Design guidelines for Android drawer navigation

I read Google's official design guidelines for drawer navigation, how can this help me? At the very least, I can see what the drawer navigation is for, and what to pay attention to when using it. App design is based on rules, such as the use of drawer navigation, there are clear rules and scenes.

The Navigation drawer (navigation drawer) is a panel this transitions in from the left edge of the the screen and displays the app ' s main na Vigation options. Displaying the navigation drawer

The user can bring the navigation drawer onto the screen by swiping from the left edge of the "screen" or by touching the AP Plication icon on the action bar.

As the navigation drawer expands, it overlays the content but not the action bar. When the drawer was fully extended, the action bar adjusts its content by replacing the current action bar title withThe app nameand removing all actions, that is contextual to the view underneath (under what) the navigation drawer. The overflow menu with the standard action items for Settings and help remains visible.

The user can open the drawer panel by touching the navigation drawer indicator. Dismissing the navigation drawer

When the navigation drawer are expanded, the user can dismiss it in one's four ways:

• Touching the content outside the navigation drawer
• Swiping to the left anywhere on the screens (including edge swipe from right)
• Touching the app Icon/title in the action Bar
• Pressing back

When to use the Navigation Drawer

The navigation drawer is not a general replacement for top-level navigation via spinners or tabs. The structure of your app should guide your choice of which pattern to use for top-level switching. For more information in top-level switching mechanisms, see the application Structure design pattern.

The navigation drawer structure is not an alternative to the drop-down box (spinners) and tab of the same top-level navigation structure. Choose what mode to use as your top level navigation, depending on the structure of your app. To learn more about top-level navigation, you can read the article on applying structural design guidelines. The following scenario is most suitable for use with the navigation drawer as the top-level structure

Here is some examples of where navigation drawers work best:

More than 3 top-level views

Navigation drawers is great for displaying a large number of Navigation targets concurrently. The use of the navigation drawer if you has more than than 3 unique top-level views. If not, use the fixed tabs for top-level organization to ease discovery and interaction.

Top-level access to more than 3 modulesWhen the app has multiple top-level modules to present at the same time, use the navigation drawer structure to achieve the best. If your app has fewer than 3 top-level modules, then you can use tab to organize your top-level modules. For example, the first level of NetEase News entry modules are: News, subscriptions, pictures, videos, threads. To present these first-level entry openings, you can use the drawer navigation to organize them. For example, there are only four first-level portals, which make it easy for users to discover and interact, using tab to organize them.

Cross-navigation from lower levels if your app requires cross-navigating between Lower-level screens, consider using The navigation drawer. Because it is accessible from anywhere in the app, the drawer enables efficient navigation from lower-level screens to Oth Er important places in your app.  cross navigation in low-level modules   In this case, drawer navigation is also available. This time using the drawer navigation, the advantage is that the user in the low-level module, you can quickly jump to the higher levels of the module. When you need to quickly jump to an important high-level module in a low-grade module, you can use the drawer navigation to organize it. For example, in each interface, there are actionbar, there are drawer navigation. Reached the lower 4.1 interface with two paths. One path is, TopView4---->lower 4.1. This is accessed from the top-level module. A path is, TopView1--->lower 1.1--->lower 1.1.1, in the current interface, using drawer navigation, directly into Lower 4.1. This is entered from the low-level module Lower1.1.1.  the Navigation drawer makes cross-navigation at lower levels possible.  deep navigation branches

If you had particularly deep branches, navigating to the top-level of your app can become repetitive and cumbersome with Up and back alone. Since navigation drawers was accessible from anywhere in the app, navigation up to the top level was faster and more Effici Ent.

Deep Navigation Branch If your app has a particularly deep navigation branch, then the interface from the bottom navigation branch to the top level will be a repetitive and stupid behavior that you can only do by repeatedly pressing "back up" or "back". Since drawer navigation can appear in any level of interface, I can navigate through the drawer directly to a top-level interface in a lower interface, which is a fast and efficient behavior.For example, after reaching the Lower1.1.1 interface, to return to TopView1, there are two paths that can be implemented:Path 1: Press the back key repeatedly so that you can return to TopView1.Path 2: In the Lower1.1.1 interface, swipe right, eject the drawer navigation, then, click TopView1, you can quickly reach TopView1.The navigation drawer allows for quick jumps to the top-level of your apps, removing the need for repetitive back or up seq Uences. Navigation Hubs

The navigation drawer is a reflection of your app's structure and displays its major navigation hubs. Think of navigation hubs as those places in your app that a user would want to visit frequently or use as a Jumping-off poi NT to other parts of the app. At a minimum, the navigation hubs is the top-level, since they correspond to your app ' s major functional areas.

