LinearLayout within Relative Layout XML

Question

I've got my LinearLayout part of my app complete. I'm now adding a small bar at the top of the screen/activity using RelativeLayout, but I seem to have it backwards of the way I want it in the picture below.

The tan-colored Linear Layout is visible in a small bar at the top, which is what I want the white RelativeLayout to be and the LinearLayout should be using the white space that RelativeLayout's taking up. I'm confused as how to:

• change RelativeLayout so that it's height is only as tall as the bar on the top (50dp)

• have LinearLayout begin 50dp down, so that it's top meets the bottom of the RelativeLayout

Original XML file containing only LinearLayout:

    <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="#F8FBBF" >

                <ExpandableListView
                    android:id="@+id/lvExp"
                    android:layout_height="match_parent"
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:cacheColorHint="#00000000"/> 

    </LinearLayout>

Modified XML file where RelativeLayout encompasses the LinearLayout:

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="50dp" >

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:background="#F8FBBF" >

                <ExpandableListView
                    android:id="@+id/lvExp"
                    android:layout_height="match_parent"
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:cacheColorHint="#00000000"/> 

    </LinearLayout>
</RelativeLayout>

Thanks for any help offered in advance.

Answer 1

You could do something like this:

<LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:orientation="vertical"
    >

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="50dp" >

</RelativeLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:background="#F8FBBF" >

                <ExpandableListView
                    android:id="@+id/lvExp"
                    android:layout_height="match_parent"
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:cacheColorHint="#00000000"/> 

    </LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

But that introduces nested layouts. You could get by with:

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent" >

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:background="#F8FBBF"
        android:layout_margintop"50dip" >

                <ExpandableListView
                    android:id="@+id/lvExp"
                    android:layout_height="match_parent"
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:cacheColorHint="#00000000"/> 

    </LinearLayout>


</RelativeLayout>

Just adding a margintop to the linear layout