Develop Reference

Android Relative Layout - doesn't work like I want

I'm trying this now days and it still doesn't work. I read lots of tutorials about the Relative layout but I still can't do it. Please give me an idea, what I can do. I want a simple layout like in the picture.![enter image description here][1]
edit: Looks like I can't upload images ... :(
Its a layout for a simple quiz App with these widgets below each other. A ProgressBar, a TextView for a question, 4 Buttons for the answers. The TextView should take all the place the other widgets don't need. The Button should be always at the end.
I tried with alignParentTop, Bottom, nested LinearLayouts and it still doesn't work. What can I do? It would be REALLY REALLY great to have an idea? Thanks a lot!
Good idea: I uploaded the image: http://imgur.com/Z0YmLw2
Here is the actual code. (I edited it about 20x times)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent">
<ProgressBar
android:id="#+id/answerProgressBar"
style="#android:style/Widget.ProgressBar.Horizontal"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/countdownTextView"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_below="#id/answerProgressBar"
android:text="00:00:00" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/questionImageView"
android:layout_width="100dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_below="#id/countdownTextView"
android:layout_margin="5dp"
android:background="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:scaleType="fitCenter" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/questionTextView"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_below="#id/answerProgressBar"
android:layout_margin="5dp"
android:layout_toRightOf="#id/questionImageView"
android:text="jfh rhguijfhg fhge hugutbh r rut hruteruzt dkjfh uzdt ggu zguzg zuh ftz huuh rh grhtughrtu thiohjriwetk lkj rgjrjkrjek"
android:textSize="22dp" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/answert1Button"
style="#style/answerButton"
android:text="answer 1" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/answer2Button"
style="#style/answerButton"
android:text="answer 2" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/answer3Button"
style="#style/answerButton"
android:text="answer 3" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/answer4Button"
style="#style/answerButton"
android:text="answer 4 Butto d uzrr rd drtd gzugt ffzft drtn" />
</RelativeLayout>

With RelativeLayout it's the easiest way to position your widgets to the screen. However, it may take some time until you master it. Since if you're designing your layout with Graphic Tool, it will be harder.
Try editing it in XML Text. Make sure to read this Android Dev Tutorial on all the options you can access with using RelativeLayout.
I am sure you did check it, but I'm also quite sure that you were only searching for the obvious solutions. Sometimes, some not so obvious options will lead you to your goal - so be patient and try to do it from scratch with help of the tutorial.
Otherwise you could also use FrameLayout which divides your screen into several frames. BUT, again, it might complicate things for you in your App.

First, to make it easier, remove countdownTextView and questionImageView, and let's try.
I think you need to place layout_alignParentTop attribute with the ProgressBar:
<ProgressBar
android:id="#+id/answerProgressBar"
style="#android:style/Widget.ProgressBar.Horizontal"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true" />
And put all Buttons in a vertical LinearLayout with layout_alignParentBottom:
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/answerButtons"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/answerButton1"
style="#style/answerButton"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="answer1" />
(...)
</LinearLayout>
And at last, the TextView has to have both layout_below and layout_above attributes with setting layout_height="match_parent":
<TextView
android:id="#+id/questionTextView"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_below="R.id.answerProgressBar"
android:layout_above="R.id.answerButtons"
android:text="blah blah blah" />

Particular application design Android

I'm posting here in order to know if it was possible to make this design in Android :
If yes, could you help me how to do it (Just Guidelines).
Thank you
EDIT :
if I use only one Relative Layout I have this xml file :
<?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="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/background_cross"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:text="F1\n" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button2"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_marginTop="300dp"
android:layout_marginLeft="50dp"
android:text="Left\nbutton" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button3"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Right\nbutton"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginTop="300dp"
android:layout_marginRight="50dp"/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/button4"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginTop="380dp"
android:text="Bottom\nbutton" />
</RelativeLayout>
But declaring static dp is very bad and it isn't good to apply on all devices..
My xml code is shit ?
Do I have to get width and height screen of the device programmatically and set my buttons positions programmatically too ?
May be I could use this picture in Background and bind buttons on it ? (But how ?)

You can do this using a RelativeLayout and add the four buttons in it. Android supports adding custom fonts to your app and you will be able to set the button's font as well, you just need the font file. See here or here an example.
You will need the buttons background just as a white/red ring with transparent background.
You can place the buttons inside the RelativeLayout using margin properties (layout_marginLeft/Right/Top/Bottom) see here other properties.
The buttons text should have two lines (see android:lines xml property for a Button).
Good luck! I hope it helps ;).

