Develop Reference

Drawing a cigarette with basic shapes

I'm trying to draw a cigarette with the "ash" view being a percentage of the "smokeable" view. It needs to be a percentage because I am going to use a slider which will change the percentage of the "ash" view.
Here is what I want:
Here is my code:
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/cigarette"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:layout_marginBottom="20dp"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/butt"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".25"
android:background="#ff7700" />
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/smokeable"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".75"
android:background="#cccccc"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/ash"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".33"
android:background="#777777"
android:gravity="right" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
In this example I want the ash to be 33% of the smokeable view. I can't figure out why this isn't working. Any help would be appreciated.

I think the easiest cleanest way would be to make a custom View for you "cigarette", it would be composed of filter/smokeable/ash, each part with a different color.
So declare some styleable attributes in, say, attrs.xml
<resources>
<declare-styleable name="CigaretteView">
<attr name="filterColor" format="color" />
<attr name="smokeableColor" format="color" />
<attr name="ashColor" format="color" />
<attr name="filterWidth" format="dimension" />
</declare-styleable>
</resources>
The View class itself:
class CigaretteView(context: Context, attrs: AttributeSet?) : View(context, attrs) {
companion object {
private val DEFAULT_FILTER_COLOR = 0xffbbaa00.toInt()
private val DEFAULT_SMOKABLE_COLOR = 0xffffffff.toInt()
private val DEFAULT_ASH_COLOR = 0xff888888.toInt()
private val DEFAUALT_FILTER_WIDTH_PX = 120
}
private val filterPaint = Paint(Paint.ANTI_ALIAS_FLAG)
private val smokeablePaint = Paint(Paint.ANTI_ALIAS_FLAG)
private val ashPaint = Paint(Paint.ANTI_ALIAS_FLAG)
private var filterWidthPx = DEFAUALT_FILTER_WIDTH_PX
private val rect = Rect()
var smokedPercent = 0f
set(value) {
field = value
invalidate()
}
init {
val a = context.theme.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, R.styleable.CigaretteView, 0, 0)
var filterColor = DEFAULT_FILTER_COLOR
var smokeableColor = DEFAULT_SMOKABLE_COLOR
var ashColor = DEFAULT_ASH_COLOR
try {
filterColor = a.getColor(R.styleable.CigaretteView_filterColor, filterColor)
smokeableColor = a.getColor(R.styleable.CigaretteView_smokeableColor, smokeableColor)
ashColor = a.getColor(R.styleable.CigaretteView_ashColor, ashColor)
filterWidthPx = a.getDimensionPixelSize(R.styleable.CigaretteView_filterWidth, filterWidthPx)
} finally {
a.recycle()
}
filterPaint.color = filterColor
smokeablePaint.color = smokeableColor
ashPaint.color = ashColor
}
override fun onDraw(canvas: Canvas) {
super.onDraw(canvas)
rect.set(0, 0, filterWidthPx, height)
canvas.drawRect(rect, filterPaint)
val leftOver = (width - filterWidthPx).toFloat()
val ashStartPoint = (width - leftOver * smokedPercent).toInt()
rect.set(filterWidthPx, 0, ashStartPoint, height)
canvas.drawRect(rect, smokeablePaint)
rect.set(ashStartPoint, 0, width, height)
canvas.drawRect(rect, ashPaint)
}
}
Your xml layout would be simplified to
<com.example.CigaretteView
android:id="#+id/cigaretteView"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="48dp"
app:filterWidth="48dp"
app:filterColor="#ffbbaa00"
app:smokeableColor="#ffffffff"
app:ashColor="#ff888888"/>
And then you could simply assign ash percent value with
myCigaretteView.smokedPercent = percent
where percent goes from 0 (cigarette is intact) to 1 (cigarette completely smoked).

