How to create a generic Android XML layout for all activities

Question

I have an application that needs the same items [5 buttons acting as tabs] in every screen. Is it possible to create a \"base XML layout\" that has these 5 buttons and then

Answer 1

Includes would be the way to go, but I have never got this to work reliably myself. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but the compiler does not always pick up the ids in the merged layouts.