Navigation Drawer in Java Android

A Navigation Drawer is the UI panel that can show the app's main navigation menu. When the user swipes from the left edge of the screen or touches the app icon in the action bar and the drawer appears. It can provide a simple way to navigate between the different sections of the application.

This article will guide you through the process of setting up the navigation drawer of Android.

Prerequisites

• Basic Knowledge of Android development and Java.
• Android Studio is Installed in your local system.
• Gradle for building dependency management

Navigation Drawer

The Navigation Drawer in Android is the panel that can slide in from the left edge of the screen and contains the app's main navigation options. It is part of the Material Design guidelines. It can provide a consistent navigation experience across the different Android apps.

Components of the Navigation Drawer

1. DrawerLayout

• DrawerLayout is the layout container that can handle the sliding behaviour of the navigation drawer of the Android application.
• It can serve as the root layout for the activity and allows the navigation drawer to slide in from the side of the screen.
• Attributes:
  • android:layout_gravity: It can specify whether the drawer slides from the left or right edge of the application.
  • android:layout_width and android:layout_height: It can define the dimensions of the drawer.

Example:

<androidx.drawerlayout.widget.DrawerLayout
 xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
 android:id="@+id/drawer_layout"
 android:layout_width="match_parent"
 android:layout_height="match_parent">
 <!-- Main content and navigation drawer go here -->
</androidx.drawerlayout.widget.DrawerLayout>

2. NavigationView

• NavigationView is the widget that displays the contents of the navigation drawer of the android application.
• It can contains the menu items that the user can click to navigate to the different sections of the app.
• Attributes:
  • app:menu: It can refers to the menu resource file that defines the items in the drawer of the android app.
  • app:headerLayout: It can refers to the layout resource file that defines the header of drawer and typically containing the user information.

Example:

<com.google.android.material.navigation.NavigationView
 android:id="@+id/nav_view"
 android:layout_width="wrap_content"
 android:layout_height="match_parent"
 android:layout_gravity="start"
 app:menu="@menu/drawer_menu"
 app:headerLayout="@layout/nav_header"/>

Menu Resource File

The menu resource file can defines the items that will be displayed in the navigation drawer. Each item in menu can represented by the <item> element. we can group items using the <group> elements of the android app.

Example:

Header Layout

The header layout is the optional components that can appears at the top of the navigation drawer. It can typically contains the user information such as the profile picture, username and email.

Example:

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Android Project

Create the new project in Android Studio refer to How to Create the New Project in Android Studio.

Choose the below options:

• Language : Java
• Activity Type : Empty Activity

Once choose the following options then create the android project. Once create the project then file structure looks like the below image

Step 2: Layout Files

Header UI

MainAcitivty UI

Step 3: Menus

Menu UI

Step 3: Add the Required Icons

Add the Gallery , Camera and Slideshow button as the resource being used in the Application.

Step 6: Add the Nativation Functionality into the MainActivity.

Final Output

Conclusion

The Navigation Drawer is the essential component for the android applications that requires the user friendly and accessible way to the navigate between the different sections. By the using DrawerLayout and NavigationView, we can create the consistent and intuitive navigation experience for the users.