Navigation Hub Drawer Navigation is the reflection of your app architecture, which shows the main hubs in the app. Imagine that the navigation hub is the interface that the user will often visit in your app, or, this is an entry point where the user accesses the entry point to a module of the app. At the very least, the navigation hubs in the drawer navigation correspond to the top-level interface components, which are associated with the main functional areas of the app, and the top-level interface is the portal interface for the app's main functions. If your app ' s structure is deep, you can add screens from lower levels that your users would likely visit often and make th OSE navigation hubs as well. If your app's architecture is too deep, you can add a top-level interface that will be accessed frequently in the lower level of the drawer navigation, and you can also use the added item as a navigation hub. The navigation drawer contains all of the Your app ' s navigation hubs. Include your top level screens as well as important lower-level screens. Drawer navigation contains all of your app's navigation hubs. In addition to the item containing the top-level interface, it also contains the item

To facilitate access to the navigation drawer on navigation hubs, all screens that correspond to a entry in your Navigati On drawer should show the navigation drawer indicator next to the application icon in the action Bar. Touching the app icon causes the navigation drawer to slide on from the left.

All and lower-level screens show the traditional up indicator next to the application icon. The drawer is still accessible with a edge-swipe, but isn't featured in the action Bar.

app icon with navigation drawer indicator. This is the top-level interface, and in the current interface, next to the app icon is an identification that represents the navigation of the drawer. All interfaces associated with an item in the drawer navigation, when displayed, are displayed next to the app icon in the Actionbar to indicate the identity of the current interface. Clicking on the app's icon will cause the drawer navigation to be hidden on the left. For example, click the TopView1 in the drawer navigation, will enter the TopView1 interface, at this time, the app icon next to the "TopView 1" word, indicating the current interface TopView 1.For the low- level interface, which is not the portal interface for a module, the icon in the app displays a traditional icon that returns to the top. In the low-level interface, the drawer navigation is still available, you can display the drawer navigation by swiping to the right on the left side of the screen, but at this point you cannot call out the drawer navigation by using the Actionbar button. For example: The subscription interface is the top-level interface entry, which is accessed by clicking "Subscribe" in the drawer navigation.                        This is a low-level interface, which shows the traditional return to the previous identification in Actionbar.                                                      The identification of the drawer navigation is shown in Actionbar. Content of the Navigation Drawer

Keep the content of the navigation drawer focused on app navigation. Expose the navigation hubs of your app as list items inside the navigation Drawer-one item per row.

The contents of the content drawer navigation in the drawer navigation are the navigation of the app. At the time of presentation, each hub in the drawer navigation is displayed as each item in the list. Each item occupies a row. Titles, icons, and counters

You can structure navigation targets by adding titles. The titles aren't interactive, but just organize navigation targets into functional topics. If you had many navigation targets, use titles to orient the user within the drawer.

Navigation targets can has optional leading icons as well as trailing counters. The counters to inform users on a changed state of data in the corresponding view. header, icon, number if you have more than one navigation, you can use title to organize multiple navigation. These title will not respond to your clicks, they can be used to organize all the navigation under a theme feature. If you have a lot of navigation item, use multiple title to organize all your navigation. Each specific navigation item can contain an icon and a number that represents the page status information. Use the titles and icons to organize your drawer. Collapsible navigation Items

If you had many views with some subordinate to others, consider collapsing them into one expandable item to conserve SPAC E. The parent in the navigation drawer then turns into a split item. The left side allows navigation to the parent item's view, and the right side collapses or expands the list of child items .

