Develop Reference

How do I save the current state of an Android App?

I am new in Android Development. I am trying my hands on developing an alarm app. When I set the alarm, I use a TextView to show the time for which the alarm in set up(initially empty). But when I close or minimize the app and start it again the TextView is again empty. How to get rid of this?
I looked for its solution in android app development manual, but still couldn't find my way out.

Particularly visiting developer.android.com will help you to get started with android development. Anyways you can either use any of the following to save your data:
SharedPreferences
Sqlite Database
File (Pertaining to your app's location)
And when you are reopening your application you can retrieve the information from this methods.

Saving data can be done easily with the SharedPreferences.
private final String SAVED_ALARM_TIME_KEY = "SavedAlarmTime"
private final String ALARM_PREFERENCES = "AlarmPreferences"
private void saveAlarmTime(Context context, long alarmTimestamp) {
SharedPreferences sharedPref = context.getSharedPreferences(ALARM_PREFERENCES, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPref.edit();
editor.putLong(SAVED_ALARM_TIME, alarmTimestamp);
editor.commit();
}
private long getAlarmTime(Context context) {
SharedPreferences sharedPref = context.getSharedPreferences(ALARM_PREFERENCES, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
return sharedPref.getLong(SAVED_ALARM_TIME, 0);
}
This is great for something like user settings in the application. But I imagine you will later want to add multiple alarms to your application. In this case it would be better if you used a database. It will provide you with more options to scale the implementation. For instance you wish to add a functionality for repeating alarms at certain days the database will come in very handy.
You can refer to the documentation: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/database/sqlite/SQLiteOpenHelper.html

How to store strings in Shared Preferences

I would like the user to be able to create a nickname for a string that shows up in their textview. The app will feed a string into the activity through a service and display it in a textview. I would then like the user to be able to nickname that string, so that every time the string is displayed again the nickname will show up instead of the original string.
My question is, can I use shared preferences to do this? What would be the logic behind the user being able to assign nicknames? If you could point out any literature or sample code that would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you for any help.

Algorhithm:
At a certain point in your app lifecycle, write a preference using a "name" and a value.
Retrieve the value when the app starts and compare it to something.
Act consequently.
From the reference site: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/data/data-storage.html#pref
Using Shared Preferences
The SharedPreferences class provides a general framework that allows you to save and retrieve persistent key-value pairs of primitive data types. You can use SharedPreferences to save any primitive data: booleans, floats, ints, longs, and strings. This data will persist across user sessions (even if your application is killed).
User Preferences
Shared preferences are not strictly for saving "user preferences," such as what ringtone a user has chosen. If you're interested in creating user preferences for your application, see PreferenceActivity, which provides an Activity framework for you to create user preferences, which will be automatically persisted (using shared preferences).
To get a SharedPreferences object for your application, use one of two methods:
getSharedPreferences() - Use this if you need multiple preferences files identified by name, which you specify with the first parameter.
getPreferences() - Use this if you need only one preferences file for your Activity. Because this will be the only preferences file for your Activity, you don't supply a name.
To write values:
Call edit() to get a SharedPreferences.Editor.
Add values with methods such as putBoolean() and putString().
Commit the new values with commit()
To read values, use SharedPreferences methods such as getBoolean() and getString().
Here is an example that saves a preference for silent keypress mode in a calculator:
public class Calc extends Activity
{
public static final String PREFS_NAME = "MyPrefsFile";
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle state){
super.onCreate(state);
//...
// Restore preferences
SharedPreferences settings = getSharedPreferences(PREFS_NAME, 0);
boolean silent = settings.getBoolean("silentMode", false);
setSilent(silent);
}
#Override
protected void onStop()
{
super.onStop();
// We need an Editor object to make preference changes.
// All objects are from android.context.Context
SharedPreferences settings = getSharedPreferences(PREFS_NAME, 0);
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = settings.edit();
editor.putBoolean("silentMode", mSilentMode);
// Commit the edits!
editor.commit();
}
}

Android application remember settings

I am coding using Xamarin and have a question about application settings.
Is it possible to have application wide settings? I will give you an example:
I have a map application. I have a ListView where the user can select if the map is using the Street View, Satellite View or default view.
Depending on the item that is selected in the ListView depends of the map view that is shown.
Where and how can I save this selection such that this value is visible throughout the application and when the user exits the application, this setting can be remembered for when the user starts the application up again?
Thanks in advance

Yes, it's possible and also very easy. Usually you save simple application settings using SharedPreferences. They can be read from anywhere in the app.
For writing.
SharedPreferences sp = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
Editor editor = sp.edit();
editor.putBoolean("someBoolean", true);
editor.putString("someString", "string");
editor.commit();
For reading
SharedPreferences sp = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
boolean someBoolean = sp.getBoolean("someBoolean", false);
boolean someString = sp.getString("someString", null);

I suppose you are familiar to Java I/O and android basic concepts. So here I go:
For data persistance in Android, you have two main solutions:
SQLite database
File system
I recommend you to use file system, as you don't really need to organize your data with relational constraints and you will probably not have to make a lot of data persist.
Android documentation is very clear on how to save files:
http://developer.android.com/training/basics/data-storage/files.html
I recommend you to create a Setting class that contains a HashMap attribute:
public class Settings implements Parcelable{
public static HashMap<String,String> settings;
public static void readSettings(){
//Here you read your settings file and you fill your hashmap
}
public static void writeSettings(){
//Here you iterate through your hashmap and you write your setting files
}
}
Every activities will have access to the settings, as the attribute/methods are static. Settings will also be synchronized through every activities (if you change a setting in one activity, every other activities will notice).
If you need some clarifications, leave a comment below.

