Different string.xml files according to app Build Variants

Question

I want to assign a value to a string in string.xml different values depending on the Build Variant/buildType. I imagine something like this:

res/values-debug/string.xml
    <string name="my_string">some debug value</string>

res/values-release/string.xml
    <string name="my_string">some release value</string>

but I don't see anything like this out there. Is this possible?

Answer 1

It possible via your build.gradle file

buildTypes {
    release {
        resValue "string", "my_string", "some release value"
    }
    debug {
        resValue "string", "my_string", "some debug value"
    }
}

Then you can just use this value like @string/my_string where you want

Answer 2

You can do it directly from Android Studio. For example, if you need a different app name for your "staging" flavor, you can (Android Studio v3.5):

• Right click on values folder -> New -> Values resource file
• Select "staging" in the source set menu
• specify strings.xml as filename

At this point Android Studio generates an additional strings.xml file for your particular build variant. Edit the created file with your "staging" app name (E.g. MyAppName - Staging)

build.gradle(app)

productFlavors {
        stage {
            applicationIdSuffix ".staging"
            buildConfigField 'String', 'SITE_URL', '"[staging_link_here]"'
        }
        prod {
            buildConfigField 'String', 'SITE_URL', '"[production_link_here]"'
        }
 }