ActionBar with navigation tabs changes height with screen orientation

Question

My goal is to increase the ActionBar height for portrait mode. I currently set

android:actionBarSize

in my Themes.xml.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <style name="DayTheme" parent="android:style/Theme.Holo.Light">
        <item name="android:actionBarSize">@dimen/actionBarHeight</item>
        <item name="android:actionBarTabTextStyle">@style/tab_indicator_text_dark</item>
    </style>
    <style name="NightTheme" parent="android:style/Theme.Holo">
        <item name="android:actionBarSize">@dimen/actionBarHeight</item>
        <item name="android:actionBarTabTextStyle">@style/tab_indicator_text_light</item>
    </style>
</resources>

I get the desired effect in landscape mode where I have increased the ActionBar height to 80dp.

enter image description here

However, went I rotate the screen into portrait mode the height changes like so.

enter image description here

Note I make the following calls in code.

final ActionBar bar = getActionBar();
bar.setNavigationMode(ActionBar.NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS);
bar.setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(false);
bar.setDisplayShowHomeEnabled(false);

I am developing on a Nexus 7 with android 4.2.

How do I get the same 80dp height in portrait mode that I have in landscape mode?

I've experienced the same issue, and I was wondering if you are also using this "reflection hack" to force embedded tabs in the action bar. — mdelolmo, Mar 08 '13 at 17:01

Gunnar Karlsson · Accepted Answer · 2012-12-21T22:40:52.173

You wrote:

How do I get the same 80dp height in portrait mode that I have in landscape mode?

By setting both the Application theme attribute android:actionBarSize and the ActionBar.TabView style attribute android:minHeight (or height) to 80 dip.

A basic example:

<style name="ThemeHoloWithActionBar" parent="android:Theme.Holo.Light">
    <item name="android:actionBarTabStyle">@style/ActionBarTabStyle</item>
    <item name="android:actionBarSize">80dip</item>
</style>

<style name="ActionBarTabStyle" parent="@android:style/Widget.Holo.ActionBar.TabView">
    <item name="android:minHeight">80dip</item>
</style>

Set theme in Manifest:

   <application
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:theme="@style/ThemeHoloWithActionBar" >

Add some tabs to the ActionBar in an Activity:

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    ActionBar actionbar = getActionBar();
    actionbar.setNavigationMode(ActionBar.NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS);
    actionbar.setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(false);
    actionbar.setDisplayShowHomeEnabled(false);
    ActionBar.Tab tabA = actionbar.newTab().setText("Tab A");
    ActionBar.Tab tabB = actionbar.newTab().setText("Tab B");
    ActionBar.Tab tabC = actionbar.newTab().setText("Tab C");

    tabA.setTabListener(new MyTabsListener());
    tabB.setTabListener(new MyTabsListener());
    tabC.setTabListener(new MyTabsListener());

    actionbar.addTab(tabA);
    actionbar.addTab(tabB);
    actionbar.addTab(tabC);
}

This produces tabs with 80 dip height in portrait mode:

enter image description here

and tabs with 80 dip height in landscape mode:

enter image description here

EDIT:

For this example, SDK versions in the Manifest were set to:

android:minSdkVersion="12"
android:targetSdkVersion="15"

According to OP, the example works with these SDK settings. However, if targetSkdVersion is instead set to 16 or 17, the example doesn't work. OP has filed a bug report:

I tried your suggestion in a new sample project. I ran it on my nexus 7 and on the emulator. Neither of them produced the results like your picture of the height in portrait mode. In portrait mode the height is still less than the height in landscape mode. — ericharlow, Dec 20 '12 at 20:54
I've uploaded it as a project to github: https://github.com/GunnarKarlsson/TabHeightTest. Try if it produces the expected results on your nexus 7. My screen shots were from Galaxy S2 running 4.03. — Gunnar Karlsson, Dec 21 '12 at 07:48
Thanks for the project it works! So the difference between your project and mine was in the AndroidManifest.xml. if you change the skd version to 16 or 17 it stops working. I am going to file a bug report for the android team. — ericharlow, Dec 21 '12 at 17:44
For anyone interested in this issue please star it at https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=41792 — ericharlow, Dec 21 '12 at 18:46
Not working for me at all (regardless of `minSdkVersion` or `targetSdkVersion`) on Android 4.3 on a Nexus 4. The tabs are just default height in portrait and the new size only takes place in landscape. Anyone with any suggestions? This issue is *really* frustrating!! — Jonathan Ellis, Jan 14 '14 at 21:37

ActionBar with navigation tabs changes height with screen orientation

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