[Switch] MaterialSwitch is not applied to SwitchPreferenceCompat

[OxygenCobalt]

Description: I leverage SwitchPreferenceCompat in the preference screen of my app. Even though MDC has released the new switch component in an unstable version, the new switches will not appear on the preference screen.

This can be traced back to the preference implementation inflating a Switch, but MaterialComponentsViewInflater not intercepting that inflation and replacing it with an analogous MaterialSwitch.

Expected behavior: The preference screen should leverage MaterialSwitch.

Source code: Occurs with any SwitchPreferenceCompat instance.

Android API version: Any API version

Material Library version: 1.7.0-alpha03

Device: Pixel 5

[OxygenCobalt]

Update: I've found a way to override the preference to use the correct switch:

styles.xml

<!-- Define this in your main style -->
<item name="switchPreferenceCompatStyle">@style/Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material3</item>

<style name="Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat" parent="@style/Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material">
     <item name="widgetLayout">@layout/view_preference_switch</item>
</style>

view_preference.switch.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.google.android.material.materialswitch.MaterialSwitch xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/switchWidget"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

[drchen]

This is the right way to do that.

We are still discussing if we should include the support by default in the Material themes. However we are not sure if we should make the Material library depend on the androidx preference library, which is actually more "high-level" in a sense.

I'll close the issue for now since the solution mentioned in the above comment is more or less the "right" way to make androidx preference render Material switches.

We also have an internal action item to track this, once we know the decision we will update here as well.

[OxygenCobalt]

Okay, no problem.

[bubbleguuum]

You cannot use:

<style name="Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat" parent="@style/Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material">
     <item name="widgetLayout">@layout/view_preference_switch</item>
</style>

It will make the AS layout XML editor display an error: Potential cycle: Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat is the implied parent of Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material and this defines the opposite

Proper solution is to use a different name:

<style name="MaterialSwitchPreferenceCompat" parent="@style/Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material">
        <item name="widgetLayout">@layout/view_preference_switch</item>
</style>

and in to add in main theme:

<item name="switchPreferenceCompatStyle">@style/MaterialSwitchPreferenceCompat</item>

[IMG-BrandonIceberg]

@bubbleguuum using this worked, however I noticed the behavior when you select the preference (not the switch itself) does not toggle the switch. Did you ever find a way around this?

[bubbleguuum]

@IMG-BrandonIceberg

I do not remember the specifics since it was a long time ago, but I have @layout/view_preference_switch defined like this:

<com.google.android.material.materialswitch.MaterialSwitch xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/switchWidget"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:focusable="false"
    android:clickable="false"
    android:background="@null" />

it might be sufficient to fix your issue but in case it doesn't I also have this:

styles.xml:

    <style name="MaterialPreferenceThemeOverlay" parent="PreferenceThemeOverlay">
        <item name="switchPreferenceCompatStyle">@style/App.Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat</item>
    </style>

    <style name="App.Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat" parent="Preference.SwitchPreferenceCompat.Material">
        <item name="android:widgetLayout">@layout/view_preference_switch</item>
    </style>

in my theme definition in themes.xml:

    <!-- replace SwitchCompat with MaterialSwitch in prefs -->
        <item name="preferenceTheme">@style/MaterialPreferenceThemeOverlay</item>

   <!-- Optional: add a check icon when a switch is enabled -->
        <item name="materialSwitchStyle">@style/Widget.App.CompoundButton.MaterialSwitch.Check</item>