Android LinearLayout Gradient Background

Question

I am having trouble applying a gradient background to a LinearLayout.

This should be relatively simple from what I have read but it just doesn't seem to work. For reference sakes I am developing on 2.1-update1.

header_bg.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle">
    <gradient
        android:angle="90"
        android:startColor="#FFFF0000"
        android:endColor="#FF00FF00"
        android:type="linear"/>
</shape>

main_header.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="50dip"
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:background="@drawable/header_bg">
</LinearLayout>

If I change @drawable/header_bg to a color - e.g. #FF0000 it works perfectly fine. Am I missing something obvious here?

Answer 1

Ok I have managed to solve this using a selector. See code below:

main_header.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="50dip"
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:background="@drawable/main_header_selector">
</LinearLayout>

main_header_selector.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item>
    <shape>
        <gradient
            android:angle="90"
            android:startColor="#FFFF0000"
            android:endColor="#FF00FF00"
            android:type="linear" />
    </shape>
</item>
</selector>

Hopefully this helps someone who has the same problem.

Answer 2

It is also possible to have the third color (center). And different kinds of shapes.

For example in drawable/gradient.xml:

<shape
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle">
    <gradient
        android:startColor="#000000"
        android:centerColor="#5b5b5b"
        android:endColor="#000000"
        android:angle="0" />
</shape>

This gives you black - gray - black (left to right) which is my favorite dark background atm.

Remember to add gradient.xml as background in your layout xml:

android:background="@drawable/gradient"

It is also possible to rotate, with:

angle="0"

gives you a vertical line

and with

angle="90"

gives you a horizontal line

Possible angles are:

0, 90, 180, 270.

Also there are few different kind of shapes:

android:shape="rectangle"

Rounded shape:

android:shape="oval"

and problably a few more.

Hope it helps, cheers!

Answer 3

In XML Drawable File:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item>
        <shape>
            <gradient android:angle="90"
                android:endColor="#9b0493"
                android:startColor="#38068f"
                android:type="linear" />
        </shape>
    </item>
</selector>

In your layout file: android:background="@drawable/gradient_background"

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:background="@drawable/gradient_background"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:padding="20dp">
        .....

</LinearLayout>

Answer 4

Try removing android:gradientRadius="90". Here is one that works for me:

<shape 
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle"
>
    <gradient
        android:startColor="@color/purple"
        android:endColor="@color/pink"
        android:angle="270" />
</shape>

Answer 5

My problem was the .xml extension was not added to the filename of the newly created XML file. Adding the .xml extension fixed my problem.

Answer 6

I don't know if this will help anybody, but my problem was I was trying to set the gradient to the "src" property of an ImageView like so:

<ImageView 
    android:id="@+id/imgToast"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="60dp"
    android:src="@drawable/toast_bg"
    android:adjustViewBounds="true"
    android:scaleType="fitXY"/>

Not 100% sure why that didn't work, but now I changed it and put the drawable in the "background" property of the ImageView's parent, which is a RelativeLayout in my case, like so: (this worked successfully)

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:id="@+id/custom_toast_layout_id"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:background="@drawable/toast_bg">

Answer 7

I would check your alpha channel on your gradient colors. For me, when I was testing my code out I had the alpha channel set wrong on the colors and it did not work for me. Once I got the alpha channel set it all worked!