Develop Reference

Separate stars in a ratingbar

I need to separate the stars in a RatingBar, it's possible? Or have I to create my own RatingBar?
<RatingBar
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:numStars="7"
android:id="#+id/estrellas2"
android:scaleX="1.2"
android:scaleY="1.2"
android:layout_below="#+id/textView2"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_alignParentStart="true"
android:layout_marginLeft="30dp"/>

Set
android:progressDrawable="#drawable/custom_ratingbar_selector"
property to customize rating bar .
and
Create custom_ratingbar_selector.xml in drawable and paste this code
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item
android:id="#android:id/background"
android:drawable="#drawable/unslected_star_icon" />
<item
android:id="#android:id/secondaryProgress"
android:drawable="#drawable/unslected_star_icon" />
<item
android:id="#android:id/progress"
android:drawable="#drawable/slected_star_icon" />
</layer-list>

Try this code,
android:progressDrawable = "#drawable/rat_star"
android:indeterminateDrawable = "#drawable/rat_star"
#drawable/rat_star :
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:id="#+android:id/background"
android:drawable="#drawable/starempty" />
<item android:id="#+android:id/secondaryProgress"
android:drawable="#drawable/starempty" />
<item android:id="#+android:id/progress"
android:drawable="#drawable/star" />
</layer-list>

Android ImageView selector does not work

This is my selector:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_down_arrow_v4" android:state_pressed="true"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_up_arrow_v4" android:state_focused="false"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_up_arrow_v4" /> <!-- default -->
</selector>
This is how I applied it on ImageView:
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/change_city_small_down_ImageView"
android:clickable="true"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_toRightOf="#+id/changeCityRelativeLayout"
android:layout_marginLeft="5dp"
android:background="#drawable/change_city_selector"
</ImageView>
Now, the problem is, when I pressed the ImageView, the according state drawable image does not change. I have tried it on other wigdet, also not work. I can't figure out why, becasue I used to do this the same way, and it works.
I have monitored imageview states when it been clicked.
v.hasFocus() : false , v.isClickable() : true , v.isInTouchMode() :true , v.isEnabled() : true , v.isPressed() : true
I made a terrible mistake, the white_small_down_arrow_v4 and white_small_up_arrow_v4 actually pointing the same direction, in other words, they are same picture.
so, probably my mistake will help someone else if they found selector does not work, and first thing to do is to check if the state drawables are the same....

Try this: use image android:src="#drawable/change_city_selector" instead of android:background="#drawable/change_city_selector"
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/change_city_small_down_ImageView"
android:clickable="true"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_toRightOf="#+id/changeCityRelativeLayout"
android:layout_marginLeft="5dp"
android:src="#drawable/change_city_selector"
</ImageView>

Try adding android:focusable="true" and android:focusableintouchmode="true" in your ImageView property.

You need to set clickable to true in ImageView
android:clickable="true"

change you selection to this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_down_arrow_v4" android:state_pressed="true"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_up_arrow_v4" android:state_focused="true"/>
<item android:drawable="#drawable/white_small_up_arrow_v4" /> <!-- default -->
</selector>
both of them should be true

Try this, it's checked on Android 4.4.2 and 5.1:
/drawable
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_pressed="true">
<color android:color="#color/item_pressed"/>
</item>
<item>
<color android:color="#android:color/transparent"/>
</item>
</selector>
/layout
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/ivOpenFile"
android:layout_width="48dp"
android:layout_height="48dp"
android:layout_margin="8dp"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:padding="4dp"
android:background="#drawable/selector_settings_item"
android:clickable="true"
android:focusableInTouchMode="true"
android:visibility="invisible"
/>
/java
ivOpenFile = (ImageView) rootView.findViewById(R.id.ivOpenFile);
ivOpenFile.setImageDrawable(VectorDrawableCompat.create(
getResources(),
R.drawable.vd_action_files_black,
null));

Make sure that your selector actually has state_selected instead of state_checked the later will not work
your_selector.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:drawable="#drawable/ic_heart_selected" android:state_selected="true" />
<item android:drawable="#drawable/ic_heart_unselected" android:state_selected="false" />
</selector>
if you have state_checked instead of state_selected, ImageView will never work.

