How to stack AlertDialog buttons vertically?

Question

I am using builder to create AlertDialogs in Android using the pattern:

AlertDialog.Builder builder = new AlertDialog.Builder(context);

builder.setTitle(...);
builder.setMessage(...);

builder.setPositiveButton(button1Text, ...);
builder.setNeutralButton(button2Text, ...);
builder.setNegativeButton(button3Text, ...);

builder.show();

Currently, only two of the buttons are displayed, because the buttons are too wide to fit in the dialog. How can I enforce the buttons to stack vertically?

I am using the Theme.AppCompat.Dialog.Alert theme, which uses ButtonBarLayout to build the buttons. According to this answer, ButtonBarLayout can stack wide buttons vertically automatically, when its mAllowStacking property is set, but it seems to default to false in my case. Is there a way I can set it to true when I build the AlertDialog?

Answer 1

You can't do that with an AlertDialog . You should create a custom Dialog, and implement that yourself. Something like this would do it

Dialog dialog = new Dialog(context);
dialog.setContentView(R.layout.dialog_layout);
dialog.setTitle(...);
dialog.setMessage(...);
dialog.show();

and your layout dialog_layout.xml should be something like

<LinearLayout android:layout_width="match_parent"
              android:layout_height="wrap_content"
              orientation="vertical">

    <Button android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    <Button android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    <Button android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
</LinearLayout>

Answer 2

What if you did the alert box as a list?

@Override
public Dialog onCreateDialog(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    AlertDialog.Builder builder = new AlertDialog.Builder(getActivity());
    builder.setTitle(R.string.pick_color)
           .setItems(R.array.colors_array, new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
               public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {
               // The 'which' argument contains the index position
               // of the selected item
           }
    });
    return builder.create();
}

Example taken from here (under adding a list): https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/dialogs.html

Then just take those list options and turn them into what you want.

Answer 3

I don't prefer hacks. But this strikes me immediately.

If the button text it too long to all fit horizontally, then it will automatically get laid out in a vertical column of three buttons.

Just make the button text long.

  builder.setPositiveButton("          Yes", { dialog, _ -> {} })
  builder.setNeutralButton("          May be", { dialog, _ -> {} })
  builder.setNegativeButton("          No", { dialog, _ -> {} })