The inner LinearLayout needs another child View for the not-yet-consumed part of the cigarette. Its layout_weight has to be 1 - 0.33 = 0.67 in your example (the sum of the weights of both siblings always has to be 1).
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/cigarette"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:layout_below="#+id/titleText"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/butt"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".25"
android:background="#ff7700" />
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/smokeable"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".75"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/rest"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:background="#cccccc"
android:layout_weight=".67"
/>
<View
android:id="#+id/ash"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight=".33"
android:background="#777777"
android:gravity="right" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
Please note that while this will fix your code, the "nested weighted LinearLayout" approach isn't a good way to go, even if modern devices should not run into performance problems.
The solution by lelloman involving a custom View is much better because you need only one View, not two ViewGroups plus three Views. You have one method to easily change the percentage, plus all the calculating and drawing parts are nicely encapsulated.

Given that all three elements are in line, you only want and need one LinearLayout parent:
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/cigarette"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/butt"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="25"
android:background="#ff7700" />
<View
android:id="#+id/smokeable"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="65"
android:background="#cccccc" />
<View
android:id="#+id/ash"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="10"
android:background="#777777" />
</LinearLayout>

Here's the simplest thing I can think of that does what you need:
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:background="#777777"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<View
android:id="#+id/butt"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="0.25"
android:background="#ff7700"/>
<View
android:id="#+id/smokeable"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="0.75"
android:background="#cccccc"
android:transformPivotX="0px"/>
</LinearLayout>
Now you can call smokeable.setScaleX() with any percentage to get the desired result.

How write text on image in RelativeLayout while it always keeps the same position (even if image is resized)?

As the title says. I need to write some text at ImageView. For that I was advised to use RelativeLayout. BUT there is not possible to use alignParentBottom (or maybe it is but I cant use margin then).
Problem is: I need to keep text at exactly some part of image even though it is resized or it is shown on different screen resolution etc. Is that possible?
CODE:
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#FFFFFF"
android:gravity="center" >
<!-- Speaker image -->
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/image"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:adjustViewBounds="true"
android:background="#ffffff"
android:src="#drawable/authorimg" />
<!-- Time -->
<TextView
android:id="#+id/timeTVid"
style="#style/TextWithShadow"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop="50dp"
android:text="2:59" />
</RelativeLayout>
I want the TextView to be somewhere in the middle but not exactly there.
EDIT: After first response tried (not working):
Horizontal position http://i59.tinypic.com/o76omg.png
Vertical position http://i59.tinypic.com/20tf7ky.png
I want to have "Your text" to be at the same position at the picture.

I found out that this is the solution. It's a shame that XML in android does not support percentage padding/margin so you have to do it programmatically as shown below. I just got the image width, width of frame and calculated it so the text is always on the same place on the image.
#Override
public void onWindowFocusChanged(boolean hasFocus) {
super.onWindowFocusChanged(hasFocus);
int paddingLeft;
frameHeight = imgFrameLayout.getHeight();
frameWidth = imgFrameLayout.getWidth();
imgWidth = image.getWidth();
imgHeight = image.getHeight();
// getting the difference of img width and frame width
int diff = frameWidth - imgWidth;
// if frame is bigger than image then set additional value to padding
// 20% image width + (diff/2)
if (diff > 0) {
paddingLeft = imgWidth / 100 * 20 + diff / 2;
}
// else set padding 20% of the image
else {
paddingLeft = imgWidth / 100 * 20;
}
timeTV.setPadding(paddingLeft, 0, 0, 0);
}

Use this example but it will only work for the Relativelayout:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:gravity="center_vertical" >
<ImageView android:id="#+id/full_image_view"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/myImageViewText"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignLeft="#+id/myImageView"
android:layout_alignTop="#+id/myImageView"
android:layout_alignRight="#+id/myImageView"
android:layout_alignBottom="#+id/myImageView"
android:layout_margin="1dp"
android:gravity="center"
android:text="Your Text"
android:textColor="#000000" />

Might want to try using a FrameLayout. In any event, set textview to match_parent (both ways)
use android:gravity="center" (not layout_gravity). now if you want to adjust the centered position to make it offset a bit, you can use paddingLeft, paddingTop, etc to adjust your center.

