Could anyone help me with creating 9 patch image from a png image?

Nevaeh picture Nevaeh · Mar 27, 2014 · Viewed 13.2k times · Source

I am creating a chat application.I want the to convert my png image for chat bubble into a 9patch image.I used this link.... http://android-ui-utils.googlecode.com/hg/asset-studio/dist/nine-patches.html

But the problem is that the chat bubble is always maintaining a minimum width even for small messages.For eg,if i type a text like "hello",it is displayed in a bubble of width much more than the message.How to create 9patch image properly ??

Here is my png image

enter image description here

Answer

scottt picture scottt · Mar 27, 2014

Your 9-patch image needs to be smaller than your smallest message. The system will expand 9-patch images, but will never shrink them in the 9-patch way. Also, make sure the name of your image file ends in ".9.png".

Here's an edited image that you can use in the Android Asset Tool to create your set of 9-patch images:

enter image description here

The following image shows how you should define your stretch regions in the 9-patch generator. You'll get a zip file with p-patch images in a few different densities. Put these into your drawables folders.

enter image description here