Android Tutorial Beginning B4A App Development - Built In UI Controls

Hi gang

B4A Github Repo

For anyone beginning with b4a, they would want to know what UI components are available that come built in with b4a and can be used right out of the box?

So Iv'e compiled this based on the latest version of b4a for anyone to be up to speed. Hope its helpful.

Rule: Designer = Yes means the control can be dropped on a layout in the Abstract Designer (configurable properties in the Designer). Designer = No means code-only (Initialize + AddView).

Core views (Core library)

Control	Based On	Category	Designer
Button	android.widget.Button	Actions	Yes
Label	android.widget.TextView	Text	Yes
EditText	android.widget.EditText	Forms	Yes
AutoCompleteEditText	android.widget.AutoCompleteTextView	Forms	Yes
ImageView	android.widget.ImageView	Media	Yes
Panel	android.view.ViewGroup (layout container, base for custom views)	Containment	Yes
CheckBox	android.widget.CheckBox	Selection	Yes
RadioButton	android.widget.RadioButton	Selection	Yes
ToggleButton	android.widget.ToggleButton	Selection	Yes
ListView	android.widget.ListView	Containment	Yes
Spinner	android.widget.Spinner	Selection	Yes
ScrollView	android.widget.ScrollView	Containment	Yes
HorizontalScrollView	android.widget.HorizontalScrollView	Containment	Yes
SeekBar	android.widget.SeekBar	Selection	Yes
ProgressBar	android.widget.ProgressBar	Feedback	Yes
WebView	android.webkit.WebView	Containment	Yes
TabHost	android.widget.TabHost	Navigation	Yes

Custom views (ViewsEx, TabStripViewPager, ExoPlayer, xCustomListView)

Control	Based On	Category	Designer
Switch	ViewsEx · android.widget.Switch	Selection	Yes
RatingBar	ViewsEx · android.widget.RatingBar	Selection	Yes
FloatLabeledEditText	ViewsEx · FloatLabeledEditText third-party view over a native EditText	Forms	Yes
TabStrip	TabStripViewPager · androidx.viewpager.widget.ViewPager + sliding tab strip	Navigation	Yes
VideoView	Audio · android.widget.VideoView (+ MediaController)	Media	No (code)
AdView	FirebaseAdMob · com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView banner (NativeExpressAdView sibling; InterstitialAd / RewardedVideoAd are full-screen, not layout controls)	Communication	No (code)
SimpleExoPlayerView	ExoPlayer · androidx.media3.ui.PlayerView (SimpleExoPlayer is the non-visual controller)	Media	Yes
CustomListView	xCustomListView · B4A class over ScrollView / HorizontalScrollView with item panels	Containment	Yes
GameView	GameView · custom canvas-drawn View (Bitmap + Canvas + Paint loop)	Game / Canvas	No (code)
TouchPanel	ViewsEx · code-created touch-intercept Panel	Containment	No (code)

B4X custom views (XUI Views + satellites)
Added via Designer → Add View → CustomView. All render into a base Panel (B4XView); canvas-drawn ones paint via B4XCanvas / BitmapCreator.

Control	Based On	Category	Designer
AnimatedCounter	XUI Views · B4XCanvas frame animation over labels (digit ticker)	Feedback	Yes
AnotherProgressBar	XUI Views · BitmapCreator + B4XCanvas bar on an ImageView container	Feedback	Yes
B4XBreadCrumb	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn crumb path on a Panel with touch handling	Navigation	Yes
B4XComboBox	XUI Views · native Spinner + action button	Selection	Yes
B4XFloatTextField	XUI Views · native EditText + canvas-drawn floating hint, clear/accept/reveal buttons	Forms	Yes
B4XImageView	XUI Views · ImageView + bitmap (resize modes, round, corners)	Media	Yes
B4XLoadingIndicator	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn animated indicator (7 styles)	Feedback	Yes
B4XPlusMinus	XUI Views · label stepper on a Panel (orientation, cyclic, rapid change)	Selection	Yes
B4XRadioButton	XUI Views · BitmapCreator-drawn glyph on an ImageView container	Selection	Yes
B4XSeekBar	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn track + touch Panel (min/max/interval)	Selection	Yes
B4XSwitch	XUI Views · BitmapCreator-drawn track/thumb on an ImageView container	Selection	Yes
RoundSlider	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn circular track on a Panel	Selection	Yes
ScrollingLabel	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn auto-scrolling text	Text	Yes
SwiftButton	XUI Views · B4XCanvas-drawn 3D button (primary/secondary/disabled, side height)	Actions	Yes
MadeWithLove	XUI Views · static Label badge	Text	Yes
B4XTable	B4XTable · CustomListView rows + header Panels over a SQLite query	Containment	Yes
BBCodeView	BCTextEngine · BCTextEngine + BitmapCreator rich-text rendering on a ScrollView	Text	Yes
BBLabel	BCTextEngine · BCTextEngine + BitmapCreator rich-text rendering on a Panel	Text	Yes
B4XGifView	B4XGifView · FLAnimatedImageView animated drawable on a Panel (ImageView fallback, SetGif / SetGif2)	Media	Yes
B4XTurtle	B4XTurtle · BitmapCreator canvas layers composited into an ImageView	Game / Canvas	Yes
ScoreLabel	X2 · game HUD Labels on a Panel	Game / Canvas	Yes