I think you should create two separate xml files. the first one for the image and 2nd one for the overlayed text. then in your activity class you should use LayoutInflater. I created an example and I hope it is what you are looking for.
JavaCode:
private ImageView imgView;
private TextView tv00, tv01, tv02, tv03;
private LayoutInflater mInflater = null;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_image_overlayed_with_text00);
imgView = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.imgview);
tv00 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv00);
tv01 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv01);
tv02 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv02);
tv03 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv03);
//imgView.setImageBitmap(BitmapFactory.decodeFile("c:\\pic.jpg"));
imgView.setImageResource(R.drawable.pic);
mInflater = LayoutInflater.from(getApplicationContext());
View overView = mInflater.inflate(R.layout.textoverlay, null);
addContentView(overView, new LayoutParams(LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT));
ImageviewXML:
<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"
android:paddingBottom="#dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
android:paddingLeft="#dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingRight="#dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingTop="#dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
tools:context="com.example.imageoverlayedwithtext00.ImageOverlayedWithText00$PlaceholderFragment" >
<ImageView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:id="#+id/imgview" />
TextOverlayXML:
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:gravity="center_horizontal">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tv00"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textSize="50sp"
android:text="text0"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tv01"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textSize="50sp"
android:text="text1"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tv02"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textSize="50sp"
android:text="text2"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/tv03"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textSize="50sp"
android:text="text3"/>
</LinearLayout>

Define maximum RelativeLayout size

I have to define 5 layouts on the screen and place them like a 3x3 grid. Layouts is empty.
At some moment I want programmatically to add some view on one layout and that view mustn't grows over allocated size of layout. In other words I want to have layout in which to put any view and it will be guaranty that it won't grows over that layout. Important note: I don't have rights to change manually size of added view, I only can to control its maximum size.
I have right now such layout:
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/pluginsLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_above="#+id/mainButtons"
android:layout_below="#+id/paramsLayout">
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/capturingPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill_horizontal|left"
android:layout_above="#+id/processingPluginLayout">
</RelativeLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/processingPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill_horizontal|left"
android:layout_above="#+id/filterPluginLayout">
</RelativeLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/filterPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill_horizontal|left|bottom"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true">
</RelativeLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/exportPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill_horizontal|right"
android:layout_above="#+id/viewfinderPluginLayout">
</RelativeLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/viewfinderPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill_horizontal|bottom|right"
android:layout_toLeftOf="#+id/filterPluginLayout"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true">
</RelativeLayout>
</RelativeLayout>
And I added new view in code:
public void addVFPluginView(View view)
{
((RelativeLayout)MainScreen.thiz.findViewById(R.id.viewfinderPluginLayout)).addView(view);
}
I expect to got like this behaviour:
But I got only this, view fill entire parent layout:
Note: I use API8 (don't have GridLayout)

u can use grid layout in API8.

I've managed to solve this issue.
The main idea was to control view's sizes by myself programmatically.
I calculate appropriate proportion for each zone and when somebody add a new view to some of this layout I check suitability of the size of this view to the allocated size of layout. If size is not suitable I modify LayoutParams for this View.
Here is the xml of empty layouts:
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/pluginsLayout"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_above="#+id/mainButtons"
android:layout_below="#+id/paramsLayout">
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/capturePluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true">
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/processingPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true">
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/filterPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/exportPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true">
</LinearLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/viewfinderPluginLayout"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
</RelativeLayout>
</RelativeLayout>
And like that I manage the size of adding views:
public void addVFPluginView(View view)
{
//Get maximum width and height for such plugins
int layoutHeight = this.getViewfinderLayoutHeight();
int layoutWidth = this.getViewfinderLayoutWidth();
//Calculate appropriate size of added plugin's view
android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams viewLayoutParams = (android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams)view.getLayoutParams();
viewLayoutParams = this.getTunedRelativeLayoutParams(view, viewLayoutParams, layoutWidth, layoutHeight);
//Get fixed maximum size for this plugin type
public int getViewfinderLayoutWidth()
{
return ((RelativeLayout)MainScreen.thiz.findViewById(R.id.pluginsLayout)).getWidth()/2;
}
public int getViewfinderLayoutHeight()
{
return (int)(((RelativeLayout)MainScreen.thiz.findViewById(R.id.pluginsLayout)).getHeight()*0.7);
}
((RelativeLayout)MainScreen.thiz.findViewById(R.id.viewfinderPluginLayout)).addView(view, viewLayoutParams);
}
android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams getTunedRelativeLayoutParams(View view, android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams currParams, int goodWidth, int goodHeight)
{
int viewHeight, viewWidth;
if(currParams != null)
{
viewHeight = currParams.height;
viewWidth = currParams.width;
if(viewHeight > goodHeight || viewHeight <= 0)
viewHeight = goodHeight;
if(viewWidth > goodWidth || viewWidth <= 0)
viewWidth = goodWidth;
currParams.width = viewWidth;
currParams.height = viewHeight;
view.setLayoutParams(currParams);
}
else
{
currParams = new android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(goodWidth, goodHeight);
view.setLayoutParams(currParams);
}
return currParams;
}
Finally, next issue is for several views with suitable sizes but in sum they're bigger than allocated size. Maybe I'll just straightly count sizes of views and if the sum with the size of next adding view will be more than allocated size I just disallow to add this view.

