How to Underline Text in an Android Layout

Can I underline text in an Android layout?

It can be achieved if you are using a string resource xml file, which supports HTML tags like <b></b>, <i></i> and <u></u>.

<resources>
    <string name="your_string_here"><![CDATA[This is an <u>underline</u>.]]></string>
</resources>

If you want to underline something from code use:

TextView textView = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.textview);
SpannableString content = new SpannableString("Content");
content.setSpan(new UnderlineSpan(), 0, content.length(), 0);
textView.setText(content);

How to set underline text on textview?

You have to use SpannableString for that :

String mystring=new String("Hello.....");
SpannableString content = new SpannableString(mystring);
content.setSpan(new UnderlineSpan(), 0, mystring.length(), 0);
yourtextview.setText(content);

Update : You can refer my answer on Underling TextView's here in all possible ways.

How do you underline a text in Android XML?

If you are using a string resource xml file (supports HTML tags), it can be done using<b> </b>, <i> </i> and <u> </u>.

<resources>
    <string name="your_string_here">
        This is an <u>underline</u>.
    </string>
</resources>

If you want to underline something from code use:

TextView tv = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.tv);
SpannableString content = new SpannableString("Content");
content.setSpan(new UnderlineSpan(), 0, content.length(), 0);
tv.setText(content);

Hope this helps

To draw an Underline below the TextView in Android

There are three ways of underling the text in TextView.

1. SpannableString

2. setPaintFlags(); of TextView

3. Html.fromHtml();

Let me explain you all approaches :

1st Approach

For underling the text in TextView you have to use SpannableString

String udata="Underlined Text";
SpannableString content = new SpannableString(udata);
content.setSpan(new UnderlineSpan(), 0, udata.length(), 0);
mTextView.setText(content);

2nd Approach

You can make use of setPaintFlags method of TextView to underline the text of TextView.

For eg.

mTextView.setPaintFlags(mTextView.getPaintFlags() | Paint.UNDERLINE_TEXT_FLAG);
mTextView.setText("This text will be underlined");

You can refer constants of Paint class if you want to strike thru the text.

3rd Approach

Make use of Html.fromHtml(htmlString);

String htmlString="<u>This text will be underlined</u>";
mTextView.setText(Html.fromHtml(htmlString));

OR

txtView.setText(Html.fromHtml("<u>underlined</u> text"));

How to Underline Text of Button in Android?

Code only

Java:

Button button = (Button) findViewById(R.id.park);
button.setPaintFlags(button.getPaintFlags() | Paint.UNDERLINE_TEXT_FLAG);

Kotlin:

val button = findViewById<Button>(R.id.park);
button.paintFlags = button.paintFlags or Paint.UNDERLINE_TEXT_FLAG

Resource string with static text (xml only)

If you have a static text in your resources you could also use the following approach in your strings.xml:

<string name="underlined_text"><u>I\'m underlined</u></string>

Resource string with dynamic text (xml + code)

If you're using dynamic text but don't like the first approach (which isn't the best imho either), you could also use following:

strings.xml

<string name="underlined_dynamic_text"><u>%s</u></string>

Java:

button.setText(getString(R.string.underlined_dynamic_text, "I'm underlined");

Kotlin:

button.text = getString(R.string.underlined_dynamic_text, "I'm underlined")

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