Develop Reference

Cannot Locate Strings that Exist

I have the following error:
From menu:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:appcompat="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_new"
android:title="#string/menu_item_new"
appcompat:showAsAction="always"></item>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_save"
android:title="#string/menu_item_save"
appcompat:showAsAction="always"></item>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_delete"
android:title="#string/menu_item_delete"
appcompat:showAsAction="always"></item>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_rate"
android:title="#string/menu_item_rate"></item>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_website"
android:title="#string/menu_item_website"></item>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_item_report"
android:title="#string/menu_item_report"></item>
</menu>
Even though all those strings do in fact exist:
<string name="menu_item_new">New</string>
<string name="menu_item_save">Save</string>
<string name="menu_item_delete">Cancel</string>
<string name="menu_item_rate">Rate on Google Play</string>
<string name="menu_item_website">Website</string>
<string name="menu_item_report">Report a Bug</string>
I have attempted to simply re-write the code as well as clean and rebuild, yet the error persists.
How can this be resolved?

resources tag is missing from strings.xml file.
Android couldn't locate the string resource.
Make following changes:
<resources>
<string name="menu_item_new">New</string>
<string name="menu_item_save">Save</string>
<string name="menu_item_delete">Cancel</string>
<string name="menu_item_rate">Rate on Google Play</string>
<string name="menu_item_website">Website</string>
<string name="menu_item_report">Report a Bug</string>
</resources>

Freemarker placeholder in html file in Android IDE Template Format

I'm working with android studio to develop Android app. I'm working on the creation of a template to use in my applications. I have read the Android IDE Template Format specification and so i start my personal template starting from Dummy template.
I have a .ftl file with the following line of code:
<applicationGestureListenerClazz>${projectPackageName}.listeners.${projectShortName}GestureListener</applicationGestureListenerClazz>
When i execute the template i obtain the following line:
<applicationGestureListenerClazz>org.abubu.dummy.listeners.DummyGestureListener
</applicationGestureListenerClazz>
The variables are correctly defined (in other file they work fine). I don't known why.. it add a CRLF after this line.
Anybody has analogue problem?
UPDATE
I discover that the problem is linked to extension of output file. For example. I have a file **license_key_strings.txt.ftl* that contains:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<!-- public key di ${projectPackageName}.key-->
<string name="publicKey">${licenseKey}</string>
</resources>
<!-- fine -->
If i use it to create a xml file
<instantiate from="root/key/src/main/res/values/license_key_strings.txt.ftl" to="${keyBaseDir}/src/main/res/values/license_key_strings.xml"/>
I obtain this file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<!-- public key di org.dummy.key-->
<string name="publicKey">
MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQ
</string>
</resources>
But the output filename ends with .txt
<instantiate from="root/key/src/main/res/values/license_key_strings.txt.ftl" to="${keyBaseDir}/src/main/res/values/license_key_strings.txt"/>
The final output become:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<!-- public key di org.dummy.key-->
<string name="publicKey">MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQ</string>
</resources>
<!-- fine -->
I'm working with Android Studio 1.4

What does "add-resource" in Android resource xml file do?

I found that there are following statement in package/apps/UnifiedEmail package in android source code:
<add-resource name="RecipientEditTextViewStyle" type="style" />
What does this "add-resource" element mean?
The source code: https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_packages_apps_UnifiedEmail/blob/cm-11.0/res/values/attrs.xml

<resources>
<string name="app1_name">MyAppName</string>
</resources>
is the same thing as
<resources>
<add-resource type="string" name="app1_name">MyAppName</add-resource>
</resources>
so
<add-resource name="RecipientEditTextViewStyle" type="style" />
is the same thing as
<style name = "RecipientEditTextViewStyle"/>