Change spinner background

I have created a spinner which looks like
My layout file is:
<RelativeLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/round_corners"
android:padding="7dip" >
<Spinner
android:id="#+id/select_city"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:prompt="#string/selectCity" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/textView3"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_marginLeft="14dp"
android:text="#string/City"
android:textColor="#color/dark_grey"
android:textSize="18dp" />
</RelativeLayout>
What I want is to make the background of the spinner transparent but still show the downward arrow. Is there any way that I can do this?

Create xml file and place it in drawable folder.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/slim_spinner_pressed" />
<item android:drawable="#drawable/slim_spinner_normal" />
</selector>
.
<Spinner ..... android:background="#drawable/selector_slim_spinner" ..... />
For more Information Check this Change Spinner Style In Android

You should create a slector and give that selector as background to your spinner
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/..." />
<item android:drawable="#drawable/..." />
</selector>

you can use this resource Android Holo Colors Generator to generate android components like Android 4.0

customize toggle button on Android

I customized the Toggle button by using a drawable defined by using a selector. I use this drawable as background for the Toggle button.
<ToggleButton
android:id="#+id/mailbox:toggle_button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="bottom"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:background="#drawable/toggle_background"
android:gravity="center_horizontal|center_vertical" />
The toggle_background is defined here:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/img1"
android:state_checked="true" />
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/img2"
android:state_checked="false" />
</selector>
The problem is that the image is always stretched. Is there a way to define an image for the two states that is not stretched?
What I need is a background that will be stretched and in the center of the button an icon that must not be stretched.
Is it possible?

This is my final solution.
In the layout:
<ToggleButton
android:id="#+id/mailbox:toggle"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:background="#drawable/toggle_drawable_layers"/>
in the toggle_drawable_layers.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:drawable="#drawable/toggle_drawable_bkg"></item>
<item android:left="10dp" android:drawable="#drawable/toggle_drawable_left"
android:gravity="center_vertical|center_horizontal" />
</layer-list>
in the toggle_drawable_left.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_checked="true">
<bitmap android:src="#drawable/bitmap_checked"
android:gravity="center_vertical|center_horizontal" />
</item>
<item android:state_checked="false">
<bitmap android:src="#drawable/bitmap_unchecked"
android:gravity="center_vertical|center_horizontal" />
</item>
</selector>

I did the same task this way, the button:
<ToggleButton android:id="#+id/mlAbout"
android:textOn="#string/about"
android:textOff="#string/about"
android:background="#drawable/ml_about" />
#drawable/ml_about:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:drawable="#drawable/list_bg_top"></item>
<item android:left="10dp">
<bitmap android:src="#drawable/waiting_status_btn"
android:gravity="center_vertical|left" />
</item>
</layer-list>
#drawable/list_bg_top background image that will be stretched and #drawable/waiting_status_btn is the icon the will not be stretched with the widget

Just use bitmaps instead of drawables in your selector like so (no need to use layers):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/img1"
android:state_checked="true" />
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/img2"
android:state_checked="false" />
</selector>
Also, don't forget to declare
android:textOff=""
android:textOn=""
in your ToggleButton declaration

There is another way to overcome the issue of stretching:
Just convert the image into a Nine-Patch image, where the stretchable areas are just on all sides of the image.
Then Android will stretch the image only in invisible areas, and keep the visible image unchanged.

Android: LevelListDrawable isn't work?

Trying to use LevelListDrawable for my ImageView...But it's not working...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<level-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/icon1"
android:maxLevel="0" />
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/icon2"
android:maxLevel="1" />
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/icon3"
android:maxLevel="2" />
</level-list>
This thing i saved in drawable folder...and named as custom_image.xml...
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/someId"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:src = "#drawable/custom_image"/>
But my images don't want change...All the time icon1 is shown....What I do wrong ? Thanks..