Referencing a non-static method in a static class in Android - getSharedPref - android

I have following code :
Context context = Activity.getApplicationContext();
SharedPreferences settings = context.getSharedPreferences("AutoMsgSharedPrefs", MODE_PRIVATE);
// Writing data to SharedPreferences
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = settings.edit();
editor.putString("key", "some value");
editor.commit();
I have been trying to use SharedPrefs to store messages given in - "Conversation" class as in sample - https://developer.android.com/samples/MessagingService/index.html. But, I get "can not reference non-static method from a static class if I try to achieve it in constructor of "Conversation" class. So How do I resolve this?
Here is the screenshot of error if I update as suggested :

Here
Context context = Activity.getApplicationContext();
This line not return a valid Context for your application to call getSharedPreferences.
To call getSharedPreferences from non Activity,Service,... classes you should need to pass valid context from application component like from Activity,Service,..
To get Context in Conversation use Conversation class constructor which is already created in given example you will need to add one more parameter:
Context mContext;
public Conversation(int conversationId, String participantName,
List<String> messages,Context mContext) {
.....
this.mContext=mContext;
}
Now use mContext to call getSharedPreferences method from Conversation class :
SharedPreferences settings = mContext.getSharedPreferences("AutoMsgSharedPrefs",
Context.MODE_PRIVATE);

To get the context no need to use Activity class. Change this code
Context context = Activity.getApplicationContext();
to
Context context = getApplicationContext();

Explanation: Activity class does not have a static method getApplicationContext(), because this method is non static, so you need to have an object instance. So call this method on Activity on Context instance.

As #ρяσѕρєя K already pointed out you have to somehow grant your non-Context class access to your Context instance. For example through introducing a new parameter.
public Conversation(int conversationId, String participantName,
List<String> messages, Context context) {
.....
}
But keep in mind:
It is discouraged to save references to long-life and heavy weight components like Contexts in your classes because this strong reference will exclude the context from the garbage collection and thus causing memory leaks.
So instead of storing your Context you can use it to initialize your Conversation object as you like and let the scope of the constructor take care of discarding the short-term reference to your Context.
If you should need a Context multiple times though, you could write a method which takes a Context instance as a parameter and call it to do the dirty work:
public void doStuff(Context context) {
// do your work here
}

Related

Android Studio context returning null

I have a class that's inputting some data into SharedPreferences.
private static Context context;
context = MainActivity.getContext();
sp = (SharedPreferences) context.getSharedPreferences("currentData", Context.MODE_PRIVATE).edit();
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sp.edit();
editor.putString("name", placeName);
editor.apply()
I set the context using a method in my MainActivity class:
public static Context getContext(){
return context;
}
However I keep getting a null object reference. Tried multiple solutions from stack overflow and can't overcome the issue.
Why is context returning null?
This is because MainActivity.getContext() is null try passing the context from MainActivity to your class.
public Context context;
public YourClass(Context context) {
this.context= context;
}
In MainActivity init it like this:-
YourClass yours = new YourClass(MainActivity.this);
And also avoid using static contexts it might cause memory leaks !!
Context is an abstract class whose implementation is provided by the
Android system
Context is provided to any Activity by the android system during runtime (Activity indirectly extends Context). You are trying to get Context from MainActivity class via static method, which will not work and will always return null:
context = MainActivity.getContext();
You should always get Context from an instance of Activity, not the class itself. You can do this easily by passing an instance of your current Activity to the constructor of your class. Then, you call getContext() on an INSTANCE of that Activity, not the Activity class itself.
Also, wanted to mention that your code is mostly anti-pattern. You should never store Context in static variables. I'd recommend you read more about Activity lifecycle in android and Context - these are fundamental knowledge.
You can get context statically throughout the application
please try below code:
In the Android Manifest file, declare the following.
<application android:name="com.xyz.MyApplication">
</application>
Use this class
public class MyApplication extends Application {
private static Context context;
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
MyApplication.context = getApplicationContext();
}
public static Context getAppContext() {
return MyApplication.context;
}
}
Now you can call MyApplication.getAppContext() to get your application context statically.
You are getting the context from a static method in the class, that mean that method is called before the class is actually initialized. If there is no actual instance of the activity or if the OS haven't provide with context to the activity, then is null. The Activity has access to the contexto but after the Android underlining management initialized it, the class won't have the context by it self because it is there, if you notice Activities are never instantiated using the constructor because Android does it for you.
If you want to use a static method to having a nice syntax then the static method should be inside the class that use the shared preferences and should be passed from the activity, during any method of the Activity life cycle or when the user interacts with the ui (those listeners are set on the Activity life cycle).
class MyPreferences {
static void save(String toSave, Contex context) {
//TODO your operation here
}
}
And your activity:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
//Below is pseudo code, be careful on doing this precisely in the activity
#Override
onCreate() {
//TODO call super and setContentView
MyPreferences.save("foo", this);
}
}
It seems your problem is you are trying to make the other class to use the Activity, but in Android is the Activity that uses other classes

How to use sharedpreference from its class?

