Question

I’d like to create and edittext box with a custom offset background like this:

How should I go about doing this?

Answer 1

I’d go with a LinearLayout containing your border as the background drawable, same padding for top, left and right and higher padding at bottom.

Then, setting a custom, stateful 9-patch drawable for your EditText based on your background.
In fact, if you make your background 9-patched, you can use it both in your LinearLayout and your EditText.

Also, you don’t have to make your EditText drawable stateful; but I strongly advise you to do so, so the user can actually get visual feedback from your EditText.

Sample code:

layout/your_layout.xml

...
<LinearLayout
     android:layout_width="fill_parent"
     android:layout_height="wrap_content"
     android:background="@drawable/bg_border"
     android:paddingLeft="10dip"
     android:paddingRight="10dip"
     android:paddingTop="10dip"
     android:paddingBottom="30dip">


     <EditText
         android:layout_width="fill_parent"
         android:layout_height="wrap_content"
         android:background="@drawable/bg_border_statelist" />

</LinearLayout>
...

drawable/bg_border_statelist.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:state_selected="true"
        android:drawable="@drawable/bg_border_selected" />
    <item android:state_focused="true"
        android:drawable="@drawable/bg_border_selected" />
    <item android:drawable="@drawable/bg_border" />
</selector>

Assuming your background image is 9-patch and called bg_border.9.png, and the respective 9-patch version is called bg_border_selected.9.png.

Cheers!