Animation Resources

An animation resource can define one of two types of animations:

Tween Animation

Creates an animation by performing a series of transformations on a single image. An Animation.

Frame Animation

Creates an animation by showing a sequence of images in order. An AnimationDrawable.

Tween Animation

An animation defined in XML that performs transitions such as rotating, fading, moving, and stretching on a graphic.

file location:

res/anim/filename.xml
The filename will be used as the resource ID.

compiled resource datatype:

Resource pointer to an Animation.

resource reference:

In Java: R.anim.filename
In XML: @[package:]anim/filename

syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:interpolator="@[package:]anim/interpolator_resource"
    android:shareInterpolator=["true" | "false"] >
    <alpha
        android:fromAlpha="float"
        android:toAlpha="float" />
    <scale
        android:fromXScale="float"
        android:toXScale="float"
        android:fromYScale="float"
        android:toYScale="float"
        android:pivotX="float"
        android:pivotY="float" />
    <translate
        android:fromX="float"
        android:toX="float"
        android:fromY="float"
        android:toY="float" />
    <rotate
        android:fromDegrees="float"
        android:toDegrees="float"
        android:pivotX="float"
        android:pivotY="float" />
    <set>
        ...
    </set>
</set>

The file must have a single root element: either an <alpha>, <scale>, <translate>, <rotate>, or <set> element that holds a group (or groups) of other animation elements (even nested <set> elements).

elements:

<set>

A container that holds other animation elements (<alpha>, <scale>, <translate>, <rotate>) or other <set> elements. Represents an AnimationSet.

attributes:

android:interpolator

Interpolator resource. An Interpolator to apply on the animation. The value must be a reference to a resource that specifies an interpolator (not an interpolator class name). There are default interpolator resources available from the platform or you can create your own interpolator resource. See the discussion below for more about Interpolators.

android:shareInterpolator

Boolean. "true" if you want to share the same interpolator among all child elements.

<alpha>

A fade-in or fade-out animation. Represents an AlphaAnimation.

attributes:

android:fromAlpha

Float. Starting opacity offset, where 0.0 is transparent and 1.0 is opaque.

android:toAlpha

Float. Ending opacity offset, where 0.0 is transparent and 1.0 is opaque.

For more attributes supported by <alpha>, see the Animation class reference (of which, all XML attributes are inherrited by this element).

<scale>

A resizing animation. You can specify the center point of the image from which it grows outward (or inward) by specifying pivotX and pivotY. For example, if these values are 0, 0 (top-left corner), all growth will be down and to the right. Represents a ScaleAnimation.

attributes:

android:fromXScale

Float. Starting X size offset, where 1.0 is no change.

android:toXScale

Float. Ending X size offset, where 1.0 is no change.

android:fromYScale

Float. Starting Y size offset, where 1.0 is no change.

android:toYScale

Float. Ending Y size offset, where 1.0 is no change.

android:pivotX

Float. The X coordinate to remain fixed when the object is scaled.

android:pivotY

Float. The Y coordinate to remain fixed when the object is scaled.

For more attributes supported by <scale>, see the Animation class reference (of which, all XML attributes are inherrited by this element).

<translate>

A vertical and/or horizontal motion. Supports the following attributes in any of the following three formats: values from -100 to 100 ending with "%", indicating a percentage relative to itself; values from -100 to 100 ending in "%p", indicating a percentage relative to its parent; a float value with no suffix, indicating an absolute value. Represents a TranslateAnimation.

attributes:

android:fromXDelta

Float or percentage. Starting X offset. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the normal position (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the element width (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent width (such as "5%p").

android:toXDelta

Float or percentage. Ending X offset. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the normal position (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the element width (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent width (such as "5%p").

android:fromYDelta

Float or percentage. Starting Y offset. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the normal position (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the element height (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent height (such as "5%p").

android:toYDelta

Float or percentage. Ending Y offset. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the normal position (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the element height (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent height (such as "5%p").

For more attributes supported by <translate>, see the Animation class reference (of which, all XML attributes are inherrited by this element).

<rotate>

A rotation animation. Represents a RotateAnimation.

attributes:

android:fromDegrees

Float. Starting angular position, in degrees.

android:toDegrees

Float. Ending angular position, in degrees.

android:pivotX

Float or percentage. The X coordinate of the center of rotation. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the object's left edge (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the object's left edge (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent container's left edge (such as "5%p").

android:pivotY

Float or percentage. The Y coordinate of the center of rotation. Expressed either: in pixels relative to the object's top edge (such as "5"), in percentage relative to the object's top edge (such as "5%"), or in percentage relative to the parent container's top edge (such as "5%p").

