1 page.title=Providing Resources
2 parent.title=Application Resources
10 <li>Different types of resources belong in different subdirectories of {@code res/}</li>
11 <li>Alternative resources provide configuration-specific resource files</li>
12 <li>Always include default resources so your app does not depend on specific
13 device configurations</li>
15 <h2>In this document</h2>
17 <li><a href="#ResourceTypes">Grouping Resource Types</a></li>
18 <li><a href="#AlternativeResources">Providing Alternative Resources</a>
20 <li><a href="#QualifierRules">Qualifier name rules</a></li>
21 <li><a href="#AliasResources">Creating alias resources</a></li>
24 <li><a href="#Compatibility">Providing the Best Device Compatibility with Resources</a>
26 <li><a href="#ScreenCompatibility">Providing screen resource compatibility for Android
30 <li><a href="#BestMatch">How Android Finds the Best-matching Resource</a></li>
31 <li><a href="#KnownIssues">Known Issues</a></li>
36 <li><a href="accessing-resources.html">Accessing Resources</a></li>
37 <li><a href="available-resources.html">Resource Types</a></li>
38 <li><a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
44 <p>You should always externalize application resources such as images and strings from your
45 code, so that you can maintain them independently. You should also provide alternative resources for
46 specific device configurations, by grouping them in specially-named resource directories. At
47 runtime, Android uses uses the appropriate resource based on the current configuration. For
48 example, you might want to provide a different UI layout depending on the screen size or different
49 strings depending on the language setting.</p>
51 <p>Once you externalize your application resources, you can access them
52 using resource IDs that are generated in your project's {@code R} class. How to use
53 resources in your application is discussed in <a href="accessing-resources.html">Accessing
54 Resources</a>. This document shows you how to group your resources in your Android project and
55 provide alternative resources for specific device configurations.</p>
58 <h2 id="ResourceTypes">Grouping Resource Types</h2>
60 <p>You should place each type of resource in a specific subdirectory of your project's
61 {@code res/} directory. For example, here's the file hierarchy for a simple project:</p>
63 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
65 src/ <span style="color:black">
66 MyActivity.java </span>
68 drawable/ <span style="color:black">
70 layout/ <span style="color:black">
73 values/ <span style="color:black">
77 <p>As you can see in this example, the {@code res/} directory contains all the resources (in
78 subdirectories): an image resource, two layout resources, and a string resource file. The resource
79 directory names are important and are described in table 1.</p>
81 <p class="table-caption" id="table1"><strong>Table 1.</strong> Resource directories
82 supported inside project {@code res/} directory.</p>
86 <th scope="col">Directory</th>
87 <th scope="col">Resource Type</th>
91 <td><code>anim/</code></td>
92 <td>XML files that define tween animations. See <a
93 href="animation-resource.html">Animation Resources</a>.</td>
97 <td><code>color/</code></td>
98 <td>XML files that define a state list of colors. See <a href="color-list-resource.html">Color
99 State List Resource</a></td>
103 <td><code>drawable/</code></td>
104 <td><p>Bitmap files ({@code .png}, {@code .9.png}, {@code .jpg}, {@code .gif}) or XML files that
105 are compiled into the following drawable resource subtypes:</p>
107 <li>Bitmap files</li>
108 <li>Nine-Patches (re-sizable bitmaps)</li>
111 <li>Animation drawables</li>
112 <li>Other drawables</li>
114 <p>See <a href="drawable-resource.html">Drawable Resources</a>.</p>
119 <td><code>layout/</code></td>
120 <td>XML files that define a user interface layout.
121 See <a href="layout-resource.html">Layout Resource</a>.</td>
125 <td><code>menu/</code></td>
126 <td>XML files that define application menus, such as an Options Menu, Context Menu, or Sub
127 Menu. See <a href="menu-resource.html">Menu Resource</a>.</td>
131 <td><code>raw/</code></td>
132 <td><p>Arbitrary files to save in their raw form. To open these resources with a raw
133 {@link java.io.InputStream}, call {@link android.content.res.Resources#openRawResource(int)
134 Resources.openRawResource()} with the resource ID, which is {@code R.raw.<em>filename</em>}.</p>
135 <p>However, if you need access to original file names and file hierarchy, you might consider
136 saving some resources in the {@code
137 assets/} directory (instead of {@code res/raw/}). Files in {@code assets/} are not given a
138 resource ID, so you can read them only using {@link android.content.res.AssetManager}.</p></td>
142 <td><code>values/</code></td>
143 <td><p>XML files that contain simple values, such as strings, integers, and colors.</p>
144 <p>Whereas XML resource files in other {@code res/} subdirectories define a single resource
145 based on the XML filename, files in the {@code values/} directory describe multiple resources.