B4X cross-platform types (helpers and foundation)
Non-view B4X* types from the same libraries — code-only, shared across B4A / B4i / B4J. (View-type B4X* controls live in the tables above.)

Type	Based On	Category	Designer
B4XView	XUI · universal wrapper over the native View	Framework	No (code)
B4XCanvas	XUI · android.graphics.Canvas via the Core canvas implementation (see Foundation below)	Drawing	No (code)
B4XPath / B4XRect / B4XFont / B4XBitmap	XUI · companion types of B4XView (Path / Rect / Typeface / Bitmap)	Drawing	No (code)
B4XSet	B4XCollections · ordered set (Add / Remove / Contains)	Data	No (code)
B4XOrderedMap	B4XCollections · insertion-ordered key-to-value map	Data	No (code)
B4XCollections	B4XCollections · factory (CreateSet / CreateOrderedMap / CreateBitSet)	Data	No (code)
B4XComparatorSort	B4XCollections · quicksort with custom comparator	Data	No (code)
B4XCache	B4XCollections · size-capped cache (Get / Put / MaxSize)	Data	No (code)
B4XBytesBuilder	B4XCollections · growable byte array (Append / ChangeLength)	Data	No (code)
B4XBitSet	B4XCollections · bit array (Set / Get / Size)	Data	No (code)
CopyOnWriteList / CopyOnWriteMap	B4XCollections · thread-safe list / map	Data	No (code)
B4XFormatter	B4XFormatter · number/date format definitions (drives B4XPlusMinus)	Format	No (code)
B4XSerializator	RandomAccessFile · cross-platform object serializer	Data	No (code)
B4XCipher	B4XEncryption · symmetric cipher	Security	No (code)

Not shipped types: B4XMainPage (implemented by the app, not a library), B4XTypes (debug bridge internals).

Code-only UI managers
Built and wired in code — not Designer surfaces.

Feature	Based On	Category	Use
B4XDrawer	B4XDrawer · left/center/dim Panels with gesture handling	Navigation	side drawer: Initialize + panels + Resize
PreoptimizedCLV	PreoptimizedCLV · CustomListView + B4XSeekBar fast-scroll overlay	Containment	performance helper wrapping a CustomListView
B4XDialog + templates	XUI Views · Panels + CustomListView / text fields (Date, Input, List, Color, Search, Signature, Timed, LongText, progress)	Communication / Pickers / Forms	modal ShowDialog pattern
PreferencesDialog	B4XPreferencesDialog · CustomListView + B4XDialog + item templates with built-in item layouts	Communication / Forms	settings form generator (AddBooleanItem / AddTextItem / … / ShowDialog)
BCToast	BCToast · BBLabel (BCTextEngine rendering) on a Panel	Communication	transient Show message
SimpleMediaManager	SimpleMediaManager · async bitmap loader + SimpleExoPlayerView / video views	Media	media loader wired to existing panels/ImageViews in code
B4XPages	B4XPages · Activity/Form page framework (B4XPagesManager)	Navigation	page framework, not a control
X2 engine	X2 · BitmapCreator sprites + Box2D physics on GameView	Game / Canvas	sprite/tile engine, code-driven
MediaChooser	MediaChooser · camera capture + ContentChooser intents, runtime permission check, keep-alive service	Media	CaptureImage / CaptureVideo / ChooseImage / ChooseVideo (resumable, returns MediaChooserResult); temp-file cleanup
NB6	NB6 · Notification builder helper	Communication	notifications helper, not a View

Foundation: XUI drawing stack (XUI library)
The canvas-drawn controls above share one cross-platform drawing stack.

