Android Material Design Components

Introduction

Android Material Design Components (MDC) is a suite of pre-built, customizable UI components that align with the Material Design guidelines. These components are part of the Android Jetpack library, a collection of libraries, tools, and guidance that help developers create high-quality Android applications more easily. The main goal of MDC is to ensure that apps look and feel consistent across different devices, platforms, and screen sizes, enhancing the overall user experience.

Importance of Android Material Design Components

1. Consistency Across Devices and Platforms: Google’s Material Design language emphasizes consistency across Android devices and platforms. By using Material Design Components, developers ensure that their apps follow the Material Design guidelines, making them consistent with the looks and behaviors expected by Android users.

2. Accessibility: MDC components incorporate accessibility features by default, making it easier for all users to interact with the app. Developers can extend these features as needed to cater to specific needs of diverse users.

3. Improved UX and UI: The components are designed with users in mind, ensuring a rich and intuitive user experience. This leads to a better engagement rate, higher user satisfaction, and positive feedback.

4. Enhanced Development Speed: By using pre-built components, developers can focus more on application logic rather than spending time designing and building interactive UI elements. This significantly speeds up the development process.

5. Flexibility and Customization: MDC components offer extensive customization options. Developers can adjust colors, fonts, shapes, and other attributes to match the branding and style of their application.

Key Components of Material Design Components

1. Buttons:

   • Text Button: A simple button made of ink that displays ink reactions on press but does not lift. Ideal for use in toolbars and dialog boxes.
   • Outlined Button: Similar to text buttons but with an outlined rectangle container. Useful when buttons need to blend into a background.
   • Contained Button: Displays ink wash animation on press along with a lifted container. Suitable for actions that require emphasis, like “Continue” or “Submit.”

2. Bottom Navigation: Provides navigation among three to five top-level destinations of an app. This component is particularly useful in single-screen apps where users need quick and easy access to different sections.

3. Cards: A card is a surface that displays content and actions in a emphasis container, meant to be part of a collection. Cards have a defined border and are perfect for displaying content like images, lists, or blocks of text.

4. Dialogs: Dialogs prompt users for decisions or additional information, and can include title, action buttons, and body text. They are categorized into three types:

   • Alert Dialog: Used to describe a situation and prompt the user to make a decision. It can contain a message and an action button.
   • Date Picker Dialog: Helps the user select a date, typically for entering dates within forms.
   • Time Picker Dialog: Assists the user in picking a specific time, like selecting start or end times.

5. Text Fields: Text fields are used to input and edit text. They are deeply customizable and come in several variants:

   • Outlined Text Field: Displayed with an outlined container. Often used when you want text fields to blend into the background.
   • Filled Text Field: Includes a solid fill and has larger height. Useful when you want text fields to stand out from the background.

6. App Bars and Toolbars:

   • Top App Bar: Provides navigation and primary actions. Present at the top of the screen and can come in flavors like primary, secondary, and prominent.
   • Bottom App Bar: Sits at the bottom edge of the screen and typically includes navigation destinations and actions.

7. Snackbars and Toasts:

   • Snackbar: A brief message at the bottom of the screen that automatically fades away after a set duration. Useful for displaying messages without interrupting the user flow.
   • Toast: A transient notification that appears on the screen and disappears after a brief duration. Less disruptive compared to dialogs.

8. Navigation Views:

   • Navigation Drawer: A panel that slides in from the left edge of the screen. Useful for accessing navigation destinations in multi-screen layouts.
   • Navigation Rail: Similar to a navigation drawer but provides a more compressed form of navigation suitable for tablets and larger screens.

9. Tabs:

   • Tabs: Horizontal row of tabs, each representing a distinct view or action. Used to organize and categorize related content.

10. Chips:

    • Chip: Compact elements that represent an attribute, text, entity, or action. Chips can be used for filtering content or triggering actions like tagging labels.

