Allow multi-line in EditText view in Android?

Question

How to allow multi-line in Android's EditText view?

score 1360 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 20 '21 at 05:30

1360

By default all the EditText widgets in Android are multi-lined.

Here is some sample code:

<EditText
    android:inputType="textMultiLine" <!-- Multiline input -->
    android:lines="8" <!-- Total Lines prior display -->
    android:minLines="6" <!-- Minimum lines -->
    android:gravity="top|start" <!-- Cursor Position -->
    android:maxLines="10" <!-- Maximum Lines -->
    android:layout_height="wrap_content" <!-- Height determined by content -->
    android:layout_width="match_parent" <!-- Fill entire width -->
    android:scrollbars="vertical" <!-- Vertical Scroll Bar -->
/>

edited Sep 20 '21 at 05:30

Leonardo Sibela

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answered Nov 20 '10 at 16:19

Shardul

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6

Is there a way to have inputType set to textMultiLine and imeOptions to actionSend? I see an Enter key on the S4 keyboard instead of send when I set inputType to textMultiLine and imeOptions to actionSend. – user484691 Nov 05 '13 at 05:22
1

For "textMultiLine and imeOptions" see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5014219/multiline-edittext-with-done-softinput-action-label-on-2-3 – TOMKA May 18 '15 at 08:10
4

One thing to note, adding an `inputType` negates at least the `lines` and `minLines` attributes. I had `inputType="phone"` and the lines attributes had no effect – ono Jul 09 '15 at 19:06
2

Do not use this. Causes an `IndexOutOfBoundsException` as soon as you type something because of `android:inputType="textMultiLine"` – Chisko May 29 '18 at 23:10
if using AppCompactTextView need this line android:inputType="textMultiLine" – sourav pandit Mar 17 '20 at 11:33
Programmatically: ```txt.setSingleLine(false); txt.setImeOptions(EditorInfo.IME_FLAG_NO_ENTER_ACTION);``` – Hawklike Apr 03 '20 at 13:42

score 321 · Answer 2 · edited Oct 24 '18 at 11:44

321

You may find it better to use:

<EditText 
...
android:inputType="textMultiLine"
/>

This is because android:singleLine is deprecated.

edited Oct 24 '18 at 11:44

AskNilesh

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answered Nov 20 '10 at 17:02

Knossos

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Sharduls answer should certainly work on modern Apis. Since they removed the deprecated `singleLine` part of their answer (a long time ago). Regarding the question itself, that is the most important part of their answer. – Knossos Jul 21 '16 at 12:41
Do not use this. Causes an `IndexOutOfBoundsException` as soon as you type something. Multiline now is the default. – Chisko May 29 '18 at 23:11
@Chisko An XML attribute wouldn't cause an IndexOutOfBoundsException. I can't remember when the default inputType changed (did it even?), but it is probably best to keep this in for backwards compatibility reasons. – Knossos May 30 '18 at 06:37
1

@Knossos well, as strange as it is for you it is for me. I literally copy-pasted the code and crashed every time with every possible combination of several parameters until I removed that. Go figure. – Chisko May 31 '18 at 05:42

score 47 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 19 '17 at 11:50

This works for me, actually these 2 attributes are important: inputType and lines. Besides, you may need a scrollbar, the code below shows how to make one:

 <EditText
        android:id="@+id/addr_edittext"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:gravity="top|left"
        android:inputType="textEmailAddress|textMultiLine"
        android:lines="20"
        android:minLines="5"
        android:scrollHorizontally="false"
        android:scrollbars="vertical" />

score 30 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 19 '19 at 18:25

30

This is how I applied the code snippet below and it's working fine. Hope, this would help somebody.

<EditText 
    android:id="@+id/EditText02"
    android:gravity="top|left" 
    android:inputType="textMultiLine"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:lines="5" 
    android:scrollHorizontally="false" 
/>

Cheers! ...Thanks.

edited Jun 19 '19 at 18:25

Varun

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answered May 30 '11 at 06:39

Nandagopal T

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score 11 · Answer 5 · edited May 24 '16 at 14:14

Try this, add these lines to your edit text view, i'll add mine. make sure you understand it

android:overScrollMode="always"
android:scrollbarStyle="insideInset"
android:scrollbars="vertical"

<EditText
    android:inputType="textMultiLine"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:id="@+id/editText_newprom_description"
    android:padding="10dp"
    android:lines="5"
    android:overScrollMode="always"
    android:scrollbarStyle="insideInset"
    android:minLines="5"
    android:gravity="top|left"
    android:scrollbars="vertical"
    android:layout_marginBottom="20dp"/>

and on your java class make on click listner to this edit text as follows, i'll add mine, chane names according to yours.

