How to use own layout for navigation drawer activity instead of auto generated layout?

Question

I have a navigation drawer activity, that have automatically generated these activity_student_home2, app_bar_student_home, content_student_home, nav_header_student_home layout files. I have separately created activity_student_home layout.

By default the activity java class has the acitivity_student_home2 layout as setContentView. But instead, I want to use the acitivity_student_home layout.

If I try to change the setContentView to acitivity_student_home then my navigation drawer view does not work. How can I use the acitivity_student_home layout as setContentView?

activity_student_home layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:background="@drawable/app_back"
    tools:context="bd.edu.bubt.regup.StudentHomeActivity">

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:layout_centerVertical="false"
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_marginLeft="60dp"
        android:id="@+id/linearLayout">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/showtext"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_marginTop="300dp"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:text="Demo"
            android:textSize="24dp"
            android:textStyle="bold" />

    </LinearLayout>

</RelativeLayout>

activity_student_home2 layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<android.support.v4.widget.DrawerLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:id="@+id/drawer_layout"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:fitsSystemWindows="true"
    tools:openDrawer="start">

    <include
        layout="@layout/app_bar_student_home"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />

    <android.support.design.widget.NavigationView
        android:id="@+id/nav_view"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_gravity="start"
        android:fitsSystemWindows="true"
        app:headerLayout="@layout/nav_header_student_home"
        app:menu="@menu/activity_student_home2_drawer" />

</android.support.v4.widget.DrawerLayout>

app_bar_student_home layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<android.support.design.widget.CoordinatorLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:background="@drawable/app_back"
    tools:context="bd.edu.bubt.regup.StudentHomeActivity">

    <android.support.design.widget.AppBarLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme.AppBarOverlay">

        <android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
            android:id="@+id/toolbar"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"
            android:background="?attr/colorPrimary"
            app:popupTheme="@style/AppTheme.PopupOverlay" />

    </android.support.design.widget.AppBarLayout>

    <include layout="@layout/content_student_home" />

</android.support.design.widget.CoordinatorLayout>

StudentHomeActivity java class:

import android.app.ProgressDialog;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
import android.support.design.widget.FloatingActionButton;
import android.support.design.widget.Snackbar;
import android.view.View;
import android.support.design.widget.NavigationView;
import android.support.v4.view.GravityCompat;
import android.support.v4.widget.DrawerLayout;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarDrawerToggle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class StudentHomeActivity extends AppCompatActivity
        implements NavigationView.OnNavigationItemSelectedListener {

    String name, id, dept, intake, sec, mail;

    TextView showtext;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_student_home2);

        showtext = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.showtext); //content of activity_student_home
        showtext.setText("Registration is open"); //does not work. Null pointer exception.

        Toolbar toolbar = (Toolbar) findViewById(R.id.toolbar);
        setSupportActionBar(toolbar);

        DrawerLayout drawer = (DrawerLayout) findViewById(R.id.drawer_layout);
        ActionBarDrawerToggle toggle = new ActionBarDrawerToggle(
                this, drawer, toolbar, R.string.navigation_drawer_open, R.string.navigation_drawer_close);
        drawer.addDrawerListener(toggle);
        toggle.syncState();

        NavigationView navigationView = (NavigationView) findViewById(R.id.nav_view);
        navigationView.setNavigationItemSelectedListener(this);
    }

    @Override
    public void onBackPressed() {
        DrawerLayout drawer = (DrawerLayout) findViewById(R.id.drawer_layout);
        if (drawer.isDrawerOpen(GravityCompat.START)) {
            drawer.closeDrawer(GravityCompat.START);
        } else {
            super.onBackPressed();
        }
    }


    @Override
    public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
        // Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
        // automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
        // as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
        int id = item.getItemId();

        //noinspection SimplifiableIfStatement
        if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
            return true;
        }

        return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("StatementWithEmptyBody")
    @Override
    public boolean onNavigationItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
        // Handle navigation view item clicks here.
        int id = item.getItemId();

        if (id == R.id.menu_bvault) {
            // Handle the camera action
        } else if (id == R.id.menu_account) {

        } else if (id == R.id.menu_pass_change) {

        } else if (id == R.id.menu_logout) {

        } else if (id == R.id.menu_about) {

        }

        DrawerLayout drawer = (DrawerLayout) findViewById(R.id.drawer_layout);
        drawer.closeDrawer(GravityCompat.START);
        return true;
    }
}

Answer 1

Your activity_student_home does not include your DrawerLayout

This is missing

<include
    layout="@layout/app_bar_student_home"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent" />