• B4XView — universal view wrapper. Every native view (Button, Label, Panel, …) is addressable through the same B4XView API, which is why B4X custom views accept any view as their base.
• B4XCanvas — drawing surface bound to a view via Initialize(View). Primitives: DrawLine / DrawRect / DrawCircle / DrawPath / DrawBitmap (each plain + rotated), DrawText (+ rotated), MeasureText, ClipPath / RemoveClip, ClearRect. Invalidate flushes to screen; Resize / Release manage its lifecycle. Companion types: B4XPath (lines, ovals, arcs, rounded rects), B4XRect, B4XFont, B4XBitmap. Based on: android.graphics.Canvas + Bitmap + Paint / Path / Rect, via the Core canvas implementation it delegates every draw call to (B4XCanvas → core canvas → native canvas, bound to the target view).
• BitmapCreator (BitmapCreator library) — offscreen bitmap + software canvas. Controls that pre-render (AnotherProgressBar, B4XSwitch, B4XRadioButton, B4XTurtle layers, BBCodeView / BBLabel text) draw into a BitmapCreator and blit the result to an ImageView container.
• Controls in this report built on this stack: AnimatedCounter, AnotherProgressBar, B4XBreadCrumb, B4XLoadingIndicator, B4XPlusMinus, B4XRadioButton, B4XSeekBar, B4XSwitch, RoundSlider, ScrollingLabel, SwiftButton, B4XFloatTextField (hint), B4XTurtle, BBCodeView, BBLabel.

Notes

• B4X custom views are added via Designer → Add View → CustomView; Java custom views (ViewsEx, TabStripViewPager, SimpleExoPlayerView, CustomListView) support the Visual Designer the same way.
• Non-visual libraries shipped alongside (Phone, GPS, BLE2, Serial, SQL, OkHttp, Firebase* services, USB, Audio players, Camera, …) expose no layout controls and are excluded — same as the reference repo, which lists only widgets. Deliberately excluded UI-adjacent items: PreferenceScreen / PreferenceCategory (full-screen settings, not layout views), IME (keyboard helper), Camera preview (hosted on a Panel, no standalone View), ContentChooser (activity starter), full-screen ads, B4XMainPage (app-implemented) and B4XTypes (debug internals).
• Totals: 17 core + 10 custom views + 21 B4X Designer views + 14 B4X helper/foundation types + 10 code-only managers ≈ 72 entries.

You are welcome to extend if there is something incorrect/needs updating

#SharingTheGoodness

 

[Mashiane]

In case you come from using Android Studio / other android development platforms...

You might notice that some components are not listed above, well don't be weary, there are a lot of libraries created in this forum that will meet your needs and if not, you can wrap these with java / javaobject / reflection if you dont find it in forum search.

Below we look at android.widget components and enhancement androidx components that dont come as standard built in components and some components that cover those use cases.

android.widget vs B4A — Gap Report

Method: every android.widget class name from the Android API reference / AOSP listing was checked against the stock B4A libraries' published wrappers.

Counts: ≈70 widget classes = 5 abstract bases + 7 deprecated + 58 current concrete. B4A covers 21 (18 as views + 3 functional). Missing: 37.

