Question

How do I go about creating the following layout in Android?

I want a “header”, that is, a header that stays the same at all times. The only thing that should change is the area below the header.

Think of it as a webpage, where the content-area is where its all happening =)

+--------------------+
| H E A D E R        |
+--------------------+
|                    |
|                    |
|                    |
|  C O N T E N T     |
|                    |
|                    |
|                    |
+--------------------+

Sure, its easy enough to create a LinearLayot, add a View on the top and then another view below that – tada! But what Im after is how you “set up” or design the project so its easy to just change whats in the Content.

What I really would like is to be able to “swipe” (see here) the area and then just “roll in” a new View/thing in the Content-area, but keep the same header.

What I really miss is a comprehensive library of layout-examples.

Answer 1

You can create a layout file for your header. At the top of the layout for each content activity, include the layout file like:

<include android:id="@+id/header"
         layout="@layout/my_header"
         android:layout_height="wrap_content"
         android:layout_width="fill_parent"/>

How exactly you get the header to stay at the top of the content’s layout will vary based on the rest of your layout. You could use a LinearLayout with orientation=”vertical”, or a relative layout with align_parentTop=”true” on your include statement.

This android documentation has a good summary of basic layout types.