TextView in Android with Example

Last Updated : 17 Jul, 2022

TextView is a simple widget that is seen in every android application. This widget is used to display simple text within the android application. We can add custom styling to the text that we have to show. In this article, we will take a look at How to create a simple Text View in an android application.

Note: This Android article covered in both Java and Kotlin languages.

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Project in Android Studio

To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio.

Step 2: Working with the activity_main.xml file

Navigate to app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the code below. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:id="@+id/idRLContainer"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <!--on below line we are creating
        a text for our app-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/idTVHeading"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_above="@id/idTVMsg"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:text="TextView in Android"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />

    <!--on below line we are creating a text view-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/idTVMsg"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />

</RelativeLayout>

Step 3: Working with the MainActivity file

Navigate to app > java > your app's package name > MainActivity file and add the below code to it. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.

Kotlin

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject

import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.TextClock
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    // on below line we are creating a variable.
    lateinit var msgTV: TextView

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        msgTV = findViewById(R.id.idTVMsg)

        // on below line we are setting message for our text view.
        msgTV.text = "Welcome to Geeks for Geeks"

    }
}

Java

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    // on below line we are creating variables.
    private TextView msgTV;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        msgTV = findViewById(R.id.idTVMsg);

        // on below line we are setting message to our text view.
        msgTV.setText("Welcome to Geeks for Geeks");
    }
}