AndroidX's Edge to Edge shows an Action Bar - How to hide it?

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03-09-2024

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AndroidX Edge-to-Edge: Conquering the Unexpected Action Bar

When implementing edge-to-edge screens in your Android app using AndroidX, you might encounter a puzzling situation: even with your app theme set to "android:Theme.Material.Light.NoActionBar" and transparent status/navigation bars, an Action Bar suddenly appears on top of your screen. This article will delve into the reasons behind this behavior and provide solutions to banish the unexpected Action Bar.

Understanding the Culprit: WindowInsets

The culprit behind this Action Bar mystery lies in the way Android handles window insets. When you use Edge-to-Edge and set transparent status/navigation bars, the system might still leave a reserved space for the Action Bar to appear. This space can be interpreted as an inset, prompting the appearance of the Action Bar even if you've explicitly removed it from your theme.

Solutions to Hide the Action Bar

The Stack Overflow community offers several solutions to tackle this issue. Here's a breakdown of the most effective methods:

1. Using WindowCompat and InsetsController (Stack Overflow user Javid):

This method leverages the WindowCompat and InsetsController classes to directly manipulate the window insets and ensure that the Action Bar is hidden:

val view = LocalView.current
if (!view.isInEditMode) {
    SideEffect {
        val window = (view.context as Activity).window
        window.statusBarColor = Color.Transparent.toArgb()
        WindowCompat.getInsetsController(window, view).isAppearanceLightStatusBars = !darkTheme
        // **Hide the Action Bar**
        WindowCompat.getInsetsController(window, view).hide(WindowInsetsCompat.Type.systemBars())
    }
}

Explanation:

• WindowCompat.getInsetsController retrieves the InsetsController for the given window and view.
• hide(WindowInsetsCompat.Type.systemBars()) instructs the InsetsController to hide system bars (including the Action Bar) effectively removing the reserved space.

2. Using WindowCompat.setDecorFitsSystemWindows (Stack Overflow user John Smith):

This method modifies the decor view to fit the system windows, thereby preventing the Action Bar from appearing:

val window = (view.context as Activity).window
WindowCompat.setDecorFitsSystemWindows(window, false)

Explanation:

• setDecorFitsSystemWindows controls how the decor view (the root view of your activity) fits within the system windows.
• Setting it to false prevents the decor view from respecting the system insets, thus effectively hiding the Action Bar.

Additional Tips and Considerations

• Theme Consistency: Ensure that your theme doesn't implicitly include the Action Bar. Verify that your themes.xml file has the correct settings.
• Library Compatibility: Ensure that the libraries you are using are compatible with edge-to-edge implementations. If you are using a specific library for navigation, ensure its configuration does not conflict with the edge-to-edge settings.
• API Level: These solutions are compatible with Android API level 30 and above. For lower API levels, alternative methods might be needed.

Remember: Carefully test your app to confirm the Action Bar is fully hidden after implementing any of these solutions. The solution that works best for you might depend on the specific setup and configuration of your project.

By utilizing these approaches, you can effectively eliminate the unexpected Action Bar and achieve a seamless edge-to-edge experience in your Android app.