146 For a file in this directory, each child of the {@code <resources>} element defines a single
147 resource. For example, a {@code <string>} element creates an
148 {@code R.string} resource and a {@code <color>} element creates an {@code R.color}
150 <p>Because each resource is defined with its own XML element, you can name the file
151 whatever you want and place different resource types in one file. However, for clarity, you might
152 want to place unique resource types in different files. For example, here are some filename
153 conventions for resources you can create in this directory:</p>
155 <li>arrays.xml for resource arrays (<a
156 href="more-resources.html#TypedArray">typed arrays</a>).</li>
157 <li>colors.xml for <a
158 href="more-resources.html#Color">color values</a></li>
159 <li>dimens.xml for <a
160 href="more-resources.html#Dimension">dimension values</a>.</li>
161 <li>strings.xml for <a href="string-resource.html">string
163 <li>styles.xml for <a href="style-resource.html">styles</a>.</li>
165 <p>See <a href="string-resource.html">String Resources</a>,
166 <a href="style-resource.html">Style Resource</a>, and
167 <a href="more-resources.html">More Resource Types</a>.</p>
172 <td><code>xml/</code></td>
173 <td>Arbitrary XML files that can be read at runtime by calling {@link
174 android.content.res.Resources#getXml(int) Resources.getXML()}. Various XML configuration files
175 must be saved here, such as a <a
176 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/search/searchable-config.html">searchable configuration</a>.
177 <!-- or preferences configuration. --></td>
181 <p class="caution"><strong>Caution:</strong> Never save resource files directly inside the
182 {@code res/} directory—it will cause a compiler error.</p>
184 <p>For more information about certain types of resources, see the <a
185 href="available-resources.html">Resource Types</a> documentation.</p>
187 <p>The resources that you save in the subdirectories defined in table 1 are your "default"
188 resources. That is, these resources define the default design and content for your application.
189 However, different types of Android-powered devices might call for different types of resources.
190 For example, if a device has a larger than normal screen, then you should provide
191 different layout resources that take advantage of the extra screen space. Or, if a device has a
192 different language setting, then you should provide different string resources that translate the
193 text in your user interface. To provide these different resources for different device
194 configurations, you need to provide alternative resources, in addition to your default
198 <h2 id="AlternativeResources">Providing Alternative Resources</h2>
201 <div class="figure" style="width:421px">
202 <img src="{@docRoot}images/resources/resource_devices_diagram2.png" height="137" alt="" />
203 <p class="img-caption">
204 <strong>Figure 1.</strong> Two different devices, one using alternative resources.</p>
207 <p>Almost every application should provide alternative resources to support specific device
208 configurations. For instance, you should include alternative drawable resources for different
209 screen densities and alternative string resources for different languages. At runtime, Android
210 detects the current device configuration and loads the appropriate
211 resources for your application.</p>
213 <p>To specify configuration-specific alternatives for a set of resources:</p>
215 <li>Create a new directory in {@code res/} named in the form {@code
216 <em><resources_name></em>-<em><config_qualifier></em>}.
218 <li><em>{@code <resources_name>}</em> is the directory name of the corresponding default
219 resources (defined in table 1).</li>
220 <li><em>{@code <qualifier>}</em> is a name that specifies an individual configuration
221 for which these resources are to be used (defined in table 2).</li>
223 <p>You can append more than one <em>{@code <qualifier>}</em>. Separate each
226 <li>Save the respective alternative resources in this new directory. The resource files must be
227 named exactly the same as the default resource files.</li>
230 <p>For example, here are some default and alternative resources:</p>
232 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
234 drawable/ <span style="color:black">
236 background.png </span>
237 drawable-hdpi/ <span style="color:black">
239 background.png </span>
242 <p>The {@code hdpi} qualifier indicates that the resources in that directory are for devices with a
243 high-density screen. The images in each of these drawable directories are sized for a specific
244 screen density, but the filenames are exactly
245 the same. This way, the resource ID that you use to reference the {@code icon.png} or {@code
246 background.png} image is always the same, but Android selects the
247 version of each resource that best matches the current device, by comparing the device
248 configuration information with the qualifiers in the alternative resource directory name.</p>
