15 quirky Android XML layout parameters to know

After working on Android widgets for the last two years I’ve learned a lot about limitations, inconsistencies, and ghostly parameters in Android XML layout files. Some parameters are simply “overly clever” so I’ll offer some standard settings you should use.…

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Posted: Feb 04 2013
Comments: 5

Quick guide to the new app widget padding/margins in ICS / Android 4.0+ (backwards-compatibility & new issues)

For those who don’t know, Mike & I make a popular widget app for Android called HD Widgets. We’ve spent a lot of time resolving for Android UI fragmentation and have been mostly successful. Recently we made the jump to…

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Posted: Apr 14 2012
Comments: 15

I fixed the file names for Google’s ICS Android Design Icons (free download)

(Update 9/2012) Good news! They’re fixed! You don’t need my pack anymore =) Google recently introduced the Android Design site for 4.0 / ICS offering tips and resources for making apps that look and feel like native Google apps. One…

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Posted: Mar 28 2012
Comments: 3

My latest project: HD Widgets for Honeycomb tablets

Mike and I are launching a new app this week: HD Widgets. This is our first paid app, following up on Cloudskipper, our free music player which has skyrocketed to over 425k installs in just three months. HD Widgets follows…

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Posted: Aug 23 2011
Comments: 1

A simple guide to 9-patch for Android UI

While I was working on my first Android app, I found 9-patch (aka 9.png) to be confusing and poorly documented. After a little while, I finally picked up on how it works and decided to throw together something to help…

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Posted: May 18 2011
Comments: 58