• Place an Empty FrameLayout in your Xml. Just Below the RecyclerView. This will act as the container to your alternate views.

Note: Alternate Layout will NOT work if the Parent RecyclerView or Alternate View is LinearLayout. Use RelativeLayout or FrameLayout.

<FrameLayout xmlns:android="https://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="https://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="https://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">
    <android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:id="@+id/recycler" />
    <FrameLayout
        android:id="@+id/alternateView"
        android:visibility="gone"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />
</FrameLayout>

• Now add this alternativeView to your adapter adapter.setAlternateView((FrameLayout)findViewById(R.id.alternateView));.

• Now you can Inflate any View in this layout by calling adapter.showAlternateLayout(View or LayoutId);. Pass the View to be inflated or the Layout Id.

Note: Check that you have set the RecyclerView in the adapter by calling setRecyclerView or in the Adapter's Constructor.

• To get the View from Layout Id use adapter.getViewFromId( LayoutId ).

• Simply call adapter.hideAlternativeLayout();

       adapter.setAlternateView((FrameLayout) findViewById(R.id.alternateView));
        View empty = adapter.getViewFromId(R.layout.alter_empty);
        TextView textView = (TextView) empty.findViewById(R.id.alter_tv);
        textView.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(final View v) {
               // Handle Clicks here
            }
        });
        adapter.showAlternateLayout(empty);

• Empty RecyclerView Layout