Question

I need my view to be placed in the center and it’s width is not a match parent or wrap content but a size of particular percentage of a screen the app is running on. To have a more flexible layout I didn’t set its size using dimensions, but defined weights for the elements to have a required size of the main one. In order to do so I’ve inserted two additional LinearLayouts and defined weights for them. I don’t think this is the best solution to increase Views amount within the XML. Can you guys let me know the more efficient way of doing that?

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
                  android:layout_width="match_parent"
                  android:layout_height="match_parent"
                  android:background="@drawable/right_back"
                  android:orientation="horizontal"
                  android:gravity="center">

<!-- The first one I think which is redundant -->
        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_weight="25"
            android:layout_width="0dip"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

<!-- Main view I need to be of a required size on each screen size -->
        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="0dip"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:background="@drawable/layout_round_corners"
            android:orientation="vertical"
            android:layout_weight="50"
            android:padding="20dip">

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:text="@string/welcome_text"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
                android:textColor="@color/text_color"
                android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"/>

            <EditText
                android:id="@+id/edt_firsttimeactivity_first_field"
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:hint="@string/password"
                android:password="true"
                android:singleLine="true"/>

            <EditText
                android:id="@+id/edt_firsttimeactivity_second_field"
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:hint="@string/repeat_new_password_again"
                android:password="true"
                android:singleLine="true"/>

            <Button
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:onClick="onButtonClick"
                android:text="@string/create_account_for_me"/>
        </LinearLayout>

<!-- The second one I think which is redundant -->
        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_weight="25"
            android:layout_width="0dip"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"></LinearLayout>


    </LinearLayout>

Answer 1

This is how you should write the layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
              android:layout_width="match_parent"
              android:layout_height="match_parent"                  
              android:orientation="horizontal"
              android:background="@drawable/right_back"
              android:weightSum="1"
              android:gravity="center">

<!-- Main view I need to be of a required size on each screen size -->
    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:background="@drawable/layout_round_corners"
        android:layout_weight=".5"
        android:padding="20dp">

        <TextView
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:text="@string/welcome_text"
            android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
            android:textColor="@color/text_color"
            android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"/>

        <EditText
            android:id="@+id/edt_firsttimeactivity_first_field"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"                
            android:hint="@string/password"
            android:password="true"
            android:singleLine="true"/>

        <EditText
            android:id="@+id/edt_firsttimeactivity_second_field"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:hint="@string/repeat_new_password_again"
            android:password="true"
            android:singleLine="true"/>

        <Button
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
            android:onClick="onButtonClick"
            android:text="@string/create_account_for_me"/>
    </LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

Try this. You can change the layout_weight of the 2nd LinearLayout to make it look big or small as you like.