IntelliJ and android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout

Question

I am running into trouble either setting up the support v7 GridLayout library in my IntelliJ project, or properly referencing it in my code.

I currently use the ActionBarSherlock and Facebook libraries in my project, and have set up the support GridLayout library the same way (not having source in the src folder, I told IntelliJ to use the project dir as a jar folder). Everything looked fine, built and deployed to my test device, but when I tried to inflate the layout, my app crashed.

09-17 17:07:43.916: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(4143): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
    java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.example/com.example.MainHostActivity}: android.view.InflateException: Binary XML file line #8: Error inflating class android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout
    at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2753)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2769)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$2500(ActivityThread.java:129)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2117)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:143)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4717)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:858)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:616)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
    Caused by: android.view.InflateException: Binary XML file line #8: Error inflating class android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:576)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:618)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:407)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:320)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:276)
    at com.decoderhq.indieshuffle.PlayerFragment.onCreateView(PlayerFragment.java:63)
    at android.support.v4.app.FragmentManagerImpl.moveToState(FragmentManager.java:846)
    at android.support.v4.app.FragmentManagerImpl.moveToState(FragmentManager.java:1061)
    at android.support.v4.app.FragmentManagerImpl.addFragment(FragmentManager.java:1160)
    at android.support.v4.app.FragmentActivity.onCreateView(FragmentActivity.java:272)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:558)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:618)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:407)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:320)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:276)
    at com.actionbarsherlock.internal.ActionBarSherlockCompat.setContentView(ActionBarSherlockCompat.java:857)
    at com.actionbarsherlock.app.SherlockFragmentActivity.setContentView(SherlockFragmentActivity.java:251)
    at com.example.MainHostActivity.onCreate(MainHostActivity.java:58)
    at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1047)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2717)
    ... 11 more
    Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout in loader dalvik.system.PathClassLoader[/data/app/com.example.MyApp.apk]
    at dalvik.system.PathClassLoader.findClass(PathClassLoader.java:243)
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:573)
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:532)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.createView(LayoutInflater.java:466)
    at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:565)
    ... 30 more

IntelliJ is also telling me that my GridLayout is "not allowed here" in the XML designer, which I unable to find any help on in various search engines. My layout (truncated for length) is as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:grid="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        grid:columnCount="3"
        grid:rowCount="2"
        android:id="@+id/player_grid">

    <!-- previous artist label button/view -->
    <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/prev_artist_label_layout"
            android:background="@drawable/player_prev_artist_bg_full"
            android:padding="10dp"
            grid:layout_column="0"
            grid:layout_row="0">

        <TextView
                android:id="@+id/prev_artist_label"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_width="0dp"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:layout_gravity="center"
                android:singleLine="true"
                style="@style/PlayerArtistText"
                android:ellipsize="end"/>
        <ImageView
                android:id="@+id/prev_artist_label_arrow"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:padding="5dp"/>

    </LinearLayout>

    <!-- more cells in the grid [truncated for length] -->

    </android.support.v7.widget.GridLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_alignBottom="@id/player_grid">

    <TextView
            android:id="@+id/curr_time_label"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
            style="@style/PlayerTimeLabels"
            android:text="00:00"
            android:layout_marginLeft="20dp"
            android:layout_marginRight="10dp"/>
    <SeekBar
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_width="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:id="@+id/seek_bar"/>
    <TextView
            android:id="@+id/duration_time_label"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
            style="@style/PlayerTimeLabels"
            android:text="00:00"
            android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
            android:layout_marginRight="20dp"/>

</LinearLayout>

</RelativeLayout>

Coles Notes: I have a support GridLayout in a RelativeLayout and a LinearLayout that sits on top, anchored at the bottom of the RelativeLayout.

The log indicates I am missing a class. I am hoping I just didn't set the library up properly, as I can't think of what else it could be. Hopefully someone with some IntelliJ/Android knowledge can point me in the right direction.

Please go easy on me if this question is missing some info - this is my first try at using stackoverflow to ask for help.

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Ok, I figured this out. Turns out it was a configuration issue. Here is what I did to set up the support GridLayout library, as well as reference the classes in code.

• Copy [android-sdk-folder]/extras/android/support/v7/gridlayout folder to your project libs folder

Set up support GridLayout library in IntelliJ:

• Project Structure -> Modules in Project Settings pane -> New Module
• Create module from scratch -> Next
• Name the project, browse to your libs/gridlayout folder and choose as Content Root, leave the Module Root set by the Content Root assignment, and select Android Module type -> Next
• Do not create source directory -> Next
• Do not create Android application structure -> Finish
• Select Facets in Project Settings pane -> Select your new module -> Check 'Is Library Project'

Add dependancy to project in IntelliJ:

• Select Modules in Project Settings pane -> Select the project in which you wish to use the support GridLayout
• Select Dependancies tab -> click [+] to add new Module Dependancy
• Select your support library from previous section

You also need to add a reference to the support v7 GridLayout jar file in the support project libs dir.

• Still on Dependancies tab -> click [+] to add new Library -> Java
• Browse to the libs/gridlayout/libs folder and select the support v7 GridLayout .jar
• Select level (I only needed Project level) -> OK

Hopefully this helps someone else - I wasted most my day on it. =|

Answer 2

A little simpler solution:

First you need to add dependency to gradle anyway, so open build.gradle and

dependencies {
    compile 'com.android.support:support-v4:13.0.+'
    compile "com.android.support:gridlayout-v7:18.0.+"
}

This is what http://developer.android.com/tools/support-library/setup.html# but it does not seem to work fully. So then you need to make android studio recognize it.

1. File > Import Module
2. Navigate to sdk/extras/android/support/v7/gridlayout

after rebuilding project it started working for me.