a complete implementation of a custom ViewGroup that implements a simple FrameLayout

Developer Guides

For more information about creating user interface layouts, read the XML Layouts developer guide.

Here is a complete implementation of a custom ViewGroup that implements a simple FrameLayout along with the ability to stack children in left and right gutters.

import android.content.Context;
import android.content.res.TypedArray;
import android.util.AttributeSet;
import android.view.Gravity;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.RemoteViews;

/**
 * Example of writing a custom layout manager.  This is a fairly full-featured
 * layout manager that is relatively general, handling all layout cases.  You
 * can simplify it for more specific cases.
 */
@RemoteViews.RemoteView
public class CustomLayout extends ViewGroup {
    /** The amount of space used by children in the left gutter. */
    private int mLeftWidth;

    /** The amount of space used by children in the right gutter. */
    private int mRightWidth;

    /** These are used for computing child frames based on their gravity. */
    private final Rect mTmpContainerRect = new Rect();
    private final Rect mTmpChildRect = new Rect();

    public CustomLayout(Context context) {
        super(context);
    }

    public CustomLayout(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) {
        this(context, attrs, 0);
    }

    public CustomLayout(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyle) {
        super(context, attrs, defStyle);
    }

    /**
     * Any layout manager that doesn't scroll will want this.
     */
    @Override
    public boolean shouldDelayChildPressedState() {
        return false;
    }

    /**
     * Ask all children to measure themselves and compute the measurement of this
     * layout based on the children.
     */
    @Override
    protected void onMeasure(int widthMeasureSpec, int heightMeasureSpec) {
        int count = getChildCount();

        // These keep track of the space we are using on the left and right for
        // views positioned there; we need member variables so we can also use
        // these for layout later.
        mLeftWidth = 0;
        mRightWidth = 0;

        // Measurement will ultimately be computing these values.
        int maxHeight = 0;
        int maxWidth = 0;
        int childState = 0;

        // Iterate through all children, measuring them and computing our dimensions
        // from their size.
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            final View child = getChildAt(i);
            if (child.getVisibility() != GONE) {
                // Measure the child.
                measureChildWithMargins(child, widthMeasureSpec, 0, heightMeasureSpec, 0);

                // Update our size information based on the layout params.  Children
                // that asked to be positioned on the left or right go in those gutters.
                final LayoutParams lp = (LayoutParams) child.getLayoutParams();
                if (lp.position == LayoutParams.POSITION_LEFT) {
                    mLeftWidth += Math.max(maxWidth,
                            child.getMeasuredWidth() + lp.leftMargin + lp.rightMargin);
                } else if (lp.position == LayoutParams.POSITION_RIGHT) {
                    mRightWidth += Math.max(maxWidth,
                            child.getMeasuredWidth() + lp.leftMargin + lp.rightMargin);
                } else {
                    maxWidth = Math.max(maxWidth,
                            child.getMeasuredWidth() + lp.leftMargin + lp.rightMargin);
                }
                maxHeight = Math.max(maxHeight,
                        child.getMeasuredHeight() + lp.topMargin + lp.bottomMargin);
                childState = combineMeasuredStates(childState, child.getMeasuredState());
            }
        }

        // Total width is the maximum width of all inner children plus the gutters.
        maxWidth += mLeftWidth + mRightWidth;

        // Check against our minimum height and width
        maxHeight = Math.max(maxHeight, getSuggestedMinimumHeight());
        maxWidth = Math.max(maxWidth, getSuggestedMinimumWidth());

        // Report our final dimensions.
        setMeasuredDimension(resolveSizeAndState(maxWidth, widthMeasureSpec, childState),
                resolveSizeAndState(maxHeight, heightMeasureSpec,
                        childState << MEASURED_HEIGHT_STATE_SHIFT));
    }

    /**
     * Position all children within this layout.
     */
    @Override
    protected void onLayout(boolean changed, int left, int top, int right, int bottom) {
        final int count = getChildCount();

        // These are the far left and right edges in which we are performing layout.
        int leftPos = getPaddingLeft();
        int rightPos = right - left - getPaddingRight();

        // This is the middle region inside of the gutter.
        final int middleLeft = leftPos + mLeftWidth;
        final int middleRight = rightPos - mRightWidth;

        // These are the top and bottom edges in which we are performing layout.
        final int parentTop = getPaddingTop();
        final int parentBottom = bottom - top - getPaddingBottom();

        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            final View child = getChildAt(i);
            if (child.getVisibility() != GONE) {
                final LayoutParams lp = (LayoutParams) child.getLayoutParams();

                final int width = child.getMeasuredWidth();
                final int height = child.getMeasuredHeight();

