Question

I’ve been trying to create a RelativeLayout with a header, body (list) and footer.
I want the header to be above everything (aligned to top), the body (list) to be under the header (when scrolling) and the footer (aligned to bottom) to be above the body (list) – only when it’s visible.

I’ve managed to do so PERFECTLY when it comes to how things look but apparently the XML layout is the cause to the issues I’ve been having when clicking on listItems (see here, and here).

In order to solve the issues, I had to wrap the ListView with LinearLayout and put it between the header and the footer (in the XML).
This solves the listItems clicking issues BUT creates a new issue – the footer hides the last ListView item, even though the list does go under the header when scrolling it down.

I’m pretty much desperate here :\

This is the XML which creates the perfect layout but causes the List Item clicking issues:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:background="#ffffff"
    >
    <RelativeLayout
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="50dip"
        android:id="@+id/top_control_bar"
        >
        <TextView
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="fill_parent"
            android:text="Droidmarks"
            android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
            android:layout_toLeftOf="@+id/add_bookmark"
            android:textSize="20dip"
            android:textColor="#a0cb26"
            android:shadowColor="#7a9b1b"
            android:shadowRadius="5"
            android:layout_marginLeft="5dip"
            android:gravity="left|center" />
        <Button
            android:id="@+id/add_bookmark"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="right|center"
            android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
            android:text="Add"
        />
    </RelativeLayout>
    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/bottom_control_bar"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:visibility="invisible"
        >
        <Button
            android:id="@+id/test"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="right|center"
            android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
            android:text="Add"
        />
    </LinearLayout>

    <ListView
        android:id="@android:id/list"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@id/top_control_bar"
        android:layout_above="@id/bottom_control_bar"
        android:drawSelectorOnTop="false"
        android:focusable="false"
        android:focusableInTouchMode="false"
        android:cacheColorHint="#ffffff"
        android:listSelector="@drawable/selected_item"
        />
    <TextView android:id="@android:id/empty" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="No Bookmarks found. You can add one by clicking the star."
        android:layout_below="@id/top_control_bar" android:layout_above="@id/bottom_control_bar" />
</RelativeLayout>

This is the XML which hide the last List Item but solves the clicking issues:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:background="#ffffff"
    >
    <RelativeLayout
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="50dip"
        android:id="@+id/top_control_bar"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        >
        <TextView
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="fill_parent"
            android:text="Droidmarks"
            android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
            android:layout_toLeftOf="@+id/add_bookmark"
            android:textSize="20dip"
            android:textColor="#a0cb26"
            android:shadowColor="#7a9b1b"
            android:shadowRadius="5"
            android:layout_marginLeft="5dip"
            android:gravity="left|center" />
        <Button
            android:id="@+id/add_bookmark"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="right|center"
            android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
            android:text="Add"
        />
    </RelativeLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/listArea"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:orientation="horizontal"
        android:layout_below="@id/top_control_bar"
        >
        <ListView
            android:id="@android:id/list"
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawSelectorOnTop="false"
            android:cacheColorHint="#ffffff" />
        <TextView android:id="@android:id/empty" android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:text="No Bookmarks found. You can add one by clicking the star." />
    </LinearLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/bottom_control_bar"
        android:layout_above="@id/listArea"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:orientation="horizontal"
        android:visibility="visible"
        >
        <Button
        android:id="@+id/test"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_gravity="right|center"
        android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
        android:text="Add"
    />
    </LinearLayout>
</RelativeLayout>

I’d appreciate any help to somehow find a solution for both issues!

Thank you!

Answer 1

Can I ask why you’re using a RelativeLayout at all for the container? It seems like a perfect place to just use a LinearLayout with a weighted center area (the listview) that’s set up to take all remaining area after the wrap_height-set header and footer. RelativeLayouts are great for simplifying deeply nested layouts which contain both horizontal and vertical elements, but your outer layer here only contains 3 vertical elements anyways, so go with a LinearLayout with orientation:vertical unless I’m missing something here.

EDIT: In short, try this; this should give you a fixed height header, a wrapping-height footer, and the center area taking up all remaining space. Make sure the outer layout is set to fill_parent height and the middle area is set to a fixed height but with a layout_weight="1". I like to use “0px” for the base layout_height when I’m using layout_weight just to keep it clear to me when I go back and reread it later.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:background="#ffffff"
    >
    <RelativeLayout
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="50dip"
        android:id="@+id/top_control_bar"
        > <!-- snip - inner contents unchanged -->
    </RelativeLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/listArea"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="0px"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:orientation="horizontal"
        ><!-- snip - inner contents unchanged -->
    </LinearLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/bottom_control_bar"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:background="@drawable/top_background"
        android:orientation="horizontal"
        android:visibility="visible"
        ><!-- snip - inner contents unchanged -->
    </LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>