250 <p>Android supports several configuration qualifiers and you can
251 add multiple qualifiers to one directory name, by separating each qualifier with a dash. Table 2
252 lists the valid configuration qualifiers, in order of precedence—if you use multiple
253 qualifiers for one resource directory, they must be added to the directory name in the order they
254 are listed in the table.</p>
256 <p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Some configuration qualifiers were added after Android 1.0,
258 all versions of Android support all the qualifiers listed in table 2. New qualifiers
259 indicate the version in which they were added. To avoid any issues, always include a set of default
260 resources for resources that your application uses. For more information, see the section about <a
261 href="#Compatibility">Providing the Best Device Compatibility with Resources</a>.</p>
263 <p class="table-caption" id="table2"><strong>Table 2.</strong> Configuration qualifier
271 <tr id="MccQualifier">
274 <code>mcc310</code><br/>
275 <code><nobr>mcc310-mnc004</nobr></code><br/>
276 <code>mcc208-mnc00</code><br/>
280 <p>The mobile country code (MCC), optionally followed by mobile network code (MNC)
281 from the SIM card in the device. For example, <code>mcc310</code> is U.S. on any carrier,
282 <code>mcc310-mnc004</code> is U.S. on Verizon, and <code>mcc208-mnc00</code> is France on
284 <p>If the device uses a radio connection (GSM phone), the MCC comes
285 from the SIM, and the MNC comes from the network to which the
286 device is connected.</p>
287 <p>You can also use the MCC alone (for example, to include country-specific legal
288 resources in your application). If you need to specify based on the language only, then use the
289 <em>language and region</em> qualifier instead (discussed next). If you decide to use the MCC and
290 MNC qualifier, you should do so with care and test that it works as expected.</p>
291 <p>Also see the configuration fields {@link
292 android.content.res.Configuration#mcc}, and {@link
293 android.content.res.Configuration#mnc}, which indicate the current mobile country code
294 and mobile network code, respectively.</p>
297 <tr id="LocaleQualifier">
298 <td>Language and region</td>
302 <code>en-rUS</code><br/>
303 <code>fr-rFR</code><br/>
304 <code>fr-rCA</code><br/>
307 <td><p>The language is defined by a two-letter <a
308 href="http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php">ISO
309 639-1</a> language code, optionally followed by a two letter
311 href="http://www.iso.org/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-code-lists/list-en1.html">ISO
312 3166-1-alpha-2</a> region code (preceded by lowercase "{@code r}").
314 The codes are <em>not</em> case-sensitive; the {@code r} prefix is used to
315 distinguish the region portion.
316 You cannot specify a region alone.</p>
317 <p>This can change during the life
318 of your application if the user changes his or her language in the system settings. See <a
319 href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for information about
320 how this can affect your application during runtime.</p>
321 <p>See <a href="localization.html">Localization</a> for a complete guide to localizing
322 your application for other languages.</p>
323 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#locale} configuration field, which
324 indicates the current locale.</p>
327 <tr id="ScreenSizeQualifier">
330 <code>small</code><br/>
331 <code>normal</code><br/>
332 <code>large</code><br/>
337 <li>{@code small}: Screens based on the space available on a
338 low-density QVGA screen. Considering a portrait HVGA display, this has
339 the same available width but less height—it is 3:4 vs. HVGA's
340 2:3 aspect ratio. Examples are QVGA low density and VGA high
342 <li>{@code normal}: Screens based on the traditional
343 medium-density HVGA screen. A screen is considered to be normal if it is
344 at least this size (independent of density) and not larger. Examples
345 of such screens a WQVGA low density, HVGA medium density, WVGA
347 <li>{@code large}: Screens based on the space available on a
348 medium-density VGA screen. Such a screen has significantly more
349 available space in both width and height than an HVGA display.
350 Examples are VGA and WVGA medium density screens.</li>
351 <li>{@code xlarge}: Screens that are considerably larger than the traditional
352 medium-density HVGA screen. In most cases, devices with extra large screens would be too
353 large to carry in a pocket and would most likely be tablet-style devices. <em>Added in API Level
356 <p><em>Added in API Level 4.</em></p>
357 <p>See <a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
358 Screens</a> for more information.</p>
359 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#screenLayout} configuration field,
360 which indicates whether the screen is small, normal,
364 <tr id="ScreenAspectQualifier">
