title: Android Studio - just can't get action bar / overflow to work?
body: <p>I'm using Android Studio (actually on Mac), only using real devices</p>
  
  <p>This is 4.1+ only.  All projects created from fresh.</p>
  
  <p><strong>CHECK</strong> - I did load support and appcompat, as best as I can understand Gradle. [A]</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UHui7.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p><strong>CHECK</strong> - onCreateOptionsMenu, etc, looks good...</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3SGs.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p><strong>CHECK</strong> - xml is good to go. (I do totally understand the showAsAction options, and tried them all.) [B]  Regarding using text or an icon, I tried all permutations.</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/p9XPQ.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p><strong>So what happens?</strong></p>
  
  <p>When I run it on a device (10+ tested). It simply <strong>shows as many action bar items as can fit</strong> (say, 5 or so). Rotation etc. works perfectly.</p>
  
  <p>But it just <strong>will not show</strong> the overflow icon!!  WTF??  It simply does not show, anywhere, the missing three or four items.</p>
  
  <p>I have tried all this with both "Blank Activity" and "Fullscreen Activity". No matter WHAT I do, it won't show the @#$@ overflow.</p>
  
  <p>It's almost like the icon is just not available in the build or something??</p>
  
  <p>Can any Android friends psychic this problem?  It's a really "WTF" moment.  Thanks in advance.</p>
  
  <p>My workaround ... <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/22855136/294884">https://stackoverflow.com/a/22855136/294884</a>  That works great, but you Android guys would laugh at me doing that.</p>
  
  <p>[A]: <em>(Note that I have two build.gradle files; I did it on the inner one inside app/ .  Wouldn't work on the outer one.)</em></p>
  
  <p>[B]: <em>(Note, a common question seems to be when people don't get the difference between 'always' and 'ifRoom'.  TBC that is not my problem at all: my problem is the @$@# overflow simply will not appear!!)</em></p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>BTW for anyone new to Android ...</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://stackoverflow.com/a/16046189/294884">https://stackoverflow.com/a/16046189/294884</a></p>
  
  <p>that extended discussion may be very useful.</p>