                // Compute the frame in which we are placing this child.
                if (lp.position == LayoutParams.POSITION_LEFT) {
                    mTmpContainerRect.left = leftPos + lp.leftMargin;
                    mTmpContainerRect.right = leftPos + width + lp.rightMargin;
                    leftPos = mTmpContainerRect.right;
                } else if (lp.position == LayoutParams.POSITION_RIGHT) {
                    mTmpContainerRect.right = rightPos - lp.rightMargin;
                    mTmpContainerRect.left = rightPos - width - lp.leftMargin;
                    rightPos = mTmpContainerRect.left;
                } else {
                    mTmpContainerRect.left = middleLeft + lp.leftMargin;
                    mTmpContainerRect.right = middleRight - lp.rightMargin;
                }
                mTmpContainerRect.top = parentTop + lp.topMargin;
                mTmpContainerRect.bottom = parentBottom - lp.bottomMargin;

                // Use the child's gravity and size to determine its final
                // frame within its container.
                Gravity.apply(lp.gravity, width, height, mTmpContainerRect, mTmpChildRect);

                // Place the child.
                child.layout(mTmpChildRect.left, mTmpChildRect.top,
                        mTmpChildRect.right, mTmpChildRect.bottom);
            }
        }
    }

    // ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    // The rest of the implementation is for custom per-child layout parameters.
    // If you do not need these (for example you are writing a layout manager
    // that does fixed positioning of its children), you can drop all of this.

    @Override
    public LayoutParams generateLayoutParams(AttributeSet attrs) {
        return new CustomLayout.LayoutParams(getContext(), attrs);
    }

    @Override
    protected LayoutParams generateDefaultLayoutParams() {
        return new LayoutParams(LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT);
    }

    @Override
    protected ViewGroup.LayoutParams generateLayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams p) {
        return new LayoutParams(p);
    }

    @Override
    protected boolean checkLayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams p) {
        return p instanceof LayoutParams;
    }

    /**
     * Custom per-child layout information.
     */
    public static class LayoutParams extends MarginLayoutParams {
        /**
         * The gravity to apply with the View to which these layout parameters
         * are associated.
         */
        public int gravity = Gravity.TOP | Gravity.START;

        public static int POSITION_MIDDLE = 0;
        public static int POSITION_LEFT = 1;
        public static int POSITION_RIGHT = 2;

        public int position = POSITION_MIDDLE;

        public LayoutParams(Context c, AttributeSet attrs) {
            super(c, attrs);

            // Pull the layout param values from the layout XML during
            // inflation.  This is not needed if you don't care about
            // changing the layout behavior in XML.
            TypedArray a = c.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, R.styleable.CustomLayoutLP);
            gravity = a.getInt(R.styleable.CustomLayoutLP_android_layout_gravity, gravity);
            position = a.getInt(R.styleable.CustomLayoutLP_layout_position, position);
            a.recycle();
        }

        public LayoutParams(int width, int height) {
            super(width, height);
        }

        public LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams source) {
            super(source);
        }
    }
}

If you are implementing XML layout attributes as shown in the example, this is the corresponding definition for them that would go in  res/values/attrs.xml :

<declare-styleable name="CustomLayoutLP">
    <attr name="android:layout_gravity" />
    <attr name="layout_position">
        <enum name="middle" value="0" />
        <enum name="left" value="1" />
        <enum name="right" value="2" />
    </attr>
</declare-styleable>

Finally the layout manager can be used in an XML layout like so:

<com.example.android.apis.view.CustomLayout
        xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
        xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.example.android.apis"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <!-- put first view to left. -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/filled_box"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            app:layout_position="left"
            android:layout_gravity="fill_vertical|center_horizontal"
            android:text="l1"/>

    <!-- stack second view to left. -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/filled_box"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            app:layout_position="left"
            android:layout_gravity="fill_vertical|center_horizontal"
            android:text="l2"/>

    <!-- also put a view on the right. -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/filled_box"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            app:layout_position="right"
            android:layout_gravity="fill_vertical|center_horizontal"
            android:text="r1"/>

    <!-- by default views go in the middle; use fill vertical gravity -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/green"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="fill_vertical|center_horizontal"
            android:text="fill-vert"/>

    <!-- by default views go in the middle; use fill horizontal gravity -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/green"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_vertical|fill_horizontal"
            android:text="fill-horiz"/>

    <!-- by default views go in the middle; use top-left gravity -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/blue"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="top|left"
            android:text="top-left"/>

    <!-- by default views go in the middle; use center gravity -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/blue"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:text="center"/>

    <!-- by default views go in the middle; use bottom-right -->
    <TextView
            android:background="@drawable/blue"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="bottom|right"
            android:text="bottom-right"/>

</com.example.android.apis.view.CustomLayout>

From: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/ViewGroup.html