IssueTracker

The part about inspecting other apps: you need to use the emulator, or a rooted device. We will not support that feature on user devices for non debuggable apps. It is the same restriction that you cannot debug any random app on a user device.

As far as what is in front, we show you all the windows open in the app, and you can pick whichever window you want to inspect. We can probably improve that a bit.

@2 This has nothing to do with rooted devices or emulators. On DDMS, it works on all situations anyway, yet as I wrote, it doesn't work via the IDE, and it's quite annoying there too (because I have to choose the app from there, even if there is only one option to choose).

Rooted devices do not provide anything special here, and same goes for emulators. This feature isn't available via the IDE, no matter if I use it on a rooted device or an emulator.

My device is rooted, and I can't do anything with non-debuggable apps. Not even the built in apps (including the settings).

See Attached videos, comparing both features (via IDE and via DDMS).

DDMS: Just a single click. Takes the whole view hierarchy. No matter what's on front. No matter if there is any debuggable app. This simple.
 
IDE: need to choose the process (if it even allows you to do it), and only then you can take the view hierarchy. If the app is not in front, you can still take it, yet what you get will be very imcomplete.

I wrote both the versions, so I know what is going on in both of them, you don't need to provide evidence here :)

What you've done in your video is to use UI automator capture in once case (it captures accessibility tree), and compare it with layout inspector which captures your view tree. You will not find anything useful about your layout from the accessibility tree.

Rooted was the wrong word, what I meant was a userdebug device. In any case, we do not have plans to support this for non debuggable apps.

@4 I don't understand.
How come DDMS can do something that the IDE can't?
Why can't you add this feature there too? It has become quite annoying to find&choose the process each time I wish to use this feature on the IDE.
Please re-consider restoring this feature. Even the DDMS has its own issues (if last time I used this feature, the next time it always shows an error dialog, as it tries to re-open the needed file).

Rather than getting into the details of the solution, it would be much better if you simply stated the real problem that you are trying to solve.

@6 I want an easy way to use the Layout-Inspector tool via the IDE, without the need to choose the process, and without the restriction that I can't do it at all in some cases.
I want it to be as easy as on DDMS.

It should also be possible to access the old tool from the IDE.
Both tools complement each other.
The DDMS even helps with automated testing.

@9 Why not? It's very useful...

Please offer to do it, for emulators and devices (rooted or not), and improve the part that lets you choose the window, because it's quite annoying...
It shows a list of various processes you can't even choose for this purpose...

There is no reason the new tools shouldn't be able to do what the old ones could.