Dumping Appcompat For Api 21

So I'm creating an app that is Lollipop 5.0 API 21 and up with zero interest in supporting older devices. Do I still need the appcompat library when using Material Design like UI e

Solution 1:

Do I still need the appcompat library when using Material Design like UI elements & layouting (sidebar aka nav bar, ink, etc) ?

If you are using classes out of the Design Support library, such as NavigationView, you generally need to use appcompat-v7 and AppCompatActivity. As of early May 2016, Google has not shipped a Design Support library analogue that works with Theme.Material. You may be able to find third-party library replacements for some of those widgets, and seasoned Android developers can sometimes "cross-port" these components to eliminate the appcompat-v7 dependencies.

I've read that this is an android studio issue because it always uses appcompat regardless of your set dependencies & minimum API levels. Forcing you to manually override every implicit hidden appcompat call.

The only place that Android Studio really cares about appcompat-v7 is in the new-activity wizards, which you do not have to use.

When trying to dump AppCompat, what changes to I need to do to make that happen ? Manifest, Activities, Menus, Layout, Styles ?

That is difficult to answer in the abstract. You would need to:

• Stop using Design Support library widgets and containers

• Stop inheriting from AppCompatActivity

• Change your app: attributes in your menu resources to their android: equivalents

• Change your theme to not use Theme.AppCompat

If going exclusive without Appcompat, do you still need the v21 folders or will it grab the default ones ?

-v21 resource directories are not tied to appcompat-v7. They will still be used, on API Level 21+ devices.