365 <td>Screen aspect</td>
367 <code>long</code><br/>
372 <li>{@code long}: Long screens, such as WQVGA, WVGA, FWVGA</li>
373 <li>{@code notlong}: Not long screens, such as QVGA, HVGA, and VGA</li>
375 <p><em>Added in API Level 4.</em></p>
376 <p>This is based purely on the aspect ratio of the screen (a "long" screen is wider). This
377 is not related to the screen orientation.</p>
378 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#screenLayout} configuration field,
379 which indicates whether the screen is long.</p>
382 <tr id="OrientationQualifier">
383 <td>Screen orientation</td>
385 <code>port</code><br/>
386 <code>land</code> <!-- <br/>
387 <code>square</code> -->
391 <li>{@code port}: Device is in portrait orientation (vertical)</li>
392 <li>{@code land}: Device is in landscape orientation (horizontal)</li>
393 <!-- Square mode is currently not used. -->
395 <p>This can change during the life of your application if the user rotates the
396 screen. See <a href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for information about
397 how this affects your application during runtime.</p>
398 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#orientation} configuration field,
399 which indicates the current device orientation.</p>
402 <tr id="DockQualifier">
405 <code>car</code><br/>
410 <li>{@code car}: Device is in a car dock</li>
411 <li>{@code desk}: Device is in a desk dock</li>
413 <p><em>Added in API Level 8.</em></p>
414 <p>This can change during the life of your application if the user places the device in a
415 dock. You can enable or disable this mode using {@link
416 android.app.UiModeManager}. See <a href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for
417 information about how this affects your application during runtime.</p>
420 <tr id="NightQualifier">
423 <code>night</code><br/>
424 <code>notnight</code>
428 <li>{@code night}: Night time</li>
429 <li>{@code notnight}: Day time</li>
431 <p><em>Added in API Level 8.</em></p>
432 <p>This can change during the life of your application if night mode is left in
433 auto mode (default), in which case the mode changes based on the time of day. You can enable
434 or disable this mode using {@link android.app.UiModeManager}. See <a
435 href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for information about how this affects your
436 application during runtime.</p>
439 <tr id="DensityQualifier">
440 <td>Screen pixel density (dpi)</td>
442 <code>ldpi</code><br/>
443 <code>mdpi</code><br/>
444 <code>hdpi</code><br/>
445 <code>xhdpi</code><br/>
450 <li>{@code ldpi}: Low-density screens; approximately 120dpi.</li>
451 <li>{@code mdpi}: Medium-density (on traditional HVGA) screens; approximately
453 <li>{@code hdpi}: High-density screens; approximately 240dpi.</li>
454 <li>{@code xhdpi}: Extra high-density screens; approximately 320dpi. <em>Added in API
456 <li>{@code nodpi}: This can be used for bitmap resources that you do not want to be scaled
457 to match the device density.</li>
459 <p><em>Added in API Level 4.</em></p>
460 <p>There is thus a 3:4:6 scaling ratio between the three densities, so a 9x9 bitmap
461 in ldpi is 12x12 in mdpi and 18x18 in hdpi.</p>
462 <p>When Android selects which resource files to use,
463 it handles screen density differently than the other qualifiers.
464 In step 1 of <a href="#BestMatch">How Android finds the best
465 matching directory</a> (below), screen density is always considered to
466 be a match. In step 4, if the qualifier being considered is screen
467 density, Android selects the best final match at that point,
468 without any need to move on to step 5.
470 <p>See <a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
471 Screens</a> for more information about how to handle screen sizes and how Android might scale
475 <tr id="TouchscreenQualifier">
476 <td>Touchscreen type</td>
478 <code>notouch</code><br/>
479 <code>stylus</code><br/>
484 <li>{@code notouch}: Device does not have a touchscreen.</li>
485 <li>{@code stylus}: Device has a resistive touchscreen that's suited for use with a
487 <li>{@code finger}: Device has a touchscreen.</li>
489 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#touchscreen} configuration field,
490 which indicates the type of touchscreen on the device.</p>
493 <tr id="KeyboardAvailQualifier">
494 <td>Keyboard availability</td>
496 <code>keysexposed</code><br/>
497 <code>keyssoft</code>
501 <li>{@code keysexposed}: Device has a keyboard available. If the device has a
502 software keyboard enabled (which is likely), this may be used even when the hardware keyboard is
503 <em>not</em> exposed to the user, even if the device has no hardware keyboard. If no software
504 keyboard is provided or it's disabled, then this is only used when a hardware keyboard is
506 <li>{@code keyshidden}: Device has a hardware keyboard available but it is
507 hidden <em>and</em> the device does <em>not</em> have a software keyboard enabled.</li>
508 <li>{@code keyssoft}: Device has a software keyboard enabled, whether it's
