How to use VectorDrawables in Android API lower than 21?

Question

I am working on an Android project and I chose <vector> to display icon because it is adaptable and dynamically, however, I just can run this app on devices running Android, which have API 21 or higher. My question is how can I use <vector> on lower Android version i.e. API 14 or kind of. Thanks!

<!-- drawable/ic_android_debug_bridge.xml -->
<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:height="48dp"
    android:width="48dp"
    android:viewportWidth="24"
    android:viewportHeight="24">
    <path android:fillColor="@color/primaryColorDark"
        android:pathData="M15,9A1,1 0 0,1 14,8A1,1 0 0,1 15,7A1,1 0 0,1 16,8A1,1 `0 0,1 15,9M9,9A1,1 0 0,1 8,8A1,1 0 0,1 9,7A1,1 0 0,1 10,8A1,1 0 0,1 9,9M16.12,4.37L18.22,2.27L17.4,1.44L15.09,3.75C14.16,3.28 13.11,3 12,3C10.88,3 9.84,3.28 8.91,3.75L6.6,1.44L5.78,2.27L7.88,4.37C6.14,5.64 5,7.68 5,10V11H19V10C19,7.68 17.86,5.64 16.12,4.37M5,16C5,19.86 8.13,23 12,23A7,7 0 0,0 19,16V12H5V16Z" /></vector>

Solution 1

Vector Drawables are now backward compatible, it's just a matter of upgrading your gradle version to 1.4.0-beta3 or higher, and upgrade your IDE :

We are also excited to offer backwards compatibility for your vector assets in Android Studio 1.4. Once you have a vectorDrawable image in your res/drawable, the Gradle plugin will automatically generate raster PNG images for API level 20 and below during build time. This means you only need to update and maintain your vector asset for your app project and Android Studio can take care of image conversion process.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com.uy/2015/09/android-studio-14.html

Solution 2

With the support library 23.2, the true support for Vector Drawables has been provided all the way down to API v7. It is recommended to disable the previous version of the support, which rendered PNG during build-time, by adding

// Gradle Plugin 2.0+
 android {
   defaultConfig {
     vectorDrawables.useSupportLibrary = true
    }
 }

to the build.gradle file.

The implementation is fairly simple. Just use the new srcCompat attribute on Drawables (under app namespace!):

<ImageView
  android:layout_width="wrap_content"
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"
  app:srcCompat="@drawable/ic_add" />    // <= this is new

Vector Drawables are also supported in cases like TextView's drawableLeft property.

Source: library announcement

However, I would still recommend something like Iconics library, AndroidSVG, or another font-icon or SVG solution for the full SVG-standand vector support.

Solution 3

VectorDrawable are supported pre-Lollipop via the Support Library, but the way to use them depends on the version of Support Library you have. And it may not work in all cases.

I've made this diagram to help (valid for Support Library 23.4.0 to - at least - 25.1.0).

Solution 4

I found solution! For those who search solution with TextView and other "android" namespace attributes. First of all this is necessary:

android {  
   defaultConfig {  
     vectorDrawables.useSupportLibrary = true  
    }  
 }

And in application class define this:

    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
        AppCompatDelegate.setCompatVectorFromResourcesEnabled(true);
    }

Now you can use app:srcCompat="@drawable/ic_add" but if you try to use android:background= or android:drawableLeft= it will crash app with "Error inflating" exception.

We can create wrapped drawable ic_add_wrapped.xml for this vector:

<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:drawable="@drawable/ic_add"/>
</layer-list>

And now it will work with any property like drawableLeft or background. Just set android:drawableLeft="@drawable/ic_add_wrapped.xml". WARNING! THIS IS A WORKAROUND SOLUTION. So you use it for your own risk.

Solution 5

you need use android Support Repository 30+ if you using android studio and need android support library 23.2.1+ if using Eclipse.

check your build.gradle (project) if using version 2.0+ add below code in your build.gradle (app)

// Gradle Plugin 2.0+  
 android {  
   defaultConfig {  
     vectorDrawables.useSupportLibrary = true  
    }  
 }

and: if using version 1.5 add below in your build.gradle(app)

// Gradle Plugin 1.5  
 android {  
   defaultConfig {  
     generatedDensities = []  
  }  

  // This is handled for you by the 2.0+ Gradle Plugin  
  aaptOptions {  
    additionalParameters "--no-version-vectors"  
  }  
 }  

here is sample code for use vector icon:

<ImageView  
  android:layout_width="wrap_content"  
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"  
  app:srcCompat="@drawable/ic_add"
  tools:ignore="MissingPrefix" />

or

<ImageButton
  android:layout_width="wrap_content"
  android:background="@android:color/transparent"
  app:srcCompat="@drawable/camera"
  tools:ignore="MissingPrefix"
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

Vector Drawables are also supported in cases like TextView's drawableLeft property. but it worked api 22+ to me and i still dont know how it will work for low api.

Also keep in mind if you want to be compatible below API 21:

• you cannot use the android:background property in xml or View.setBackgroundResource() function. You need to use the View.setBackground().
• you cannot use the svg-s in StateListDrawable xml-s or other xml drawables, you have to generate them programmatically.
• you cannot use svg-s in case of notifications.

View more solutions

Comments

[Maksim Ostrovidov]

Actual info on how to use vectors - stackoverflow.com/q/40678947/7045114

[android developer]

This is not entirely true. It will work only for imageView, and for the rest it will crash on old Android versions.

