What's the difference between the layout_alignStart tag and layout_alignLeft? [duplicate]

Question

I'm developping an Android application and I used the layout_alignStart tag. It worked well, until I tested my app on an older device. I then realized that layout_alignStart was only supported in api 17.

Reading the documentation, it made sense to replace all these layout_alignStart by layout_alignLeft.

However, I want to know what's the actual difference between these two tags?

Answer 1

This is related to RTL (Right-To-Left) screens. In some languages, a line of text starts on the right and ends on the left. Using "start" instead of "left" and "end" instead of "right" will ensure that your layouts look consistently on RTL screens.

Answer 2

Start basically refers the place where your layout starts.

It can be either right or left, simply based on how you layout is aligned.

If start=left then end=right and vice-versa.

This attribute is ment to create more dynamic layouts which work on different occasions.