I store a value in Activity class from a spinner , is it possible to get the value without context ?
SharedPreference.class
public static int getPreferencedCurrency(){
SharedPreferences prefs = getSharedPreferences(Constants.SHARED_PREFERENCES_NAME,Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
return prefs.getInt(Constants.CURRENCY_PREFERRED,0);
}
Error on getSharedPreferences
What exactly do you mean by storing a value in the SP class? What exactly do you need to do with that value?
You can easily store a value in the SP of your app, and it will always be accessable.
I sounds like you should pass a Context into the constructor of your class, preferably the Application Context to avoid a memory leak, and use it when you need to access the SharedPreferences.
Something like this:
public class SomeClass{
private Context con;
public SomeClass(Context c){
this.con = c;
}
public static int getPreferencedCurrency(){
SharedPreferences prefs = con.getSharedPreferences(Constants.SHARED_PREFERENCES_NAME,Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
return prefs.getInt(Constants.CURRENCY_PREFERRED,0);
}
}
Use the Application Context when initializing an instance of the class:
SomeClass sc = new SomeClass(getApplicationContext());

Android using sharedpreferences in BaseAdapter class

In activity I load preferences like:
public void LoadFontSize(){
sharedPreferences = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(getApplicationContext());
loadedFontSize = sharedPreferences.getString("fontsize", "font3");
}
And SharedPreferences sharedPreferences; is declared globally.
I have an ExpandBaseAdapter class operating an ExpandableListView. I want to handle fontsizes in this class, but it shows me
The method getApplicationContext() is undefined for the type
ExpandBaseAdapter
error.
I tried to add sharedPreferences = context.getSharedPreferences("PREF_NAME", Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
but then I get only the default value.
If I add sharedPreferences = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(ExpandBaseAdapter.this);
I get
The method getDefaultSharedPreferences(Context) in the type
PreferenceManager is not applicable for the arguments
(ExpandBaseAdapter)
What should I do?
You have to pass the application context when you create the instance of this base adapter in your activity.
and declare context as attribute in the base adapter constructer.
You have to use YourActivity.this instead of getApplicationContext(), both in general, and especially in your Adapter.
Best regards.
(Edit below)
Try this then:
class ExpandBaseAdapter {
Context mContext;
void ExpandBaseAdapter(Context context) {
mContext = context;
}
}
and use mContext.getSharedPreferences() where you need it.
Pass a Context object into LoadFontSize() as a parameter and use that to get to shared prefs.

Accessing Drawable resources from a non context class

I'm defining a class that sets a Drawable attribute in an object. The problem is that I can't access the getResource().getDrawable(int resourceId) method unless I have some Context.
What I did was to send to that class an activity instance (let's call it "act") and then I did:
act.getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.whellchair)
but, when executing that line it throws a NullPointerException.
When idea how to accomplish this?
I found the problem!
I'm using a singleton and I put the line accessing the "act" in a static method... how fool of me ...
Sorry and thank you Juhani for the comment :)
Pass that the application context to the constructor of your class. In the main application class you just get the context by invoking the getApplication() method if you need the a lifetime aware context or getApplicationContext() if you need a the context which is tied to the current process.
Example:
private Context ctx = getApplication();
... some code ...
MyClass myClass = new MyClass(ctx);
Your classes' constructor of course has to handle the context accordingly (i.e. setting a private member of type Context to the passed value) like this.
private Context ctx = null;
public MyClass(ctx) {
this.ctx = ctx;
}
Then you can use the context for whatever you need.

