Configuration qualifiers

We have already met configuration qualifiers, such as layout-large or layout-xhdpi, in Chapter 3, Exploring Android Studio and the Project Structure. Here, we will refresh and expand our understanding of them.

We can begin to alleviate our reliance on the controller layer to influence app layout by using configuration qualifiers. There are configuration qualifiers for size, orientation, and pixel density. To take advantage of a configuration qualifier, we simply design a layout in the usual way, optimized for our preferred configuration, and then place that layout in a folder with a name that Android recognizes as being for that particular configuration.

For example, in the previous app, putting a layout in the land folder tells Android to use that layout when the device is in the landscape orientation.

It is likely that the above statement seems slightly ambiguous. This is because the Android Studio project explorer window shows us a file and folder structure that...