Using ActionBarSherlock without the default Android theme

Question

I want to use SherlockActionBar with my Android application. Currently, I don't declare an android:theme in my manifest. Since SherlockActionBar requires me to define one I tried:

android:theme="@style/Theme.Sherlock.Light.DarkActionBar"

Obviously this theme causes my application to use the DarkActionBar theme which results in while ListView's, TextViews, etc. Is there a way to use Theme.Sherlock.Light.DarkActionBar as the applications theme but integrate it with the "Default", non-specified theme for the rest of the application?

Answer 1

Actually the Theme.Sherlock.Light.DarkActionBar theme just applies the holo theme to the ActionBar. As you can see from the Sherlock.Theme for APIs below 11:

<style name="Theme.Sherlock" parent="Sherlock.__Theme">
        <!-- Action bar styles (from Theme.Holo) -->
        <item name="actionDropDownStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.Spinner.DropDown.ActionBar</item>
        <item name="actionButtonStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionButton</item>
        <item name="actionOverflowButtonStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionButton.Overflow</item>
        <item name="actionModeBackground">@drawable/abs__cab_background_top_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="actionModeSplitBackground">@drawable/abs__cab_background_bottom_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="actionModeCloseDrawable">@drawable/abs__ic_cab_done_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="actionBarTabStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionBar.TabView</item>
        <item name="actionBarTabBarStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionBar.TabBar</item>
        <item name="actionBarTabTextStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionBar.TabText</item>
        <item name="actionModeStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionMode</item>
        <item name="actionModeCloseButtonStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionButton.CloseMode</item>
        <item name="actionBarStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActionBar</item>
        <item name="actionBarSize">@dimen/abs__action_bar_default_height</item>
        <!-- Internal --><item name="actionModePopupWindowStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.PopupWindow.ActionMode</item>
        <item name="actionBarWidgetTheme">@null</item>

        <!-- Action bar styles (defaults from Theme) -->
        <item name="actionBarSplitStyle">?attr/actionBarStyle</item>
        <item name="actionMenuTextAppearance">@style/TextAppearance.Sherlock.Widget.ActionBar.Menu</item>
        <item name="actionMenuTextColor">?attr/textColorPrimary</item>
        <item name="actionBarDivider">?attr/dividerVertical</item>
        <item name="actionBarItemBackground">?attr/selectableItemBackground</item>

        <item name="buttonStyleSmall">@style/Widget.Sherlock.Button.Small</item>

        <item name="selectableItemBackground">@drawable/abs__item_background_holo_dark</item>

        <item name="activatedBackgroundIndicator">@drawable/abs__activated_background_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="actionModeShareDrawable">@drawable/abs__ic_menu_share_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="activityChooserViewStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ActivityChooserView</item>

        <item name="homeAsUpIndicator">@drawable/abs__ic_ab_back_holo_dark</item>

        <item name="dividerVertical">@drawable/abs__list_divider_holo_dark</item>

        <item name="spinnerDropDownItemStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.DropDownItem.Spinner</item>
        <item name="spinnerItemStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.TextView.SpinnerItem</item>

        <item name="textColorPrimary">@color/abs__primary_text_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="textColorPrimaryDisableOnly">@color/abs__primary_text_disable_only_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="textColorPrimaryInverse">@color/abs__primary_text_holo_light</item>

        <!-- Internal --><item name="dropdownListPreferredItemHeight">48dip</item>
        <item name="dropDownListViewStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ListView.DropDown</item>

        <item name="textAppearanceSmall">@style/TextAppearance.Sherlock.Small</item>
        <item name="textAppearanceLargePopupMenu">@style/TextAppearance.Sherlock.Widget.PopupMenu.Large</item>
        <item name="textAppearanceSmallPopupMenu">@style/TextAppearance.Sherlock.Widget.PopupMenu.Small</item>

        <item name="popupMenuStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.PopupMenu</item>
        <!-- Internal --><item name="listPopupWindowStyle">@style/Widget.Sherlock.ListPopupWindow</item>

        <item name="searchDropdownBackground">@drawable/abs__search_dropdown_dark</item>
        <item name="searchViewTextField">@drawable/abs__textfield_searchview_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="searchViewTextFieldRight">@drawable/abs__textfield_searchview_right_holo_dark</item>
        <item name="searchViewCloseIcon">@drawable/abs__ic_clear</item>
        <item name="searchViewSearchIcon">@drawable/abs__ic_search</item>
        <item name="searchViewGoIcon">@drawable/abs__ic_go</item>
        <item name="searchViewVoiceIcon">@drawable/abs__ic_voice_search</item>
        <item name="searchAutoCompleteTextView">@style/Widget.Sherlock.SearchAutoCompleteTextView</item>
        <item name="android:dropDownHintAppearance">@style/TextAppearance.Sherlock.Widget.DropDownHint</item>

        <item name="windowActionBar">true</item>
        <item name="windowActionModeOverlay">false</item>
        <item name="windowContentOverlay">@null</item>
    </style>

There is no TextViewStyle or any other styling specified other than for the ActionBar, so you don't need to modify the theme.

All other stylings are done by the parent theme Sherlock.__Theme as you can see. And this Theme is basically just the NoTitleBar theme on APIs below 11.

<style name="Sherlock.__Theme" parent="android:Theme.NoTitleBar">
        <item name="android:windowContentOverlay">@null</item>
</style>

So this won't override any other styles, you will eventually have the "default" theme.