Implementation Basics

To implement Material Design Components in your application, you need to add the appropriate dependency in your project's build.gradle file. For instance:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.9.0'
}

Once the dependency is added, you can start using MDC components in your XML files. Here’s an example of adding a Material Design Button:

<com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
    android:id="@+id/button"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="Click Me"
    style="@style/Widget.MaterialComponents.Button.OutlinedButton"/>

Advantages of Using MDC

• Modern Look and Feel: Adheres to current design standards, making the application visually appealing.
• Reduced Development Time: Focuses on core functionality rather than UI development.
• Scalability: Easily scalable components that adapt to different screen sizes and device types.
• Easier Maintenance: Consistent design patterns for easier maintenance and updates.

Best Practices

1. Follow Material Design Guidelines: Carefully read through the Material Design guidelines to understand how components should behave and look.

2. Customize Appropriately: While MDC components offer extensive customization, it’s important to maintain consistency with the overall design language.

3. Optimize Accessibility: Ensure that your components are accessible to users with disabilities by leveraging built-in accessibility features.

4. Stay Updated: Keep up with the latest versions of the Material Components library to benefit from performance improvements, bug fixes, and new features.

Conclusion

Android Material Design Components provide developers with a comprehensive set of pre-built and customizable UI elements that adhere to the Material Design guidelines. These components not only enhance the visual appeal of an application but also improve its functionality and user experience. By adopting MDC, developers can streamline their development process, ensure consistency, and deliver high-quality applications that resonate with Android users.

Examples, Set Route, and Run the Application Then Data Flow for Beginners: Android Material Design Components

Introduction to Android Material Design Components (MDC)

Android Material Design Components are a suite of production-ready UI components that implement Google's Material Design. These components help developers to maintain consistent visual design across all their apps and devices. MDC components are based on Jetpack libraries and can be used with both XML layouts and Kotlin/Java code.

This guide will cover setting up routes, running an application, and understanding the data flow using Material Design Components. We'll use simple examples to make the process easily understandable for beginners.

Example: Building a Single Activity Application with Navigation Component and Material Design Components

Let's start with building a simple Single Activity Application using Navigation Component along with Material Design Components. This example will show you how to set up the navigation between two fragments and use a few Material Design components.

Step 1: Set Up Your Android Project

1. Create a New Android Project: Open Android Studio and create a new project. Choose "Empty Activity" as the template.

2. Configure Gradle Dependencies: Add the necessary dependencies to your build.gradle files.

   app/build.gradle

   dependencies {
       implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.9.0'
       implementation "androidx.navigation:navigation-fragment-ktx:2.5.3"
       implementation "androidx.navigation:navigation-ui-ktx:2.5.3"
   }
   

   Project/build.gradle

   buildscript {
       dependencies {
           classpath "androidx.navigation:navigation-safe-args-gradle-plugin:2.5.3"
       }
   }
   

3. Enable Safe Args (Optional) If you'd like to use type-safe arguments during navigation, enable it in your build.gradle file under plugins or apply plugins.

   android {
       ...
   }
   apply plugin: "androidx.navigation.safeargs.kotlin"
   

Step 2: Create Fragments

1. Create HomeFragment and DetailFragment: Use the context menu to create New -> Fragment -> Fragment (Blank).

   In HomeFragment.kt, use Material Design components like a Button:

   import android.os.Bundle
   import androidx.fragment.app.Fragment
   import android.view.LayoutInflater
   import android.view.View
   import android.view.ViewGroup
   import androidx.navigation.Navigation
   import com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
   import com.example.navigationcomponent.R
   
   
   class HomeFragment : Fragment() {
   
       override fun onCreateView(
           inflater: LayoutInflater, container: ViewGroup?,
           savedInstanceState: Bundle?
       ): View? {
   
           val view = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_home, container, false)
           val button: MaterialButton = view.findViewById(R.id.button_go)
   
           button.setOnClickListener {
               Navigation.findNavController(view).navigate(R.id.action_homeFragment_to_detailFragment)
           }
   
           return view
       }
   }
   

   In DetailFragment.kt, use Material Design components like CardView, TextView, etc.