For more attributes supported by <rotate>, see the Animation class reference (of which, all XML attributes are inherrited by this element).

example:

XML file saved at res/anim/hyperspace_jump.xml:

<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shareInterpolator="false">
    <scale
        android:interpolator="@android:anim/accelerate_decelerate_interpolator"
        android:fromXScale="1.0" 
        android:toXScale="1.4" 
        android:fromYScale="1.0" 
        android:toYScale="0.6" 
        android:pivotX="50%"
        android:pivotY="50%"
        android:fillAfter="false"
        android:duration="700" />
    <set
        android:interpolator="@android:anim/accelerate_interpolator"
        android:startOffset="700">
        <scale
            android:fromXScale="1.4" 
            android:toXScale="0.0"
            android:fromYScale="0.6"
            android:toYScale="0.0" 
            android:pivotX="50%" 
            android:pivotY="50%" 
            android:duration="400" />
        <rotate
            android:fromDegrees="0" 
            android:toDegrees="-45"
            android:toYScale="0.0" 
            android:pivotX="50%" 
            android:pivotY="50%"
            android:duration="400" />
    </set>
</set>

This application code will apply the animation to an ImageView and start the animation:

ImageView image = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.image);
Animation hyperspaceJump = AnimationUtils.loadAnimation(this, R.anim.hyperspace_jump);
image.startAnimation(hyperspaceJump);

see also:

• 2D Graphics: Tween Animation

Interpolators

An interpolator is an animation modifier defined in XML that affects the rate of change in an animation. This allows your existing animation effects to be accelerated, decelerated, repeated, bounced, etc.

An interpolator is applied to an animation element with the android:interpolator attribute, the value of which is a reference to an interpolator resource.

All interpolators available in Android are subclasses of the Interpolator class. For each interpolator class, Android includes a public resource you can reference in order to apply the interpolator to an animation using the the android:interpolator attribute. The following table specifies the resource to use for each interpolator:

Here's how you can apply one of these with the android:interpolator attribute:

<set android:interpolator="@android:anim/accelerate_interpolator">
    ...
</set>

Custom interpolators

If you're not satisfied with the interpolators provided by the platform (listed in the table above), you can create a custom interpolator resource with modified attributes. For example, you can adjust the rate of acceleration for the AnticipateInterpolator, or adjust the number of cycles for the CycleInterpolator. In order to do so, you need to create your own interpolator resource in an XML file.

file location:

res/anim/filename.xml
The filename will be used as the resource ID.

compiled resource datatype:

Resource pointer to the corresponding interpolator object.

resource reference:

In XML: @[package:]anim/filename

syntax:

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

If you don't apply any attributes, then your interpolator will function exactly the same as those provided by the platform (listed in the table above).

elements:

Notice that each Interpolator implementation, when defined in XML, begins its name in lowercase.

<accelerateDecelerateInterpolator>

The rate of change starts and ends slowly but accelerates through the middle.

No attributes.

<accelerateInterpolator>

The rate of change starts out slowly, then accelerates.

attributes:

android:factor

Float. The acceleration rate (default is 1).

<anticipateInterpolator>

The change starts backward then flings forward.

attributes:

android:tension

Float. The amount of tension to apply (default is 2).

<anticipateOvershootInterpolator>

The change starts backward, flings forward and overshoots the target value, then settles at the final value.

attributes:

android:tension

Float. The amount of tension to apply (default is 2).

android:extraTension

Float. The amount by which to multiply the tension (default is 1.5).

<bounceInterpolator>

The change bounces at the end.

No attributes

<cycleInterpolator>

Repeats the animation for a specified number of cycles. The rate of change follows a sinusoidal pattern.

attributes:

android:cycles

Integer. The number of cycles (default is 1).

<decelerateInterpolator>

The rate of change starts out quickly, then decelerates.

attributes:

android:factor

Float. The deceleration rate (default is 1).

<linearInterpolator>

The rate of change is constant.

No attributes.

<overshootInterpolator>

The change flings forward and overshoots the last value, then comes back.

attributes:

android:tension

Float. The amount of tension to apply (default is 2).

example:

XML file saved at res/anim/my_overshoot_interpolator.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<overshootInterpolator xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:tension="7.0"
    />

This animation XML will apply the interpolator:

<scale xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:interpolator="@anim/my_overshoot_interpolator"
    android:fromXScale="1.0"
    android:toXScale="3.0"
    android:fromYScale="1.0"
    android:toYScale="3.0"
    android:pivotX="50%"
    android:pivotY="50%"
    android:duration="700" />

Frame Animation

An animation defined in XML that shows a sequence of images in order (like a film).

file location:

res/drawable/filename.xml
The filename will be used as the resource ID.

compiled resource datatype:

Resource pointer to an AnimationDrawable.

resource reference:

In Java: R.drawable.filename
In XML: @[package:]drawable.filename

syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<animation-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:oneshot=["true" | "false"] >
    <item
        android:drawable="@[package:]drawable/drawable_resource_name"
        android:duration="integer" />
</animation-list>

elements:

<animation-list>

Required. This must be the root element. Contains one or more <item> elements.

attributes:

android:oneshot

Boolean. "true" if you want to perform the animation once; "false" to loop the animation.

<item>

A single frame of animation. Must be a child of a <animation-list> element.

attributes:

android:drawable

Drawable resource. The drawable to use for this frame.

android:duration

Integer. The duration to show this frame, in milliseconds.

example:

XML file saved at res/anim/rocket.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<animation-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:oneshot="false">
    <item android:drawable="@drawable/rocket_thrust1" android:duration="200" />
    <item android:drawable="@drawable/rocket_thrust2" android:duration="200" />
    <item android:drawable="@drawable/rocket_thrust3" android:duration="200" />
</animation-list>

This application code will set the animation as the background for a View, then play the animation:

ImageView rocketImage = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.rocket_image);
rocketImage.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.rocket_thrust);

rocketAnimation = (AnimationDrawable) rocketImage.getBackground();
rocketAnimation.start();