Adjust GridView to all Screen Sizes

Im trying to implement a GridView as part of a image gallery. I followed the following example from the Android developer portal.
The tutorial seems to work for all screen sizes. As you can see below the proportions for a small and a large screen size are displayed correctly (on the left - small screen size, on the right - large screen size.
But now to my problem. When I want to implement exactly the same GridView within a LinearLayout from my Android Project - the correct proportions are gone - as shown by the images below. The pictures begin to overlap so forth and so on.
I am quite sure that this has something to with my LinearLayout which looks like the following.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/widget64"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical">
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/widget34"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="5dp"
android:background="#drawable/foto_detail_bg_cell_0"
>
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/flyer"
android:layout_width="100dp"
android:layout_height="80dp"
android:src="#drawable/icon"
android:scaleType="centerCrop"
/>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/widget36"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginLeft="5px"
android:orientation="vertical">
<TextView
android:id="#+id/toptext"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Beat.It"
android:textSize="16sp"
android:textStyle="bold"
android:textColor="#color/white"/>
<TextView
android:id="#+id/widget39"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="http://www.google.at"
android:textColor="#color/white"/>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/widget40"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content">
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/widget41"
android:layout_width="58dp"
android:layout_height="40dp"
android:src="#drawable/facebook_share"/>
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/widget42"
android:layout_width="58dp"
android:layout_height="40dp"
android:layout_marginLeft="1dp"
android:src="#drawable/photocount"/>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
<GridView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/gridview"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:columnWidth="90dp"
android:numColumns="auto_fit"
android:verticalSpacing="10dp"
android:horizontalSpacing="10dp"
android:stretchMode="columnWidth"
android:gravity="center"
/>
</LinearLayout>
The MAIN QUESTION:
The Layout XML used by the tutorial on the Android developer portal only uses the GridView alone, without a LinearLayout and and it is shown with correct proportions on each screen size. Why is that? And why does it not work properly when I nest the GridView in a Linear Layout like in my project?

SOLVED:
I solved this issue by editing the ImageAdapter of the GridView. I calculated the size of the generated image views - density independent.
// create a new ImageView for each item referenced by the Adapter
public View getView(int position, View convertView, ViewGroup parent) {
ImageView imageView;
if (convertView == null) {
//Calculation of ImageView Size - density independent.
//maybe you should do this calculation not exactly in this method but put is somewhere else.
Resources r = Resources.getSystem();
float px = TypedValue.applyDimension(TypedValue.COMPLEX_UNIT_DIP, 60, r.getDisplayMetrics());
imageView = new ImageView(mContext);
imageView.setLayoutParams(new GridView.LayoutParams((int)px, (int)px));
imageView.setScaleType(ImageView.ScaleType.CENTER_CROP);
//imageView.setPadding(8, 8, 8, 8);
imageView.setBackgroundColor(Color.BLUE);
} else {
imageView = (ImageView) convertView;
}
imageView.setImageResource(mThumbIds[position]);
return imageView;
}

