Allow multi-line in EditText view in Android?

By default all the EditText widgets in Android are multi-lined.

Here is some sample code:

<EditText
    android:inputType="textMultiLine" <!-- Multiline input -->
    android:lines="8" <!-- Total Lines prior display -->
    android:minLines="6" <!-- Minimum lines -->
    android:gravity="top|start" <!-- Cursor Position -->
    android:maxLines="10" <!-- Maximum Lines -->
    android:layout_height="wrap_content" <!-- Height determined by content -->
    android:layout_width="match_parent" <!-- Fill entire width -->
    android:scrollbars="vertical" <!-- Vertical Scroll Bar -->
/>

You may find it better to use:

<EditText 
...
android:inputType="textMultiLine"
/>

This is because android:singleLine is deprecated.

This works for me, actually these 2 attributes are important: inputType and lines. Besides, you may need a scrollbar, the code below shows how to make one:

 <EditText
        android:id="@+id/addr_edittext"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:gravity="top|left"
        android:inputType="textEmailAddress|textMultiLine"
        android:lines="20"
        android:minLines="5"
        android:scrollHorizontally="false"
        android:scrollbars="vertical" />

This is how I applied the code snippet below and it's working fine. Hope, this would help somebody.

<EditText 
    android:id="@+id/EditText02"
    android:gravity="top|left" 
    android:inputType="textMultiLine"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:lines="5" 
    android:scrollHorizontally="false" 
/>

Cheers! ...Thanks.

EditText has singleLine property. You can set in the XML or by calling setSingleLine(false); http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/TextView.html#setSingleLine%28%29

Try this, add these lines to your edit text view, i'll add mine. make sure you understand it

android:overScrollMode="always"
android:scrollbarStyle="insideInset"
android:scrollbars="vertical"

<EditText
    android:inputType="textMultiLine"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:id="@+id/editText_newprom_description"
    android:padding="10dp"
    android:lines="5"
    android:overScrollMode="always"
    android:scrollbarStyle="insideInset"
    android:minLines="5"
    android:gravity="top|left"
    android:scrollbars="vertical"
    android:layout_marginBottom="20dp"/>

and on your java class make on click listner to this edit text as follows, i'll add mine, chane names according to yours.

EditText description;
description = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.editText_newprom_description);

description.setOnTouchListener(new View.OnTouchListener() {
            @Override
            public boolean onTouch(View view, MotionEvent motionEvent) {

                view.getParent().requestDisallowInterceptTouchEvent(true);
                switch (motionEvent.getAction() & MotionEvent.ACTION_MASK){
                    case MotionEvent.ACTION_UP:
                        view.getParent().requestDisallowInterceptTouchEvent(false);
                        break;
                }

                return false;
            }

        });

this works fine for me

android:inputType="textMultiLine"

This code line work for me. Add this code you edittext in your xml file.

All of these are nice but will not work in case you have your edittext inside upper level scroll view :) Perhaps most common example is "Settings" view that has so many items that the they go beyond of visible area. In this case you put them all into scroll view to make settings scrollable. In case that you need multiline scrollable edit text in your settings, its scroll will not work.

To disable number of lines that was previously assigned in theme use xml attribute: android:lines="@null"

 <EditText
           android:id="@id/editText" //id of editText
           android:gravity="start"   // Where to start Typing
           android:inputType="textMultiLine" // multiline
           android:imeOptions="actionDone" // Keyboard done button
           android:minLines="5" // Min Line of editText
           android:hint="@string/Enter Data" // Hint in editText
           android:layout_width="match_parent" //width editText
           android:layout_height="wrap_content" //height editText
           /> 

Just add this android:inputType="textMultiLine" in XML file on relevant field.

if some one is using AppCompatEditText then you need to set inputType="textMultiLine" here is the code you can copy

   <androidx.appcompat.widget.AppCompatEditText
        android:padding="@dimen/_8sdp"
        android:id="@+id/etNote"
        android:minLines="6"
        android:singleLine="false"
        android:lines="8"
        android:scrollbars="vertical"
        android:background="@drawable/rounded_border"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/_25sdp"
        android:layout_marginTop="32dp"
        android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/_25sdp"
        android:autofillHints=""

        android:gravity="start|top"
        android:inputType="textMultiLine"
         />

for background

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <shape android:shape="rectangle" 
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
   <corners android:radius="@dimen/_5sdp"/>
   <stroke android:width="1dp" android:color="#C8C8C8"/>
   </shape>

I learned this from http://www.pcsalt.com/android/edittext-with-single-line-line-wrapping-and-done-action-in-android/, though I don't like the website myself. If you want multiline BUT want to retain the enter button as a post button, set the listview's "horizontally scrolling" to false.

android:scrollHorizontally="false"

If it doesn't work in xml, doing it programmatically weirdly works.

listView.setHorizontallyScrolling(false);

Another neat thing to do is to use android:minHeight along with android:layout_height="wrap_content". This way you can set the size of the edit when it's empty, and when the user inputs stuff, it stretches according to how much the user inputs, including multiple lines.

<EditText
                android:hint="Address"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:inputType="textMultiLine|textNoSuggestions"
                android:id="@+id/edittxtAddress"
                android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/textsize2"
                android:textColor="@android:color/white"
                android:scrollbars="vertical"
                android:minLines="2"
            android:textStyle="normal" />

and in Activity to remove "\n" is user press nextline

String editStr= edittxtAddress.getText().toString().trim();

 MyString= editStr.replaceAll("\n"," ");