SetCompoundDrawables

SetCompoundDrawables is a method in Android used to set compound drawables for a View. A compound drawable is a collection of drawables displayed around the content area of a View, typically used in TextView, Button, and EditText widgets.

The SetCompoundDrawables method takes four parameters: the top, bottom, left, and right drawables. Each of these parameters can be a Drawable object, such as a BitmapDrawable, a nine-patch image, or a ShapeDrawable. The method can be used to set a background image or a pointer for an EditText widget, a checkbox or an icon for a Button, or a character or an icon for a TextView.

When setting compound drawables, the View must be able to display multiple drawables in a single View. This can be achieved by using the setCompoundDrawablesWithIntrinsicBounds method, which sets four drawables and automatically calculates their intrinsic bounds. The drawables can be set to the left, top, right, and bottom of the View to display the given content with an additional border or background.

The use of setCompoundDrawables is particularly common in the development of Android applications where rich UI elements are required. It allows developers to add images or other visual elements around the edges of content. The setCompoundDrawablesWithIntrinsicBounds method is useful for automatically calculating the intrinsic bounds and is only suitable for Views that can be stretched to the required size.

Although the setCompoundDrawables method has been somewhat replaced by more modern Android methods, it is still widely used in older Android applications. However, this method is now deprecated in newer versions of the Android SDK, and developers should instead consider using more modern alternatives.