How to keep the project always be open using login page on android/eclipse

I have one log in page for the project 'x'.My need is if at first i entered into the project by providing proper values in to the log in page of the project.The project always want to be signed-in, whenever i try to open the project.How to achieve this concept?
Thanks for your precious time!..

Many applications may provide a way to capture user preferences on the settings of a specific application or an activity. For supporting this, Android provides a simple set of APIs.
Preferences are typically name value pairs. They can be stored as “Shared Preferences” across various activities in an application (note currently it cannot be shared across processes). Or it can be something that needs to be stored specific to an activity.
Shared Preferences: The shared preferences can be used by all the components (activities, services etc) off the applications.
Activity handled preferences: These preferences can only be used with in the activity and can not be used by other components of the application.
Shared Preferences:
The shared preferences are managed with the help of the getSharedPreferences method of the Context class. The preferences are stored in a default file(1) or you can specify a file name(2) to be used to refer to the preferences.
(1) Here is how you get the instance when you specify the file name
public static final String PREF_FILE_NAME = "PrefFile";
SharedPreferences preferences = getSharedPreferences(PREF_FILE_NAME, MODE_PRIVATE);
MODE_PRIVATE is the operating mode for the preferences. It is the default mode and means the created file will be accessed by only the calling application. Other two mode supported are MODE_WORLD_READABLE and MODE_WORLD_WRITEABLE. In MODE_WORLD_READABLE other application can read the created file but can not modify it. In case of MODE_WORLD_WRITEABLE other applications also have write permissions for the created file.
(2) The recommended way is to use by the default mode, without specifying the file name:
SharedPreferences preferences = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
Finally, once you have the preferences instance, here is how you can retrieve the stored values from the preferences:
int storedPreference = preferences.getInt("storedInt", 0);
To store values in the preference file SharedPreference.Editor object has to be used. Editor is the nested interface of the SharedPreference class.
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = preferences.edit();
editor.putInt("storedInt", storedPreference); // value to store
editor.commit();
Editor also support methods like remove() and clear() to delete the preference value from the file.
Activity Preferences:
The shared preferences can be used by other application components. But if you do not need to share the preferences with other components and want to have activities private preferences. You can do that with the help of getPreferences() method of the activity. The getPreference method uses the getSharedPreferences() method with the name of the activity class for the preference file name.
Following is the code to get preferences:
SharedPreferences preferences = getPreferences(MODE_PRIVATE);
int storedPreference = preferences.getInt("storedInt", 0);
The code to store values is also same as in case of shared preferences.
SharedPreferences preferences = getPreference(MODE_PRIVATE);
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = preferences.edit();
editor.putInt("storedInt", storedPreference); // value to store
editor.commit();
You can also use other methods like storing the activity state in database. Note Android also contains a package called android.preference. The package defines classes to implement application preferences UI.
To see some more examples check Android's Data Storage post on developers site.
For more info, check this link:
Making data persistent in android

Whenever you login set the user inside the preference file. Then in your main activity give a check whether you have value for this preference or not. If present, goto the landing page. Otherwise show the login page.
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
getLandingPage();
}
private void getLandingPage() {
if (isLoggedIn()) {
//goto login page
} else {
//goto landing page
}
}
/**
* Checks whether preference contains any value
*
* #return
*/
private boolean isLoggedIn() {
return ProjectPreferences.getUserName() == ProjectPreferences.NULL_STRING
? true
: false;
}
}
Also don't forget to set username while you login.

How can a PreferenceActivity use a custom preference file

My first attempt at preferences was without knowledge of PreferenceActivity. So now I have an app that stores all user preferences in a specific preference file.
I want to migrate to using a PreferenceActivity but I also want my users to keep their preferences.
Is there a way to tell my PreferenceActivity to use that specific file for all preferences?

It may be too late to post this but you can find a nice solution here
How to make PreferenceActivity use non-default SharedPreferences
You set the name of the default shared preferences file beforehand like this:
public class MyPreferencesActivity extends PreferenceActivity {
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
PreferenceManager prefMgr = getPreferenceManager();
prefMgr.setSharedPreferencesName("my_preferences");
prefMgr.setSharedPreferencesMode(MODE_WORLD_READABLE);
addPreferencesFromResource(R.xml.preferences);
}
}
I hope this helps somebody.
Regards.

You could read all the preferences at the beginning of your app, and then store them in the Preferences using
Editor e = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(getBaseContext()).edit();
e.putBoolean("yourPreference", true);
e.putString("yourOtherPreference", "This is the Value");
...
e.commit();
I hope that helps

Maaalte is correct, what you want to do is onCreate test for the existence of your custom file and if it's there, rename it to standard shared preferences filename.
Another option is to read your old prefs one-by-one and use the shared preferences API to add them as you read them and then delete your old prefs when you are done.