Do files under res/xml get merged by gradle?

Issue

I have a file, res/xml/analytics_tracker.xml that stores my google analytics variables. I want to use different variables in my release vs debug builds.

So I have main/xml/analytics_tracker.xml (has maybe 6 xml-elements) & release/xml/analytics_tracker.xml (1 xml-element).

I decompiled my release apk via apktool and looked at the analytics_tracker.xml file. It only had the 1 element from the release xml file.

Shouldn't it merge the two xml files into one?

Solution

Normally if you want to have different debug and release versions of files, you would have a debug version in separate debug/.... folder, and release version in main/.... folder, at least this is how it's always in my projects. If it can's find a separate folder for a build type, it takes main/... version.

In your case I guess it found a release/.... version of your analytics_tracker file and used only it.

Answered By - Daelinn