Missing — B4X substitute covers the use case (16)

android.widget Class	Native Component	Covers Use Case
DatePicker	android.widget.DatePicker — native date picker view	B4XDateTemplate (dialog)
CalendarView	android.widget.CalendarView — native calendar grid	B4XDateTemplate (dialog)
TimePicker	android.widget.TimePicker — native time picker view	B4XDateTemplate family / B4XTimedTemplate (dialogs)
NumberPicker	android.widget.NumberPicker — native number spinner	B4XPlusMinus (Designer)
GridView	android.widget.GridView — 2-D scrolling grid	B4XTable + Erel Table / Flexible Table class (sortable, SQLite load, CSV)
TableLayout / TableRow	android.widget.TableLayout / android.widget.TableRow — native table container + row	B4XTable + Erel Table / Flexible Table class
ExpandableListView	android.widget.ExpandableListView — two-level list	CustomListView (Designer)
SearchView	android.widget.SearchView — native search box	B4XSearchTemplate + Erel SearchView class / SQLSearchView (SQLite-backed, 400k-item tested)
PopupWindow / PopupMenu / ListPopupWindow	android.widget.PopupWindow / PopupMenu / ListPopupWindow — floating windows/menus	B4XDialog (modal dialogs)
TabWidget	android.widget.TabWidget — tab strip for TabHost	TabStrip (Designer, ViewPager-based)
CheckedTextView	android.widget.CheckedTextView — checkable text row	B4XRadioButton / CheckBox (Designer)
RadioGroup	android.widget.RadioGroup — exclusive-check container	managed manually / B4XRadioButton set (Designer)
SlidingDrawer (deprecated)	android.widget.SlidingDrawer — sliding drawer	B4XDrawer (code-only)

Missing — true gaps, no substitute (21)

android.widget Class	Based On	Covers Use Case
AnalogClock	android.widget.AnalogClock — native analog clock face	—
TextClock	android.widget.TextClock — native digital clock text	—
Chronometer	android.widget.Chronometer — native count-up timer view	— (Timer + Label in code)
ImageButton	android.widget.ImageButton — image-backed button	— (Button with bitmap)
MultiAutoCompleteTextView	android.widget.MultiAutoCompleteTextView — token-wise autocomplete	—
DialerFilter	android.widget.DialerFilter — dial-pad filter	—
QuickContactBadge	android.widget.QuickContactBadge — contact badge thumbnail	—
Magnifier	android.widget.Magnifier — API 29+ text magnifier	—
FrameLayout	android.widget.FrameLayout — native frame container	Panel covers the role generically
LinearLayout	android.widget.LinearLayout — native linear container	Panel covers the role generically
RelativeLayout	android.widget.RelativeLayout — native relative container	Panel covers the role generically
GridLayout	android.widget.GridLayout — native grid container	Panel covers the role generically
Space	android.widget.Space — layout spacer	Panel covers the role generically
ImageSwitcher	android.widget.ImageSwitcher — animated image swapper	—
TextSwitcher	android.widget.TextSwitcher — animated text swapper	—
ViewSwitcher	android.widget.ViewSwitcher — two-view swapper	—
ViewFlipper	android.widget.ViewFlipper — multi-view flipper	—
ViewAnimator	android.widget.ViewAnimator — animated container base	—
AdapterViewFlipper	android.widget.AdapterViewFlipper — adapter-backed flipper	—
StackView	android.widget.StackView — stacked-card view	—
Toolbar (framework)	android.widget.Toolbar — standard toolbar	—
ZoomControls	android.widget.ZoomControls — zoom button pair	— (deprecated upstream in API 26)

androidx coverage

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
viewpager	androidx.viewpager.widget.ViewPager + PagerAdapter — legacy pager	TabStrip (Designer)
media3	androidx.media3.* 1.2.0 (exoplayer, ui, datasource, extractor, dash/hls/rtsp/smoothstreaming) — playback engine + PlayerView surface	SimpleExoPlayer (code-only) + SimpleExoPlayerView (Designer)
core	androidx.core.* (ViewCompat, WindowInsetsCompat, ActivityCompat, ContextCompat) — backport plumbing	IME, RuntimePermissions (non-UI)

Missing — UI layout / navigation:

