Search layout with 2 edittext and 2 buttons

Question

I'm building an Android app and I'm new on building the UI on an .xml file. I've built a simple layout but I think that is not optimize very well.

This component is a search layout with 2 edittext and 2 buttons.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
 xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
 android:id="@+id/layout_search"
 android:layout_width="match_parent"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content">
 <RelativeLayout
 android:id="@+id/LayoutSetSearch_From"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content">
 <TextView
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
 android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
 android:text="from:"
 android:gravity="start"
 android:maxLines="1"
 android:layout_alignBottom="@+id/txtsetSearch_From"/>
 <EditText
 android:id="@+id/txtsetSearch_From"
 android:layout_width="120dip"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_centerVertical="true"
 android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
 android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
 android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
 android:singleLine="true"
 android:gravity="center"
 android:clickable="false"
 android:cursorVisible="false"
 android:focusable="false"
 android:focusableInTouchMode="false"
 android:inputType="text"/>
 </RelativeLayout>
 <RelativeLayout
 android:id="@+id/LayoutSetSearch_To"
 android:layout_below="@+id/LayoutSetSearch_From"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_marginTop="5dip">
 <TextView
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
 android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
 android:text="to:"
 android:gravity="start"
 android:maxLines="1"
 android:layout_alignBottom="@+id/txtsetSearch_To"/>
 <EditText
 android:id="@+id/txtsetSearch_To"
 android:layout_width="120dip"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_centerVertical="true"
 android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
 android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
 android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
 android:singleLine="true"
 android:gravity="center"
 android:clickable="false"
 android:cursorVisible="false"
 android:focusable="false"
 android:focusableInTouchMode="false"
 android:inputType="text"/>
 </RelativeLayout>
 <RelativeLayout
 android:layout_width="match_parent"
 android:layout_height="48dp"
 android:layout_below="@+id/LayoutSetSearch_To"
 android:layout_marginTop="15dp">
 <View
 android:layout_width="match_parent"
 android:layout_height="1dip"
 android:layout_marginLeft="4dip"
 android:layout_marginRight="4dip"
 android:background="?android:attr/dividerVertical"
 android:layout_alignParentTop="true"/>
 <View
 android:layout_width="match_parent"
 android:layout_height="1dip"
 android:layout_marginLeft="4dip"
 android:layout_marginRight="4dip"
 android:background="?android:attr/dividerVertical"
 android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"/>
 <View
 android:id="@+id/ViewColorPickerHelper"
 android:layout_width="1dip"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
 android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
 android:layout_marginBottom="4dip"
 android:layout_marginTop="4dip"
 android:background="?android:attr/dividerVertical"
 android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"/>
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/btn_search_summary"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
 android:text="start"
 android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
 android:layout_toLeftOf="@id/ViewColorPickerHelper"
 android:background="?android:attr/selectableItemBackground"
 android:layout_alignParentBottom="true" />
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/btn_reset_search_summary"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="match_parent"
 android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
 android:background="?android:attr/selectableItemBackground"
 android:text="reset"
 android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
 android:layout_toRightOf="@id/ViewColorPickerHelper"/>
 </RelativeLayout>
</RelativeLayout>

• Simon Forsberg: What exactly is it that you want to accomplish? Does your code produce the expected results as it is? How does your layout look? What is it that is not optimized very well?
• user3449772: oh ok, sorry for mistake! anyway, the code produces the expected results but I think that there are many relativelayout and in my opinion this reduces the performance! Unfortunately, I can't optimize the code because I can not find a better solution to this...
• Simon Forsberg: Could you provide a screenshot of how it looks?

Answer 1

If you don't need them get rid of them, if you need them, then you need them. this is a binary thing, it's either 1 or 0.

You either have the object on the layout or you don't. there is not optimizing a layout unless you can remove something from it completely but that is going to depend on your logic and other code files, of which you aren't showing us.

---

You can limit your Attributes by

• not coding the attributes that you are going to set to defaults
• not coding the attributes that are inherited

Another way that you can reduce clutter in the layout is to define some styles by creating an xml file in the res/values/ folder of your project and do this

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
 <style name="MyStyle1">
 <item name="android:layout_width">wrap_content</item>
 <item name="android:layout_height">wrap_content</item>
 <!-- etc. -->
 </style>
</resources>

and then in your Layout XML you add the style to the layout element like this

<TextView
 style="@style/MyStyle1"
 android:text="to:"
 android:layout_alignBottom="@+id/txtsetSearch_To" />

note that I am not a professional, but I found Styles and Themes from doing a quick search for styles.xml android example

Don't forget about Developer.Android.com it can be very helpful.

---

Your naming is not so good, it could be better.

btn_reset_search_summary I know it's a button from the word "reset" and search_summary should be one word like this searchSummary so I would have it look like this reset_searchSummary so it's like action_objectActedUpon

• user3449772: thanks! this response is better than before! ;) anyway, now it is more clear for me.