The Material Components for Android

The example shown in this chapter uses a theme based on Theme.AppCompat. All of the sample apps in the Sampler and SamplerJ projects use themes based on Theme.AppCompat.

However, HelloWorld and HelloWorldJ do not. As we saw earlier in the book, those samples use a theme based on something called Theme.MaterialComponents.

This comes from a library known as the Material Components for Android. Principally, this library offers a series of widgets that implement some of the UI components seen in Material Design, from bottom navigation bars to snackbars to “FABs” (floating action buttons). This library also uses a different theme system that uses a different set of color names.

In the author’s opinion, the Material Components for Android represents a fine library for experienced Android developers, but it is a poor choice for newcomers. That is why the book continues to use Theme.AppCompat — the results that you get are more in line with what documentation and other existing written material covers.

Note, though, that the Android Studio new-project wizard will create a project that uses the Material Components for Android. To switch to AppCompat:

• Replace the theme and its colors with ones from an AppCompat-based project, such as one from this book
• Remove com.google.android.material:material from your module’s list of dependencies (as you will no longer be needing it)