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
recyclerview	androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView — virtualized list	CustomListView / B4XTable (simple cases; complex virtualization = gap)
viewpager2	androidx.viewpager2.widget.ViewPager2 — modern pager	TabStrip (legacy-ViewPager role)
drawerlayout	androidx.drawerlayout.widget.DrawerLayout — native drawer	B4XDrawer (code-only)
slidingpanelayout	androidx.slidingpanelayout.widget.SlidingPaneLayout — two-pane layout	—
coordinatorlayout	androidx.coordinatorlayout.widget.CoordinatorLayout — gesture choreography	—
constraintlayout	androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout — flat layout	Panel covers role generically
gridlayout	androidx.gridlayout.widget.GridLayout — backported grid container	Panel covers role generically
cardview	androidx.cardview.widget.CardView — elevated card	Panel covers role generically
swiperefreshlayout	androidx.swiperefreshlayout.widget.SwipeRefreshLayout — pull-to-refresh	—
customview	androidx.customview.* — custom-view helpers	— (B4A views expose accessibility natively)
transition	androidx.transition.* — scene/change animations	— (B4A Animation covers basic role)
preference	androidx.preference.* — settings screens	PreferencesDialog (form role)
appcompat	androidx.appcompat.* — backported ActionBar/widgets	— (B4A targets framework widgets directly)
palette	androidx.palette.graphics.Palette — color extraction	—
emoji	androidx.emoji2.* — downloadable emoji fonts	— (BCTextEngine ships its own emoji data file)
vectordrawable	androidx.vectordrawable.* — vector drawables	—
interpolator	androidx.interpolator.* — easing functions	—
asynclayoutinflater	androidx.asynclayoutinflater.* — async inflation	— (layouts are B4A .bal, not XML)
cursoradapter	androidx.cursoradapter.* — cursor adapters	— (SQL + CustomListView in code)
loader	androidx.loader.* — deprecated data loaders	— (correctly absent)
window	androidx.window.* — foldables / window metrics	—
autofill	androidx.autofill.* — autofill hints	—
contentpager / documentfile / exifinterface / heifwriter / print / sharetarget	file/print/share helpers	ContentResolver, FileProvider cover adjacent roles
webkit	androidx.webkit.* — backported WebView APIs	WebView (framework role)
versionedparcelable / remotecallback / resourceinspection	IPC / inspection plumbing	— (non-UI)

Missing — lists / data-driven UI:

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
paging	androidx.paging.* — paged data loading	PreoptimizedCLV (CLV role)
leanback	androidx.leanback.* — Android TV UIs	—
car / wear	auto / watch UI kits	—

Missing — architecture / data:

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
lifecycle / livedata / viewmodel	lifecycle-aware components	— (B4A activity events + Process_Globals cover role)
room / sqlite	androidx.room.* — ORM over SQLite	SQL (direct SQLite role)
databinding	view binding	— (Designer generates the binding)
navigation	androidx.navigation.* — nav graphs	B4XPages (page-framework role)
workmanager	androidx.work.* — background jobs	services / StartServiceAt (role)
savedstate / activity / fragment	state + screens	B4XPages + activity lifecycle (role)
startup / tracing / profileinstaller	init / perf plumbing	— (non-UI)
concurrent / collection / annotation / arch-core	futures / collections / annotations	B4XCollections + Threading (role)

Missing — camera / media / security / identity:

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
camera (CameraX)	androidx.camera.* — modern camera pipeline	Camera2 + Erel CamEx2 class (Camera2 API, stills + video)
media (legacy)	androidx.media.* — superseded by media3	media3 stack above
mediarouter	androidx.mediarouter.* — Cast routes	—
security-crypto	androidx.security.crypto — encrypted file/prefs	B4XEncryption (cipher role)
biometric	androidx.biometric.* — fingerprint/face prompt	Erel BiometricManager (wraps androidx.biometric; CanAuthenticate / Show / Complete)
credentials	androidx.credentials.* — passwords / passkeys	—

Missing — declarative UI / test:

androidx Library	Based On	Covers Use Case
compose	declarative UI toolkit (+ material, material3, foundation, ui)	— (no B4A bridge; Designer is the paradigm)
test / benchmark	JUnit / Espresso / benchmarks	— (non-shipping)

Abstract bases + deprecated (reference, not gaps)

• Abstract (extended, never used directly): AbsListView, AbsSeekBar, AbsSpinner, AdapterView, CompoundButton — B4A exposes their functionality through the concrete wrappers above.
• Deprecated upstream, correctly absent from B4A: AbsoluteLayout, DigitalClock, Gallery, SlidingDrawer (→ B4XDrawer), TwoLineListItem, ZoomButton, ZoomButtonsController.

You are welcome to extend if there is something incorrect/needs updating

#SharingTheGoodness