Android add border to edit text programmatically

Question

I used this example and tried to add it to my edit text programmatically like editText.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.edit_text_back);, but it does not work. How can I accomplish this? Any suggestions or ideas?

EDIT The editText is defined programmatically as well.

EditText editText = new EditText(this.getApplicationContext());

I added this to a table row

TRIED

editText.setBackground(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.edit_text_back));
editText.setBackgroundDrawable(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.edit_text_back));

EDIT TEXT CREATION

TableRow row = (TableRow) findViewById(R.id.table_row_kind);
TableRow.LayoutParams rowP = new TableRow.LayoutParams();
        rowP.setMargins(10, 0, 0, 0);
editText = new EditText(this.getApplicationContext());
editText .setGravity(Gravity.FILL_HORIZONTAL);
editText .setLayoutParams(rowP);
editText .setFilters(new InputFilter[]{txtFilter});
editText.setBackground(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.edit_text_back));

row.xml

<TableRow
    android:id="@+id/table_row_kind"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:padding="5dip" >

    <TextView
       android:layout_width="250sp"
       android:text="Kind"
       android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge" />
</TableRow>

Coumarone

editText.setBackgroundDrawable(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.edit_text_back)); try this @Coumarone – Lyophobic

I think this thread might help you. #3496769 – Marceau

The example SO question you linked is quite rich to explain .. – Ambulator

@BojanJovanovic I tried your answer but still no result, instead of extending TextView, I just extended EditText. Thanks though – Coumarone

@Indiandroid I tried it but it did not work, see my edit – Coumarone

@dhams You are right, it does explain how to add a border to a view, but mine is added programmatically and does not want to work. – Coumarone

@Coumarone it does not matter weather you call it from XML or from your java file . – Ambulator

@dhams Mine does not work. I tested it with an edit text defined in xml and it worked, then I tested it with a edit text defined in java and it does not work. I don't understand why not, hence, the question. It is a really really weird problem – Coumarone

@Coumarone I have same issue. But there is problem only when you set background dynamically. If you set it in xml, it works fine. Did you got solution to that? – Convulsive

Answer 1

Well i also have the same issue which i solve by the following way. Its is an xml file put it on your drawable folder and set this xml into the background of that EditText

activity code:

EditText foo = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.editText);
foo.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.backtext);

backtext.xml

<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:shape="rectangle" >
       <solid android:color="#ffffff" />
       <stroke android:width="1dip" android:color="#000000"/>
    </shape>

Wastage

Hi, it did not work, probably because I created my edit text programmatically. See my edit – Coumarone

@simmant It is a good answer, but it only works for an edit text that was defined in xml. That is where my problem lies – Coumarone

Answer 2

This Code is working for draw border to any view programmatically

package com.example.border;

import android.graphics.Canvas;
import android.graphics.Color;
import android.graphics.Paint;
import android.graphics.drawable.ShapeDrawable;

public class ShapeDrawableWithoutBottom extends ShapeDrawable {
    private float mLineWidth = 1f;
    private final Paint mLinePaint;
    private int color;

    public ShapeDrawableWithoutBottom() {

        // No color specified, so call constructor with default color White
        this(Color.WHITE);
    }

    public ShapeDrawableWithoutBottom(int layoutColor) {

        // use the setter defined below, to set the main color for this drawable
        // setColor(color);
        setColor(layoutColor);
        // setup the Paint for drawing the lines
        mLinePaint = new Paint();
        mLinePaint.setStyle(Paint.Style.STROKE);
        mLinePaint.setStrokeWidth(mLineWidth);
    }

    public void setColor(int color) {
        Paint paint = getPaint();
        paint.setColor(color);

    }

    public void setLineColor(int color) {
        this.color = color;
    }

    public void setLineWidth(float lineWidth) {
        mLineWidth = lineWidth;
        mLinePaint.setStrokeWidth(mLineWidth);
    }

    @Override
    public void draw(Canvas canvas) {
        super.draw(canvas);

