Android layout gravity not Working

Question

I have an xml file that contains a ScrollView and inside there is a LinearLayout; this layout also contains 2 more layouts:

1st is where data will be added dynamically

2nd is a just something that needs to be displayed at the bottom of the view.

But gravity isn't working, I've tried both gravity and layout_gravity but none work, all layouts are set to fill the parent so why is this happening?

The copyright layout must be inside the ScrollView but at the bottom of the screen even if ScrollView is empty (1st layout).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:id="@+id/istoricLayout"
    android:visibility="visible" >

    <ScrollView
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent" >

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="fill_parent"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <LinearLayout
                android:id="@+id/istoric"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="fill_parent"
                android:orientation="vertical" >
            </LinearLayout>

            <LinearLayout
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_gravity="bottom" //here I'm trying to move this at the buttom
                android:orientation="vertical" >

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                    android:layout_height="@dimen/thick_bar_height"
                    android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/bar_vertical_space"
                    android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/bar_vertical_space"
                    android:background="@color/white" />

                <Button
                    android:id="@+id/versiuneaCompleta"
                    android:layout_width="250dp"
                    android:layout_height="30dp"
                    android:layout_gravity="center"
                    android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
                    android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
                    android:background="@color/color2"
                    android:text="Vizioneaza versiunea completa"
                    android:textAlignment="center"
                    android:textColor="@color/white"
                    android:textSize="15dp" />

                <RelativeLayout
                    android:layout_width="250dp"
                    android:layout_height="30dp"
                    android:layout_gravity="center"
                    android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
                    android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
                    android:background="@color/white" >

                    <ImageView
                        android:layout_width="30dp"
                        android:layout_height="30dp"
                        android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
                        android:adjustViewBounds="true"
                        android:src="@drawable/support_right_icon" />

                    <ImageView
                        android:layout_width="30dp"
                        android:layout_height="30dp"
                        android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
                        android:adjustViewBounds="true"
                        android:src="@drawable/support_left_icon" />

                    <TextView
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
                        android:background="@color/white"
                        android:text="Support +40.XXX.XXX.XXX"
                        android:textAlignment="center"
                        android:textColor="@color/color2"
                        android:textSize="15dp" />
                </RelativeLayout>

                <LinearLayout
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
                    android:orientation="horizontal" >

                    <TextView
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                        android:text="Politica de condidentialitate ·"
                        android:textColor="@color/white"
                        android:textSize="10dp" />

                    <TextView
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                        android:text=" Despre noi ·"
                        android:textColor="@color/white"
                        android:textSize="10dp" />

                    <TextView
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                        android:text=" Contact"
                        android:textColor="@color/white"
                        android:textSize="10dp" />
                </LinearLayout>

                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
                    android:text="© 2013 Artcos Design. All Rights Reserved"
                    android:textColor="@color/copyRightColor"
                    android:textSize="10dp" />
            </LinearLayout>
        </LinearLayout>
    </ScrollView>

</LinearLayout>

Answer 1

Move your textview, below the scrollview. You are using gravity in the wrong manner.

I assume you want your copyright at the bottom fixed.

Gravity is used to display contents of the view, in certain ways. or how to position the view itself, but it will not change the view hierarchy.

        </LinearLayout>
    </LinearLayout>
</ScrollView>

 <TextView
   android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
   android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
    android:text="© 2013 Artcos Design. All Rights Reserved"
   android:textColor="@color/copyRightColor"
    android:textSize="10dp" />

 </LinearLayout>

you will also need to change the scroll view, so it does not take the screen height, but instead will best fill the area leaving room for copyright notice:

 <ScrollView
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="0dip"
    android:layout_weight="1" >

Answer 2

Based on the comments to @Doomsknight's answer, set android:fillViewPort="true" on your ScrollView.

