Creating Rounded Corner Layouts in Android

In Android, creating layouts with rounded corners can be achieved through various methods. This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating a layout with rounded corners using different approaches.

Using Shape Drawables

One way to create a rounded corner layout is by defining a shape drawable and setting it as the background of your layout. To do this, create a new XML file in the drawable directory of your project. For example, let’s call it rounded_corner_layout.xml.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <solid android:color="#FFFFFF"/>
    <stroke android:width="3dp" android:color="#B1BCBE" />
    <corners android:radius="10dp"/>
</shape>

In this example, we define a shape with a white solid color, a 3dp wide stroke with a gray color, and corners with a radius of 10dp. You can adjust these values to fit your needs.

To apply this shape as the background of your layout, simply set the android:background attribute to the ID of the shape drawable:

<LinearLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:background="@drawable/rounded_corner_layout">
    <!-- Your layout content here -->
</LinearLayout>

Using Clip Views (API 21+)

For devices running API 21 or later, you can use the setClipToOutline method to create rounded corners. This method allows you to clip your view’s outline to a specific shape.

First, create a rounded shape drawable as described in the previous section:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <solid android:color="#FFFFFF"/>
    <corners android:radius="10dp"/>
</shape>

Then, set this shape as the background of your view:

<LinearLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:background="@drawable/rounded_corner_layout">
    <!-- Your layout content here -->
</LinearLayout>

Finally, call setClipToOutline(true) on your view to enable clipping:

LinearLayout layout = findViewById(R.id.your_layout);
layout.setClipToOutline(true);

Note that this method only works when the view’s background is set to a shape drawable.

Using CardView

Another way to create rounded corners is by using the CardView widget from the Android v7 support library. This widget provides an easy way to create cards with rounded corners and elevation.

To use CardView, add the following dependency to your build.gradle file:

implementation 'androidx.cardview:cardview:1.0.0'

Then, wrap your layout content with a CardView widget:

<androidx.cardview.widget.CardView
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    app:cardCornerRadius="5dp"
    app:cardElevation="0dp">
    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content">
        <!-- Your layout content here -->
    </LinearLayout>
</androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>

In this example, we set the corner radius to 5dp and elevation to 0dp. You can adjust these values to fit your needs.

Conclusion

Creating rounded corner layouts in Android can be achieved through various methods, including using shape drawables, clip views, or CardView. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which one to use depends on your specific requirements and the API level you are targeting. By following this tutorial, you should now have a good understanding of how to create rounded corner layouts in Android.