Settings screen layout style

Question

I am creating a new settings screen for my app and want to keep the look and feel similar to that of the standard applications. I have seen many 3rd party apps also follow this style (Twidroid for example) and would like to know how best to go about creating this look?

Is there a "template" or Activity I can use or is it a case of constructing it from a table layout or similar?

Thanks.

Answer 1

You can use preference XML and PreferenceActivity for settings to get the common look and feel. You can then access those settings via PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences().

Here are three sample projects that demonstrate various aspects of the preference XML format.

Answer 2

Android is open source: all of its code is out there for you to see. If you are inspired by the look of a native application, you can browse the source code and learn/see how they are implemented. For e.g: the layout XML for all the activities that fall under the Settings application can be found here.