        // bottom black line
        // //////////////////

        mLinePaint.setColor(Color.parseColor("#00000000"));
        mLinePaint.setAlpha((int) (255 * 0.0)); // Opacity 90%
        canvas.drawLine(getBounds().left, getBounds().bottom - mLineWidth
                * 0.5f, getBounds().right, getBounds().bottom - mLineWidth
                * 0.5f, mLinePaint);

        // translucent grey rim
        // /////////////////////

        mLinePaint.setColor(color);
        mLinePaint.setAlpha((int) (255 * 0.7)); // Opacity 70%

        // top
        canvas.drawLine(getBounds().left, getBounds().top + mLineWidth * 0.5f,
                getBounds().right, getBounds().top + mLineWidth * 0.5f,
                mLinePaint);

        // left
        canvas.drawLine(getBounds().left + mLineWidth * 0.5f,
                getBounds().bottom , getBounds().left + mLineWidth
                        * 0.5f, getBounds().top + mLineWidth, mLinePaint);

        // right
        canvas.drawLine(getBounds().right - mLineWidth * 0.5f,
                getBounds().bottom , getBounds().right - mLineWidth
                        * 0.5f, getBounds().top + mLineWidth, mLinePaint);

        // top white line
        // ///////////////

        mLinePaint.setColor(Color.WHITE);
        mLinePaint.setAlpha((int) (255 * 0.5)); // Opacity 50%
        canvas.drawLine(getBounds().left + mLineWidth, getBounds().top
                + mLineWidth * 1.5f, getBounds().right - mLineWidth,
                getBounds().top + mLineWidth * 1.5f, mLinePaint);
    }
}

Lawanda

The code looks good but you don't have to set the Paint object as final since your instantiate it again in the second constructor – Azerbaijani

Answer 3

Try this in this i have dynamically added edittext then set its background and it works.

 LinearLayout layout=(LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.layout);
                    EditText edit=new EditText(MainActivity.this);
                    edit.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.abc);
                    edit.setMaxWidth(100);
                    edit.setMinHeight(100);
                    edit.setText("hello");
                    layout.addView(edit);

Wastage

Hi, thanks, but it still doesn't work. I add my edit text to a TableRow and not a linearLayout. Added setMaxWidth and setMinHeight but it had no effect. – Coumarone

Answer 4

This is you can make the border for the edit text. Save this into res/drawable

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
        <item>
         <shape android:shape="rectangle">
         <gradient android:startColor="#f9f9f9"
                android:centerColor="#ffffff"
                android:endColor="#ffffff"
                android:angle="90"/>
         <stroke  android:width="1dp" android:color="#2B547E"/>
        </shape>
         </item>
    </layer-list>

Renunciation

What is? The xml is saved to my res/drawable – Coumarone

Weird, maybe try again in a couple of minutes? – Coumarone

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <layer-list xmlns:android="schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" > <item> <shape android:shape="rectangle"> <gradient android:startColor="#f9f9f9" android:centerColor="#ffffff" android:endColor="#ffffff" android:angle="90"/> <stroke android:width="1dp" android:color="#2B547E"/> </shape> </item> </layer-list> – Renunciation

just copy and saved into the file_name.xml into res/drawable – Renunciation

Hi, I have tried this, it does work for an edit text that exists in xml, but mine does not, since it was created in java. Thanks for the effort though – Coumarone

what you tried ... plese write about it ... cz I hope that you are missing something – Renunciation

Sure, I have added borders to an edit text before, but they were defined in xml. Now I created a edit text in java and adding a border does not work. The edit text works so there are no errors, the border just does not display – Coumarone

Answer 5

Use

 editText.setBackground(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.edit_text_back));

Instated of

editText.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.edit_text_back);

Ambulator

Hi, sorry, its a no go. I tried it just now again, and still the same result, just my edit text without any border. – Coumarone

@Coumarone i just tried on my my galaxy note-3 . seems it works . – Ambulator

<EditText android:id="@+id/edt_login" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:background="@drawable/edit_tx_bg" android:ems="10" android:inputType="textEmailAddress" > <requestFocus /> </EditText> edtLogin.setBackground(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.test)); – Ambulator

I edited my answer, that is what I meant by not defining my edit text in xml, sorry if I caused any confusion – Coumarone