   import android.os.Bundle
   import androidx.fragment.app.Fragment
   import android.view.LayoutInflater
   import android.view.View
   import android.view.ViewGroup
   import com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView
   import com.google.android.material.textview.MaterialTextView
   import com.example.navigationcomponent.R
   
   class DetailFragment : Fragment() {
   
       override fun onCreateView(
           inflater: LayoutInflater, container: ViewGroup?,
           savedInstanceState: Bundle?
       ): View? {
   
           val view = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_detail, container, false)
           val cardView: MaterialCardView = view.findViewById(R.id.card_view)
           val textView: MaterialTextView = view.findViewById(R.id.text_view)
   
           textView.text = "Welcome to Detail Fragment!"
   
           cardView.setOnClickListener {
               Navigation.findNavController(view).navigateUp()
           }
   
           return view
       }
   }
   

2. Layout Files for Fragments: Define layouts for each fragment using Material Design components.

   res/layout/fragment_home.xml

   <FrameLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
       xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
       android:layout_width="match_parent"
       android:layout_height="match_parent"
       tools:context=".HomeFragment">
   
       <com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
           android:id="@+id/button_go"
           android:text="Go to Detail"
           app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
           app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
           app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
           app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
           android:layout_width="wrap_content"
           android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
   
   </FrameLayout>
   

   res/layout/fragment_detail.xml

   <FrameLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
       xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
       android:layout_width="match_parent"
       android:layout_height="match_parent"
       tools:context=".DetailFragment">
   
       <com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView
           android:id="@+id/card_view"
           android:layout_margin="20dp"
           app:cardCornerRadius="8dp"
           android:layout_gravity="center"
           android:layout_width="match_parent"
           android:layout_height="wrap_content">
   
           <com.google.android.material.textview.MaterialTextView
               android:id="@+id/text_view"
               android:padding="20dp"
               android:textSize="18sp"
               android:layout_width="wrap_content"
               android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
       </com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>
   
   </FrameLayout>
   

Step 3: Create Navigation Graph

1. Add Navigation Graph: In the res folder, create a navigation folder and add a new Resource File named nav_graph.xml.

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <navigation xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
       xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
       app:startDestination="@id/homeFragment">
   
       <fragment
           android:id="@+id/homeFragment"
           android:name="com.example.navigationcomponent.HomeFragment"
           tools:layout="@layout/fragment_home">
           <action
               android:id="@+id/action_homeFragment_to_detailFragment"
               app:destination="@id/detailFragment" />
       </fragment>
   
       <fragment
           android:id="@+id/detailFragment"
           android:name="com.example.navigationcomponent.DetailFragment"
           tools:layout="@layout/fragment_detail" />
   
   </navigation>
   

Step 4: Configure MainActivity

1. Set up NavigationHostFragment in MainActivity.xml along with a Navigation Drawer or Bottom Navigation if needed (this example skips them for simplicity).

   res/layout/activity_main.xml

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
       xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
       android:layout_width="match_parent"
       android:layout_height="match_parent"
       tools:context=".MainActivity">
   
       <androidx.fragment.app.FragmentContainerView
           android:id="@+id/nav_host_fragment"
           android:name="androidx.navigation.fragment.NavHostFragment"
           app:defaultNavHost="true"
           app:navGraph="@navigation/nav_graph"
           android:layout_width="match_parent"
           android:layout_height="match_parent"/>
   
   </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
   

2. MainActivity.kt (Setup Navigation) Initialize the Navigation Host in Java/Kotlin.

   MainActivity.kt

   import android.os.Bundle
   import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
   import androidx.navigation.NavController
   import androidx.navigation.findNavController
   import androidx.navigation.ui.AppBarConfiguration
   import androidx.navigation.ui.setupActionBarWithNavController
   import androidx.navigation.ui.setupWithNavController
   import com.google.android.material.bottomnavigation.BottomNavigationView
   import com.example.navigationcomponent.R
   
   class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
   
       private lateinit var navController: NavController
   
       override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
           super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
           setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
   
