Android Layout with ListView and Buttons

Alright, this specific layout is just annoying me. And can't seem to find a way to have a listView, with a row of buttons at the bottom so that the listview doesn't extend over top of the buttons, and so the buttons are always snapped to the bottom of the screen. Here's what I want:

removed dead ImageShack link

It seems like it should be so easy, but everything I've tried has failed. Any help?

Here's my current code:

    RelativeLayout container = new RelativeLayout(this);
	container.setLayoutParams(new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT,LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT));
	
    //** Add LinearLayout with button(s)

	LinearLayout buttons = new LinearLayout(this);
	
	RelativeLayout.LayoutParams bottomNavParams = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT);
	bottomNavParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.ALIGN_PARENT_BOTTOM);
	bottomNavParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.CENTER_HORIZONTAL);
	buttons.setLayoutParams(bottomNavParams);
	
	
	ImageButton newLayer = new ImageButton(this);
	newLayer.setImageResource(R.drawable.newlayer);
	newLayer.setLayoutParams(new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(45, LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT));
	buttons.addView(newLayer);
    
    container.addView(buttons);

    //** Add ListView

    layerview = new ListView(this);
    
	RelativeLayout.LayoutParams listParams = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT, LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT);
    listParams.addRule(RelativeLayout.ABOVE, buttons.getId());
	
	layerview.setLayoutParams(listParams);
	
	container.addView(layerview);

I think this is what you are looking for.

<?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">

	<Button android:layout_width="fill_parent"
		android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:id="@+id/testbutton"
		android:text="@string/hello" android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" />

	<ListView android:layout_width="fill_parent"
		android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:id="@+id/list"
		android:layout_alignParentTop="true" android:layout_above="@id/testbutton" />

</RelativeLayout>

I had the same problem for ages.

The solution to keeping the ListView above the buttons, but preventing it from covering them up when the list is long, is to set android:layout_weight="1.0" on the ListView. Leave the layout_weight on the buttons unset so that they remain at their natural size, otherwise the buttons will get scaled. This works with LinearLayout.

There's an example in the Android ApiDemos: ApiDemos/res/layout/linear_layout_9.xml

I was just searching for an answer to this question and this was one of the first results. I feel as if all of the answers, including the one that is currently chosen as the "best answer" is not addressing the issue being asked about. The problem that is being stated is that there is an overlap of the two components Button and ListView in that the ListView is taking up the entire screen, and the Button is visually floating above (in front of) the ListView (blocking view/access of the last item in the ListView)

Based on the answers I've seen here and on other forums, I finally came to a conclusion on how to resolve this.

Originally, I had:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
  xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  android:orientation="vertical"
  android:layout_width="fill_parent"
  android:layout_height="fill_parent"
  android:background="#FF394952">

  <ListView
    android:id="@+id/game_list"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
    />

  <LinearLayout
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    style="@android:style/ButtonBar">

    <Button
      android:id="@+id/new_game"
      android:layout_width="fill_parent"
      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
      android:text="@string/new_game"
      android:textColor="#FFFFFFFF"
      android:background="@drawable/button_background" />
  </LinearLayout>

</RelativeLayout>

Note the use of RelativeLayout as the root node.

This is the final, working version in which the Button does not overlap the ListView:

<?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"
  android:background="#FF394952">

  <ListView
    android:id="@+id/game_list"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
    android:layout_weight="1.0" />

  <LinearLayout
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    style="@android:style/ButtonBar">

    <Button
      android:id="@+id/new_game"
      android:layout_width="fill_parent"
      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
      android:text="@string/new_game"
      android:textColor="#FFFFFFFF"
      android:background="@drawable/button_background" />
  </LinearLayout>

</LinearLayout>

There are only two differences. First, I've switched to using a LinearLayout. This will help with the next bit, which was adding android:layout_weight to my ListView

I hope this helps.

The best way is a relative layout that sets the buttons below the listview. In this example the buttons are also in a linear layout because it is easier to put them side by side at an equal size.

<RelativeLayout android:id="@+id/RelativeLayout01" 
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="fill_parent">

<ListView android:id="@+id/ListView01" 
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="fill_parent">
</ListView>

<LinearLayout android:id="@+id/LinearLayout01" 
android:layout_below="@+id/ListView01" 
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
<Button android:id="@+id/ButtonJoin" 
android:text="Join"
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
</Button>
<Button android:id="@+id/ButtonJoin" 
android:layout_alignRight="@id/ButtonCancel" 
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:text="Cancel"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true">
</Button>
</LinearLayout>

</RelativeLayout>

I know this post is rather old, but, to answer the original poster's question, the reason the code did not work was buttons.getId() returns -1. If you are going to do this, you need to set do something like call buttons.setId(10). If you do that, the code works just fine.

the easiest solution would be to create two linear layouts, one with the button and the other with the list view(Wrap content on the button height and match parent on the list layout height). then only make a scroll view over the layout with the list view and the button layout will be ignored. hope it helps, sorry i didn't feel like writing out the code.

this should work. to have buttons above the listview too, put the buttons inside another linear layout.

<LinearLayout> main container // vertical

<LinearLayout> scrollview must be contained in a linear layout //vertical - height to fill parent

    <ScrollView> set the height of this to fill parent

        <ListView> will be contained in the scrollview
        </ListView>

    </ScrollView>

</LinearLayout>

<LinearLayout> //horizontal - height to wrap content

<Button>

</Button>

</LinearLayout>

</LinearLayout>