Android - Change custom dialog title background

Question

I am creating a custom dialog and I want to know how to change the background of the title bar.

I've tried two approaches:

1 - I've tried the AlertDialog.Builder method 'setCustomTitle'. I created a simple layout view comprising of a textview with layout width and height 'match_parent' and background color. When I run the app, only the top half of the title bar is showing the background color. The bottom half is still showing the default theme background color. Does anyone know why?

2 - I've created my own dialog theme. Ive created a style with parent inheritance to '@android:style/Theme.Holo.Light.Dialog'. I've then passed that in the AlertDialog.Builder constructor - new AlertDialog.Builder(this, R.style.test_dialog). It seems good but somehow the dialog is wrapped within a dialog. A square box is surrounding the dialog. Does anyone know why?

Furfuran

Answer 1

You can create a style like,

<style name="cust_dialog" parent="@android:style/Theme.Dialog">
    <item name="android:windowTitleStyle">@style/dialog_title_style</item>
  </style>

<style name="dialog_title_style" parent="android:Widget.TextView">
    <item name="android:background">@android:color/black</item>
    <item name="android:padding">10dp</item>
</style>

And you can instantiate dialog:

Dialog dialog=new Dialog(this,R.style.cust_dialog);
dialog.setContentView(R.layout.fragment_features_dialog);
dialog.setTitle(R.string.features);

Now the dialog shows up with black title background color.

Liquorice

Hi, thanks for the reply. How come with the Alert.Builder shows a different UI? AlertDialog.Builder testBuilder; testBuilder = new AlertDialog.Builder(this, R.style.cust_dialog); testBuilder.setView(layout); I am using parent theme Theme.Holo.Light.Dialog. Also when I use Alertdialog.Builder, the dialog is wrapped within a dialog. Does anyone know why? – Furfuran

Answer 2

The dialog-wrapped-within-a-dialog appearance is caused by the dialog's window background. Every dialog has this, but the default Android dialogs have the window background set to transparent. To do this, add this item in your custom dialog theme:

<style name="CustomDialog" parent="@android:style/Theme.Holo.Dialog">
    <item name="android:windowBackground">@android:color/transparent</item>
</style> 

Territorialize

Answer 3

I am using Mono Android(Xamarin); am showing you another alternative that am using in my app to create a dialog in a fragment:

Dialog itemDialog = new Dialog(this.Activity);  
TextView alertTitle=(TextView)itemDialog.Window.DecorView.FindViewById(Android.Resource.Id.Title);

alertTitle.SetTextColor(Android.Graphics.Color.Blue);
alertTitle.SetBackgroundColor(Android.Graphics.Color.Orange);
itemDialog.SetContentView(Resource.Layout.listview_custom_dialog);
string[] options = new string[] { "Open", "Mark as Unread","Mute","View    
Profile","Block Connection","Delete Conversation" };
ArrayAdapter<string> adapter = new ArrayAdapter<string>(this.Activity,  
Resource.Layout.listitem_custom_dialog,Resource.Id.textViewDialogDescription,   
options);

Resource.Layout.listitem_custom_dialog: this is custom listview layout, here is the xml file:

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:background="@android:color/transparent" >
<TextView
    android:id="@+id/textViewDialogDescription"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="44dp"
    android:background="#ffffff"
    android:textColor="#386B96"
    android:paddingLeft="4dp"
    android:textSize="14dp" />
</RelativeLayout>

ListView lv = itemDialog.FindViewById<ListView> 
(Resource.Id.listViewDialogItems);
lv.Adapter = adapter;
adapter.NotifyDataSetChanged();
itemDialog.SetCancelable(true);
itemDialog.SetTitle("Conversation");
itemDialog.Show(); 

Android.Resource.Id.Title: this is the id of the textview containing the dialog title. and it is predefined by android. this way you will get a dialog that you can style in way you want.

Dampier

In Android Studio TextView titleView = (TextView) myDialog.findViewById(android.R.id.title);, works perfectly. – Philemol

Answer 4

Create an xml layout file for your title and inflate it and set to to the AlertDialog as

View view = getLayoutInflater().inflate(R.layout.cust_dialog_title, null);
alertDialog.setCustomTitle(view);

Draftee

Answer 5

You can just set custom title like this

LayoutInflater inflater = this.getLayoutInflater();
View titleView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.custom_title, null);

new AlertDialog.Builder(SubCategoryActivity.this)
                    .setCustomTitle(titleView);

and in custom_title layout you can create custom title like this

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:orientation="vertical" android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">
    <LinearLayout
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:paddingLeft="10dp"
        android:paddingRight="10dp"
        android:id="@+id/llsubhead"
        android:background="@color/colorPrimary">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/exemptionSubHeading4"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_marginTop="10dp"
            android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:text="Exemption Sub Head"
            android:textAppearance="@style/Base.TextAppearance.AppCompat.Medium"
            android:textColor="@color/white" />
    </LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>

Carlson