If you have one item in the drawer navigation that contains more than one subkey, consider folding them under an item that can be expanded to save space. At launch, the initial state of the collapsible items are up to you. As a rule, all top-level view entries of the navigation drawer should is visible. If you had many collapsible items, consider collapsing all items, and the user to see the top-level views in their en Tirety. The status of the drawer navigation can be collapsed by yourself. In general, all top-level item in the drawer navigation must be visible. If you have a lot of collapsible sub-item, consider folding the item so that the user can fully see the top-level item. When the user opens the drawer from a lower-level screens, expand the associated branch of the top-level view to give a str Onger sense of place and highlight navigation opportunities close to the user's current location in the app. When the user opens the drawer in the bottom-level interface When navigating, at this point, in the drawer navigation to expand the corresponding top-level item, give the user an intuitive experience: the current bottom interface is from which the top level item. Collapsible navigation items are split. Use the left side for navigation and the right to collapse and expand items. Navigation Drawers and Action Bars When the user expands the navigation drawer, the task focus switches to selecting a item from the drawer. Because the drawer does not overlay the action bar, and users may not be realize that the items in the action bar does not pertain To the navigation drawer. When the user expands the drawer navigation, the current task switches to select an item from the current drawer navigation. Because the drawer navigation does not cover the Actionbar, the user may not be aware that the item in the Actionbar is not part of the drawer navigation (that is, the user will feel that the Actionbar item belongs to the drawer navigation).

To reduce confusion, adjust the content of the action Bar to the following, once the drawer is fully expanded:

• APP icon
• APP Name
• The Remove actions from the action Bar is contextual to the underlying view (such as Create New, Refresh). Retain actions with global scope, such as "Search".
• Overflow menu with expected navigation targets, such as Settings and help.

To eliminate user confusion, when the drawer navigation is fully expanded, the contents of the Actionbar are adjusted:. App icon-the app name. Removes the action item name that represents the left view content. You can keep the global action item name, such as "search". Change the item in the overflow menu to settings,help. Specifically, the drawer is fully expanded. Remove actions that is not needed and display your app's name in the title area. Actions

Keep actions on the right side of the action Bar and in the Overflow don ' t place actions in the navigation drawer. Actions belong in the action bar, and the user expects to see them there. Keep in mind, that isn't all applications use the navigation drawer pattern. It is tempting to expose all your app's capabilities in a single place, but keep the bigger picture in mind. Place your actions where all apps display them.  do not put the action item in the drawer navigation. The Action item belongs to Actionbar, and the user expects to see them in Actionbar. Then, note that not all apps use the drawer navigation mode. While it is tempting to put all of the features of the app in one place (drawer navigation), you need to think about it as a whole and put the action item where all the apps are placed (that is, Actionbar).  keep Help and Settings in the Overflow. this also applies to common navigation targets, such as access to help Or the app ' s Settings. As per style guide convention Help and Settings is always located in the action overflow.  Similarly, for other generic navigation item, such as app Hel P and Settings's entry item, they should be placed in the Actionbar overflow menu, do not put them in the drawer navigation.  contextual Action bars Sometimes the user is in a state where a contextual action bar (CAB) appears instead of the app ' s action Bar. This typically happens if the user selects text or selects multiple items after a press-and-hold gesture. While the CAB was visible, you should still allow the user-to-open the navigation drawer using an edge swipe.However, replace the CAB with the standard Action bar and the navigation drawer is open. When the user dismisses the drawer, re-display the CAB. Sometimes, Actionbar shows the data of the current interface state, which shows the Actionbar (CAB) with contextual information. For example, when an area of the TopView2 interface is selected, the Actionbar is displayed as a cab with a checkmark on the left and a text message indicating the tick. This scenario usually occurs when a user selects a text on the interface or several item of the selected interface, and then releases the Actionbar of the head to the cab. when the cab is visible, you will allow the user to open the drawer navigation by swiping to the left (although you cannot let the user call out the drawer navigation by clicking on the Actionbar left icon). When the drawer navigation is open, replace the cab with the standard Actionbar, and reopen the cab when the user closes the drawer navigation. Hide contextual Action Bars while the drawer is visible. If the user navigates away from a view with selected content, deselect the content before navigating to the new view. Interaction Details Introduce the user to the drawer on first use

Upon first launch of your app, introduce the user to the navigation drawer by automatically opening it. This ensures, the users know about the navigation drawer and prompts them to learn about the structure of your apps by expl Oring its content. Continue showing the drawer upon subsequent launches until the user actively expands the navigation drawer manually. Once you know this user understands how to open the drawer, launch the app with the navigation drawer closed.

