path: root/docs/html/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/index.jd

page.title=Hierarchy Viewer Walkthrough
meta.tags="android, performance, profiling, tools, rendering, hierarchyviewer"
page.tags="android", "performance", "profiling", "tools", "rendering", "hierarchyviewer"
page.metaDescription=Visualize your app's view hierarchy to help you simplify your layouts.
page.image=tools/performance/thumbnails/tools_hierarchy_viewer.png
page.article=true

@jd:body

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<h2>In this document</h2>
<ul>
  <li><a href="#WhatYouNeed">Prerequisites</a></li>
  <li><a href="#WorkingWithHierarchyViewer">Working with Hierarchy Viewer</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>You should also read</h2>
<ul>
  <li><a href="{@docRoot}tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/setup.html">
    Device Setup for Hierarchy Viewer</a></li>
  <li><a href="{@docRoot}tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/profiling.html">
    Profiling with Hierarchy Viewer</a></li>
  <li><a href=
    "http://developer.android.com/tools/debugging/debugging-ui.html#viewhierarchy">Hierarchy Viewer
    </a></li>
  <li><a href="/guide/topics/ui/overview.html#Layout">View Hierarchies</a></li>
  <li><a href="{@docRoot}tools/performance/importing-legacy-apps.html">
    Importing Legacy Apps into Android Studio<a></li>
  <li><a href="{@docRoot}tools/device.html">Using Hardware Devices</a></li>
</ul>

</div>

  <p>This walkthrough shows the basic usage and workflow for the Hierarchy Viewer tool.</p>

  <p>The Hierarchy Viewer tool visualizes your app's <a href=
  "http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/overview.html#Layout">view hierarchy</a> and
  profiles the relative rendering speed for each view.

  <p>What it's good for:</p>

  <ul>
    <li>Simplifying your view hierarchy to reduce overdraw, and make it easier to manage.</li>

    <li>Finding potential rendering performance bottlenecks related to the structure and shape of your
    view hierarchy.</li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="WhatYouNeed">Prerequisites</h2>

  <ul>
    <li>A mobile device set up to work with Hierarchy Viewer:</li>

    <li style="list-style: none; display: inline">
      <ol>
        <li>You must have <a href=
        "http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html#developer-device-options">Developer
        Options</a> enabled on your mobile device. You must use a physical device to get
        accurate measurements.</li>

        <li>Set an {@code ANDROID_HVPROTO} environment variable on the desktop machine
          that is connected to your device. For more information, see
          <a href="{@docRoot}tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/setup.html">Device Setup for Hierarchy Viewer</a>.</li>
      </ol>
    </li>

    <li>Debuggable app code with a view hierarchy. Use your own code, or the code for the <a href=
    "https://github.com/udacity/Sunshine-Version-2">Sunshine</a> sample app from the <a href=
    "https://www.udacity.com/course/ud853">Android Fundamentals Udacity course</a>.</li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="WorkingWithHierarchyViewer">Working with Hierarchy Viewer</h2>

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  <ol class="padded">

     <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image001.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 1. </strong>Starting Android Device Monitor.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Connect your mobile device to your computer.</li>

    <li>Open your application in Android Studio, build the source, and run it on your device.</li>

    <li>From Android Studio, start the Android Device Monitor: <b>Tools &gt; Android &gt;
    Android Device Monitor</b>.</li>

    <li>Allow <b>USB Debugging</b> on your phone (if asked).</li>

</ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="6">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image005.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 2. </strong>Android Device Monitor.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Figure 2 illustrates what is initially shown in the Device Monitor tool. This varies
      depending on your setup.
      <p>Make sure your device
      and the package for your application are showing in the Devices (DDMS mode) or Windows
      (Hierarchy Viewer mode) tab. You can choose <b>Window &gt; Reset Perspective</b> to get
      back to the default arrangement.</p>
      <p>If the app does not appear, make sure you
      followed the <a href="{@docRoot}tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/setup.html"> device
      setup instructions</a>, then start over at step 1.</p></li>

</ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="7">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image002.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 3. </strong>Changing Perspective to Hierarchy Viewer.
     </p>
    </div>

    <li>In Android Device Monitor (ADM), in the menu bar, choose <b>Window &gt; Open
    Perspective</b>, and in the popup click <b>Hierarchy View</b>.<br>

    <p>OR</p>
    <p> Click the <b>Hierarchy View</b> button if it's already visible.<br>
    <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image003.png">
    </p></li>

</ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="9">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image006.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 4. </strong>Hierarchy Viewer layout.
     </p>
    </div>

    <li>If not already open, the Hierarchy View panes open.<br>
      The example screen in Figure&nbsp;4 shows an example of these panes.</li>

  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="10">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image004.png"
         alt=""
         width="240px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 5. </strong>Resetting the Perspective.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>If you see a different window arrangement, in Android Device Manager, use
    <b>Window &gt; Reset Perspective</b> to return to the default layout for this tutorial.

  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="11">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image007.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 6. </strong>Populated Hierarchy Viewer.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Double-click your application in the Windows tab. This populates the panes with the
      view hierarchy of your application.
      This display is a static representation of the complete view hierarchy defined for the
      app.</li>

    <li>You can adjust the sizes of the panes and ADM will preserve your
      arrangement in future sessions.</li>

  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="13">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image008.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
      <strong>Figure 7. </strong>Hierarchy Viewer panes.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>If necessary, click the <b>Layout View</b> tab to hide the Console and show a wireframe of
    your layout. The outline of the currently selected view is red. Click an outline to select
    it.</li>

    <li>The rest of the panes:

      <ul>
        <li>The <b>Tree Overview</b> in the upper right gives you a bird's-eye view of your
        app's complete <a href=
        "http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/overview.html#Layout">View</a> <a href=
        "http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/overview.html#Layout">Hierarchy</a>.</li>

        <li>In the <b>Tree Overview</b>, move the gray viewport rectangle to change what section of
        your hierarchy shows in the <b>Tree View</b> pane (in the center).</li>

        <li>In the <b>Tree View</b>, you can drag and zoom the tree using your mouse.</li>
      </ul>
  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="15">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image009.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 7. </strong>Parts of the View node display.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Click on a View node to display details. Here is an annotated close-up of a node
      and its details.</li>


  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="16">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image010.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 8. </strong>Location of View Properties tab.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Click the <b>View Properties</b> tab at the top right (next to the Windows tab) to see
        properties of the selected View node.</li>

   </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="17">

    <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image011.png"
         alt=""
         width="400px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 9. </strong>Rendering a view in a popup.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Double-click a View node in the Tree View to render it in a popup window.</li>

  </ol>
</div></li>

<li><div style="overflow:hidden">
<hr>
  <ol class="padded" start="18">

  <div class="figure" style="">
      <img src="{@docRoot}images/tools/performance/hierarchy-viewer/gettingstarted_image012.png"
         alt=""
         width="240px" />
      <p class="img-caption">
        <strong>Figure 10. </strong>Node with its type and id.
      </p>
    </div>

    <li>Nodes in the Tree View show a Type, which indicates the View class,
      and an id, which is the view identifier in your code.</li>

  </ol>
</div></li>
</ul>