Styling AutoCompleteTextView with AppCompat.EditText does not work

Question

I make material design style application

I want to change AutoCompleteTextView style
to style like in android.support.v7.internal.widget.TintEditText

I added style to my style.xml:

<style name="AppTheme" parent="AppTheme.Base"/>
<style name="AppTheme.Base" parent="Theme.AppCompat">
    <item name="colorPrimary">@color/colorPrimary</item>
    <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
    <item name="android:autoCompleteTextViewStyle">@style/AutoCompleteTextViewAppTheme</item>
</style>
<style name="AutoCompleteTextViewAppTheme" parent="Base.Widget.AppCompat.EditText"/>

That works but the line colors does not change.

EditTexts with material design seem to use colorControlActivated and colorControlNormal. Therefore, I have tried to override these properties in the previous style definition but it has no effect.
What I need to do, to make it work ?

Answer 1

Try to add the desired style to use for your widget in the xml this way :

<View
style="@style/NameOfYourTheme"
...
/>

If that doesn't work you could try to style it yourself. You will have to change the TextView attributes which you can look up here.

Textcolor for an instance could be changed by changing the android:textColor attribute which should be added to your style, for example :

<style name="AutoCompleteTextViewAppTheme" parent="Base.Widget.AppCompat.EditText"/>

<item name="android:textColor">#ffffffff</item>
</style>

If you want to change the edittext line you have to change the background attribute, for example in this manner :

<item name ="android:background="@drawable/line_background"> </item>

And add a new file line_background.xml in your drawables folder with a similar content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="line">


    <stroke
        android:color="#c0c000"
        android:width="3dp"></stroke>
</shape>