Develop Reference

How to vertically center content within a ListView footer?

I have posted the exact layout below. I want to show an image and text vertically centered inside the footer. I have applied:
android:gravity="center_vertical|center"
To both the LinearLayout containing these elements and the TextView inside but nevertheless the whole line image and text appears way too far towards the top of the footer. I want it centered vertically but instead it is in the top 30 % of the footer at all times.
<?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="vertical" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/someMessageMessage"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:visibility="gone"
android:layout_margin="10dip"/>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="horizontal"
android:gravity="center_vertical|center"
android:paddingBottom="2dip"
android:paddingTop="16dip" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/myImg"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginLeft="16dip"
android:paddingTop="3dip"
android:src="#drawable/picimg" >
</ImageView>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/myMessage"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginLeft="10dip"
android:layout_marginRight="10dip"
android:gravity="center_vertical|center"
android:text="This message appears way to close to the top of the footer. It should be along with the image in the center:"
android:textStyle="bold"/>
</LinearLayout>
<Button
android:id="#+id/myButton"
style="#style/mybuttonstyle"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margin="10dip"
android:text="#string/lbl_send"
android:visibility="gone" />
</LinearLayout>

After seeing your layout it seems you haven't given android:paddingTop to your TextView. Thats why its appearing to the top.
Moreover you can also remove android:paddingTop from ImageView if that suits to your layout.
Hope that helps.

How big is the image? I think the problem is in your second LinearLayout. You're setting the height to be "wrap_content" so that means that it will only be as big as the biggest child. If the image and the text are about the same height, then it won't seem as if anything is getting centered. You can test this theory by forcing the height to be something big enough.

Android Text is wrapped in button - why?

I have the following XML:
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/linearLayout1"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tv1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/verylongtext" android:layout_weight="1000" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="sometext" android:onClick="onClickButton" android:layout_weight="1" />
</LinearLayout>
Though I have set a layout_weight there is still a linebreak in the text on the button, the button should show
sometext
but it shows
somet
ext
Why is this and how can I fix it?
Thanks!

Include android:singleLine="true" to Button xml.

You don't specify the orientation of your LinearLayout, so it is defaulting to horizontal. The TextView is squeezing the Button. Also, when you use android:layout_weight, then you often don't want to constrain the objects in the layout in the relevant dimension, so you can put "0px" instead of "wrap_content" or "match_parent" and let the weight determine the respective proportional sizes.

trying to align an image to the right margin and text to the left margin (Android application)

This is the layout I am using:
<ScrollView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:background="#color/background"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:padding="30dip"
>
<LinearLayout
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="fill_parent" >
<RelativeLayout
android:orientation="horizontal"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:gravity="fill_horizontal"
>
<TextView android:id="#+id/poi_name"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textStyle="bold"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
/>
<ImageView android:id="#+id/internet"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:src="#drawable/internet"
android:adjustViewBounds="true"
android:maxHeight="20sp"
/>
</RelativeLayout>
...
</LinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
However, the text appears aligned to the left but the image appears at the same height than the text (as expected), but horizontally centered in the screen. Why is it not aligned to the right ?
I tried with different combinations of the android:gravity attribute at the RelativeLayout without success.
The maxHeight attribute of the image is set using 'sp' units because I want the image to be proportional to the text it is accompanying. Is that correct ?
Thanks for your feedback.
UPDATE:
Thanks to the answer of #danh32 I managed to solve this using a LinearLayout instead of a RelativeLayout. But just out of curiosity: if someone knows what was the problem with the RelativeLayout of my example, I will be grateful.

Have you tried using textview's drawableRight attribute to display the image, instead of a standalone imageview? You should be able to change the textview's width to fill parent and set the drawableRight as your internet drawable.
<TextView android:id="#+id/poi_name"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textStyle="bold"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:drawableRight="#drawable/internet"
/>

Center multiple items in a RelativeLayout without putting them in a container?