To adjusting Gridview to screen size
In onCreate take rowHeight :
//Get root view
root = binding.root
// Or you can use findviewbyid(R.id.root)
view.onGlobalLayout {
rowHeight =
root.measuredHeight / currentPageNumberOfRow
fillView(appsList)
}
In adapter:
override fun getView(position: Int, ConvertView: View?, parent: ViewGroup?): View? {
var mConvertView = ConvertView
if (layoutInflater == null) {
layoutInflater =
context.getSystemService(Context.LAYOUT_INFLATER_SERVICE) as
layoutInflater!!.inflate(R.layout.item_app_shortcut, null)
}
if (mConvertView == null) {
mConvertView =
layoutInflater!!.inflate(R.layout.item_child_launcher_app, null)
//Add this:
mConvertView.layoutParams = AbsListView.LayoutParams(GridView.AUTO_FIT, rowHeight)
}
Dont forget set row image:
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="0dp"
To fit on screen

Heterogeneous GridLayout

I am trying to implement the layout below:
I guess GridLayout is suitable for my needs but after 2 hours of struggle I couldn't create even a similar layout.. The layout is resizing itself wrongly, it exceeds the screen of the phone and it also does not span the specified rows and columns.
Here I selected a button so you can see how it exceeds the boundaries:
and here is the associated xml code: https://gist.github.com/2834492
I have reached a similar layout with nested linearlayouts but it's not possible to properly resize it for different screen sizes.
UPDATE - approximate LinearLayout implementation:
The XML code: https://gist.github.com/cdoger/2835887
However, the problem is it does not resize itself properly here some screenshots with different screen configurations:
TLDR: Can someone show me a heterogeneous layout implementation with GridLayout like in the first picture?

The issue you are facing is due to inappropriate use of the GridLayout. The GridLayout is made to show its children in a grid and you are trying to override that without extending the GridLayout. While what you want may be accomplished in code (utilizing numcolumns and columnsize), it will not be useful for multiple screen sizes without a heck of a lot of code.
The only adequate solution that won't require a ton of hacking is judicious use of both LinearLayout and RelativeLayout. LinearLayout should not be used exclusively as it is made to drop items in a line (horizontally or vertically only). This becomes especially apparent when you try and do the bottom four buttons. While the buttons above may be done with LinearLayout with very little effort, RelativeLayout is what you need for the bottom four buttons.
Note:
RelativeLayout can be a little bit tricksy for those with little experience using them. Some pitfalls include: children overlapping, children moving off the screen, height and width rendering improperly applied. If you would like an example, let me know and I will edit my answer.
Final Note:
I'm all for utilizing the current framework objects in unique ways, and genuinely prefer to provide the requested solution. The solution, however, is not viable given the constraints of the question.
(Revision) Solution 1
After some careful thought last night, this may be accomplished with a pure LinearLayout. While I do not like this solution, it should be multi-screen friendly and requires no tooling around from me. Caution should be used with too many LinearLayouts, as according to Google's developers, it can result in slow loading UIs due to the layout_weight property. A second solution utilizing RelativeLayout will be provided when I return home. Now Tested This provides the desired layout parameters on all screen-sizes and orientations.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical">
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<Button
android:id="#+id/Button01"
android:layout_width="0"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/Button02"
android:layout_width="0"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
<Button
android:id="#+id/button3"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1.00"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button2"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button4"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button5"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="2"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button6"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="2"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button7"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
Solution 1 Explanation
The key to LinearLayouts is to define your imperatives as separate Layouts and nest the others in them. As you apply constraints to more dimensions, more LinearLayouts must be added to encapsulate the others. For yours, it was crucial to have two more parents in order to maintain the proportion. A great indicator of when you should add another level is when you have to utilize layout_weight using anything other than an integer value. It simply becomes to hard to calculate properly. From there it was relatively simple to break it into columns.
Solution 2 (Failed)
While I was able to achieve desirable results utilizing RelativeLayout and "struts", I could only do so with layouts that were multiples of 2 buttons in height. Such a trick would be awesome as the levels of layout are greatly reduced, so I will work on a pure XML solution and post the answer here if and when I achieve it. In the meantime, the LinearLayout above should suit your needs perfectly.

