Modern Android Lists with RecyclerView | Generated by AI
Question: Which component is recommended for displaying a scrollable list of items in modern Android apps?
A) ListView
B) GridView
C) RecyclerView
D) ScrollView
Answer:
C) RecyclerView
RecyclerView is the recommended component for displaying a scrollable list of items in modern Android apps. It is part of the Android Jetpack libraries and has largely replaced ListView and GridView due to its superior performance and flexibility.
Key Reasons:
- View Recycling: RecyclerView efficiently reuses item views (via ViewHolder pattern), reducing memory usage and improving scrolling performance, especially with large datasets.
- Built-in Support for Layouts: It supports linear, grid, and staggered grid layouts through LayoutManager (LinearLayoutManager, GridLayoutManager, StaggeredGridLayoutManager), making GridView mostly obsolete.
- Animations and Flexibility: Easy addition of item animations, dividers, and drag-and-drop support via ItemTouchHelper.
- Modularity: Uses adapters, view holders, and layout managers separately, allowing better customization and testing.
Comparison with Other Options:
- ListView (A): Older component; functional but less efficient (no mandatory ViewHolder until later) and lacks built-in support for advanced layouts/animations.
- GridView (B): Specialized for grids but outdated; RecyclerView with GridLayoutManager is preferred.
- ScrollView (D): A basic vertical scroller for layouts; not suitable for dynamic lists as it loads all child views at once, leading to poor performance with many items.
Official Android documentation recommends RecyclerView for all new list/grid implementations.
References:
- https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/layout/recyclerview
- https://developer.android.com/reference/androidx/recyclerview/widget/RecyclerView
- https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/layout/recyclerview