Read Newer Theme Attributes On Older Platform

I am trying to read attribute values from themes and styles which were designed for platforms that are newer than I am running my application on.
Please don't ask why. If you know anything about the libraries I write then you should already know that I like to push the capabilities of the platform :)
I am operating under the presumption that when Android styles are compiled the attribute constants are what is used for the keys and therefore should theoretically be able to be read on any platform somehow. This is what I have observed to be happening with layout XMLs in my other libraries with no trouble.
Here is a base test case which shows the problem. This should be compiled using Android 3.0+.
<resources>
<style name="Theme.BreakMe">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/Widget.BreakMe</item>
</style>
<style name="Widget.BreakMe" parent="android:Widget">
<item name="android:padding">20dp</item>
</style>
</resources>
The fact that this uses android:actionBarStyle specifically is irreleveant. All that should be understood is that its an attribute which was only available starting with Android 3.0.
Here are the way that I have tried to access these values thus far on platforms prior to Android 3.0.
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Break Me"
style="?android:attr/actionBarStyle"
/>
and
<declare-styleable name="Whatever">
<item name="datStyle" format="reference" />
</declare-styleable>
<style name="Theme.BreakMe.Take2">
<item name="datStyle">?android:attr/actionBarSize</item>
</style>
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Break Me"
style="?attr/datStyle"
/>
and
TypedValue outValue = new TypedValue();
context.getTheme().resolveAttribute(android.R.attr.actionBarStyle, outValue, true);
and
int[] Theme = new int[] { android.R.attr.actionBarSize };
int Theme_actionBarSize = 0;
TypedArray a = context.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, Theme);
int ref = a.getResourceId(Theme_actionBarSize, 0);
and
TypedArray a = context.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, R.styleable.ActionBar, android.R.attr.actionBarStyle, 0);
All of them result in this error in LogCat:
E/ResourceType(5618): Style contains key with bad entry: 0x010102ce
The 0x010102ce constant is the attribute value of android.R.attr.actionBarStyle which seems to indicate the platform is rejecting the attribute before I can even get a chance to access its value.
I am looking for any other way to read attributes like this from the Theme. I'm fairly sure that once I've obtained the style reference I won't have trouble reading its attributes.
Is there any possible way to do this?

I am operating under the presumption that when Android styles are compiled the attribute constants are what is used for the keys and therefore should theoretically be able to be read on any platform somehow.
Possibly, though that is not how I am interpreting the C++ source code that raises the error you are seeing. Check out ResTable::Theme::applyStyle() in frameworks/base/libs/utils/ResourceTypes.cpp.
My interpretation is that Android has what amounts to an in-memory table of packages->types->possible entries:
numEntries = curPI->types[t].numEntries;
Your entry index is higher than the highest known entry:
if (e >= numEntries) {
LOGE("Style contains key with bad entry: 0x%08x\n", attrRes);
bag++;
continue;
}
It is possible that they handle this different for android versus other packages -- android uses known values at firmware build time (and your generated entry index is higher, because it is from a newer platform), non-android ones assume anything's valid.
If my guesswork is correct, what you want to do will not work. That being said, my C++ days are seriously in my rear-view mirror, so I may be misinterpreting what I'm seeing.

Perhaps I'm missing the end goal here, but I put together the following example that was able to read out all the attributes without issue on any 2.x device. The example was compiled against a 3.0 targetSdk.
styles.xml (Declare the styles and themes)
<resources>
<style name="Theme.NewFeatures" parent="android:Theme">
<item name="android:actionBarStyle">#style/Widget.MyActionBar</item>
</style>
<style name="Widget.MyActionBar" parent="android:Widget">
<item name="android:padding">20dp</item>
</style>
</resources>
attrs.xml (Declare the attribute groups you wish to obtain at runtime)
<resources>
<declare-styleable name="ActionBarNewFeatures">
<attr name="android:actionBarStyle" />
</declare-styleable>
<declare-styleable name="MyWidgetNewFeatures">
<attr name="android:padding" />
</declare-styleable>
</resources>
AndroidManifest.xml (Apply the custom theme)
<application
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
android:theme="#style/Theme.NewFeatures" >
<activity
android:name=".SomeActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
SomeActivity.java (Go digging for attributes)
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
TypedArray a = obtainStyledAttributes(R.styleable.ActionBarNewFeatures);
//Get the style ID for the widget
int resid = a.getResourceId(R.styleable.ActionBarNewFeatures_android_actionBarStyle, -1);
a.recycle();
a = obtainStyledAttributes(resid, R.styleable.MyWidgetNewFeatures);
int padding = a.getDimensionPixelSize(R.styleable.MyWidgetNewFeatures_android_padding, -1);
a.recycle();
TextView tv = new TextView(this);
tv.setText(String.format("Padding will be %d px", padding));
setContentView(tv);
}
As long as I compile the example against 3.0 so it can resolved all the attribute names; on every 2.X device/emulator I have this will correctly read into the theme and then into the widget style to get the scaled padding dimension I had set.
Hope I didn't miss something big.