When you start your app for the first time, turn your drawer navigation on to let users know that your app has a drawer navigation. This ensures that the user knows the presence of the drawer navigation and encourages the user to browse the contents of the drawer navigation so that the user can know your app architecture and content.   In the next few launches of the app, continue to open the drawer navigation until the user manually opens the drawer navigation (which means the user knows how to open the drawer navigation). Once the user knows how to open the drawer navigation, the next time you start the app, you don't have to open the drawer navigation.  at first use, show the navigation drawer automatically to help the user learn the functionality and structure of you R app. give the User a quick peek if the user touches the very left edge of the "the screen" (within DP from the LE FT), the drawer peek out as soon as the finger makes contact with the display. This promotes accidental discovery and provides richer feedback. When the user touches the left side of the screen, the touch position is 20DP from the left side of the screen, so the drawer navigates to the right. This encourages users to try more and to provide a better experience.  the Navigation drawer peeks out when the user touches the very left edge of the Screen. highlights when yo U Open the navigation drawer from a screens that's represented inside the drawer, highlight its entry in the drawer. Vice Versa, if you open the drawer from a screens that's not listed in the drawer, none of the itemsOf the drawer should be highlighted.  highlight   When you open the drawer navigation, the interface corresponds to an item in the drawer navigation, the corresponding item should be highlighted. Conversely, if the interface does not have a corresponding item in the drawer navigation, then no item in the drawer navigation should be highlighted.  impact of Drawer on Overall App Navigation

The navigation drawer is a alternative to other top-level navigation patterns. To do apps with navigation drawers work consistently with apps the use a tab or spinner pattern, remember the all Navi Gation requirements for system back and up apply.

Drawer navigation is an alternative to other top-level navigation modes. To make the app, the drawer navigation mode and the tab or pull-down navigation mode good match, coexistence, you have to remember, in all the navigation is to handle the system back and up.  pay special attention to the following situations: note the following:  system back on the top level of the App touc Hing System back at the app's top level never opens the navigation drawer. Instead, System back behaves according to the navigation rules for the top level, such as navigating to the previous app W Ithin the task or navigating to the Home screen. For example, on the top-level page, press the system's Back button and the drawer navigation will not open. Conversely, on the top-level page, when you press the system's return key, it returns to the previous page or directly to the home page, depending on the navigation rules.   system back does don't show the drawer, but behaves according to the navigation rules for the top Level. sy Stem back through cross navigation to lower hierarchy levels if the user navigates to a lower hierarchy screens from the Navigation drawer and the screen have a direct parent, then the back stack are reset and back points to the target screen ' s Parent. This back behavior was the same as when a user navigates to an app from a notification.  if users are pumping fromDrawer navigation directly into a page, the page has a previous level, then, when you press the system return key, you want to return to the top level of the page. For example, in the drawer navigation click Lower1.1.1, enter the Lower1.1.1 page; press the back button to return to the interface Lower1.1. reset the back stack if your lower-level navigation Target has direct parents.  style The width of the navigation drawer depends on the content of your want to display, but should be between a minimum of DP a nd a maximum of. The height of the individual line items should is not fall below-DP. See the layout guideline below for recommendations on padding and spacing. The content width of the drawer navigation (240DP to 320DP); the height of item per line cannot be less than 48DP. The size reference for the interval.  Layout guidelines for the navigation drawer. Pick the drawer background to best match your app ' s theme. See the following examples for a holo light and a holo dark themed drawer. To navigate your drawer, choose a background that fits your theme, such as. Navigation drawers in holo light and holo dark themed apps. Navigation Drawer Checklist

Even if you already the support a similar navigation drawer, the update your drawer to the this pattern to make sure that:

• The action Bar remains in place and adjusts its content.
• Your Navigation drawer overlays the content.
• Any view represented in the drawer have a navigation drawer indicator in IT action Bar that allows the drawer to be opened By touching the app icon.
• You take advantage of the new visual drawer transition.
• Any view isn't represented in the drawer maintains the traditional up indicator on its action bar.
• You stay on sync with the general navigation patterns for up and back.

What to support when navigating with drawers Perhaps your app has used a drawer navigation to ensure that you use the drawer navigation mode to meet the following requirements: 1.action bar where it should be, and adjust the contents of the action bar as appropriate. 2. When the drawer navigation is open, the overlay is above the content area. 3. In the action Bar there is a drawer navigation logo icon, click on this icon, will trigger the drawer navigation open. 4.You take advantage of the new visual drawer TRANSITION5. When the contents of the content area are not related to an item in the drawer navigation, then there is a return identity in the action bar at this time. 6. When using the drawer navigation, you need to balance the system up and back.

Design guidelines for Android drawer navigation