How do you create a custom CardView object from an XML layout file?

Question

I'm trying to create a custom CardView object called WeekView. WeekView extends CardView. I have a CardView layout in an XML file. How do I make the WeekView "copy" the layout from the XML file?

Simply put, I want to be able to do this:

WeekView weekCard = new WeekView();
mainLayout.addView(weekCard);

in the main activity, where mainLayout is an empty linear layout. The WeekCard should look like the card in the XML layout file.

Here's a shortened version of the XML file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<android.support.v7.widget.CardView 
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
xmlns:tipbook="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
android:id="@+id/week_card_view"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginLeft="8dp"
android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
android:layout_marginTop="8dp"
tipbook:contentPadding="12dp">

<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <TextView
        android:text="Week View"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:id="@+id/week_view_title"
        android:textSize="12sp"
        android:textAlignment="gravity"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
        android:textColor="@android:color/darker_gray"
        android:layout_marginTop="4dp"
        android:layout_marginLeft="4dp" />

    <ImageButton
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        tipbook:srcCompat="@drawable/ic_more_vert_black_18dp"
        android:id="@+id/week_settings_btn"
        android:background="@color/cardview_light_background"
        android:scaleX="1"
        android:scaleY="1"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
        android:layout_alignParentEnd="true"
        android:tint="@color/cardview_shadow_start_color"
        android:tintMode="src_in"
        android:layout_marginRight="4dp"
        android:layout_marginTop="4dp" />


    <LinearLayout
        android:id="@+id/week_days"
        android:orientation="horizontal"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="55dp"
        android:layout_below="@id/week_settings_btn"
        android:weightSum="7"
        android:layout_marginTop="12dp" >



    </LinearLayout>

    <TextView
        android:text="Last Week"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@id/week_days"
        android:id="@+id/visible_week"
        android:textSize="14sp"
        android:textAlignment="gravity"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:layout_marginTop="12dp" />

    <ImageButton
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@id/week_days"
        android:layout_marginTop="12dp"
        tipbook:srcCompat="@drawable/ic_expand_more_black_18dp"
        android:id="@+id/more_less_week"
        android:scaleX="1"
        android:scaleY="1"
        android:tint="@color/common_google_signin_btn_text_light_default"
        android:tintMode="src_in"
        android:background="@color/cardview_light_background"
        android:visibility="gone"/>
</RelativeLayout>
</android.support.v7.widget.CardView>

Answer 1

Use the include tag in your main view which link to that card view

<include
   android:id="@+id/some_id"
   android:layout_width="fill_parent"
   android:layout_height="wrap_content"
   layout="@layout/your_card_layout" />

to include the layout you want to reuse.

To access inner views of it

View includedLayout = findViewById(R.id.some_id);
Button buttonInsideTheIncludedLayout = (Button)includedLayout.findViewById(R.id.button);

Answer 2

Maybe it's to late for this answer, but I'm a rookie in Android development and I think what you where looking for is the LayoutInflater.inflate() method.

The way to inflate an XML layout and return it as a View, in your case a CardView.

My code example:

LayoutInflater inflater = LayoutInflater.from(getContext());
CardView newSessionGroupCardView = (CardView) inflater.inflate(R.layout.session_group_cardview, null);

LinearLayout linearParentLayout = getView().findViewById(R.id.session_group_layout);
linearParentLayout.addView(newSessionGroupCardView);

Maybe this help someone. Further reading to Layout Inflater