How can i use the Roboto Black font in a textview

Mastering Custom Fonts: Integrating Roboto Black in Android TextViews

Learn how to seamlessly incorporate the Roboto Black font into your Android application's TextViews, enhancing your UI with custom typography.

Custom fonts are crucial for establishing a unique brand identity and improving the visual appeal of Android applications. While Android provides a default set of fonts, using specific typefaces like 'Roboto Black' can significantly elevate your app's design. This article will guide you through the process of adding and applying custom fonts to your TextView elements, ensuring a consistent and polished look across your app.

Preparing Your Font Files

Before you can use a custom font, you need to properly include it in your Android project. Android recommends placing font files in the res/font/ directory. If this directory doesn't exist, you'll need to create it. Ensure your font files are in a supported format, typically .ttf (TrueType Font) or .otf (OpenType Font). For 'Roboto Black', you'll likely download a .ttf file.

1. Download the Font

Obtain the 'Roboto Black' font file (e.g., Roboto-Black.ttf) from a reliable source like Google Fonts.

2. Create the font Directory

In your Android project, navigate to app/src/main/res. Right-click on the res folder, select New > Android Resource Directory. Choose font as the Resource type and click OK.

3. Place the Font File

Copy your Roboto-Black.ttf file into the newly created res/font/ directory. Rename the file to roboto_black.ttf (Android resource names must be lowercase, use underscores instead of hyphens, and contain only a-z, 0-9, or _).

Applying the Font in XML Layouts

Once the font file is in place, you can easily apply it to your TextView directly within your XML layout files using the android:fontFamily attribute. This is the simplest and most recommended method for applying custom fonts.

<!-- activity_main.xml -->
<TextView
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="Hello Roboto Black!"
    android:textSize="24sp"
    android:textColor="@android:color/black"
    android:fontFamily="@font/roboto_black" />

Applying Roboto Black font to a TextView in XML

Applying the Font Programmatically

While XML is preferred for static layouts, there might be scenarios where you need to apply fonts programmatically, such as in custom views or dynamically generated UI elements. You can achieve this using ResourcesCompat.getFont() and setTypeface().

// MainActivity.kt (Kotlin)
import android.graphics.Typeface
import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import androidx.core.content.res.ResourcesCompat

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        val myTextView: TextView = findViewById(R.id.my_text_view)

        // Load the font programmatically
        val typeface: Typeface? = ResourcesCompat.getFont(this, R.font.roboto_black)

        // Apply the typeface to the TextView
        myTextView.typeface = typeface
    }
}

Applying Roboto Black font programmatically in Kotlin

// MainActivity.java (Java)
import android.graphics.Typeface;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import androidx.core.content.res.ResourcesCompat;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        TextView myTextView = findViewById(R.id.my_text_view);

        // Load the font programmatically
        Typeface typeface = ResourcesCompat.getFont(this, R.font.roboto_black);

        // Apply the typeface to the TextView
        myTextView.setTypeface(typeface);
    }
}

Applying Roboto Black font programmatically in Java

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Download Roboto Black .ttf}
    B --> C{Create res/font/ directory}
    C --> D{Rename to roboto_black.ttf}
    D --> E{Place roboto_black.ttf in res/font/}
    E --> F{Apply in XML or Programmatically}
    F --> G1[XML: android:fontFamily="@font/roboto_black"]
    F --> G2[Programmatic: ResourcesCompat.getFont()]
    G1 --> H[TextView displays Roboto Black]
    G2 --> H
    H --> I[End]

Workflow for integrating custom fonts in Android