[android] Android - border for button

How do I add a border to a button? Is it possible to do this without resorting to use of images?

• Android Official Solution

Since Android Design Support v28 was introduced, it's easy to create a bordered button using MaterialButton. This class supplies updated Material styles for the button in the constructor. Using app:strokeColor and app:strokeWidth you can create a custom border as following:

1. When you use androidx:

build.gradle

dependencies {
    implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.1.0'
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.0.0'
}

• Bordered Button:

<com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
    style="@style/Widget.AppCompat.Button.Colored"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="MATERIAL BUTTON"
    android:textSize="15sp"
    app:strokeColor="@color/green"
    app:strokeWidth="2dp" />

• Unfilled Bordered Button:

<com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
    style="@style/Widget.AppCompat.Button.Borderless"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="UNFILLED MATERIAL BUTTON"
    android:textColor="@color/green"
    android:textSize="15sp"
    app:backgroundTint="@android:color/transparent"
    app:cornerRadius="8dp"
    app:rippleColor="#33AAAAAA"
    app:strokeColor="@color/green"
    app:strokeWidth="2dp" />

2. When you use appcompat:

build.gradle

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.android.support:design:28.0.0'
}

style.xml

Ensure your application theme inherits from Theme.MaterialComponents instead of Theme.AppCompat.

<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.MaterialComponents.Light.DarkActionBar">
    <!-- Customize your theme here. -->
</style>

• Bordered Button:

<android.support.design.button.MaterialButton
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="MATERIAL BUTTON"
    android:textSize="15sp"
    app:strokeColor="@color/green"
    app:strokeWidth="2dp" />

• Unfilled Bordered Button:

<android.support.design.button.MaterialButton
    style="@style/Widget.AppCompat.Button.Borderless"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="UNFILLED MATERIAL BUTTON"
    android:textColor="@color/green"
    android:textSize="15sp"
    app:backgroundTint="@android:color/transparent"
    app:cornerRadius="8dp"
    app:rippleColor="#33AAAAAA"
    app:strokeColor="@color/green"
    app:strokeWidth="2dp" />

Visual Result

Please look here about creating a shape drawable http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/drawable-resource.html#Shape

Once you have done this, in the XML for your button set android:background="@drawable/your_button_border"

I know its about a year late, but you can also create a 9 path image There's a tool that comes with android SDK which helps in creating such image See this link: http://developer.android.com/tools/help/draw9patch.html

PS: the image can be infinitely scaled as well

If your button does not require a transparent background, then you can create an illusion of a border using a Frame Layout. Just adjust the FrameLayout's "padding" attribute to change the thickness of the border.

<FrameLayout
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="1sp"
        android:background="#000000">
        <Button
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:text="Your text goes here"
            android:background="@color/white"
            android:textColor="@color/black"
            android:padding="10sp"
            />
</FrameLayout>

I'm not sure if the shape xml files have dynamically-editable border colors. But I do know that with this solution, you can dynamically change the color of the border by setting the FrameLayout background.

create drawable/button_green.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  android:shape="rectangle">
  <gradient
    android:startColor="#003000"
    android:centerColor="#006000"
    android:endColor="#003000"
    android:angle="270" />
  <corners android:radius="5dp" />
  <stroke android:width="2px" android:color="#007000" />
</shape>

and point it out as @drawable/button_green:

<Button
        android:id="@+id/button1"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_margin="10dp"
        android:background="@drawable/button_green"
        android:text="Button" />

In your XML layout:

<Button
    android:id="@+id/cancelskill"
    android:layout_width="0dp"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_marginLeft="25dp"
    android:layout_weight="1"
    android:background="@drawable/button_border"
    android:padding="10dp"
    android:text="Cancel"
    android:textAllCaps="false"
    android:textColor="#ffffff"
    android:textSize="20dp" />

In the drawable folder, create a file for the button's border style:

<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle" >
    <stroke
        android:width="1dp"
        android:color="#f43f10" />
</shape>

And in your Activity:

    GradientDrawable gd1 = new GradientDrawable();
    gd1.setColor(0xFFF43F10); // Changes this drawbale to use a single color instead of a gradient
    gd1.setCornerRadius(5);
    gd1.setStroke(1, 0xFFF43F10);

    cancelskill.setBackgroundDrawable(gd1);

    cancelskill.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {

        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            cancelskill.setBackgroundColor(Color.parseColor("#ffffff"));
            cancelskill.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#f43f10"));

            GradientDrawable gd = new GradientDrawable();

            gd.setColor(0xFFFFFFFF); // Changes this drawbale to use a single color instead of a gradient
            gd.setCornerRadius(5);
            gd.setStroke(1, 0xFFF43F10);
            cancelskill.setBackgroundDrawable(gd);

            finish();
        }
    });

Create a button_border.xml file in your drawable folder.

res/drawable/button_border.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle" >

    <solid android:color="#FFDA8200" />

    <stroke
        android:width="3dp"
        android:color="#FFFF4917" />

</shape>

And add button to your XML activity layout and set background android:background="@drawable/button_border".

<Button
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:background="@drawable/button_border"
    android:text="Button Border" />