What is the difference between match_parent and fill_parent?

I'm a little confused about two XML properties: match_parent and fill_parent. It seems that both are the same. Is there any difference between them?

Solution 1:

They're the same thing (in API Level 8+). Use match_parent.

FILL_PARENT (renamed MATCH_PARENT in API Level 8 and higher), which means that the view wants to be as big as its parent (minus padding)

...

fill_parent: The view should be as big as its parent (minus padding). This constant is deprecated starting from API Level 8 and is replaced by match_parent.

http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/ViewGroup.LayoutParams.html

Solution 2:

Google changed the name to avoid confusion.

Problem with the old name fill parent was that it implies its affecting the dimensions of the parent, while match parent better describes the resulting behavior - match the dimension with the parent.

Both constants resolve to -1 in the end, and so result in the identical behavior in the app. Ironically enough, this name change made to clarify things seems to have added confusion rather than eliminating it.