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javaandroidtextscalingtext-size

Can't Scale Text Size on Different Screen Resolutions

I am trying to set a text size and scale for several different screen sizes. I have set up my application in Android Studio with the below folders:

values > dimens

values-sw320dp > dimens

values - sw480dp > dimens

values-sw600dp > dimens

values-sw720dp > dimens

I have tested my application on AWS Device Farm, and notice some issues. Particularly, I am comparing the Samsung Galaxy Avant and the Samsung Galaxy S6. Each device is running on a separate Android version, and the S6 has a much higher resolution. However, the devices are close to the same physical size (handheld phone).

I am dynamically setting the text size with the below method:

xAxis.setTextSize(getResources().getDimension(R.dimen.answer_label_text_size));

However, I noticed that on each device, the sizes are significantly different despite the fact that the sizes are being pulled from the sw320dp folder at 3sp for both devices (answer_label_text_size).

<resources>
<!-- Default screen margins, per the Android Design guidelines. -->
<dimen name="activity_horizontal_margin">16dp</dimen>
<dimen name="activity_vertical_margin">16dp</dimen>
<dimen name="fab_margin">16dp</dimen>
<dimen name="center_indentation">80dp</dimen>
<dimen name="poll_question_text_size">14sp</dimen>
<dimen name="margin_left">80dp</dimen>
<dimen name="margin_bottom">8dp</dimen>
<dimen name="radio_button_answer_text_size">16sp</dimen>
**<dimen name="answer_label_text_size">3sp</dimen>**
<dimen name="answer_value_label_text_size">8dp</dimen>
<dimen name="vote_count_label_text_size_lower_right">17sp</dimen>
</resources>

Samsung Galaxy Avant (referring to "Test Answer" labels on left): enter image description here

Samsung Galaxy S6 enter image description here

At the end of the day, how can I ensure that devices of similar physical size render the same text size?

Solution

  • Instead of using 

    xAxis.setTextSize(getResources().getDimension(R.dimen.answer_label_text_size));

    you can change it to 

    xAxis.setTextSize(TypedValue.COMPLEX_UNIT_SP, getResources().getDimension(R.dimen.answer_label_text_size));