If you’re tired of writing the same repetitive code in Android Studio, there’s a powerful feature you might be overlooking: Live Templates. This productivity gem can help you insert commonly used snippets with just a few keystrokes — speeding up development and reducing errors.

In this article, we’ll explore what Live Templates are, how to use them, and how to create your own custom ones.

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📌 What Are Live Templates?

Live Templates are predefined code snippets in Android Studio that you can insert into your code using short abbreviations. When you type a keyword (like logt) and hit Tab, Android Studio expands it into a complete code block.

They work for Java, Kotlin, XML, and even documentation formats.

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⚡ Why Use Live Templates?

• 🚀 Speed Up Development – Write less, do more.
• ✅ Avoid Typos – Predefined templates reduce manual typing errors.
• 🎯 Focus on Logic – Spend less time on boilerplate and more on your app’s logic.

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🛠 Common Built-In Live Templates

Here are some default Live Templates that every Android developer should know:

Abbreviation	Expands To
logt	Log.d(TAG, ""); with auto-generated TAG
Toast	Toast.makeText(context, "", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
fori	A standard for loop
sout	System.out.println();
psf	public static final
new	Inserts a new object creation snippet

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🧪 How to Use Live Templates

1. Open a Kotlin or Java file in Android Studio.
2. Start typing a template keyword like logt.
3. Press Tab or Enter (depending on your settings).
4. The snippet auto-fills with placeholders you can quickly tab through and customize.

✅ Example:

Log.d(TAG, "message");

Android Studio will automatically create a TAG constant if it doesn’t already exist.

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🧰 How to View and Customize Live Templates

1. Go to File > Settings (or Preferences on Mac).
2. Navigate to Editor > Live Templates.
3. You’ll see a categorized list like Java, Kotlin, XML, etc.
4. Select any template to:
   • Edit its abbreviation.
   • Change the code.
   • Set usage conditions (e.g., only in methods).

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✍️ Creating Your Own Live Template

🔧 Steps:

1. In Live Templates, click + > Live Template.
2. Set:
   • Abbreviation: mylog
   • Description: My custom log statement
   • Template Text:

   Log.d("$TAG$", "$MSG$")

3. Click Edit Variables:
   • Set TAG as expression: className()
   • Set MSG as expression: complete()
4. Define Applicable Contexts (e.g., Kotlin → Statement).

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🚨 Pro Tips

• Use Tab Stops ($VAR$) to jump between placeholders easily.
• Create XML-specific templates for layout design.
• Share your templates across your team using export/import.

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📦 Bonus: Exporting Templates

Want to use your templates on another computer or share with your team?

• Go to File > Export Settings.
• Select Live Templates.
• Save and import them on another Android Studio instance.