I read this thread and realised that I wanted a flatter solution than those with linear layout. After some research I ended up making my own layout. It is inspired by a GridLayout but differs a bit.
Please note that if you are going to copy-paste the code you'll need to change package names in some places.
This layout has 4 layout parameters that children use to position themselves.These are layout_left, layout_top, layout_right, layout_bottom. The ICGridLayout itself has two attributes: layout_spacing and columns.
Columns tells the layout how many columns you want it to contain. It will then calculate the size of a cell with the same height as width. Which will be the layouts width/columns.
The spacing is the amount of space you want between each child.
The layout_left|top|right|bottom attributes are the coordinates for each side. The layout does no calculations in order to avoid collision or anything. It just puts the children where they want to be.
If you'd like to have smaller squares you just have to increase the columns attribute.
Keep in mind that this is a quick prototype, I will continue working on it and when I feel that it's ready I'll upload it to Github and put a comment here.
All of my code below should produce the following result:
*****EDIT*****
Added the call to measure for the children, forgot that the first time around.
END EDIT
ICGridLayout.java:
package com.risch.evertsson.iclib.layout;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.res.TypedArray;
import android.util.AttributeSet;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import com.risch.evertsson.iclib.R;
/**
* Created by johanrisch on 6/13/13.
*/
public class ICGridLayout extends ViewGroup {
private int mColumns = 4;
private float mSpacing;
public ICGridLayout(Context context) {
super(context);
}
public ICGridLayout(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) {
super(context, attrs);
init(attrs);
}
public ICGridLayout(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyle) {
super(context, attrs, defStyle);
init(attrs);
}
private void init(AttributeSet attrs) {
TypedArray a = getContext().obtainStyledAttributes(
attrs,
R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout);
this.mColumns = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_columns, 3);
this.mSpacing = a.getDimension(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_spacing, 0);
a.recycle();
}
#Override
protected void onLayout(boolean changed, int l, int t, int r, int b) {
if (changed) {
int width = (int) (r - l);
int side = width / mColumns;
int children = getChildCount();
View child = null;
for (int i = 0; i < children; i++) {
child = getChildAt(i);
LayoutParams lp = (LayoutParams) child.getLayoutParams();
int left = (int) (lp.left * side + mSpacing / 2);
int right = (int) (lp.right * side - mSpacing / 2);
int top = (int) (lp.top * side + mSpacing / 2);
int bottom = (int) (lp.bottom * side - mSpacing / 2);
child.layout(left, top, right, bottom);
}
}
}
#Override
protected void onMeasure(int widthMeasureSpec, int heightMeasureSpec) {
measureVertical(widthMeasureSpec, heightMeasureSpec);
}
private void measureVertical(int widthMeasureSpec, int heightMeasureSpec) {
int widthMode = MeasureSpec.getMode(widthMeasureSpec);
int heightMode = MeasureSpec.getMode(heightMeasureSpec);
int width = 0;
int height = 0;
if (widthMode == MeasureSpec.AT_MOST || widthMode == MeasureSpec.EXACTLY) {
width = MeasureSpec.getSize(widthMeasureSpec);
} else {
throw new RuntimeException("widthMeasureSpec must be AT_MOST or " +
"EXACTLY not UNSPECIFIED when orientation == VERTICAL");
}
View child = null;
int row = 0;
int side = width / mColumns;
int childCount = getChildCount();
for (int i = 0; i < childCount; i++) {
child = getChildAt(i);
LayoutParams lp = (LayoutParams) child.getLayoutParams();
if (lp.bottom > row) {
row = lp.bottom;
}
int childHeight = (lp.bottom - lp.top)*side;
int childWidth = (lp.right-lp.left)*side;
int heightSpec = MeasureSpec.makeMeasureSpec(childHeight, LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT);
int widthSpec = MeasureSpec.makeMeasureSpec(childWidth, LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT);
child.measure(widthSpec, heightSpec);
}
