The document discusses best practices and tips for optimizing Android mobile app layouts using the v7 support library and Material Design principles. Key topics include using efficient layout structures, applying styles, implementing reusable XML layouts, and avoiding deprecated usages. It also covers new features in Lollipop, such as vector drawables, animated vector drawables, and customizable UI elements.

1. Tips, Tricks & Best Practices
Alen Sunny Stephen | Mobile Front End Developer

2. What’s new in v7 Support Library
Material Design
UI elements that used in material design
ToolBar
Generalizes the functionality of ActionBar for use within app layouts.
ActionBarDrawerToggle
The menu-to-arrow animation
SwitchCompat
Backport of the Switch widget that was added in Android 4.0
GridLayout
Support for the GridLayout layout object.
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3. What’s new in v7 Support Library
CardView
Material design compatible implementation for displaying data
RecyclerView
Flexible list view for providing a limited window into a large data set.
Palette
Lets you extract prominent colors from an image.
SwipeRefreshLayout
Refresh the contents of a view with a vertical swipe gesture.
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4. UI implementation challenges
image courtesy : android.com

5. How to optimise your layout
● Use Hierarchy Viewer
● Avoid unnecessary weight
● Avoid Nested layouts
● Use less Images and Draw vectors shapes
● Reuse XML
● Use Styles
● Apply Nine-Patch Image for Stretchable backgrounds
● Use Toolbar, ActionBar or its support library equivalent
● Separate Layout and Styling Elements
● Avoid deprecated usages (ldpi,fill_parent)
● Support for Small Screens
● Naming Conventions for ID and Resources
● Reuse Code in Different Projects by Generic Naming
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6. Use Hierarchy Viewer

7. Avoid unnecessary weight
<RelativeLayout>
toLeftOf toRightOf
</RelativeLayout>
<View
android:id=”@+id/divider”
android:centerHorizontal=”true” />
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8. Avoid Nested layouts
● Measure: 0.977ms
● Layout: 0.167ms
● Draw: 2.717ms
● Measure : 0.598ms
● Layout : 0.110ms
● Draw : 2.146ms

9. Use less Images and Draw vectors shapes
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10. Reuse XML
Write XML Layouts as reusable layouts, which will avoid duplicating the same layout with different names.
Use the <include> Tag
Use the <merge> Tag
Use the <fragment> Tag
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11. Use Styles
Defining styles in Android XML is similar to defining class in CSS. You can define a set of properties under one name and
can apply it to any component. Also you can inherit from one style as in CSS
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<style name="CodeFont" parent="@android:style/TextAppearance.Medium">
<item name="android:layout_width">fill_parent</item>
<item name="android:layout_height">wrap_content</item>
<item name="android:textColor">#00FF00</item>
<item name="android:typeface">monospace</item>
</style>
</resources>
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12. Apply Nine-Patch Image for Stretchable backgrounds
Sometimes you might need to give background as image for content where the length of the content is dynamic.
For example-Chat Bubble, Custom Pop Up. In this scenario, you need to create a Nine-Patch image so that you can define
the stretchable region inside that image.
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13. Use Toolbar, ActionBar or its support library equivalent
ActionBar
ActionBar Style Generator made the customization is easy.
Toolbar
Generalization of action bars for use within application layouts.
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14. Separate Layout and Styling Elements
dimens.xml
To refer all your dimensions from a common xml
strings.xml
Separate all hard coded layout strings to another xml.
colors.xml
Generalization of action bars for use within application layouts.
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15. Avoid deprecated usages (ldpi,fill_parent)
ldpi
No need to use ldpi images in your projects anymore
fill_parent
fill_parent is equivalent to match_parent
use xxhdpi/xxxhdpi
use xxhdpi for project resources and xxxhdpi quality for app icon
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16. Support for Small Screens
res/layout/my_layout.xml
// layout for normal screen size ("default")
res/layout-large/my_layout.xml
// layout for large screen size
res/layout-xlarge/my_layout.xml
// layout for extra-large screen size
res/layout-xlarge-land/my_layout.xml //
layout for extra-large in landscape orientation
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17. Support for Small Screens
res/layout/main_activity.xml
# For handsets (smaller than 600dp available width)
res/layout-sw600dp/main_activity.xml
# For 7” tablets (600dp wide and bigger)
res/layout-sw720dp/main_activity.xml
# For 10” tablets (720dp wide and bigger)
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18. Naming Conventions for ID and Resources
For IDs you can follow this format
login_ed_username
login_ed_password
login_btn_submit
login_txv_forgot_pass
Login stands for ‘which page’, followed by ‘which component’ and then ‘what it is for’.In general layoutname_component_name.
This will help you to get a clear idea about the ID and can avoid looking into layout each time.
For resources you can follow this format
ic_action_add
ic_action_location (ActionBar Icons)
ic_play, ic_save (General Icons)
ic_tab_music
ic_tab_more (Tab Icons)
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19. Reuse Code in Different Projects by Generic Naming
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20. What’s new in Lollipop ?
Material Design
New UI elements, animation and activity transition effects
Vector Drawable
Lets you create a drawable based on an XML vector graphic
Animated Vector Drawable
Combination of drawables to make animated vector drawable
Shadows
Define shadows for any view.
Customizable UI widgets and app bars
Customizable UI widgets and app bar with color palettes that you control

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