CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidxml
Blackbelt
Blackbelt

Reputation: 157437

import xml into another xml

I have lots of control repeated in my xml (a Button for instance). Is there any possibility to write the Button once in a xml and then import it in all the layout I need it?

Upvotes: 49

Views: 37249

Answers (4)

Labeeb Panampullan
Labeeb Panampullan

Reputation: 34823

You can use 

<include  layout="@layout/commonlayout" android:id="@+id/id" />

commonlayout.xml should be defined in res/layout where you can add the repeated parts.

Upvotes: 112

Maur&#237;cio Giordano
Maur&#237;cio Giordano

Reputation: 3276

You can use the default include XML tag to include an external layout:

<include layout="@layout/somelayout" />

This layout should have an outside ViewGroup that encapsulates the content or a merge tag to avoid having to use an unnecessary layout:

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

    <TextView android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:text="@string/hello_world" />

</LinearLayout>

<!-- OR -->

<merge xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">

    <TextView android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:text="@string/hello_world" />

</merge>

Also, if you need a better way to include pieces of layout that acts like a container (a custom ViewGroup), you can use this custom ViewGroup. Note that this does not import an XML into another XML file, it inflates the content from the external layout and replaces into the view. It's similar to ViewStub, a "ViewGroupStub" like.

This lib acts as if the ViewStub could be used as following (note that this example does not work! ViewStub isn't a ViewGroup subclass!):

<ViewStub layout="@layout/somecontainerlayout" 
    inflate_inside="@+id/somecontainerid">

    <TextView android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:text="@string/hello_world" />

</ViewStub>

Upvotes: 1

serv-inc
serv-inc

Reputation: 38177

In addition to those great answers, you can also avoid code duplication by using the <merge> tag, like so:

<merge xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">

    <Button
        android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/add"/>

    <Button
        android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/delete"/>

</merge>

The <merge> part gets stripped when you include it into other xml. This might help including more than a single Button at a time. See the official documentation.

Upvotes: 4

TsimoX
TsimoX

Reputation: 447

As Labeeb P rightly said, it works. Just want to add that you can also override parameters too:

<include  
        layout="@layout/commonlayout" 
        android:id="@+id/id"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:layout_marginLeft="2sp"
        android:layout_marginRight="2sp"
 />

Upvotes: 26

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