511 <p>If you provide <code>keysexposed</code> resources, but not <code>keyssoft</code>
512 resources, the system uses the <code>keysexposed</code> resources regardless of whether a
513 keyboard is visible, as long as the system has a software keyboard enabled.</p>
514 <p>This can change during the life of your application if the user opens a hardware
515 keyboard. See <a href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for information about how
516 this affects your application during runtime.</p>
517 <p>Also see the configuration fields {@link
518 android.content.res.Configuration#hardKeyboardHidden} and {@link
519 android.content.res.Configuration#keyboardHidden}, which indicate the visibility of a hardware
520 keyboard and and the visibility of any kind of keyboard (including software), respectively.</p>
523 <tr id="ImeQualifier">
524 <td>Primary text input method</td>
526 <code>nokeys</code><br/>
527 <code>qwerty</code><br/>
532 <li>{@code nokeys}: Device has no hardware keys for text input.</li>
533 <li>{@code qwerty}: Device has a hardware qwerty keyboard, whether it's visible to the
536 <li>{@code 12key}: Device has a hardware 12-key keyboard, whether it's visible to the user
539 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#keyboard} configuration field,
540 which indicates the primary text input method available.</p>
543 <tr id="NavAvailQualifier">
544 <td>Navigation key availability</td>
546 <code>navexposed</code><br/>
547 <code>navhidden</code>
551 <li>{@code navexposed}: Navigation keys are available to the user.</li>
552 <li>{@code navhidden}: Navigation keys are not available (such as behind a closed
555 <p>This can change during the life of your application if the user reveals the navigation
556 keys. See <a href="runtime-changes.html">Handling Runtime Changes</a> for
557 information about how this affects your application during runtime.</p>
558 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#navigationHidden} configuration
559 field, which indicates whether navigation keys are hidden.</p>
562 <tr id="TouchQualifier">
563 <td>Primary non-touch navigation method</td>
565 <code>nonav</code><br/>
566 <code>dpad</code><br/>
567 <code>trackball</code><br/>
572 <li>{@code nonav}: Device has no navigation facility other than using the
574 <li>{@code dpad}: Device has a directional-pad (d-pad) for navigation.</li>
575 <li>{@code trackball}: Device has a trackball for navigation.</li>
576 <li>{@code wheel}: Device has a directional wheel(s) for navigation (uncommon).</li>
578 <p>Also see the {@link android.content.res.Configuration#navigation} configuration field,
579 which indicates the type of navigation method available.</p>
584 <td>Screen dimensions</td>
586 <code>320x240</code><br/>
587 <code>640x480</code><br/>
591 <p>The larger dimension must be specified first. <strong>This configuration is deprecated
592 and should not be used</strong>. Instead use "screen size," "wider/taller screens," and "screen
593 orientation" described above.</p>
597 <tr id="VersionQualifier">
598 <td>System Version (API Level)</td>
605 <p>The API Level supported by the device. For example, <code>v1</code> for API Level
606 1 (devices with Android 1.0 or higher) and <code>v4</code> for API Level 4 (devices with Android
607 1.6 or higher). See the <a
608 href="{@docRoot}guide/appendix/api-levels.html">Android API Levels</a> document for more information
609 about these values.</p>
610 <p class="caution"><strong>Caution:</strong> Android 1.5 and 1.6 only match resources
611 with this qualifier when it exactly matches the system version. See the section below about <a
612 href="#KnownIssues">Known Issues</a> for more information.</p>
618 <h3 id="QualifierRules">Qualifier name rules</h3>
620 <p>Here are some rules about using configuration qualifier names:</p>
623 <li>You can specify multiple qualifiers for a single set of resources, separated by dashes. For
624 example, <code>drawable-en-rUS-land</code> applies to US-English devices in landscape
626 <li>The qualifiers must be in the order listed in <a href="#table2">table 2</a>. For
629 <li>Wrong: <code>drawable-hdpi-port/</code></li>
630 <li>Correct: <code>drawable-port-hdpi/</code></li>
633 <li>Alternative resource directories cannot be nested. For example, you cannot have
634 <code>res/drawable/drawable-en/</code>.</li>
635 <li>Values are case-insensitive. The resource compiler converts directory names
636 to lower case before processing to avoid problems on case-insensitive
637 file systems. Any capitalization in the names is only to benefit readability.</li>
638 <li>Only one value for each qualifier type is supported. For example, if you want to use
639 the same drawable files for Spain and France, you <em>cannot</em> have a directory named
640 <code>drawable-rES-rFR/</code>. Instead you need two resource directories, such as
641 <code>drawable-rES/</code> and <code>drawable-rFR/</code>, which contain the appropriate files.
