Equal column spacing for Android RecyclerView GridLayoutManager by using custom ItemDecoration

gistfile1.md

ItemOffsetDecoration

public class ItemOffsetDecoration extends RecyclerView.ItemDecoration {

    private int mItemOffset;

    public ItemOffsetDecoration(int itemOffset) {
        mItemOffset = itemOffset;
    }

    public ItemOffsetDecoration(@NonNull Context context, @DimenRes int itemOffsetId) {
        this(context.getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(itemOffsetId));
    }

    @Override
    public void getItemOffsets(Rect outRect, View view, RecyclerView parent,
            RecyclerView.State state) {
        super.getItemOffsets(outRect, view, parent, state);
        outRect.set(mItemOffset, mItemOffset, mItemOffset, mItemOffset);
    }
}

Implementation

In your source code, add ItemOffsetDecoration to your recyclerview.
Item offset value should be half size of the actual value you want to add as space between items.

mRecyclerView.setLayoutManager(new GridLayoutManager(context, NUM_COLUMNS);
ItemOffsetDecoration itemDecoration = new ItemOffsetDecoration(context, R.dimen.item_offset);
mRecyclerView.addItemDecoration(itemDecoration);

Also, set item offset value as padding for its recyclerview, and specify android:clipToPadding=false.

<android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView
    android:id="@+id/recyclerview_grid"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:clipToPadding="false"
    android:padding="@dimen/item_offset"/>

DONE. You will get an equal spaces around items.

this is not something that can be called "equally spaced items". You get your offset on the left and on the right only. Between the items it is doubled. Take a look at YouTube in landscape orientation on tablet, this is what is called equally spaced items.