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More resource types
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This page defines the following types of resources that you can externalize:
Bool
XML resource that carries a boolean value.
Color
XML resource that carries a color value (a hexadecimal color).
Dimension
XML resource that carries a dimension value (with a unit of measure).
ID
XML resource that provides a unique identifier for application resources and
components.
Integer
XML resource that carries an integer value.
Integer array
XML resource that provides an array of integers.
Typed array
XML resource that provides a TypedArray (which you can use
for an array of drawables).
Bool
A boolean value defined in XML.
Note: A bool is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine bool resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <bool> element's name is used as the resource
ID.
resource reference:
In Java: R.bool.bool_name
In XML: @[package:]bool/bool_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources>
<bool
name="bool_name"
>[true | false]</bool
</resources
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<bool>
A boolean value: true or false.
Attributes:
name
String. A name for the bool value. This is used as the resource ID.
example:
XML file saved at res/values-small/bools.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources>
<bool name="screen_small"true</bool
<bool name="adjust_view_bounds"true</bool
</resources
The following application code retrieves the boolean:
Kotlin
val screenIsSmall: Boolean = resources.getBoolean(R.bool.screen_small)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
boolean screenIsSmall = res.getBoolean(R.bool.screen_small);
The following layout XML uses the boolean for an attribute:
<ImageView
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:src="@drawable/logo"
android:adjustViewBounds="@bool/adjust_view_bounds" /
Color
A color value defined in XML.
The color is specified using an RGB value and alpha channel. You can use a color resource
any place that accepts a hexadecimal color value. You can also use a color resource when a
drawable resource is expected in XML, such as android:drawable="@color/green".
The value always begins with a pound (#) character, which is followed by the
Alpha-Red-Green-Blue information in one of the following formats:
#RGB
#ARGB
#RRGGBB
#AARRGGBB
Note: A color is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine color resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/colors.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <color> element's name is used as the
resource ID.
resource reference:
In Java: R.color.color_name
In XML: @[package:]color/color_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<color
name="color_name"
>hex_color</color
</resources
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<color>
A color expressed in hexadecimal.
Attributes:
name
String. A name for the color. This is used as the resource ID.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/colors.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<color name="opaque_red"#f00</color
<color name="translucent_red"#80ff0000</color
</resources
The following application code retrieves the color resource:
Kotlin
val color: Int = resources.getColor(R.color.opaque_red)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
int color = res.getColor(R.color.opaque_red);
The following layout XML applies the color to an attribute:
<TextView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="@color/translucent_red"
android:text="Hello"/
Dimension
A dimension value defined in XML. A dimension
is specified with a number followed by a unit of measure, such as 10px, 2in, or 5sp.
The following units of measure are supported by Android:
dp
Density-independent pixels: an abstract unit that is based on the physical density of the
screen. These units are relative to a 160 dpi (dots per inch) screen, on which 1 dp is roughly equal
to 1 px. When running on a higher density screen, the number of pixels used to draw 1 dp is scaled up
by a factor appropriate for the screen's dpi.
Likewise, when on a lower-density screen, the number
of pixels used for 1 dp is scaled down. The ratio of dps to pixels changes with the screen density,
but not necessarily in direct proportion. Using dp units instead of px units is a solution
to making the view dimensions in your layout resize properly for different screen densities. It provides consistency for the real-world sizes of your UI elements across different
devices.
sp
Scale-independent Pixels - This is like the dp unit, but it is also scaled by the user's font
size preference. It is recommend you use this unit when specifying font sizes, so they will be adjusted
for both the screen density and the user's preference.
pt
Points: 1/72 of an inch based on the physical size of the screen,
assuming a 72 dpi density screen.
px
Pixels: corresponds to actual pixels on the screen. We don't recommend using this unit, because
the actual representation can vary across devices. Different devices can have a different number of pixels
per inch and might have more or fewer total pixels available on the screen.
mm
Millimeters: based on the physical size of the screen.
in
Inches: based on the physical size of the screen.
Note: A dimension is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine dimension resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <dimen> element's name is used as the
resource ID.
resource reference:
In Java: R.dimen.dimension_name
In XML: @[package:]dimen/dimension_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<dimen
name="dimension_name"
>dimension</dimen>
</resources>
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<dimen>
A dimension, represented by a float followed by a unit of measurement (dp, sp, pt, px, mm, in).
Attributes:
name
String. A name for the dimension. This is used as the resource ID.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/dimens.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<dimen name="textview_height"25dp</dimen
<dimen name="textview_width"150dp</dimen
<dimen name="ball_radius"30dp</dimen
<dimen name="font_size"16sp</dimen
</resources
The following application code retrieves a dimension:
Kotlin
val fontSize: Float = resources.getDimension(R.dimen.font_size)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
float fontSize = res.getDimension(R.dimen.font_size);
The following layout XML applies dimensions to attributes:
<TextView
android:layout_height="@dimen/textview_height"
android:layout_width="@dimen/textview_width"
android:textSize="@dimen/font_size"/
ID
A unique resource ID defined in XML. Using the name you provide in the <item>
element, the Android developer tools create a unique integer in your project's R.java class, which you can use as an
identifier for an application resources, such as a View in your UI layout,
or a unique integer for use in your application code, such as an ID for a dialog or a
result code.
