Question

I need button that has a replicated background pattern and normal button text on top – how to specify this in layout XML?

Answer 1

Override android:background on the Button in question. Or, for reuse you could declare your own style, overriding android:background from the base button style:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
  <style name="MyButtonStyle" parent="Widget.Button">
    <item name="android:background">@drawable/fancy_button</item>
  </style>
</resources>

In either case, your fancy_button drawable would be an image, or more likely a StateListDrawable.

For the Button instances you wish to apply this to, you’d do:
<Button style="@style/MyButtonStyle" />.