28.7 Using the Layout Inspector

The hierarchy of components that make up a user interface layout may be viewed at any time using the Layout Inspector tool. In order to access this information the app must be running on a device or emulator running Android API 29 or later. Once the app is running, select the Tools -> Layout Inspector menu option followed by the process to be inspected using the menu marked A in Figure 28-15 below).

Once the inspector loads, the left most panel (B) shows the hierarchy of components that make up the user interface layout. The center panel (C) shows a visual representation of the layout design. Clicking on a widget in the visual layout will cause that item to highlight in the hierarchy list making it easy to find where a visual component is situated relative to the overall layout hierarchy.

Finally, the rightmost panel (marked D in Figure 28-15) contains all of the property settings for the currently selected component, allowing for in-depth...