MaterialDrawer Deployment and Usage Guide

Prerequisites

Development Environment

Android Studio (latest stable version recommended)
Android SDK with API Level 16 or higher
Kotlin support enabled in Android Studio
Gradle build system

Dependencies

AndroidX support libraries
Material Design Components (version 1.5.0-alpha05 or higher)
ConstraintLayout
RecyclerView
AppCompat

Installation

1. Add Gradle Dependency

Add the MaterialDrawer dependency to your build.gradle file:

implementation("com.mikepenz:materialdrawer:9.0.2")

Add required support libraries:

// Required support lib modules
implementation "androidx.appcompat:appcompat:${versions.appcompat}"
implementation "androidx.recyclerview:recyclerview:${versions.recyclView}"
implementation "androidx.annotation:annotation:${versions.annotation}"
implementation "com.google.android.material:material:1.5.0-alpha05"
implementation "androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:${versions.constraintLayout}"

2. Add Optional Dependencies (if needed)

For NavController support:

implementation "com.mikepenz:materialdrawer-nav:9.0.2"

For Android-Iconics support:

implementation "com.mikepenz:materialdrawer-iconics:9.0.2"

3. Sync Project

After adding dependencies, sync your Gradle project in Android Studio.

Configuration

Theme Configuration

Add MaterialDrawer styles to your theme in styles.xml:

<style name="SampleApp.DayNight" parent="Theme.Material3.DayNight.NoActionBar">
    ...
    <item name="materialDrawerStyle">@style/Widget.MaterialDrawerStyle</item>
    <item name="materialDrawerHeaderStyle">@style/Widget.MaterialDrawerHeaderStyle</item>
    ...
</style>

XML Layout Configuration

Add the MaterialDrawerSliderView to your layout XML as a child of DrawerLayout:

<androidx.drawerlayout.widget.DrawerLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:id="@+id/root"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:fitsSystemWindows="true">

    <!-- Your content here -->

    <com.mikepenz.materialdrawer.widget.MaterialDrawerSliderView
        android:id="@+id/slider"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_gravity="start"
        android:fitsSystemWindows="true" />
</androidx.drawerlayout.widget.DrawerLayout>

Build & Run

Development Build

Open your project in Android Studio
Select your build variant (debug/release)
Click the "Run" button or use the shortcut Shift+F10
Select your target device or emulator

Manual Build from Command Line

# Clean and build the project
./gradlew clean build

# Install debug build on connected device
./gradlew installDebug

# Run tests
./gradlew test

Production Build

# Build release APK
./gradlew assembleRelease

# Build release bundle
./gradlew bundleRelease

Deployment

Google Play Store

Generate signed APK or App Bundle
Upload to Google Play Console
Follow Google Play's review process

Alternative Distribution

Internal Testing: Use Android Studio's built-in distribution
Beta Testing: Use Firebase App Distribution
Direct Download: Host APK on your server

Sample App

The project includes a sample app available on Google Play:

Sample App on Google Play

Usage Examples

Basic Drawer Setup

// Create drawer items
val item1 = PrimaryDrawerItem().apply { 
    nameRes = R.string.drawer_item_home 
    identifier = 1 
}
val item2 = SecondaryDrawerItem().apply { 
    nameRes = R.string.drawer_item_settings 
    identifier = 2 
}

// Add items to drawer
slider.itemAdapter.add(
    item1,
    DividerDrawerItem(),
    item2,
    SecondaryDrawerItem().apply { nameRes = R.string.drawer_item_settings }
)

// Set click listener
slider.onDrawerItemClickListener = { v, drawerItem, position ->
    // Handle item click
    false
}

Account Header Setup

// Create account header
val headerResult = AccountHeaderView(this, savedInstanceState).apply {
    addProfiles(
        ProfileDrawerItem().apply {
            name = "Mike Penz"
            email = "mikepenz@gmail.com"
            icon = "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1479749"
        }
    )
    withSelectionListEnabledForSingleProfile(false)
}

// Add header to drawer
slider.headerView = headerResult

Item Selection

// Set selection programmatically
slider.setSelection(1) // by identifier
slider.setSelection(item2) // by item
slider.setSelection(1, true) // with click event

// Make item non-selectable
SecondaryDrawerItem().apply { 
    nameRes = R.string.drawer_item_dialog 
    isSelectable = false 
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Drawer Not Showing

Problem: Drawer doesn't appear when swiping or clicking hamburger icon Solution:

Ensure DrawerLayout is properly configured in XML
Check that MaterialDrawerSliderView has correct layout_gravity
Verify that ActionBarDrawerToggle is properly set up

2. Theme Issues

Problem: Drawer items don't match app theme Solution:

Ensure your theme extends Theme.Material3.DayNight.NoActionBar
Check that materialDrawerStyle and materialDrawerHeaderStyle are defined
Verify Material Design Components version compatibility

3. Icon Display Issues

Problem: Icons not displaying correctly Solution:

For Android-Iconics integration, ensure the dependency is added
Check icon font resources are properly included
Verify icon resource IDs are correct

4. Performance Issues

Problem: Drawer scrolling is laggy Solution:

Ensure RecyclerView is properly optimized
Check for complex item layouts
Consider using vector drawables instead of bitmaps

5. API Level Compatibility

Problem: App crashes on older Android versions Solution:

MaterialDrawer supports API Level 16 and above
Ensure all dependencies are compatible with target API levels
Check for any API-specific code that might cause crashes

Migration Issues

When upgrading from versions below 8.0.0, follow the Migration Guide for breaking changes and migration steps.

Additional Resources

FAQ/WIKI - Common questions and solutions
Sample App Source - Complete implementation example
Material Design Guidelines - Design reference

How to Deploy & Use mikepenz/MaterialDrawer