Note: An ID is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine ID resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element. Also, an ID resource doesn't reference
an actual resource item: it is a unique ID that you can attach to other resources or use
as a unique integer in your application.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary.
resource reference:
In Java: R.id.name
In XML: @[package:]id/name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources>
<item
type="id"
name="id_name" />
</resources>
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<item>
Defines a unique ID. Takes no value, only attributes.
Attributes:
type
Must be "id".
name
String. A unique name for the ID.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/ids.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<item type="id" name="button_ok" />
<item type="id" name="dialog_exit" />
</resources
The following layout snippet uses the "button_ok" ID for a Button widget:
<Button android:id="@id/button_ok"
style="@style/button_style" />
The android:id value here doesn't include the plus sign in the ID reference,
because the ID already exists, as defined in the preceding ids.xml example. When you specify an
ID to an XML resource using the plus sign, in the format android:id="@+id/name",
that means that the "name" ID doesn't yet exist, and it is created.
As another example, the following code snippet uses the "dialog_exit" ID as a unique identifier
for a dialog:
Kotlin
showDialog(R.id.dialog_exit)
Java
showDialog(R.id.dialog_exit);
In the same application, the "dialog_exit" ID is compared when creating a dialog:
Kotlin
override fun onCreateDialog(id: Int): Dialog? {
return when(id) {
R.id.dialog_exit - {
...
}
else - {
null
}
}
}
Java
protected Dialog onCreateDialog(int id) {
Dialog dialog;
switch(id) {
case R.id.dialog_exit:
...
break;
default:
dialog = null;
}
return dialog;
}
Integer
An integer defined in XML.
Note: An integer is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine integer resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <integer> element's name is used as the
resource ID.
resource reference:
In Java: R.integer.integer_name
In XML: @[package:]integer/integer_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<integer
name="integer_name"
>integer</integer>
</resources>
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<integer>
An integer.
Attributes:
name
String. A name for the integer. This is used as the resource ID.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/integers.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<integer name="max_speed"75</integer
<integer name="min_speed"5</integer
</resources
The following application code retrieves an integer:
Kotlin
val maxSpeed: Int = resources.getInteger(R.integer.max_speed)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
int maxSpeed = res.getInteger(R.integer.max_speed);
Integer array
An array of integers defined in XML.
Note: An integer array is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine integer array resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <integer-array> element's name is used as the
resource ID.
compiled resource datatype:
Resource pointer to an array of integers.
resource reference:
In Java: R.array.integer_array_name
In XML: @[package:]array/integer_array_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<integer-array
name="integer_array_name"
<item
>integer</item>
</integer-array
</resources
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<integer-array>
Defines an array of integers. Contains one or more child <item> elements.
Attributes:
android:name
String. A name for the array. This name is used as the resource
ID to reference the array.
<item>
An integer. The value can be a reference to another
integer resource. Must be a child of an <integer-array> element.
No attributes.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/integers.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<integer-array name="bits"
<item4</item
<item8</item
<item16</item
<item32</item
</integer-array
</resources
The following application code retrieves the integer array:
Kotlin
val bits: IntArray = resources.getIntArray(R.array.bits)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
int[] bits = res.getIntArray(R.array.bits);
Typed array
A TypedArray defined in XML. You can use
this to create an array of other resources, such as drawables. The array isn't required to be homogeneous, so you can create an array of mixed resource types, but
be aware of what and where the data types are in the array so that you can properly obtain
each item with the TypedArray class's get...() methods.
Note: A typed array is a simple resource that is referenced
using the value provided in the name attribute, not the name of the XML file. As
such, you can combine typed array resources with other simple resources in one XML file,
under one <resources> element.
file location:
res/values/filename.xml
The filename is arbitrary. The <array> element's name is used as the
resource ID.
compiled resource datatype:
Resource pointer to a TypedArray.
resource reference:
In Java: R.array.array_name
In XML: @[package:]array/array_name
syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<array
name="integer_array_name"
<item>resource</item>
</array
</resources
elements:
<resources>
Required. This is the root node.
No attributes.
<array>
Defines an array. Contains one or more child <item> elements.
Attributes:
android:name
String. A name for the array. This name is used as the resource
ID to reference the array.
<item>
A generic resource. The value can be a reference to a resource or a simple data type.
Must be a child of an <array> element.
No attributes.
example:
XML file saved at res/values/arrays.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?
<resources
<array name="icons"
<item@drawable/home</item
<item@drawable/settings</item
<item@drawable/logout</item
</array
<array name="colors"
<item#FFFF0000</item
<item#FF00FF00</item
<item#FF0000FF</item
</array
</resources
The following application code retrieves each array and then obtains the first entry in each array:
Kotlin
val icons: TypedArray = resources.obtainTypedArray(R.array.icons)
val drawable: Drawable = icons.getDrawable(0)
val colors: TypedArray = resources.obtainTypedArray(R.array.colors)
val color: Int = colors.getColor(0,0)
Java
Resources res = getResources();
TypedArray icons = res.obtainTypedArray(R.array.icons);
Drawable drawable = icons.getDrawable(0);
TypedArray colors = res.obtainTypedArray(R.array.colors);
int color = colors.getColor(0,0);
Styleable Attribute
syntax:
file location:
res/
compiled resource datatype:
Resource pointer to a Menu (or subclass) resource.
resource reference:
Java: R.
XML:
elements and attributes:
Valid attributes:
example:
XML file saved at res/:
Java code :
see also:
--
Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License. Java and OpenJDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2026-05-18 UTC.
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