How can I get an Android TableLayout to fill the screen?

Question

Hi, I'm battling with Android's retarded layout system. I'm trying to get a table to fill the screen (simple right?) but it's ridiculously hard.

I got it to work somehow in XML like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<TableLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_width="fill_parent">
<TableRow android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1">
<Button android:text="A" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1"/>
<Button android:text="B" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1"/>
</TableRow>
<TableRow android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1">
<Button android:text="C" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1"/>
<Button android:text="D" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1"/>
</TableRow>

However I can not get it to work in Java. I've tried a million combinations of the LayoutParams, but nothing ever works. This is the best result I have which only fills the width of the screen, not the height:

    table = new TableLayout(this);
    // Java. You suck.
    TableLayout.LayoutParams lp = new TableLayout.LayoutParams(
                                    ViewGroup.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT,
                                    ViewGroup.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT);
    table.setLayoutParams(lp); // This line has no effect! WHYYYY?!
    table.setStretchAllColumns(true);
    for (int r = 0; r < 2; ++r)
    {
        TableRow row = new TableRow(this);
        for (int c = 0; c < 2; ++c)
        {
            Button btn = new Button(this);
            btn.setText("A");
            row.addView(btn);
        }
        table.addView(row);
    }

Obviously the Android documentation is no help. Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

You never set the row or button layout parameters whereas in the posted xml you do that..change the details of the for loops to set both the row layout parameters and the button layout parameters than it should give the same result as your xml.

Answer 2

Found the answer: apparently it is the layout_weight that makes it work and there is no way to set it from Java. Damnit.

See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1965242/how-can-i-get-an-android-tablelayout-to-fill-the-parent-in-landscape-mode

Answer 3

Finally worked out how to do this. Gave up on TableLayout and just used horizontal LinearLayout's inside a vertical one. The critical key is to set the weight. If you specify FILL_PARENT but with the default weight it doesn't work:

    LinearLayout buttonsView = new LinearLayout(this);
    buttonsView.setOrientation(LinearLayout.VERTICAL);
    for (int r = 0; r < 6; ++r)
    {
        LinearLayout row = new LinearLayout(this);
        row.setOrientation(LinearLayout.HORIZONTAL);
        for (int c = 0; c < 4; ++c)
        {
            Button btn = new Button(this);
            btn.setText("A");
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams lp = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(LinearLayout.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT, LinearLayout.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT);
            lp.weight = 1.0f;
            row.addView(btn, lp);
        }
        LinearLayout.LayoutParams lp = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(LinearLayout.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT, LinearLayout.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT);
        lp.weight = 1.0f;
        buttonsView.addView(row, lp);
    }

    ViewGroup.LayoutParams lp = new ViewGroup.LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT, ViewGroup.LayoutParams.FILL_PARENT);
    setContentView(buttonsView, lp);