Android studio error java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Resource name cannot be empty

Question

I am attempting to reopen an older Android Studio project in version 3.0.

It compiles and launches just fine, but if I try to edit a layout in the layout designer, i

Answer 1

This error can occur when you update to Android Studio 3.0. It doesn't affect your ability to build a project, but the error does not allow you to visually see your xml layout files. You will also get the error when committing files to GIT, but you can still commit and push.

What I found in one of my projects is that a file was added to the "menu" folder automatically upon Android Studio upgrade, and the file had no name. It was named simply ".xml". All you need to do is delete the file and clean your project, allowing a new build of the project. That should take care of the issue.