Making two LinearLayouts have 50% of the screen each without using layout_weight

Question

I'm currently doing a special xml layout of a landscape screen, where 4 images are present and 2 LinearLayouts are next to each other with 2 images each. These LinearLayouts I call linearLayout1 and linearLayout2.

linearLayout1 is marked with blue rectangle:

linearLayout2 is marked with blue rectangle:

As you can see, the first one uses ~80% of the screen, while the second one uses what's left. I don't want this of course, I want 50% for each. I can't use layout_weight because it's already used in the LinearLayouts themselves (positioning of the two images) and nested weights are bad for performance.

I've tried many different variations, but I simply can't get the two LinearLayouts to have 50% of the screen each. Here's the code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="@+id/db1_root"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="horizontal" >

<LinearLayout
    android:id="@+id/title_container"
    style="@style/TitleBar" >

    <ImageView
        style="@style/TitleBarLogo"
        android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
        android:src="@drawable/title_logo" />

    <ImageView
        style="@style/TitleBarSeparator"
        android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc" />

    <TextView style="@style/TitleBarText" />

    <ImageButton
        style="@style/TitleBarAction"
        android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
        android:onClick="onClickAbout"
        android:src="@drawable/title_about" />
</LinearLayout>

<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_below="@id/title_container"
    android:layout_above="@+id/mobFoxView" >

    <!-- LEFT COLUMN -->

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/linearLayout1"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:layout_above="@+id/mobFoxView"
        android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
        android:layout_toLeftOf="@+id/linearLayout2"
        android:background="@color/white"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:weightSum="2" >

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/imgNews"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
            android:onClick="onClickFeature"
            android:src="@drawable/front_news_1" />

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/imgReleases"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
            android:onClick="onClickFeature"
            android:src="@drawable/front_releases_1" />
    </LinearLayout>

    <!-- RIGHT COLUMN -->

    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/linearLayout2"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:layout_above="@+id/mobFoxView"
        android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
        android:layout_alignTop="@id/linearLayout1"
        android:background="@color/white"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:weightSum="2" >

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/imgArtists"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
            android:onClick="onClickFeature"
            android:src="@drawable/front_artists_1" />

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/imgLabels"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:contentDescription="@string/imgViewDesc"
            android:onClick="onClickFeature"
            android:src="@drawable/front_labels_1" />
    </LinearLayout>
</RelativeLayout>

<com.mobfox.sdk.MobFoxView
    android:id="@+id/mobFoxView"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="50dp"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    mode="test"
    publisherId="@string/mobFoxID" />

</RelativeLayout>

Answer 1

Well, there are two options I see available here.

1. Screw that LINT warning and use the nested weights anyway. Phones are fast and it will make milliseconds worth of a difference since you only inflate layouts once (most of the time). Having nested layouts is only bad for performance because the inflator needs to make more passes to measure the layouts.

2. Swap your top LinearLayout with a RelativeLayout and align the two children to an invisible View in the center like so:

<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/top"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <LinearLayout
      android:id="@+id/center_point"
      android:layout_width="0dp"
      android:layout_height="0dp"
      android:layout_centerInParent="true"/>

    <LinearLayout
      android:id="@+id/left_layout"
      android:layout_width="match_parent"
      android:layout_height="match_parent"
      android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
      android:layout_alignRight="@+id/center_point">
    </LinearLayout>


    <LinearLayout
      android:id="@+id/right_layout"
      android:orientation="horizontal" //default
      android:layout_width="match_parent"
      android:layout_height="match_parent"
      android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
      android:layout_alignLeft="@+id/center_point">
    </LinearLayout>

</RelativeLayout>