Designing simple android layout?

I'm having a little trouble laying out my android app. I didn't plan it out very well, and i'm not new to java, but im new to these android xml layouts. What i have is a horizontal linear layout parent, which contains two relative layouts. The right relative layout consists of a custom view (GridView) and under it i want 3 buttons. I've added one button (button1) to my xml file and it won't show up on screen as you can see. I'm thinking i need to set the size of my gridview some how? Its height is 2x its width. Or can i set it by pixels programatically at runtime?
I'm also thinking i sort of over complicated things at this point. Like i said i'm new to these weird layouts, im used to just using x and y offsets in .net. Maybe this could all be done in one relative layout instead of using two and nesting them inside a linear layout?
Here's what i got so far:
<?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" >
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="match_parent" >
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:text="#string/next" />
<com.mydomain.tetrisv2.PreviewGridView
android:id="#+id/previewGridView1"
android:layout_width="100dp"
android:layout_height="150dp"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_below="#+id/textView1" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView2"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_below="#+id/previewGridView1"
android:text="Score: " />
</RelativeLayout>
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="match_parent" >
<com.mydomain.tetrisv2.GridView
android:id="#+id/gridView1"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginBottom="50dp" />
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_below="#+id/gridView1"
android:text="Button" />
</RelativeLayout>
</LinearLayout>
I can't post images but heres the visual result: http://i50.tinypic.com/orscgi.png
Also side note (unrelated), this is a project for experimentation and learning purposes but are there any legal copyright repercussions to making a tetris game and putting it on the play store?

Just change our right sides gridview's below button to this code
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" // change is here
android:text="Button" />
Hope this will help you..

How to embed one layout inside another in my case?

If I have a layout called bottom.xml,
bottom.xml:(simply contain a textview and edit text view)
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
android:orientation="vertical"
>
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
android:gravity="center_horizontal"
android:text="#string/username"
/>
<EditText
android:id="#+id/name"
android:layout_width="120dip"
android:layout_height="50dip"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
/>
</LinearLayout>
Is there any way to embed the above bottom.xml layout inside other layouts instead of repeatly writing the same code in several layout files (when other layouts have a part which contains the same layout as bottom.xml)?
For example, if my admin.xml layout also contain part of the layout which looks exactly the same as bottom.xml, how to just embed the bottom.xml inside admin.xml instead of writing the same code again?
admin.xml:
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
>
...
...
<!--How to embed bottom.xml here-->
...
</LinearLayout>
If there is no way to do it in Android, what could be the workaround??
----------Update-----------
Like #xevincent suggested, I can reuse the bottom.xml by use <include> tag,
But How to change the id of the elements inside the resued layout?
For example, insdie bottom.xml, I would like to change the id of <editText android:id="#+id/name"> to <editText android:id="#+id/other_name"> when I reuse the bottom.xml layout in other layout, how to change the id ?

See this doc reusing layouts.

Just upvote xevincent's anwser. I added this answer because SO recommends to "Always quote the most relevant part of an important link, in case the target site is unreachable or goes permanently offline."
So, basically, his link explains that you should use <include />.
<com.android.launcher.Workspace
android:id="#+id/workspace"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
launcher:defaultScreen="1">
<include android:id="#+id/cell1" layout="#layout/workspace_screen" />
<include android:id="#+id/cell2" layout="#layout/workspace_screen" />
<include android:id="#+id/cell3" layout="#layout/workspace_screen" />
</com.android.launcher.Workspace>
And know that you can override the layout parameters:
<include android:layout_width="fill_parent" layout="#layout/image_holder" />

Have a look on this doc, Link updated
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/02/android-layout-tricks-2-reusing-layouts.html

How to modify the childs text from a merge layout from the include xml tag?

I want to somehow modify the content of the merge layout from the include tag. Is that possible?
Layout picAndText.xml:
<merge xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<ImageView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:scaleType="center"
android:src="#drawable/golden_gate" />
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginBottom="20dip"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal|bottom"
android:padding="12dip"
android:background="#AA000000"
android:textColor="#ffffffff"
android:text="Golden Gate" />
</merge>
And the layout xml that uses picAndText.xml:
<include layout="#layout/picAndText" android:id="#+id/picText" />
Please note this is an example of what I would like to acomplish. I want to reuse complex layouts with multiple children but I need different text on them every time I reuse these without having to copy the whole layout everywhere...
Thanks!
-Jona

If I understand what you are trying to do correctly, I don't think its possible from XML. Instead, you can update the text when you load the layout in code.