           // Set Up Navigation Controller
           navController = findNavController(R.id.nav_host_fragment)
   
           // If BottomNavigationView used
           val bottomNavigationView: BottomNavigationView = findViewById(R.id.bottom_nav)
           bottomNavigationView.setupWithNavController(navController)
   
           // For Action Bar
           val appBarConfig = AppBarConfiguration (
                   setOf(R.id.homeFragment, R.id.detailFragment)
               )
   
           setupActionBarWithNavController(navController, appBarConfig)
       }
   
       override fun onSupportNavigateUp(): Boolean {
           return navController.navigateUp() || super.onSupportNavigateUp()
       }
   }
   

Running the Application

To run the application, follow these steps:

1. Connect your Device: Connect your Android device to the laptop or desktop via USB cable and ensure USB debugging is enabled in Developer Options under Settings.

2. Set Run Configuration: In Android Studio, go to Run -> Edit Configurations. Make sure your application name is selected as the target and your connected device or emulator is listed under Target.

3. Run the App: Click on the Run button (green play-icon) in Android Studio. The application builds and installs onto the chosen device/emulator, and you will see the HomeScreen displaying.

User Interaction

• Press “Go to Detail” Button: The screen will transition to the DetailFragment where you can see a CardView with a TextView inside.
• Press CardView: This will navigate back to the HomeFragment.

Data Flow Step-by-Step

1. Initialization: When the app starts, the MainActivity is launched. Inside MainActivity, the NavController is initialized to manage navigation within the app.

2. Navigation to HomeFragment: Upon initialization, the NavController uses the start destination defined in the nav_graph.xml, which points to HomeFragment.

3. User Input: When the user clicks on a button labeled "Go to Detail" in HomeFragment, the setOnClickListener triggers the navigate() method of NavController, passing the action ID action_homeFragment_to_detailFragment.

4. Navigating to DetailFragment: The NavController looks up the action in the nav_graph.xml and finds the corresponding destination, DetailFragment. It then performs a transaction to replace HomeFragment with DetailFragment.

5. Displaying Content: Inside DetailFragment, a CardView and a MaterialTextView are displayed. When a user taps the CardView, the navigateUp() method of NavController is called.

6. Returning Back: The navigateUp() method pops the current top of the NavController’s back stack, switching the view back to HomeFragment.

7. Handling Navigation Events: Throughout this process, ActionBar updates automatically to reflect the current fragment being displayed, thanks to setupActionBarWithNavController(). This provides a seamless experience for users with clear indicators of hierarchy and navigability.

By following the above example, a beginner can gain a clear understanding of setting up routing and navigating between screens (fragments) using Navigation Components, alongside incorporating Material Design components in their Android applications. This foundational knowledge can then be expanded upon to include more complex navigations, additional Material Design widgets, and other Jetpack features.

Top 10 Questions and Answers on Android Material Design Components

1. What are Android Material Design Components?

Answer: Android Material Design Components (MDC) are a collection of customizable UI components that help developers build apps consistent with Google’s Material Design language. These components provide a wide range of pre-designed widgets such as Buttons, Cards, Dialogs, and Navigation Views, ensuring that the look and feel of your app align seamlessly with modern design guidelines.

2. Why should developers use Material Design Components in their applications?

Answer: Using Material Design Components offers several benefits:

• Consistency: Ensures your app adheres to the latest visual design guidelines set by Google.
• Usability: Provides pre-built and tested components that enhance user experience out-of-the-box.
• Maintainability: Reduces the need to create and maintain your own UI elements, saving time and effort.
• Accessibility: Built-in support for accessibility features that make your application usable for all users.
• Performance: Optimized for smooth performance across various devices and form factors.