height = row * side;
// TODO: Figure out a good way to use the heightMeasureSpec...
setMeasuredDimension(width, height);
}
#Override
public ViewGroup.LayoutParams generateLayoutParams(AttributeSet attrs) {
return new ICGridLayout.LayoutParams(getContext(), attrs);
}
#Override
protected boolean checkLayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams p) {
return p instanceof ICGridLayout.LayoutParams;
}
#Override
protected ViewGroup.LayoutParams
generateLayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams p) {
return new ICGridLayout.LayoutParams(p);
}
#Override
protected ViewGroup.LayoutParams generateDefaultLayoutParams() {
return new LayoutParams();
}
public static class LayoutParams extends ViewGroup.MarginLayoutParams {
int right = 1;
int bottom = 1;
int top = 0;
int left = 0;
int width = -1;
int height = -1;
public LayoutParams() {
super(MATCH_PARENT, MATCH_PARENT);
top = 0;
left = 1;
}
public LayoutParams(int width, int height) {
super(width, height);
top = 0;
left = 1;
}
public LayoutParams(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) {
super(context, attrs);
TypedArray a = context.obtainStyledAttributes(
attrs,
R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout);
left = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_left, 0);
top = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_top, 0);
right = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_right, left + 1);
bottom = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_bottom, top + 1);
height = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_row_span, -1);
width = a.getInt(R.styleable.ICGridLayout_Layout_layout_col_span, -1);
if (height != -1) {
bottom = top + height;
}
if (width != -1) {
right = left + width;
}
a.recycle();
}
public LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams params) {
super(params);
}
}
}
ICGridLayout.java is pretty straight forward. It takes the values provided by the children and lays them out.
attrs.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<declare-styleable name="ICGridLayout_Layout">
<attr name="columns" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_left" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_top" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_right" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_bottom" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_col_span" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_row_span" format="integer"/>
<attr name="layout_spacing" format="dimension"/>
</declare-styleable>
</resources>
example_layout.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ScrollView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.rischit.projectlogger"
android:id="#+id/scroller"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent" >
<com.risch.evertsson.iclib.layout.ICGridLayout
android:id="#+id/ICGridLayout1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_spacing="4dp"
app:columns="4" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="1"
app:layout_left="0"
app:layout_right="4"
app:layout_top="0"
android:background="#ff0000"
android:text="TextView" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="3"
app:layout_left="3"
app:layout_right="4"
app:layout_top="1"
android:background="#00ff00"
android:text="TextView" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="4"
app:layout_left="0"
app:layout_right="3"
app:layout_top="1"
android:background="#0000ff"
android:text="TextView" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="4"
app:layout_left="3"
app:layout_right="4"
app:layout_top="3"
android:background="#ffff00"
android:text="TextView" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="6"
app:layout_left="0"
app:layout_right="1"
app:layout_top="4"
android:background="#ff00ff"
android:text="TextView" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
app:layout_bottom="6"
app:layout_left="1"
app:layout_right="4"
app:layout_top="4"
android:background="#ffffff"
android:text="TextView" />
</com.risch.evertsson.iclib.layout.ICGridLayout>
</ScrollView>
-- Johan Risch
P.S
This is my first long answer, I've tried to do it in a correct way. If I've failed please tell me without flaming :)
D.S