I have a RelativeLayout containing a pair of side-by-side buttons, which I want to be centered within the layout. I could just put the buttons in a LinearLayout and center that in the RelativeLayout, but I want to keep my xml as clean as possible.
Here's what I tried, this just puts the "apply" button in the center and the "undo" button to the left of it:
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop="15sp">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/instructions"
android:text="#string/instructions"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginBottom="15sp"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/apply"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:text="#string/apply"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:layout_below="#id/instructions"
/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/undo"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:text="#string/undo"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#id/apply"
android:layout_below="#id/instructions"
/>
</RelativeLayout>

android:gravity will align the content inside the view or layout it is used on.
android:layout_gravity will align the view or layout inside of his parent.
So adding
android:gravity="center"
to your RelativeLayout should do the trick...
Like this:
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:gravity="center"
android:layout_marginTop="15sp">
</RelativeLayout>

Here is an extension of BrainCrash's answer. It is a non nested option that groups and centers all three horizontally and vertically. In addition, it takes the top TextView and centers it horizontally across both buttons. If desired, you can then center the text within the TextView with android:gravity="center". I also removed the margins, added color, and set the RelativeLayout height to fill_parent to highlight the layout. Tested on API 11.
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:gravity="center"
android:background="#android:color/black"
>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/instructions"
android:text="TEST"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:background="#android:color/darker_gray"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_alignLeft="#+id/undo"
android:layout_alignRight="#+id/apply"
android:gravity="center"
/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/apply"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:text="APPLY"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:layout_below="#id/instructions"
/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/undo"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:text="UNDO"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#id/apply"
android:layout_below="#id/instructions"
/>
</RelativeLayout>

android:layout_gravity="center"
will almost give what you're looking for.

Here is a combination of the above answer's that solved my specific situation:
Centering two separate labels within a layout that also includes a button in the left most position of the same layout (button, label, label, from left to right, where the labels are centered relative to the layout containing all three views - that is, the button doesn't push the labels off center).
I solved this by nesting two RelativeLayout's, where the outer most layout included the
Button and an Inner-RelativeLayout.
The Inner-RelativeLayout contained the two text labels (TextView's).
Here is a snippet that provides the details of how the centering and other layout stuff was done:
see: RelativeLayout Gravity not applied? and
Gravity and layout_gravity on Android
for the difference's between gravity and layout_gravity.
Tweak the paddingLeft on the btn_button1 Button to see that the TextView's do not move.
(My apologies to havexz for the downvotes. I was too hasty in thinking that just b/c your suggestions didn't solve the exact question being ask, that they do help to solve very similar situations (the answer here solves a very specific situation, and only the combination of all these answer's solved my problem. I tried upvoting, but it won't let me unless I edit the answer's, which I don't want to do.)
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/rl_outer"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="50dip"
android:background="#FF0000FF">
<Button
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/btn_button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="#FF00FF00"
android:text="<"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:paddingLeft="40dip"/>
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/rl_inner"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="#FFFF00FF"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:gravity="center">
<TextView
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/tv_text1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="#FF505050"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:textColor="#FFFFFFFF"
android:text="Complaint #"
android:gravity="center"/>
<TextView
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/tv_text2"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="#FF505050"
android:textSize="20sp"
android:textColor="#FFFFFFFF"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/tv_text1"
android:gravity="center"/>
</RelativeLayout>
</RelativeLayout>

LinearLayout is a good option. Other than that there are options like create an invisible view and center that and then align left button to the left it and right on the right of it. BUT those are just work arounds.

How to layout view right aligned and bottom of an LinearLayout

I am trying to layout 1 textview (upText) left aligned and 1 textview (downText) and an image view (image) both on the same line and right aligned.
how can I do that? I tried that, but both 'textview' and image view at left aligned.
<TextView
android:id="#+id/uptext"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:gravity="left"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/downtext"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:singleLine="true"
android:gravity="right|bottom"/>
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/image"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:gravity="right|bottom"/>
</LinearLayout>

Don't use a LinearLayout. Use a RelativeLayout, with
your first TextView set with android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
your second TextView set with android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" and android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
something similar for your ImageView, which presently looks like it is going to overlap the second TextView

I realize this post is a bit old but just in case someone comes across this in their search for clarity;
The parent linear layout is where gravity needs to be specified for the child to align with the desired behavior which is why the above posts are explaining that linear layout is not possible for two separate behaviors to occur since a child cannot decide where to align itself within a linear layout.
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="horizontal"
android:layout_width="200dp"
android:layout_height="50dp"
android:gravity="bottom|right">
<TextView
android:layout_width="40dp"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:text="test"/></LinearLayout>
It should also be said that the parent linear layout must have a defined size and not be wrap-content or this will not work since wrap content implies that there will be no extra space in the layout for positioning, so at least 'match-parent' for width and height is necessary as well as having a parent with a greater size than wrap-content for the child linear layout itself.
Hope this helps.

Using RelativeLayout
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:gravity="bottom">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/text1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="hi"
android:textStyle="bold|italic"
android:gravity="right"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/text2"
android:layout_below="#id/text1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="All"
android:gravity="right"/>
</RelativeLayout>