3. How do you integrate Material Design Components into an Android project?

Answer: To integrate Material Design Components into your Android project, follow these steps:

1. Add Dependency: Include the Material Components library in your build.gradle file.

   dependencies {
       implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:<version>'
   }
   

   Replace <version> with the latest available version.
2. Set Theme: Use a Material theme in your styles.xml.

   <style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.MaterialComponents.DayNight">
       <!-- Customize your theme here -->
   </style>
   

3. Use Components: Start using Material Components in your layouts.

   <com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
       android:id="@+id/my_button"
       android:layout_width="wrap_content"
       android:layout_height="wrap_content"
       android:text="Click Me" />
   

4. Can I customize the appearance of Material Components?

Answer: Yes, Material Components are highly customizable. You can modify colors, typography, shapes, and other properties either through XML or programmatically. For example:

• XML Customization:

  <com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
      style="@style/Widget.MaterialComponents.Button.TextButton.Dialog"
      android:layout_width="wrap_content"
      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
      android:text="Custom Button"
      app:icon="?attr/actionBarItemBackground" />
  

• Programmatic Customization:

  MaterialButton materialButton = findViewById(R.id.my_button);
  materialButton.setCornerRadius(8f);
  materialButton.setStrokeWidth(2f);
  materialButton.setStrokeColorResource(R.color.stroke_color);
  

5. Are there any best practices for implementing Material Design Components?

Answer: Certainly! Here are some best practices:

• Follow Material Guidelines: Adhere strictly to Material Design principles for better coherence.
• Keep Consistency: Ensure that all screens within your application have a consistent appearance.
• Use Elevation Wisely: Apply elevation judiciously to create depth only where necessary.
• Optimize for Accessibility: Always consider accessibility requirements when designing and customizing components.
• Stay Updated: Keep up-to-date with new releases and deprecations of Material Components.

6. Does using Material Design Components increase APK size?

Answer: While adding Material Design Components library can slightly increase the APK size due to the inclusion of additional resources, the impact is generally minimal and manageable. The library employs several strategies to optimize the APK size, such as selective inclusion of resources and leveraging Android's resource shrinking and obfuscation tools.

7. How do you handle backward compatibility with older versions of Android?

Answer: Material Design Components aim for broad backward compatibility but may require specific minimum SDK versions in some cases. To ensure compatibility with older devices:

• Set Minimum SDK Version: Define an appropriate minSdkVersion in your build.gradle file.

  defaultConfig {
      minSdkVersion 21 // Or higher based on your requirement
  }
  

• Provide Fallbacks: For certain components or attributes not supported on older versions, provide fallback implementations.
• Use AppCompat: Utilize AppCompat equivalents where necessary to support legacy systems.

8. What are some common pitfalls to avoid when using Material Design Components?

Answer: Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Overcomplicating Layouts: Resist the urge to overly complicate your UI; keep it simple yet expressive.
• Ignoring Design Guidelines: Straying from official design principles can lead to inconsistent and unpleasant user experiences.
• Neglecting Accessibility: Failing to address accessibility concerns will impair the usability of your application for a significant portion of users.
• Not Staying Updated: Not keeping up with updates can leave you behind in terms of new features, performance improvements, and security fixes.

9. How can I test my Material Design Component-based apps effectively?

Answer: Effective testing ensures your app works smoothly across different scenarios. Here are some testing techniques:

• Unit Testing: Test individual components and logic.
• UI Testing: Use Espresso or other tools to automate and validate interactions within your UI.
• Device Testing: Test on a variety of devices and screen sizes to account for different hardware and software configurations.
• Accessibility Testing: Use tools like the Accessibility Scanner to check for accessibility issues.
• Performance Profiling: Monitor and optimize performance using Android Profiler to identify bottlenecks.

10. Where can I find more information about Material Design Components?

Answer: For comprehensive resources and documentation on Material Design Components:

• Official Documentation: Material Design Components
• GitHub Repository: Material Components for Android
• Codelabs: Interactive tutorials available at Codelabs

By leveraging these resources, you can make the most out of Material Design Components and create stunning, user-friendly Android applications.