[android developer]

For TextView, it will crash.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper Here you are: stackoverflow.com/a/40523623/2557258

[android developer]

Does it work on all Android versions? Even old ones? Also, does it generate the "ic_add" as an image? If so, it misses the point of using vectors.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper It work on all Android versions. Even old ones. Does app:srcCompat= generate the "ic_add" as an image?

[android developer]

I asked if the flag in the gradle file generates the "ic_add" as an image. If it does, of course it will work on all Android versions, but it misses the point of vectors.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper I really don't know if it generates an image. I tried to set small (12dp x 12dp) vector drawable to the background of some view with hardcoded big size (200dp x 200dp) and it looks smoothly and nice (looks like vector not as scaled bitmap). How to check if it generates image?

[android developer]

just search for the file, either within the APK file itself, or in the folders of the app. I think it can be found, for example, on "...app\build\generated\res\pngs\debug\drawable-hdpi"

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper I extracted .apk file and double checked all directories in res folder. There are no .png generated files from my drawable wrapped as I described. There are only .xml files. Can you try this trick and confirm that it work as expected?

[android developer]

OK, I now remember why I didn't use this solution: developer.android.com/reference/android/support/v7/app/… . "This feature defaults to disabled, since enabling it can cause issues with memory usage, and problems updating Configuration instances. If you update the configuration manually, then you probably do not want to enable this. You have been warned." . It's not recommended to use this feature. Also, as I remember, it could have some issues when having the VectorDrawable inside LayerDrawable on old Android versions.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper It's better than just a crash.

[android developer]

Yes, that's why you shouldn't use what you wrote. It's better to have extra png files, than having a crash on devices due to using this unfinished and buggy support library code, which also lacks many basic operations

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper It's better not use unfinished and buggy Android OS.

[android developer]

Again, the support library docs say it's recommended you should not use the function you used, because it can cause issues. The Android OS can handle images very well, on all Android versions. By "unfinished" I meant that the code development has stopped in a problematic phase, so it's dangerous to use it. Also, as I wrote, I remember it lacks the capability of being used in LayerDrawable.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper So you offer not to use vectors at all?

[android developer]

No. I suggest that you use them in basic icons in the app itself, especially if you choose to use the flag that won't create images for you. You should be careful not to use the vectors in complex cases (like layerDrawable). Always check your app on pre-M versions of Android.

[android developer]

And also try to avoid the special, un-recommended, call to "AppCompatDelegate.setCompatVectorFromResourcesEnabled(true)‌​"

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper Without this workaround it does not work. So if you think that better to replace vector drawables by .png images then feel free to post your own answer to this question.

[android developer]

As the docs say, it's limited to certain usages. The basic one that should work fine, is for ImageView to set its image . Read here: android-developers.blogspot.co.il/2016/02/… . They even marked the removed functionality with strikethrough line. Adding the function you called is not recommended. It can crash the app due to high memory usage on certain cases

[android developer]

They even wrote : "As of plus.google.comAndroid Support Library 23.3.0, support vector drawables can only be loaded via app:srcCompat or setImageResource() " . In short, use it with caution, only in simple cases.

[Yazon2006]

@androiddeveloper Now please scroll up to the top of the page and read question. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and press "Add Another Answer". Type "DO NOT USE VECTOR DRAWABLE" and press enter.

[android developer]

Why? I didn't say not not use it. I just said to use it carefully, and only in basic cases. If you wish to use it in all cases, you can disable the flag, and the images will be auto-generated, but this will miss the point of using it on old Android versions.

[Mark13426]

How do you do this programmatically?

[Ashu Kumar]

complete answer :). that is what i m looking for.

[Yazon2006]

If somebody have crash with android:drawableLeft you can try workaround: stackoverflow.com/a/40523623/2557258

[Pierre-Luc Paour]

The layer-list wrapping trick doors not work in remote views (notifications, appwigets), which makes sense :-).

[Debasish Ghosh]

This been bugging me for so long time in pre lollipop devices.Thanks a tons...!!

[Yazon2006]

@Debasish Say thanks for Google and their best practices of implementing software. Of course it's this solution its a dirty workaround and many of people already said it in comments.

[Bob Liberatore]

This is the best answer ever.

[Akshay Shah]

AppCompatDelegate.setCompatVectorFromResourcesEnabled(true); is this necessary ?

[Red M]

@androiddeveloper is there a solution to make it work for other views like EditText, and Buttons?

[android developer]

@RedM Yes, but only in code (Java/kotlin). Not in XML (of any kind), as it might cause crashes. To get VectorDrawable of the support library by code, use AppCompatResources.getDrawable . Do not use ResourcesCompat or ContextCompat for it. Read here: stackoverflow.com/a/48237058/878126

[android developer]

Wait, this means we can use SVG files in the project? No need to convert them to VectorDrawable in the IDE ?

[cVoronin]

Of course, we need. R.drawable.ic_map_black_24dp here is a result of SVG-source conversion.

[Nolan Amy]

Unfortunately, build-time PNG generation doesn't support references to other resources, and will fail if you use things like android:fillColor="@color/dialog_button_text" in your vector drawables (so excluding the support library costs you more than just KBs). Error message points to developer.android.com/tools/help/vector-asset-studio.html for details.

[Ram]

getting tick_drawable value null on android 5.1

[Pranav Karnik]

What about EditText where I want to use drawableStart ?

[Machado]

Yeah, I love you. Jokes apart, this is the perfect solution, thanks! Please if you gonna use this be aware app:srcCompat != android:srcCompat, you must use app: prefix in here.

[dave o grady]

Dude you've saved from changing all my SVGs to PNGs well done sir

[CodingBruceLee]

what is the resources argument in the snippet above?