642 However, you are not required to actually duplicate the same files in both locations. Instead, you
643 can create an alias to a resource. See <a href="#AliasResources">Creating
644 alias resources</a> below.</li>
647 <p>After you save alternative resources into directories named with
648 these qualifiers, Android automatically applies the resources in your application based on the
649 current device configuration. Each time a resource is requested, Android checks for alternative
650 resource directories that contain the requested resource file, then <a href="#BestMatch">finds the
651 best-matching resource</a> (discussed below). If there are no alternative resources that match
652 a particular device configuration, then Android uses the corresponding default resources (the
653 set of resources for a particular resource type that does not include a configuration
658 <h3 id="AliasResources">Creating alias resources</h3>
660 <p>When you have a resource that you'd like to use for more than one device
661 configuration (but do not want to provide as a default resource), you do not need to put the same
662 resource in more than one alternative resource directory. Instead, you can (in some cases) create an
664 resource that acts as an alias for a resource saved in your default resource directory.</p>
666 <p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Not all resources offer a mechanism by which you can
667 create an alias to another resource. In particular, animation, menu, raw, and other unspecified
668 resources in the {@code xml/} directory do not offer this feature.</p>
670 <p>For example, imagine you have an application icon, {@code icon.png}, and need unique version of
671 it for different locales. However, two locales, English-Canadian and French-Canadian, need to
672 use the same version. You might assume that you need to copy the same image
673 into the resource directory for both English-Canadian and French-Canadian, but it's
674 not true. Instead, you can save the image that's used for both as {@code icon_ca.png} (any
675 name other than {@code icon.png}) and put
676 it in the default {@code res/drawable/} directory. Then create an {@code icon.xml} file in {@code
677 res/drawable-en-rCA/} and {@code res/drawable-fr-rCA/} that refers to the {@code icon_ca.png}
678 resource using the {@code <bitmap>} element. This allows you to store just one version of the
679 PNG file and two small XML files that point to it. (An example XML file is shown below.)</p>
684 <p>To create an alias to an existing drawable, use the {@code <bitmap>} element.
688 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
689 <bitmap xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
690 android:src="@drawable/icon_ca" />
693 <p>If you save this file as {@code icon.xml} (in an alternative resource directory, such as
694 {@code res/drawable-en-rCA/}), it is compiled into a resource that you
695 can reference as {@code R.drawable.icon}, but is actually an alias for the {@code
696 R.drawable.icon_ca} resource (which is saved in {@code res/drawable/}).</p>
701 <p>To create an alias to an existing layout, use the {@code <include>}
702 element, wrapped in a {@code <merge>}. For example:</p>
705 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
707 <include layout="@layout/main_ltr"/>
711 <p>If you save this file as {@code main.xml}, it is compiled into a resource you can reference
712 as {@code R.layout.main}, but is actually an alias for the {@code R.layout.main_ltr}
716 <h4>Strings and other simple values</h4>
718 <p>To create an alias to an existing string, simply use the resource ID of the desired
719 string as the value for the new string. For example:</p>
722 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
724 <string name="hello">Hello</string>
725 <string name="hi">@string/hello</string>
729 <p>The {@code R.string.hi} resource is now an alias for the {@code R.string.hello}.</p>
731 <p> <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/more-resources.html">Other simple values</a> work the
732 same way. For example, a color:</p>
735 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
737 <color name="yellow">#f00</color>
738 <color name="highlight">@color/red</color>
745 <h2 id="Compatibility">Providing the Best Device Compatibility with Resources</h2>
747 <p>In order for your application to support multiple device configurations, it's very important that
748 you always provide default resources for each type of resource that your application uses.</p>
750 <p>For example, if your application supports several languages, always include a {@code
751 values/} directory (in which your strings are saved) <em>without</em> a <a
752 href="#LocaleQualifier">language and region qualifier</a>. If you instead put all your string files
753 in directories that have a language and region qualifier, then your application will crash when run
754 on a device set to a language that your strings do not support. But, as long as you provide default
755 {@code values/} resources, then your application will run properly (even if the user doesn't
756 understand that language—it's better than crashing).</p>
758 <p>Likewise, if you provide different layout resources based on the screen orientation, you should
759 pick one orientation as your default. For example, instead of providing layout resources in {@code
760 layout-land/} for landscape and {@code layout-port/} for portrait, leave one as the default, such as
761 {@code layout/} for landscape and {@code layout-port/} for portrait.</p>
763 <p>Providing default resources is important not only because your application might run on a
764 configuration you had not anticipated, but also because new versions of Android sometimes add
765 configuration qualifiers that older versions do not support. If you use a new resource qualifier,
766 but maintain code compatibility with older versions of Android, then when an older version of
767 Android runs your application, it will crash if you do not provide default resources, because it
768 cannot use the resources named with the new qualifier. For example, if your <a
769 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#min">{@code
770 minSdkVersion}</a> is set to 4, and you qualify all of your drawable resources using <a
771 href="#NightQualifier">night mode</a> ({@code night} or {@code notnight}, which were added in API
772 Level 8), then an API Level 4 device cannot access your drawable resources and will crash. In this