Height attribute on scroll view's child is ignored (if it was respected, the whole scroll view would be useless). Setting fillViewPort="true" makes the scroll view child expand to parent height if it is less than parent height and otherwise the attribute does nothing. This way your child LinearLayout in the scroll view will be at least as tall as the scroll view's parent, making the gravity work the way you want.

In addition, make the child LinearLayout heights to wrap_content and assign the first LinearLayout a non-zero layout_weight. You can also remove the bottom layout_gravity.

Answer 3

Change the whole thing to:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/istoricLayout"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent" >

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/bottomLayout"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
        android:layout_gravity="bottom"
        android:orientation="vertical" >

        <TextView
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/thick_bar_height"
            android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/bar_vertical_space"
            android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/bar_vertical_space"
            android:background="@color/white" />

        <Button
            android:id="@+id/versiuneaCompleta"
            android:layout_width="250dp"
            android:layout_height="30dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
            android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
            android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
            android:background="@color/color2"
            android:text="Vizioneaza versiunea completa"
            android:textAlignment="center"
            android:textColor="@color/white"
            android:textSize="15dp" />

        <RelativeLayout
            android:layout_width="250dp"
            android:layout_height="30dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
            android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
            android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
            android:background="@color/white" >

            <ImageView
                android:layout_width="30dp"
                android:layout_height="30dp"
                android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
                android:adjustViewBounds="true"
                android:src="@drawable/support_right_icon" />

            <ImageView
                android:layout_width="30dp"
                android:layout_height="30dp"
                android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
                android:adjustViewBounds="true"
                android:src="@drawable/support_left_icon" />

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_centerInParent="true"
                android:background="@color/white"
                android:text="Support +40.766.154.894"
                android:textAlignment="center"
                android:textColor="@color/color2"
                android:textSize="15dp" />
        </RelativeLayout>

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
            android:orientation="horizontal" >

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:text="Politica de condidentialitate ·"
                android:textColor="@color/white"
                android:textSize="10dp" />

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:text=" Despre noi ·"
                android:textColor="@color/white"
                android:textSize="10dp" />

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:text=" Contact"
                android:textColor="@color/white"
                android:textSize="10dp" />
        </LinearLayout>

        <TextView
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
            android:text="© 2013 Artcos Design. All Rights Reserved"
            android:textColor="@color/copyRightColor"
            android:textSize="10dp" />
    </LinearLayout>

    <ScrollView
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_above="@+id/bottomLayout" >

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="fill_parent"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <LinearLayout
                android:id="@+id/istoric"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="fill_parent"
                android:orientation="vertical" >
            </LinearLayout>
        </LinearLayout>
    </ScrollView>

</RelativeLayout>

EDIT Setting referenced dimensions, colors and images to something meaningful, the layout looks something like below image (for clarity, the ScrollView has a red background and bottomLayout has a yellow background).

As you can see bottomLayout is on the bottom.

Answer 4

Check out this link, it contains the explanation for your problem:

http://www.curious-creature.org/2010/08/15/scrollviews-handy-trick/

The android:fillViewport of the ScrollView should be set to true which allows the child view to expand itself to fill the ScrollView's height. Then, pick one child element that is going to be expanded in order to fill the empty space and set its layout_weight to 1 (assuming LinearLayout is used). That element is usually the one right above the widget that is intended to be placed right at the bottom.

The XML file should look something like this:

<ScrollView
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:fillViewport="true">

    <LinearLayout
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content">

        <!-- widget 1 -->
        <!-- widget 2 -->
        <!-- ... -->
        <!-- widget n -->

        <!-- this widget expands to fill the empty space -->
        <TextView
            android:layout_height="fill_parent"
            android:layout_weight="1">
        </TextView>

        <!-- this copyright layout is going to be placed rock bottom -->
        <TextView
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
            android:text="© 2013 Artcos Design. All Rights Reserved"
            android:textColor="@color/copyRightColor"
            android:textSize="10dp" />

    </LinearLayout>

</ScrollView>