Probably, You must define a few themes. For old devices use folder res/values-v11/themes.xml. See section "Using Holo while supporting Android 2.x" in the http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2012/01/holo-everywhere.html

How to add a custom button state

For instance, the default button has the following dependencies between its states and background images:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_window_focused="false" android:state_enabled="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_normal" />
<item android:state_window_focused="false" android:state_enabled="false"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_normal_disable" />
<item android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_pressed" />
<item android:state_focused="true" android:state_enabled="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_selected" />
<item android:state_enabled="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_normal" />
<item android:state_focused="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_normal_disable_focused" />
<item
android:drawable="#drawable/btn_default_normal_disable" />
</selector>
How can I define my own custom state (smth like android:state_custom), so then I could use it to dynamically change my button visual appearance?

The solution indicated by #(Ted Hopp) works, but needs a little correction: in the selector, the item states need an "app:" prefix, otherwise the inflater won't recognise the namespace correctly, and will fail silently; at least this is what happens to me.
Allow me to report here the whole solution, with some more details:
First, create file "res/values/attrs.xml":
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<declare-styleable name="food">
<attr name="state_fried" format="boolean" />
<attr name="state_baked" format="boolean" />
</declare-styleable>
</resources>
Then define your custom class. For instance, it may be a class "FoodButton", derived from class "Button". You will have to implement a constructor; implement this one, which seems to be the one used by the inflater:
public FoodButton(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) {
super(context, attrs);
}
On top of the derived class:
private static final int[] STATE_FRIED = {R.attr.state_fried};
private static final int[] STATE_BAKED = {R.attr.state_baked};
Also, your state variables:
private boolean mIsFried = false;
private boolean mIsBaked = false;
And a couple of setters:
public void setFried(boolean isFried) {mIsFried = isFried;}
public void setBaked(boolean isBaked) {mIsBaked = isBaked;}
Then override function "onCreateDrawableState":
#Override
protected int[] onCreateDrawableState(int extraSpace) {
final int[] drawableState = super.onCreateDrawableState(extraSpace + 2);
if (mIsFried) {
mergeDrawableStates(drawableState, STATE_FRIED);
}
if (mIsBaked) {
mergeDrawableStates(drawableState, STATE_BAKED);
}
return drawableState;
}
Finally, the most delicate piece of this puzzle; the selector defining the StateListDrawable that you will use as a background for your widget. This is file "res/drawable/food_button.xml":
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.mydomain.mypackage">
<item
app:state_baked="true"
app:state_fried="false"
android:drawable="#drawable/item_baked" />
<item
app:state_baked="false"
app:state_fried="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/item_fried" />
<item
app:state_baked="true"
app:state_fried="true"
android:drawable="#drawable/item_overcooked" />
<item
app:state_baked="false"
app:state_fried="false"
android:drawable="#drawable/item_raw" />
</selector>
Notice the "app:" prefix, whereas with standard android states you would have used prefix "android:". The XML namespace is crucial for a correct interpretation by the inflater and depends on the type of project in which you are adding attributes. If it is an application, replace com.mydomain.mypackage with the actual package name of your application (application name excluded). If it is a library you must use "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" (and be using Tools R17 or later) or you will get runtime errors.
A couple of notes:
It seems you don't need to call the "refreshDrawableState" function, at least the solution works well as is, in my case
In order to use your custom class in a layout xml file, you will have to specify the fully qualified name (e.g. com.mydomain.mypackage.FoodButton)
You can as weel mix-up standard states (e.g. android:pressed, android:enabled, android:selected) with custom states, in order to represent more complicated state combinations

This thread shows how to add custom states to buttons and the like. (If you can't see the new Google groups in your browser, there's a copy of the thread here.)

Please do not forget to call refreshDrawableState within UI thread:
mHandler.post(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
refreshDrawableState();
}
});
It took lot of my time to figure out why my button is not changing its state even though everything looks right.