773 case, you probably want {@code notnight} to be your default resources, so you should exclude that
774 qualifier so your drawable resources are in either {@code drawable/} or {@code drawable-night/}.</p>
776 <p>So, in order to provide the best device compatibility, always provide default
777 resources for the resources your application needs to perform properly. Then create alternative
778 resources for specific device configurations using the configuration qualifiers.</p>
780 <p>There is one exception to this rule: If your application's <a
781 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#min">{@code minSdkVersion}</a> is 4 or
782 greater, you <em>do not</em> need default drawable resources when you provide alternative drawable
783 resources with the <a href="#DensityQualifier">screen density</a> qualifier. Even without default
784 drawable resources, Android can find the best match among the alternative screen densities and scale
785 the bitmaps as necessary. However, for the best experience on all types of devices, you should
786 provide alternative drawables for all three types of density. If your <a
787 href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#min">{@code minSdkVersion}</a> is
788 <em>less than</em> 4 (Android 1.5 or lower), be aware that the screen size, density, and aspect
789 qualifiers are not supported on Android 1.5 or lower, so you might need to perform additional
790 compatibility for these versions.</p>
793 <h3 id="ScreenCompatibility">Providing screen resource compatibility for Android 1.5</h3>
795 <p>Android 1.5 (and lower) does not support the following configuration qualifers:</p>
797 <dt><a href="#DensityQualifier">Density</a></dt>
798 <dd>{@code ldpi}, {@code mdpi}, {@code ldpi}, and {@code nodpi}</dd>
799 <dt><a href="#ScreenSizeQualifier">Screen size</a></dt>
800 <dd>{@code small}, {@code normal}, and {@code large}</dd>
801 <dt><a href="#ScreenAspectQualifier">Screen aspect</a></dt>
802 <dd>{@code long} and {@code notlong}</dd>
805 <p>These configuration qualifiers were introduced in Android 1.6, so Android 1.5 (API Level 3) and
806 lower does not support them. If you use these configuration qualifiers and do not provide
807 corresponding default resources, then an Android 1.5 device might use any one of the resource
808 directories named with the above screen configuration qualifiers, because it ignores these
809 qualifiers and uses whichever otherwise-matching drawable resource it finds first.</p>
811 <p>For example, if your application supports Android 1.5 and includes drawable resources for
812 each density type ({@code drawable-ldpi/}, {@code drawable-mdpi/}, and {@code drawable-ldpi/}),
813 and does <em>not</em> include default drawable resources ({@code drawable/}), then
814 an Android 1.5 will use drawables from any one of the alternative resource directories, which
815 can result in a user interface that's less than ideal.<p>
817 <p>So, to provide compatibility with Android 1.5 (and lower) when using the screen configuration
820 <li>Provide default resources that are for medium-density, normal, and notlong screens.
822 <p>Because all Android 1.5 devices have medium-density, normal, not-long screens, you can
823 place these kinds of resources in the corresponding default resource directory. For example, put all
824 medium density drawable resources in {@code drawable/} (instead of {@code drawable-mdpi/}),
825 put {@code normal} size resources in the corresponding default resource directory, and {@code
826 notlong} resources in the corresponding default resource directory.</p>
829 <li>Ensure that your <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/tools-notes.html">SDK Tools</a> version
832 <p>You need SDK Tools, Revision 6 (or greater), because it includes a new packaging tool that
833 automatically applies an appropriate <a href="#VersionQualifier">version qualifier</a> to any
834 resource directory named with a qualifier that does not exist in Android 1.0. For example, because
835 the density qualifier was introduced in Android 1.6 (API Level 4), when the packaging tool
836 encounters a resource directory using the density qualifier, it adds {@code v4} to the directory
837 name to ensure that older versions do not use those resources (only API Level 4 and higher support
838 that qualifier). Thus, by putting your medium-density resources in a directory <em>without</em> the
839 {@code mdpi} qualifier, they are still accessible by Android 1.5, and any device that supports the
840 density qualifer and has a medium-density screen also uses the default resources (which are mdpi)
841 because they are the best match for the device (instead of using the {@code ldpi} or {@code hdpi}
846 <p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Later versions of Android, such as API Level 8,
847 introduce other configuration qualifiers that older version do not support. To provide the best
848 compatibility, you should always include a set of default resources for each type of resource
849 that your application uses, as discussed above to provide the best device compatibility.</p>
853 <h2 id="BestMatch">How Android Finds the Best-matching Resource</h2>
855 <p>When you request a resource for which you provide alternatives, Android selects which
856 alternative resource to use at runtime, depending on the current device configuration. To
857 demonstrate how Android selects an alternative resource, assume the following drawable directories
858 each contain different versions of the same images:</p>
860 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
865 drawable-en-notouch-12key/
867 drawable-port-notouch-12key/
870 <p>And assume the following is the device configuration:</p>
872 <p style="margin-left:1em;">
873 Locale = <code>en-GB</code> <br/>
874 Screen orientation = <code>port</code> <br/>
875 Screen pixel density = <code>hdpi</code> <br/>
876 Touchscreen type = <code>notouch</code> <br/>
877 Primary text input method = <code>12key</code>
880 <p>By comparing the device configuration to the available alternative resources, Android selects
881 drawables from {@code drawable-en-port}. It arrives at this decision using the following logic:</p>
884 <div class="figure" style="width:280px">
885 <img src="{@docRoot}images/resources/res-selection-flowchart.png" alt="" height="590" />
886 <p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 2.</strong> Flowchart of how Android finds the
887 best-matching resource.</p>
892 <li>Eliminate resource files that contradict the device configuration.
