Android Layout Weight

Android Problem Overview

I am new to Android development and I have a question about setting weight in a linear layout.

I am trying to create a row with two custom buttons and a custom edit text. The edit text should only take up as much room as its content, and the two buttons should expand horizontally to fill the rest of the available space in the row. Like this...

| [#Button++#] [#Button--#] [et] |

After several attempts this is the closest I can get to what I want, even though it seems overly complicated.

| [Button] [Button] [###ET###] |

<LinearLayout 
	android:orientation="horizontal"
	android:layout_width="fill_parent"
	android:layout_height="wrap_content"
	android:gravity="center_horizontal|center_vertical"
	android:layout_weight="1"
	>
	
	<LinearLayout 
		android:orientation="horizontal"
		android:layout_width="fill_parent"
		android:layout_height="wrap_content"
		android:layout_weight="1"
		android:gravity="center_horizontal|center_vertical"
		>
		<RelativeLayout 
			android:id="@+id/btn_plus_container" 
			android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
			>
			<ImageButton 
				android:layout_height="wrap_content"
				android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
				android:id="@+id/btn_plus" 
				android:background="@drawable/btn"
				android:layout_centerInParent="true"
				></ImageButton>
			<TextView 
				android:textColor="#FAFAF4"
				android:id="@+id/tv_dice_plus" 
				android:text="@string/tv_plus" 
				android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
				android:layout_height="wrap_content"
				android:layout_centerInParent="true"
				></TextView>
		</RelativeLayout>
	</LinearLayout>
	<LinearLayout 
		android:orientation="horizontal"
		android:layout_width="fill_parent"
		android:layout_height="wrap_content"
		android:layout_weight="1"
		android:gravity="center_horizontal|center_vertical"
		>
		<RelativeLayout 
			android:id="@+id/btn_minus_container" 
			android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
			>
			<ImageButton 
				android:layout_height="wrap_content"
				android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
				android:id="@+id/btn_minus" 
				android:background="@drawable/btn"
				android:layout_centerInParent="true"
				></ImageButton>
			<TextView 
				android:textColor="#FAFAF4"
				android:id="@+id/btn_minus" 
				android:text="@string/tv_minus" 
				android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
				android:layout_height="wrap_content"
				android:layout_centerInParent="true"
				></TextView>
		</RelativeLayout>
	</LinearLayout>
	<LinearLayout 
		android:orientation="horizontal"
		android:layout_width="fill_parent"
		android:layout_height="wrap_content"
		android:layout_weight="1"
		android:gravity="center_horizontal|center_vertical"
		>
		<EditText 
			android:textColor="#FAFAF4"
			android:text="@string/et_output" 
			android:id="@+id/et_output" 
			android:layout_width="wrap_content" 
			android:layout_height="wrap_content"
			android:inputType="number"
			android:selectAllOnFocus="true" 
			android:minWidth="50sp"			
			android:maxWidth="50sp"
			android:background="@drawable/tv_black_background3"
			android:textColorHighlight="#c30505"
			></EditText>
	</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

As I understand setting [android:layout_weight="2"] for the linear layouts holding the buttons should make them take up more room than the edit text, but it does the opposite for me, making them both half the size.

| [Btn] [Btn] [#####et#####] |

I have tried so many different combinations I can't even remember them, and none have worked.

Android Solutions

Solution 1 - Android

It doesn't work because you are using fill_parent as the width. The weight is used to distribute the remaining empty space or take away space when the total sum is larger than the LinearLayout. Set your widths to 0dip instead and it will work.

Solution 2 - Android

android:Layout_weight can be used when you don't attach a fix value to your width already like fill_parent etc.

Do something like this :

<Button>

Android:layout_width="0dp"
Android:layout_weight=1

-----other parameters
</Button>

Solution 3 - Android

Think it that way, will be simpler

If you have 3 buttons and their weights are 1,3,1 accordingly, it will work like table in HTML

Provide 5 portions for that line: 1 portion for button 1, 3 portion for button 2 and 1 portion for button 1

Solution 4 - Android

In the linearLayout set the WeightSum=2;

And distribute the weight to its childs as you want them to display.. I have given weight ="1" to the child .So both will distribute half of the total.

 <LinearLayout
    android:id="@+id/linear1"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:weightSum="2"
    android:orientation="horizontal" >

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/ring_oss"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:src="@drawable/ring_oss" />

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/maila_oss"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:src="@drawable/maila_oss" />
</LinearLayout>

Solution 5 - Android

weight values 0-1 share distribution of available space (after setting layout_width="0px") in proportion to the weight value. View elements with weight not specified (no weight entry) get weight 0 which means they get no expansion.

A simple alternative with no weight entries needed is to attach marquee to a view with text which tells it to expand from minimum needed for the text (wrap_content) to space available EditText: android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:ellipsize="marquee"

Solution 6 - Android

i would suppose to set the EditTexts width to wrap_content and put the two buttons into a LinearLayout whose width is fill_parent and weight set to 1.

Solution 7 - Android

One more reason I found (vague as it may sound). The below did not work.

>LinearLayout vertical >>LinearLayout height fillparent + weight

>>LinearLayout height fillparent + weight

>EndLinearLayout

What did work was

>RelativeLayout

>>LinearLayout vertical

>>>LinearLayout height fillparent + weight

>>EndLinearLayout

>EndRelativeLayout

It sounds vague by a root layout with Linear and weights under it did not work. And when I say "did not work", I mean, that after I viewed the graphical layout between various resolutions the screen consistency broke big time.

Solution 8 - Android

<LinearLayout
    android:id="@+id/linear1"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:weightSum="9"
    android:orientation="horizontal" >

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/ring_oss"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="3"
        android:src="@drawable/ring_oss" />

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/maila_oss"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="3"
        android:src="@drawable/maila_oss" />
<EditText
        android:id="@+id/edittxt"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="3"
        android:src="@drawable/maila_oss" />
</LinearLayout>

Content Type	Original Author	Original Content on Stackoverflow
Question	UnluckyDevil	View Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - Android	Romain Guy	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - Android	learn_andrd	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - Android	George Nguyen	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - Android	Zar E Ahmer	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - Android	JDPearlman	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 6 - Android	Jonathan Roth	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 7 - Android	Siddharth	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 8 - Android	Devendra Shah	View Answer on Stackoverflow