Is it possible to dynamically set Android button text size in XML?

Question

I'm working on an app and I have a series of buttons on the main menu that I want to all have the same text size. Is it possible for me to specify that in a properties file?

Here is my current XML file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<TableLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
 android:orientation="horizontal"
 android:layout_width="fill_parent"
 android:layout_height="fill_parent">
 <TableRow
 android:layout_width="fill_parent"
 android:layout_height="fill_parent">
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/sensors_available"
 android:text="@string/sensors_available"
 android:textSize="12sp"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
 </TableRow>
 <TableRow
 android:layout_width="fill_parent"
 android:layout_height="fill_parent">
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/b_start_hm"
 android:text="@string/hm_start_service"
 android:textSize="12sp"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/b_stop_hm_service"
 android:text="@string/hm_stop_service"
 android:textSize="12sp"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
 </TableRow>
 <TableRow
 android:layout_width="fill_parent"
 android:layout_height="fill_parent">
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/b_start_hot_video"
 android:text="@string/video_service_start"
 android:onClick="startHotVideoService"
 android:textSize="12sp"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
 <Button
 android:id="@+id/b_hv_stop_service"
 android:text="@string/hv_stop_service"
 android:textSize="12sp"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
 </TableRow>
</TableLayout>

Is it possible for me to replace all the 12sp with something like @string\custom_text_size and then define that in the string.xml file? When I tried this, I got a fatal exception when I started my app.

• Matej Špilár: u can use dimen ... see more here for more info stackoverflow.com/questions/11121028/…

Answer 1

You were so close, but you need to define a dimen instead of a string

<dimen name="textSize12">12sp</dimen>

And your Button would look like this.-

<Button
 android:id="@+id/b_stop_hm_service"
 android:text="@string/hm_stop_service"
 android:textSize="@dimen/textSize12"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

Ideally, dimen resources are defined in a separate resources file, such as dimens.xml

Answer 2

Create a style in res/values/styles.xml:

<style name="TextSize">
 <item name="android:textSize">12sp</item>
</style>

Declare it in your XML:

<Button
 android:id="@+id/b_start_hot_video"
 android:text="@string/video_service_start"
 android:onClick="startHotVideoService"
 style="@style/TextSize"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

By using styles, you can store multiple settings, like background drawables, textColor etc...

• ssantos: PS: imho, there's no need to create a style just for setting textSize. Unless you're setting more properties (such as color, shadow, margins...), it makes more sense to me just using a @dimen resource.
• Evan Bashir: Agreed @ssantos, I was just trying to give a more versatile answer.