Understanding Android UI Controls
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common Android UI controls.
As an Android user, you interact with various UI controls every day. From buttons and text fields to drop-down lists and progress bars, these controls are the backbone of the user interface in any Android app.
Android UI Controls
As an Android app developer, you know that UI controls are crucial elements in designing an attractive and user-friendly interface for your application.
The Android SDK provides a broad range of pre-built UI controls that you can use to create your app’s UI with a consistent look and feel on various devices.
These controls allow your app users to interact with your app’s interface, ranging from simple text and image display to complex data input and manipulation.
Some of the most common Android UI controls include:
| UI Controls | Overview |
| TextView | Text is displayed in user interfaces through the TextView control. A single-line or multi-line text can be displayed with various text formatting options, including bold, italic, and underlining. |
| EditText | The EditText control is used to accept text input from users. Users can enter text and use various text formatting options such as password masking and autocomplete. |
| AutoCompleteTextView | AutoCompleteTextView is a subclass of EditText view in Android that provides auto-complete suggestions as the user types into it. |
| Button | Button controls trigger actions in an app when pressed. It is one of the most commonly used controls in Android user interfaces. |
| ImageButton | Similar to the Button control, the ImageButton displays an image instead of text. Apps commonly use it to display icons and other graphical elements. |
| ImageView | An app uses the ImageView control to display images. In addition to supporting various image formats, it can display images from local files or URLs. |
| CheckBox | A CheckBox control represents a binary choice, such as yes/no. Pressing on an option allows the user to select or deselect it. |
| RadioButton | RadioButton controls represent mutually exclusive choices, such as selecting one option from a list. The user can select only one option at a time. |
| RadioGroup | One or more RadioButtons are grouped together by a RadioGroup. |
| ToggleButton | Like the CheckBox control, the ToggleButton allows the user to toggle between two states, such as on/off or true/false. |
| Spinner | Displays a drop-down list of options using the Spinner control. It is often used in forms and other data entry screens where the user needs to select an option from a list. |
| ProgressBar | The ProgressBar control displays a visual indicator of ongoing task progress. It can be used to indicate the progress of tasks such as downloading files or uploading data. |
| SeekBar | The SeekBar control allows the user to select a value from a range by dragging a slider. It is often used for selecting values such as volume or brightness. |
| RatingBar | The RatingBar control allows the user to rate a particular item or object, such as a movie or restaurant. It displays a visual representation of the rating in the form of stars or other symbols. |
| DatePicker | The DatePicker control provides a calendar-based interface for selecting a date. |
| TimePicker | The TimePicker control provides a clock-based interface for selecting a time. |
Below example demonstrates the use of Android UI controls:
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" android:orientation="vertical" android:padding="16dp"> <TextView android:id="@+id/textView" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Choose a fruit:" /> <RadioGroup android:id="@+id/radioGroup" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:orientation="vertical"> <RadioButton android:id="@+id/radioButton1" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Apple" /> <RadioButton android:id="@+id/radioButton2" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Banana" /> <RadioButton android:id="@+id/radioButton3" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Orange" /> </RadioGroup> <Button android:id="@+id/button" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Submit" /> </LinearLayout>
In this layout, we have a TextView that displays a prompt asking the user to choose a fruit. Below the TextView, we have a RadioGroup containing three RadioButton controls for the different fruit options.
Finally, we have a Button that the user can click to submit their choice.
