"
android:textColor="#color/material_grey_900"
android:textSize="12sp"
tools:text="18:58"
android:paddingLeft="4dp"/>
</RelativeLayout>
</RelativeLayout>
It works good when the text message is on one single line, but when it grows to fill the width of the container, it pushes out the date from the screen. How can I avoid this behavior and make the text message keep a margin on the right for the date?
If this was CSS I was just needed to add a margin-right: 40px; to the .message_text. Of course this is Android and not CSS so...
Moreover, I dislike to use a maxWidth on the #id/message_text because I don't know how many dp will the screen be.
Lastly, I've heard some talking about FlowLayout. Is there a way?
Thanks to anyone will try to solve this problem that affects anyone that is tring to develop a chat layout.

Use Linear layout with vertical orientation instead of Relative layout. Something like this:
<LinearLayout android:id="#+id/message_bubble_container"
android:layout_below="#+id/message_date_separator_container"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:background="#drawable/chat_message_background"
android:padding="4dp">
<LinearLayout
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:orientation="vertical">
<TextView
style="#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Medium"
android:id="#+id/message_text"
android:gravity="right"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
tools:text="This is a message long that causes the date to leave the screen!" />
<TextView
style="#style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Small"
android:id="#+id/message_time"
android:layout_alignBottom="#id/message_text"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/message_text"
android:textColor="#color/material_grey_900"
android:textSize="12sp"
tools:text="18:58"
android:paddingLeft="4dp"/>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
Try, and let me know f it worked. :)

take that date text view out of inner relative layout and keep that in parent relative layout with alignparentbottom true and align parentright true
Happy coding

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.

Android TextView and Button side-by-side, ellipsize left TextView

I have a left-aligned TextView and a right-aligned button side-by-side. I want the button to take up as much space as it needs on the right (depending on the text that goes in it) and the left text to fill as much as it can and ellipsize on any overflow.
|Long title that may or may not ellipsi... <Button with text>|
I've read and tried lots of other posts that seem to have similar problems, none of which have worked for me. I've tried both using a LinearLayout with weights as well as a RelativeLayout with layout_toLeftOf assigned, none of which is resulting in what I need.
This is my LinearLayout code (with unnecessary parts taken out) where I give the left TextView a layout_weight of 1 and the button a layout_weight of 0. This should give the right-side button all the space it needs and give the TextView the rest, but instead the left title stops showing up and the right button gets smushed to the side and cut off. I've tried replacing the widths of both the Text and button to 0dip as I've seen suggested, which doesn't change anything.
<LinearLayout
android:layout_height="#dimen/title_bar_height"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:ellipsize="end"
android:layout_gravity="left|center_vertical"
android:gravity="left|center_vertical"
android:textSize="22sp"
android:lines="1"/>
<include layout="#layout/action_buttons"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="0"/>
</LinearLayout>
Replacing the layout_weight of the TextView with 0 actually allows the right-side button to properly fit on the screen fully, but the left text still does not show up. If I have both layout_weights set to 0 for the TextView and button and I then change the TextView's width from 0dip to wrap_content, everything shows up but the button instead is squished to fill the remaining space (and the text inside is truncated).
Here is my attempt with a RelativeLayout:
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_height="#dimen/title_bar_height"
android:layout_width="wrap_content">
<include layout="#layout/action_buttons"/>
<TextView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#layout/action_buttons"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
android:scaleType="center"
android:textSize="22sp"
android:ellipsize="end"
android:lines="1"/>
</RelativeLayout>
Everything aligns fine and shows up, except that the left TextView (when it's too long) overlaps and appears on top of the button rather than truncating and ellipsizing. Shouldn't android:layout_toLeftOf"#layout/action_buttons" specify that the TextView should stay to the left boundary of the button?
I've tried seemingly everything I can find on this site related to this issue, and I still can't get a solution. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This will do the trick for you:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="horizontal" >
<TextView
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="left|center_vertical"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:ellipsize="end"
android:gravity="left|center_vertical"
android:singleLine="true"
android:text="Some really long textttttttttt tooooooooooo make the ellipsize work in the preview"
android:textSize="22sp" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Button Text" />
</LinearLayout>
Here's what it looks like when run:
And again with a button with more text:

