Customizing the labels of an ActionBar

In the post Tab Layout in Android with ActionBar and Fragment I wrote an example of using an ActionBar whose labels are shown in uppercase even if you use the statement:
actionBar.newTab (). setText (“my string”);
where “my string” is lowercase.
In this article I show how to customize the labels in lowercase but it is evident that you can customize many other aspects.
I assume you have already created the project in Tab Layout in Android with ActionBar and Fragment as starting point.

1. create the files res/layout/tablabel1.xml and res/layout/tablabel2.xml

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       android:layout_width="0dip"
       android:layout_height="64dip"
       android:layout_marginLeft="-3dip"
       android:layout_marginRight="-3dip"
       android:layout_weight="1"
       android:orientation="vertical" >
   
       <TextView
           android:id="@+id/title"
           style="?android:attr/tabWidgetStyle"
           android:layout_width="wrap_content"
           android:layout_height="match_parent"
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
           android:text="@string/label1" />
   
   </RelativeLayout>
   

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
       android:layout_width="0dip"
       android:layout_height="64dip"
       android:layout_marginLeft="-3dip"
       android:layout_marginRight="-3dip"
       android:layout_weight="1"
       android:orientation="vertical" >
   
       <TextView
           android:id="@+id/title"
           style="?android:attr/tabWidgetStyle"
           android:layout_width="wrap_content"
           android:layout_height="match_parent"
           android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
           android:text="@string/label2" />
   
   </RelativeLayout>
   

   these files are derived from the file tab_inidcator.xml of the source code of Android

2. modify the method onCreate of the class eu.lucazanini.TabActionBarActivity with the following:

       public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
   	super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
   
   	ActionBar actionBar = getActionBar();
   
   	actionBar.setNavigationMode(ActionBar.NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS);
   
   	String label1 = getResources().getString(R.string.label1);
   	Tab tab = actionBar.newTab();
   	RelativeLayout view = (RelativeLayout) getLayoutInflater().inflate(
   		R.layout.tablabel1, null);
   	tab.setCustomView(view);
   
   	TabListener<Tab1Fragment> tl = new TabListener<Tab1Fragment>(this,
   		label1, Tab1Fragment.class);
   	tab.setTabListener(tl);
   	actionBar.addTab(tab);
   
   	String label2 = getResources().getString(R.string.label2);
   	tab = actionBar.newTab();
   	view = (RelativeLayout) getLayoutInflater().inflate(R.layout.tablabel2,
   		null);
   	tab.setCustomView(view);
   
   	TabListener<Tab2Fragment> tl2 = new TabListener<Tab2Fragment>(this,
   		label2, Tab2Fragment.class);
   	tab.setTabListener(tl2);
   	actionBar.addTab(tab);
   
       }
   

   this method need the import android.widget.RelativeLayout

3. launch the application: