From Plain to Fancy
Out of the gate, certain Android Widgets, such as the EditText
, are plainer than Plain Jane ever dreamed of being. Don't believe me? Check this out:
In case you can't see it, it's that light-grey smudge that looks like an elongated staple (remember staples?); it's better camouflaged than Ted Nugent in the woods of Escanaba!
Let the Beaudaciousness Commence Apace
Without further ado or adon't, here are the steps necessary to apply some beaudacious styling to your widgets:
Locate the following folder (create if necessary) in your Android IDE (recommendably Droidio):
[appName]\app\src\main\res\drawable
Select that ("drawable") folder, right-click, and select "New > Drawable Resource File" to create an .xml file that will serve as a background.
Name the file "box" (or "Bachs" or whatever).
Replace the default placeholder XML with the following:
="1.0"="utf-8"
<shape
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangle"
>
<padding
android:left="4dp"
android:top="4dp"
android:right="4dp"
android:bottom="4dp" />
<stroke
android:width="1dp"
android:color="#f000"
/>
</shape>
Do the same thing, but this time name it "greyframe" (or "grayframe" or whatever) and give it this content:
="1.0"="utf-8"
<shape
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangle" >
<stroke
android:width="2dp"
android:color="#5C5858" />
</shape>
Finally, same thing, but with the name "orangeframe" (or "orangutanframe" or whatever) and this content:
="1.0"="utf-8"
<shape
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:shape="rectangle" >
<stroke
android:width="2dp"
android:color="#EE9A00"
/>
</shape>
Add as many other background drawables you might want; for various color values, you can reference this site.
Doubtless you can come up with some derivations that will make for even better looking frames, such as rounded corners, or gradient colors, or such. If you do, please share!
Incorporate Those Drawables
When you were in the third grade, you probably never imagined you would ever incorporate drawables (or want to), but here's how to do that:
In your layout files (in [appName]\app\src\main\res\layout), assign the following property to a widget:
android:background="@drawable/orangeframe"
In context, for an EditText
widget:
<EditText
android:id="@+id/editTextQty"
android:layout_width="0dip"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:background="@drawable/orangeframe" />
...and voila! It will look like this:
I'm Struttin' My Stuff, Y'All!
With widgets this wonderful, you can hold your head high, swing your hips, and commence movin' to the groovin' (some people are easily amused).
I am in the process of morphing from a software developer into a portrayer of Mark Twain. My monologue (or one-man play, entitled "The Adventures of Mark Twain: As Told By Himself" and set in 1896) features Twain giving an overview of his life up till then. The performance includes the relating of interesting experiences and humorous anecdotes from Twain's boyhood and youth, his time as a riverboat pilot, his wild and woolly adventures in the Territory of Nevada and California, and experiences as a writer and world traveler, including recollections of meetings with many of the famous and powerful of the 19th century - royalty, business magnates, fellow authors, as well as intimate glimpses into his home life (his parents, siblings, wife, and children).
Peripatetic and picaresque, I have lived in eight states; specifically, besides my native California (where I was born and where I now again reside) in chronological order: New York, Montana, Alaska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Idaho, and Missouri.
I am also a writer of both fiction (for which I use a nom de plume, "Blackbird Crow Raven", as a nod to my Native American heritage - I am "½ Cowboy, ½ Indian") and nonfiction, including a two-volume social and cultural history of the U.S. which covers important events from 1620-2006: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/blackbirdcraven