EditText description;
description = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.editText_newprom_description);

description.setOnTouchListener(new View.OnTouchListener() {
            @Override
            public boolean onTouch(View view, MotionEvent motionEvent) {

                view.getParent().requestDisallowInterceptTouchEvent(true);
                switch (motionEvent.getAction() & MotionEvent.ACTION_MASK){
                    case MotionEvent.ACTION_UP:
                        view.getParent().requestDisallowInterceptTouchEvent(false);
                        break;
                }

                return false;
            }

        });

this works fine for me

Thanks you! This is how I made an edit text scrollable within a scrollable view. — Esdras Lopez, Nov 13 '19 at 02:43

score 11 · Answer 6 · answered Nov 20 '10 at 16:10

11

EditText has singleLine property. You can set in the XML or by calling setSingleLine(false); http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/TextView.html#setSingleLine%28%29

answered Nov 20 '10 at 16:10

milan

2,355
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score 6 · Answer 7 · answered Apr 06 '19 at 14:19

6

android:inputType="textMultiLine"

This code line work for me. Add this code you edittext in your xml file.

answered Apr 06 '19 at 14:19

Yıldırım

757
10
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score 6 · Answer 8 · answered Jan 28 '20 at 09:36

6

Just add this android:inputType="textMultiLine" in XML file on relevant field.

answered Jan 28 '20 at 09:36

Dinith

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score 6 · Answer 9 · answered Mar 17 '20 at 11:38

if some one is using AppCompatEditText then you need to set inputType="textMultiLine" here is the code you can copy

   <androidx.appcompat.widget.AppCompatEditText
        android:padding="@dimen/_8sdp"
        android:id="@+id/etNote"
        android:minLines="6"
        android:singleLine="false"
        android:lines="8"
        android:scrollbars="vertical"
        android:background="@drawable/rounded_border"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/_25sdp"
        android:layout_marginTop="32dp"
        android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/_25sdp"
        android:autofillHints=""

        android:gravity="start|top"
        android:inputType="textMultiLine"
         />

for background

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <shape android:shape="rectangle" 
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
   <corners android:radius="@dimen/_5sdp"/>
   <stroke android:width="1dp" android:color="#C8C8C8"/>
   </shape>

Cynichniy Bandera · Answer 10 · 2014-02-05T15:46:11.590

5

All of these are nice but will not work in case you have your edittext inside upper level scroll view :) Perhaps most common example is "Settings" view that has so many items that the they go beyond of visible area. In this case you put them all into scroll view to make settings scrollable. In case that you need multiline scrollable edit text in your settings, its scroll will not work.

edited Feb 05 '14 at 15:46

answered May 17 '13 at 14:57

Cynichniy Bandera

5,991
2
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score 5 · Answer 11 · answered Jan 24 '17 at 10:54

5

To disable number of lines that was previously assigned in theme use xml attribute: android:lines="@null"

answered Jan 24 '17 at 10:54

Oleg Bozhko

196
2
4

Yogesh Sarvaiya · Answer 12 · 2018-01-19T06:35:08.283

 <EditText
           android:id="@id/editText" //id of editText
           android:gravity="start"   // Where to start Typing
           android:inputType="textMultiLine" // multiline
           android:imeOptions="actionDone" // Keyboard done button
           android:minLines="5" // Min Line of editText
           android:hint="@string/Enter Data" // Hint in editText
           android:layout_width="match_parent" //width editText
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" //height editText
           />

score 3 · Answer 13 · edited Dec 20 '16 at 06:32

I learned this from http://www.pcsalt.com/android/edittext-with-single-line-line-wrapping-and-done-action-in-android/, though I don't like the website myself. If you want multiline BUT want to retain the enter button as a post button, set the listview's "horizontally scrolling" to false.

android:scrollHorizontally="false"

If it doesn't work in xml, doing it programmatically weirdly works.

listView.setHorizontallyScrolling(false);

score 1 · Answer 14 · answered Jul 11 '17 at 08:37

Another neat thing to do is to use android:minHeight along with android:layout_height="wrap_content". This way you can set the size of the edit when it's empty, and when the user inputs stuff, it stretches according to how much the user inputs, including multiple lines.

score 1 · Answer 15 · answered Dec 16 '17 at 08:14

<EditText
                android:hint="Address"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:inputType="textMultiLine|textNoSuggestions"
                android:id="@+id/edittxtAddress"
                android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/textsize2"
                android:textColor="@android:color/white"
                android:scrollbars="vertical"
                android:minLines="2"
            android:textStyle="normal" />

and in Activity to remove "\n" is user press nextline

String editStr= edittxtAddress.getText().toString().trim();

 MyString= editStr.replaceAll("\n"," ");

Allow multi-line in EditText view in Android?

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