Accessing SharedPreferences through static methods

I have some information stored as SharedPreferences. I need to access that information from outsite an Activity (in from a domain model class). So I created a static method in an Activity which I only use to get the shared preferences.
This is giving me some problems, since apparently it is not possible to call the method "getSharedPreferences" from a static method.
Here's the message eclipse is giving me:
Cannot make a static reference to the non-static method
getSharedPreferences(String, int) from the type ContextWrapper
I tried to work around this by using an Activity instance, like this:
public static SharedPreferences getSharedPreferences () {
Activity act = new Activity();
return act.getSharedPreferences("FILE", 0);
}
This code gives a null point exception.
Is there a work-around? Am I going into an android-code-smell by trying to do this?
Thanks in advance.
Cristian's answer is good, but if you want to be able to access your shared preferences from everywhere the right way would be:
Create a subclass of Application, e.g. public class MyApp extends Application {...
Set the android:name attribute of your <application> tag in the AndroidManifest.xml to point to your new class, e.g. android:name="MyApp" (so the class is recognized by Android)
In the onCreate() method of your app instance, save your context (e.g. this) to a static field named app and create a static method that returns this field, e.g. getApp(). You then can use this method later to get a context of your application and therefore get your shared preferences. :-)
That's because in this case, act is an object that you just create. You have to let Android do that for you; getSharedPreferences() is a method of Context, (Activity, Service and other classes extends from Context). So, you have to make your choice:
If the method is inside an activity or other kind of context:
getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("foo", 0);
If the method is outside an activity or other kind of context:
// you have to pass the context to it. In your case:
// this is inside a public class
public static SharedPreferences getSharedPreferences (Context ctxt) {
return ctxt.getSharedPreferences("FILE", 0);
}
// and, this is in your activity
YourClass.this.getSharedPreferences(YourClass.this.getApplicationContext());
I had a similar problem and I solved it by simply passing the current context to the static function:
public static void LoadData(Context context)
{
SharedPreferences SaveData = context.getSharedPreferences(FILENAME, MODE_PRIVATE);
Variable = SaveData.getInt("Variable", 0);
Variable1 = SaveData.getInt("Variable1", 0);
Variable2 = SaveData.getInt("Variable2", 0);
}
Since you are calling from outside of an activity, you'll need to save the context:
public static Context context;
And inside OnCreate:
context = this;
Storing the context as a static variable, can cause problems because when the class is destroyed so are the static variables. This sometimes happens when the app is interrupted and becomes low on memory. Just make sure that the context is always set before you attempt to use it even when the class setting the context is randomly destroyed.
Here's a better alternative to storing your shared preferences in static fields.
Similar to what has been suggested here, create a class that extends Application
Make the constructor for your class take Context as a parameter.
Use your context to get shared preferences and store them in private variables.
Create public variables to return the retrieved data.
e.g
public class UserInfo extends Application{
private String SAVED_USERID;
private String SAVED_USERNAME;
public UserInfo(Context context) {
SharedPreferences prefs = context.getSharedPreferences(FILE, MODE_PRIVATE);
SAVED_USERNAME = prefs.getString("UserName", null);
SAVED_USERID = prefs.getString("UserID", null);
}
public String getSavedUserName() {
return SAVED_USERNAME;
}
public String getSavedUserID() {
return SAVED_USERID;
}
}
usage in your activity
UserInfo user = new UserInfo(this.getApplicationContext());
String SAVED_USERNAME = user.getSavedUserName();
String SAVED_USERID = user.getSavedUserID();
I had the same need - some of my preferences need to be accessed often, and efficiently. I also imagine that reading and writing a string from SharedPreferences is slightly slower than getting and setting a static variable (but likely to an insignificant degree). I also just kind of got used to using static fields, retrieving Preference values only at startup, and saving them on close.
I didn't love my options for keeping static references to the SharedPreferences/contexts directly, but so far this workaround has sufficed.
My solution:
Create a Settings class with all the static variables you need.
When the application initializes, retrieve SharedPreferences fields and immediately set all Settings fields (I call a "loadSharedPrefs()" method at the end of MainActivity's onCreate method).
In the SettingsActivity's preferenceChangeListener's initialization, set the appropriate static field in the Settings class. (I call a "setAppropriateSetting(key, value)" method at the beginning of SettingsActivity's onPreferenceChange()).
Use your static preferences wherever, whenever!
public static String getPreferenceValue(Context context) {
SharedPreferences sharedPreferences =
PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
String key = context.getString(R.string.pref_key);
String defaultVal = context.getString(R.string.pref_default);
return sharedPreferences.getString(key,defaulVal);
}

Categories

Resources