Having issues with centering text in TextView within a region

I'm having issues with TextViews and centering the text within the text region. Specifically, I have a TextView, but when I have text inside that contains letters that straddle down the bottom margin (i.e. p, g, q, y, etc), those letters are getting cut off. I'm trying to center the text within the region but haven't had much luck.
[Updated] I now resolved the letters getting cut-off at the bottom using wrap_content as my height, but found another problem. It now appears that the text is positioned low in the region, leaving this gap at the top. I modified my layout to reflect the latest (see below). Basically, those characters that were getting cut off before (g, y, j, etc) are touching the region right below which is fine, but it appears to leave padding at the top. I tried to change the gravity to center_vertical or center, but don't have much luck:
Note, I have to work with the specs given the textSizes (i.e. I can't change the values for these)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LinearLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical">
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/header"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="43.3dip"
android:background="#drawable/custom_bg"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/headshot"
android:layout_width="43.3dip"
android:layout_height="43.3dip"
android:src="#drawable/sample"
android:background="#drawable/head_btn"
android:layout_gravity="center" />
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/name_and_email"
android:layout_width="230.7dip"
android:layout_height="43.3dip"
android:orientation="vertical">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/name"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="#color/custom_color"
android:textSize="18.6sp"
android:singleLine="true"
android:ellipsize="end"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
android:background="#c5ff15"
android:lineSpacingExtra="0sp"
android:text="AaBbCcDdGgJjTtYy" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/email"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="#color/custom_color"
android:textSize="13.3sp"
android:singleLine="true"
android:ellipsize="end"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:layout_below="#id/name"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
android:visibility="gone"
android:text="qypgj#gmail.com" />
</RelativeLayout>
<ImageButton
android:id="#+id/headshot2"
android:layout_width="43.3dip"
android:layout_height="43.3dip"
android:src="#drawable/sample"
android:background="#drawable/head_btn2"
android:layout_gravity="center" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
Can anyone help?
MB

Why are you trying to set the heights manually? You will have much better luck using layout_height="wrap_content". I'd imagine that the problem is that your text size of 14.3sp is too big for the area you are allowing it.
Also, a good resource for debugging complex layouts is the HeirarchyViewer, found under the tools folder.

How do I vertically align an item within a list using relative layout?

I am using a list view in Android 1.5 to show a list of images and text next to the image. I am trying to vertically center the text but the text is at the top of the row instead of centered. Below is my layout:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/row"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="10dip">
<ImageView android:id="#+id/item_image" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:paddingRight="10dip"
android:src="#drawable/default_image" android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:gravity="center_vertical"/>
<TextView android:id="#+id/item_title"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/item_image"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
/>
</RelativeLayout>
It seems strange that I need to set alignParentTop="true" when I'm trying to vertically center the text, but if I don't the text does not even show up. What am I doing wrong?

EDIT following the comments:
It turns out making this work with RelativeLayout isn't easy. At the bottom of the answer I've included a RelativeLayout that gives the effect wanted, but only until it's included in a ListView. After that, the same problems as described in the question occurred. This was fixed by instead using LinearLayout(s).
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:paddingLeft="10dp"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<ImageView android:id="#+id/pickImageImage"
android:layout_width="100dp"
android:layout_height="80dp"
android:background="#drawable/icon"
android:scaleType="fitXY"
android:layout_marginRight="10dp"/>
<TextView android:id="#+id/pickImageText"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:gravity="left|center_vertical"
android:text="I'm the text"/>
</LinearLayout>
If you want to have two text boxes, you can nest a second orientation="vertical" and LinearLayout after the ImageView and then put the text boxes in there.
This works, but I have to admit I don't know why the RelativeLayouts didn't. For example, this blog post by Romain Guy specifically says that the RelativeLayout should. When I tried it, I never got it to quite work; admittedly I didn't do it exactly as he did, but my only changes were with some attributes of the TextViews, which shouldn't have made that much of a difference.
Here's the original answer:
I think you're confusing Android with all those somewhat contradictory instructions in RelativeLayout. I reformatted your thing to this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/row"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="10dip">
<ImageView android:id="#+id/item_image"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:paddingRight="10dip"
android:src="#drawable/icon"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"/>
<TextView android:id="#+id/item_title"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/item_image"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:text="Blah!"/>
</RelativeLayout>
And that works fine. I removed many of your redundant android:layout_alignParentxxx because they weren't necessary. This view now comes up with the picture in the top left corner and the text vertically centered next to it. If you want the picture vertically centered as well, then you can't have the RelativeLayout be on android:layout_height="wrap_content" because it's trying to make itself no taller than the height of the picture. You'd have to specify a height, e.g. 80dp, and then set the ImageView to a fixed height like 60dp with android:scaleType="fitXY" to make it scale down to fit properly.

Was stuck on a similar issue for a while, but found this from CommonsWare:
"When you inflate the layout, use inflate(R.layout.whatever, parent, false), where parent is the ListView."
Works but only when you set the height of the row to a specific value (ie you can't use wrap_content).

Baseline directive would do it, but ImageView simply does not support baseline alignment as of today. You can work around this by creating a subclass of ImageView, override the getBaseline() method and return the height of the image.