Like this ?
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="0.54" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/Button01"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1.00"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/Button02"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1.00"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
<Button
android:id="#+id/button3"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Button" />
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="99dp" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button2"
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1" >
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button4"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="152dp"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button5"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button6"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Button" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button7"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:text="Button" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

As many have said, nested linear layouts seem the only way to win here. Some of the solutions have not used the layout parameters in the most flexible manner. Code below seeks to do that, and in a way that's robust with aspect ratio changes. Details are in the comments.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<!-- First row. -->
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" >
<!-- Equal weights cause two columns of equal width. -->
<Button
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="A" />
<Button
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="B" />
</LinearLayout>
<!-- Second row. -->
<Button
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="C" />
<!-- Third row. -->
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" >
<!-- Equal weights cause two columns of equal width. -->
<Button
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="D" />
<Button
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="E" />
</LinearLayout>
<!-- Uneven fourth and fifth rows. -->
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:baselineAligned="false" >
<!-- Left column. Equal weight with right column gives them equal width. -->
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<!--
The use of weights below assigns all extra space to G. There
are other choices. LinearLayout computes sizes along its
axis as given, then divides the remaining extra space using
weights. If a component doesn't have a weight, it keeps
the specified size exactly.
-->
<!-- Fill width of layout and use wrap height (because there's no weight). -->
<Button
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="F" />
<!-- Fill width of layout and put all the extra space here. -->
<Button
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="G" />
</LinearLayout>
<!-- Right column. Equal weight with left column gives them equal width. -->
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="0dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<!-- Same as above except top button gets all the extra space. -->
<Button
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="H" />
<Button
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="I" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

So here is the solution I promised after one year =)
It basically uses the ViewTreeObserver to get the dimensions of the parent layout and create custom views accordingly. Since this code is one year old ViewTreeObserver might not be the best way to get the dimensions dynamically.
You can find the full source code here:
https://github.com/cdoger/Android_layout
I divided the screen into 8 equal widths and 6 equal heights. Here is a snapshot of how I laid out the views:
final RelativeLayout mainLayout = (RelativeLayout) findViewById(R.id.main_layout);
ViewTreeObserver vto = mainLayout.getViewTreeObserver();
vto.addOnGlobalLayoutListener(new OnGlobalLayoutListener() {
#Override
public void onGlobalLayout() {
final int oneUnitWidth = mainLayout.getMeasuredWidth() / 8;
final int oneUnitHeight = mainLayout.getMeasuredHeight() / 6;
/**
* 1
***************************************************************/
final RelativeLayout.LayoutParams otelParams = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(
oneUnitWidth * 4, oneUnitHeight);
otelParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.ALIGN_PARENT_TOP);
otelParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.ALIGN_PARENT_LEFT);
// otelParams.setMargins(0, 0, 2, 0);
View1.setLayoutParams(otelParams);
/***************************************************************/
/**
* 2
***************************************************************/
final RelativeLayout.LayoutParams otherParams = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(
oneUnitWidth * 4, oneUnitHeight);
otherParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.ALIGN_PARENT_TOP);
otherParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.RIGHT_OF, View1.getId());
otherParams.setMargins(2, 0, 0, 0);
View2.setLayoutParams(otherParams);
/***************************************************************/
//... goes on like this
Here is the final screenshot:

Embed your GridLayout in LinearLayout as below and try it worked for me.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="horizontal" >
<GridLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:columnCount="2" >
<Button
android:layout_column="0"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="start|end"
android:layout_row="0"
android:text="ASDFASDF" />
<Button
android:layout_column="1"
android:layout_gravity="start|end"
android:layout_row="0"
android:text="SDAVDFBDFB" />
<Button
android:layout_column="0"
android:layout_columnSpan="2"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="1"
android:text="ASDVADFBFDAFEW" />
<Button
android:layout_column="0"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="2"
android:text="FWEA AWFWEA" />
<Button
android:layout_column="1"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill"
android:layout_row="2"
android:text="BERWEfasf" />
<Button
android:layout_width="94dp"
android:layout_column="0"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="3"
android:text="SDFVBFAEVSAD" />
<Button
android:layout_column="0"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="4"
android:layout_rowSpan="2"
android:text="GVBAERWEFSD" />
<Button
android:layout_column="1"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="3"
android:layout_rowSpan="2"
android:text="VSDFAVE SDFASDWA SDFASD" />
<Button
android:layout_column="1"
android:layout_columnSpan="1"
android:layout_gravity="fill|center"
android:layout_row="5"
android:text="FWEWEGAWEFWAE"/>
</GridLayout>
</LinearLayout>