Android support the display of tabs within one application.

For this you need a layout with a “TabHost” which contains everything, a “TabWidget” which contains the tabs buttons with text and icons and a “Framelayout” which contains the content. Unfortunately the ADT does not support the creatioin of such a layout via the D&D editor. Create the following “tab.xml”.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<TabHost xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
	android:id="@android:id/tabhost" android:layout_width="match_parent"
	android:layout_height="match_parent">
	<LinearLayout android:orientation="vertical"
		android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent">
		<TabWidget android:id="@android:id/tabs"
			android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content"></TabWidget>
		<FrameLayout android:id="@android:id/tabcontent"
	android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent">
			<Button android:id="@+id/tab1" android:text="This is a button"
				android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent"></Button>
			<Button android:id="@+id/tab2" android:text="This is another button"
				android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent"></Button>
			<TextView android:id="@+id/tab3" android:text="This is a text"
				android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent"></TextView>
		</FrameLayout>
	</LinearLayout>
</TabHost>

This layout will not be displayed correctly in the graphical edtior. See Bug for details.

Change the code of your Activity to the following.

package de.vogella.android.tabs;

import android.app.TabActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TabHost;
import android.widget.TabHost.TabSpec;

public class TabTest extends TabActivity {
    /** Called when the activity is first created. */
    @Override
    public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.tab);
        TabHost host = (TabHost)findViewById(android.R.id.tabhost);
        TabSpec spec = host.newTabSpec("tab1");
        spec.setContent(R.id.tab1);
        spec.setIndicator("Button1");
        
        host.addTab(spec);
        spec = host.newTabSpec("tab2");
        spec.setContent(R.id.tab2);
        spec.setIndicator("Next Button");
        host.addTab(spec);
        spec = host.newTabSpec("tab3");
        spec.setContent(R.id.tab3);
        spec.setIndicator("Just some text");
        host.addTab(spec);
    }
}

If you run this example you should get an activity with 3 tabs.

I hope this helps.