893 <p>The <code>drawable-fr-rCA/</code> directory is eliminated, because it
894 contradicts the <code>en-GB</code> locale.</p>
895 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
898 <strike>drawable-fr-rCA/</strike>
900 drawable-en-notouch-12key/
902 drawable-port-notouch-12key/
904 <p class="note"><strong>Exception:</strong> Screen pixel density is the one qualifier that is not
905 eliminated due to a contradiction. Even though the screen density of the device is hdpi,
906 <code>drawable-port-ldpi/</code> is not eliminated because every screen density is
907 considered to be a match at this point. More information is available in the <a
908 href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
909 Screens</a> document.</p></li>
911 <li>Pick the (next) highest-precedence qualifier in the list (<a href="#table2">table 2</a>).
912 (Start with MCC, then move down.) </li>
913 <li>Do any of the resource directories include this qualifier? </li>
915 <li>If No, return to step 2 and look at the next qualifier. (In the example,
916 the answer is "no" until the language qualifier is reached.)</li>
917 <li>If Yes, continue to step 4.</li>
921 <li>Eliminate resource directories that do not include this qualifier. In the example, the system
922 eliminates all the directories that do not include a language qualifier:</li>
923 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
924 <strike>drawable/</strike>
927 drawable-en-notouch-12key/
928 <strike>drawable-port-ldpi/</strike>
929 <strike>drawable-port-notouch-12key/</strike>
931 <p class="note"><strong>Exception:</strong> If the qualifier in question is screen pixel density,
932 Android selects the option that most closely matches the device screen density.
933 In general, Android prefers scaling down a larger original image to scaling up a smaller
934 original image. See <a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple
938 <li>Go back and repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 until only one directory remains. In the example, screen
939 orientation is the next qualifier for which there are any matches.
940 So, resources that do not specify a screen orientation are eliminated:
941 <pre class="classic no-pretty-print">
942 <strike>drawable-en/</strike>
944 <strike>drawable-en-notouch-12key/</strike>
946 <p>The remaining directory is {@code drawable-en-port}.</p>
950 <p>Though this procedure is executed for each resource requested, the system further optimizes
951 some aspects. One such optimization is that once the device configuration is known, it might
952 eliminate alternative resources that can never match. For example, if the configuration
953 language is English ("en"), then any resource directory that has a language qualifier set to
954 something other than English is never included in the pool of resources checked (though a
955 resource directory <em>without</em> the language qualifier is still included).</p>
957 <p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> The <em>precedence</em> of the qualifier (in <a
958 href="#table2">table 2</a>) is more important
959 than the number of qualifiers that exactly match the device. For example, in step 4 above, the last
960 choice on the list includes three qualifiers that exactly match the device (orientation, touchscreen
961 type, and input method), while <code>drawable-en</code> has only one parameter that matches
962 (language). However, language has a higher precedence than these other qualifiers, so
963 <code>drawable-port-notouch-12key</code> is out.</p>
965 <p>To learn more about how to use resources in your application, continue to <a
966 href="accessing-resources.html">Accessing Resources</a>.</p>
971 <h2 id="KnownIssues">Known Issues</h2>
973 <h3>Android 1.5 and 1.6: Version qualifier performs exact match, instead of best match</h3>
975 <p>The correct behavior is for the system to match resources marked with a <a
976 href="#VersionQualifier">version qualifier</a> equal
977 to or less than the system version on the device, but on Android 1.5 and 1.6, (API Level 3 and 4),
978 there is a bug that causes the system to match resources marked with the version qualifier
979 only when it exactly matches the version on the device.</p>
981 <p><b>The workaround:</b> To provide version-specific resources, abide by this behavior. However,
982 because this bug is fixed in versions of Android available after 1.6, if
983 you need to differentiate resources between Android 1.5, 1.6, and later versions, then you only need
984 to apply the version qualifier to the 1.6 resources and one to match all later versions. Thus, this
985 is effectively a non-issue.</p>
987 <p>For example, if you want drawable resources that are different on each Android 1.5, 1.6,
988 and 2.0.1 (and later), create three drawable directories: {@code drawable/} (for 1.5 and lower),
989 {@code drawable-v4} (for 1.6), and {@code drawable-v6} (for 2.0.1 and later—version 2.0, v5,
990 is no longer available).</p>