Develop Reference

RelativeLayout Stack Buttons

I would like to align two buttons on the bottom of a relative layout that is wrapped inside of a linear layout.
I am unable to get the view favorites button to be on top of the search button. There is a big space as you can see in this image:
Here is my code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<TextView
android:text="#string/SearchRestaurantsCity"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/tvRestaurantSearchCity" />
<EditText
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/etRestaurantSearchCity" />
<TextView
android:text="#string/SearchRestaurantsState"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/tvRestaurantSearchState" />
<EditText
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/etRestaurantSearchState" />
<TextView
android:text="#string/SearchRestaurantsCategories"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/tvRestaurantSearchCategories" />
<Spinner
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/spRestaurantSearchCategories" />
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/InnerRelativeLayout"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
<Button
android:text="#string/btnViewFavoriteRestaurants"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/btnViewFavoriteRestaurants"
style="#style/ButtonText"
android:padding="5dp"
android:layout_below="btnSearchRestaurants" />
<Button
android:text="#string/btnSearchRestaurants"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#+id/btnSearchRestaurants"
style="#style/ButtonText"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:padding="5dp" />
</RelativeLayout>

There are 2 things wrong with the XML.
For starters, you can't refer to the button btnSearchRestaurants before it's defined.
Secondly, you've defined btnSearchRestaurants to align-parent-bottom, and then tried to define that btnViewFavoriteRestaurants would be below that button. It should be above it (as per your description).

If you're trying to put the first button I can see inside RelativeLayout, I'd try to change the following line:
android:layout_below="btnSearchRestaurants" />
for this one:
android:layout_above="#+id/btnSearchRestaurants" />
Part of the space is reserved for all the elements of the layout I can see inside the LinearLayout,and the + is because the button btnSearchRestaurants is below so it is not created yet

I think the problem is at
android:layout_below="btnSearchRestaurants"
It should be
android:layout_below="#id/btnSearchRestaurants"

In your xml code I think you should correct this line
android:layout_below="btnSearchRestaurants"
as you want it to be above the Search Restaurants button it should be
android:layout_above="#id/btnSearchRestaurants"
I changed below to above for obvious reasons (you want it above the other button not below it) and added #id/ because you will be searching for the button id.

How to show * symbol againist the mandatory fields in a Activity

I have a requirement to display * symbol against the mandatory fields in a Activity. Can you please suggest how can I accomplish that. Any help would be appreciated.

I'd say that * as a marker for a required field does not follow native Android theme. A combination of setHint and setError would look more natural for an Android app.

Just take a Relative Layout and on the Right side of the EditText set the ImageView with * image source like this,
<?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="fill_parent">
<EditText android:id="#+id/edit_text"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="5dip"
android:text="Hello World"
/>
<ImageView android:layout_toRightOf="#id/edit_text"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignTop="#id/edit_text"
android:src="#drawable/star"/>
</RelativeLayout>
Output:

The following should work:
<TextView
android:id="#+id/date"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:fontFamily="verdana"
android:text="FirstName"
android:textColor="#000"
android:drawableRight="#drawable/star" />
<EditText
android:id="#+id/editTextFirstName"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginTop="5dp"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:hint="FirstName" />

Why not to try something like below
txt.setText(Html.fromHtml("mm<sup>2</sup>"));

Preference item-like layout

In main activity of my application I need a control which should look like ListPreference in PreferencesActivity. I mean, 2 lines: title and current value and down arrow icon on the right.
I've tried to use TwoLineListItem for this:
<TwoLineListItem android:id="#+id/twoLineListItem1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:onClick="onButtonClick" android:focusable="true"
android:background="#android:drawable/list_selector_background">
<TextView android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:id="#android:id/text1"
android:text="Upload into:" />
<TextView android:layout_below="#android:id/text1"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
android:layout_alignLeft="#android:id/text1" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#android:id/text2" android:text="<not set>"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" />
<!-- <ImageView android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:id="#android:id/selectedIcon"
android:src="???"> </ImageView> -->
</TwoLineListItem>
It all works except of arrow icon: I can't find proper resource which system uses for it.
How this could be solved?
Or maybe I should use another control instead of TwoLineListItem?
Or maybe even try to implement my activity as PreferencesActivity (thought I need some EditText controls in my activity)?
For the reference, what I need is on the left picture:
http://androinica-serve.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/evernote_comp2.png

wow, this question is so old and i can't believe no one answered it correctly lol. the layout you were looking for is in the sdk tree under:
[android-sdk-root]/platforms/[your-platform]/data/res/layout/preference.xml
you'll find this and any other sdk defined layouts in this folder. fish around in the res folder and see what's available. sorry it's a year late, but there ya go.

Use this layout and modify according to your need...
<?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="fill_parent"
android:background="#FFFFFF">
<LinearLayout android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_alignParentLeft="true">
<TextView android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:text="ggggggggg"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:id="#android:id/text1"
/>
<TextView android:layout_below="#android:id/text1"
android:text="ssssssssssss"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="#android:id/text2"
android:layout_width="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
<ImageView android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:id="#android:id/selectedIcon"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:src="#drawable/icon"
/>
</RelativeLayout>

You might try using #android:drawable/btn_dropdown to get the system resource and setting that as the background.

How to add margin between radiobutton ant it's drawable?

This my current layout:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ScrollView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="#+id/scrollview"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#F5F5DC"
>
<LinearLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
>
<RadioGroup
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:orientation="vertical"
>
<RadioButton android:id="#+id/radio_red"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:drawableLeft="#drawable/flag_dk"
android:textColor="#000000"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
android:drawablePadding="10dip"
android:text="Danish" />
<RadioButton android:id="#+id/radio_blue"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:drawableLeft="#drawable/flag_en"
android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
android:layout_marginTop="5dip"
android:drawablePadding="10dip"
android:textColor="#000000"
android:text="English" />
</RadioGroup>
</LinearLayout>
</ScrollView>
I get this:
I would like to have some space (margin) between radiobutton an the flag (it's drawable). Is it even possible?

You can do like the following:
<android.support.v7.widget.AppCompatRadioButton
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="#dimen/view_size"
android:button="#null"
android:drawablePadding="100dp"
android:drawableLeft="?android:attr/listChoiceIndicatorSingle"
android:text="label" />

In my case, where I have a custom drawable shape, adding android:paddingDrwable attribure did not work but adding android:paddingLeft="5dp" did.

Where you are setting the image and the text give blank spaces before it.
for example: radiobutton.setText(" "+Text);.You will see the desired output.

I don't think it is possible to add space between the image and the radio button using the android apis. However, the answer to your question I think is to add some space in the image itself.

Use Relative Layout instead of Linear Layout it gives android:layout_margingleft & android:layout_margingRight to drop your radio buton & Images as well.
Also give android:padding="10dip"
Try it it will definitely work!!!!

Android adding caption to widget

i want to add a caption which looks like the default text below an app icon to the widget of my app. Is there any common way to achieve this?

<TextView
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="72dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/label"
android:drawableTop="#drawable/icon"
/>
Something like this should work. Using the drawableTop/Left/Right attributes will allow you to place an image above the label. A full list of attributes can be found here.
Another thing you could try is:
<RelativeLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="72dp"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
>
<TextView
android:text="#string/label"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/background_shape"
android:id="#+id/text"
/>
<ImageView
android:src="#drawable/icon"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:scaleType="fitCenter"
android:layout_above="#id/text"
/>
</RelativeLayout>

I disagree with this answer.
You should not try to do this.
It has been discussed here :
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2651631/android-home-screen-widget-icon-label-style/2652961#2652961