Linear Layout and weight in Android

Question

I always read about this funny weight value in the Android documentations. Now I want to try it for the first time but it isn't working at all.

As I understand it from the documentations this layout:

  <LinearLayout
     android:layout_width="fill_parent"
     android:layout_height="wrap_content"
     android:orientation="horizontal">

     <Button
        android:text="Register"
        android:id="@+id/register"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="10dip"
        weight="1" />

     <Button
        android:text="Not this time"
        android:id="@+id/cancel"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="10dip"
        weight="1" />

  </LinearLayout>

should create two buttons that are horizontally aligned and share the space equally. The problem is the two buttons don't grow to fill the space.

I would like the buttons to grow and fill the whole line. If both buttons are set to match parent only the first button is shown and fills the whole line.

Answer 1

Substitute wrap_content with fill_parent.

Answer 2

Plus you need to add this android:layout_width="0dp" for children views [Button views] of LinerLayout

Answer 3

 <LinearLayout
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content">

    <Button
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="2"
        android:text="Button 1" />

    <Button
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="3"
        android:text="Button 2" />

    <Button
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="2"
        android:text="Button 3" />

    </LinearLayout>

Answer 4

You have to write like this its Working for me

<LinearLayout
         android:layout_width="fill_parent"
         android:layout_height="wrap_content"
         android:orientation="horizontal"
            android:weightSum="2">

         <Button
            android:text="Register"
            android:id="@+id/register"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:padding="10dip"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

         <Button
            android:text="Not this time"
            android:id="@+id/cancel"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:padding="10dip"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

Answer 5

Below are the changes (Marked in BOLD) in your code:

<LinearLayout
     android:layout_width="fill_parent"
     android:layout_height="wrap_content"
     android:orientation="horizontal">

     <Button
        android:text="Register"
        android:id="@+id/register"
        android:layout_width="0dp" //changes made here
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="10dip"
        android:layout_weight="1" /> //changes made here

     <Button
        android:text="Not this time"
        android:id="@+id/cancel"
        android:layout_width="0dp" //changes made here
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="10dip"
        android:layout_weight="1" /> //changes made here

  </LinearLayout>

Since your LinearLayout has orientation as horizontal, therefore you will need to keep your width only as 0dp. for using weights in that direction . (If your orientation was vertical, you would have kept your height only 0dp).

Since there are 2 views and you have placed android:layout_weight="1" for both the views, it means it will divide the two views equally in horizontal direction (or by width).

Answer 6

3 things to remember:

• set the android:layout_width of the children to "0dp"
• set the android:weightSum of the parent (edit: as Jason Moore noticed, this attribute is optional, because by default it is set to the children's layout_weight sum)
• set the android:layout_weight of each child proportionally (e.g. weightSum="5", three children: layout_weight="1", layout_weight="3", layout_weight="1")

Example:

    <LinearLayout
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:weightSum="5">

    <Button
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:text="1" />

    <Button
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="3"
        android:text="2" />

    <Button
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:text="3" />

    </LinearLayout>

And the result: