Develop Reference

How do we cast context to fragment reference?

I have a class 'Common' and a fragment 'FragmentTest'. The 'Common.java' is a general class that have some common functions for other activities..Those functions are accessed by context of each activities.. And here I am passing the fragment's context to a function in that class. I am doing like this
In Fragment :-
Common commonObj = new Common();
commonObj.myfunction(this.getActivity(),"Do you want to Update ?");
And in Class after some operation i'm trying to return back to fragment class.Like this
:-
public void myfunction(Context context , String str){
//....//
if(context.getClass().isInstance(FragmentTest.class)){
**FragmentTest mContext = (FragmentTest)context;**
mContext.FunctionInFragment();
}
}
But i have error in this..Because i cannot cast the context to fragment reference.
Somebody please help..

Firstly you can't cast a Context to a Fragment as Fragment doesn't extend Context. Activity does extend Context which is why when you do this from an Activity what you are trying works.
I'd suggest ideally that the methods in your Common class should be totally unaware of the existence of your Fragment. This way they are not 'coupled' together. To achieve this you can use a callback interface.
Create an interface as follows:
public interface Callback<T> {
onNext(T result);
}
Then you can change your method in Common to the following:
public void myfunction(Callback<Void> callback , String str){
//....//
callback.onNext(null);
}
Then when you call the method in Common from the Fragment you would do it like this:
Common commonObj = new Common();
commonObj.myfunction(
new Callback<Void>() {
#Override
public void onNext(Void result) {
functionInFragment();
}
},
"Do you want to Update ?"
);
If you needed to send data back to the function then you can change the return type of the callback. For instance if you wanted to pass back a string you would use Callback<String> and then the method in the original call would look like this:
new Callback<String>() {
#Override
public void onNext(String result) {
}
}
And in your Common class you would call it like this:
public void myfunction(Callback<String> callback , String str){
//....//
String result = "Hello from common";
callback.onNext(result);
}

You can do something like this:
public void myfunction(BaseFragment fragment, String str){
//....//
if(fragment.getClass().isInstance(FragmentTest.class)){
FragmentTest fr = (FragmentTest) fragment;
fr.FunctionInFragment();
}
}
i.e. using some base fragment(BaseFragment) and inherit from it.

android passing data from class to activity

I have been looking for a long time for a simple way to pass data (string type) from class to activity.
I found some tutorials about passing data from activity to class but is it possible to do the opposite, passing data from class to activity ?

if you import the class in your activity (which is also a class by the way) you can easily access the classes attributes.
example: MyClass.java
package edu.user.yourappname;
public class MyClass {
public string infoToPass = "whatever";
}
MyActivity.java
package edu.user.yourappname;
import edu.user.yourappname.MyClass
public class MyActivity extends Activity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_my);
String myString = MyClass.infoToPass;
}
}
i have no IDE to type this in atm it might contain some errors :S but i hope you get the idea.
if you need more specific help you have to provide a code sample.
also, what do you want to achieve exactly? maybie there's a different approach.
cheers!

Create Interface and implement that in your activity. Pass the activity instance in your class and and call that instance with interface method whenever you like.

To be more clear, create an interface and use it as following:
public interface SomeInterface{
public void passValue(String value);
}
public SomeActivity extends Activity implements SomeInterface{
// place any code you want in your activity, onCreate, onResume, etc.
private void someMethod(){
// Wherever in your activity, initialize your class with your activity.
SomeClass someClass = new SomeClass(this);
someClass.someMethod();
}
public void passValue(String value){
// do whatever you want with your value
}
}
public class SomeClass{
private SomeInterface someInterfaceInstance;
public SomeClass(SomeInterface someInterfaceInstance){
this.someInterfaceInstance = someInterfaceInstance;
}
public void someMethod(){
// Some code...
someInterfaceInstance.passValue("Hello World!");
// Some more code...
}
}

Here is a easy way of doing it -
By defining static variables
In your class, make the String whose value you want to pass public static like this -
public static String pass;
And then in you activity, you can directly access it since it's a public variable like this -
String receive = className.pass;

how to pass, from a class to another, the name of a variable (NOT the value)

I need to pass name of a variable created in Class A to the Class B, so I can put a value in that variable (in Class B).
But, in Class B I do not know the name of that variable.
The code is something like this:
Class A
public class A {
int valore; // this is the variable, in Class b, I don't know this name!
public void callClassB(){
ClassB.Method(what shoudld i put here?)
}
}
This is the Class B
public class B {
public void Method(the_Name_Of_TheVariable_I_get){
the_Name_Of_TheVariable_I_get = 5; // i need to do this
}
}

Why do you need the variable name? Simply pass the variable itself. In class B create a method
public int getValore(){
return valore;
}
Then in Class A use modify the code as
public void callClassB(){
ClassB.Method(getValore())
}
I do not really understand what you are trying to achieve here?

You can also use the following appraoch:
interface ValueSetter {
void setValue(int value);
}
Class A
public class A implements ValueSetter{
int valore;
public void callClassB(){
ClassB.Method(this)
}
void setValue(int value){
valore = value;
}
}
This is the class B
public class B{
public void Method(ValueSetter valueSetter){
ValueSetter.setValue(5);
}
}
This is more inline with OOPS..

You will need to use reflection for this.
Here is a tutorial from Oracle: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/reflect/index.html
You cant get the name of variable at runtime though. But assuming you have the name of the field the code would look something like this:
this.getClass().getDeclaredField(the_Name_Of_TheVariable_I_get).set(this, 5);

you can pass the name of the variable "valore", then you need reflection to assign it in your method :
a = new A();
Field f = a.getClass().getDeclaredField(varName);
f.set(a, 5);
a can be a parameter too. (it is necessary to give the instance that possesses the member).
However, this is not a recommended way of treating your issue, as it is unreliable in the sense that the compiler will not be able to check you are accessing items that actually exist.
It would be better to use an interface, for instance :
public interface Settable {
public void set(int value);
}
and then:
public class A implements Settable {
private int valore;
public void set(int value) {
valore = value;
}
public void callClassB(){
ClassB.Method(this);
}
}
and in B:
public class B{
public void Method(Settable settable){
settable.set(5);
}
}

Android - OnClick Listener in a separate class

Is it possible to make a secondary class to hold the OnClick Listener? Meaning not being created in the Activity class?
I just find that putting OnClick listeners in the main activity class is just messy and I would rather have them in separate classes. Thanks

Sure, that's possible. Just create a class that implements View.OnClickListener and set that as listener to the View. For example:
public class ExternalOnClickListener implements View.OnClickListener {
public ExternalOnClickListener(...) {
// keep references for your onClick logic
}
#Override public void onClick(View v) {
// TODO: add code here
}
}
And then set an instance of above class as listener:
view.setOnClickListener(new ExternalOnClickListener(...));
The parameterized constructor is optional, but it's very likely you'll need to pass something through to actually make your onClick(...) logic work on.
Implementing a class anonymously is generally easier to work with though. Just a thought.

Instead of putting the onCLicklistener in a separate class, why dont you try to define onClickListener outside onCreate()??
For e.g: like this
onCreate()
yourViewName.setOnClicklistener(listener):
Outside onCreate()
private OnClickListener listener = new OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
};

Yes you can. However, making the listener an inner class has one advantage - it can access the fields and variables of your activity class directly. If you make it a separate class, and your listener actually need to access 5 views, your listener constructor might look like this:
MyListener listener = new MyListener(context, button, textView1, textView2, ratingBar, imageView);
Which is kinda bulky too. If your listener is simple, go ahead and make it a separate class. Otherwise, its up to you for readability.

Let me share how I code it using MVP. It's the best way to make clean code. Remember each class must have an interface to control it. I will show you the simplest one.
Suppose you want to Toast a text onClick and control it from another class. Here's how it works. Creating interfaces is for nothing but to connect with each other and you can review the code easily.
Create an interface for that MainActivity class.
public interface MainActivityView {
void showToast();
}
Create another interface for the Presenter class.
public interface IMainPresenter<V extends MainActivityView> {
/*Generic Type is to make sure it comes from MainActivity class only and to avoid other class to access it.*/
void onAttach(V mainView);
void onButtonClick();
}
Remember interfaces are nothing but to override method for each class.
Create a Presenter class
public class MainPresenter<V extends MainActivityView> implements IMainPresenter<V> {
private V mainActivityView;
#Override
public void onAttach(V mainActivityView) {
this.mainActivityView=mainActivityView;
}
public V getView() {
return mainActivityView;
}
#Override
public void onButtonClick() {
getView().showToast(); //This is the method from MainActivity controlling with this class
}
}
I'll skip, activity_main.xml layout because there's just a button with id="#+id/buttonId." In MainActivityClass,
public class MainActivity extends AppCompactActivity implements MainActivityView {
Button btn;
#Override
protected void onCreate(#Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
MainPresenter mainPresenter = new MainPresenter();
mainPresenter.onAttach(this);
btn = findViewById(R.id.buttonId);
btn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View view) {
mainPresenter.onButtonClick(); //Here, check No.3 again!
}
});
}
#Override
public void showToast() {
Toast.makeText(this, "Hello", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
All I want to tell you is that. If you create objects in a class, it cannot make unit testing. That's why you're not seeing any new objects calling in android. So, you can use a singleton pattern (Here is Lazy Type) in Presenter class. I'll remove its interface and Generic to see it clearly.
public class MainPresenter {
private static final MainPresenter mainPresenter = new MainPresenter();
MainPresenter() {}
public static MainPresenter getInstance() {
return mainPresenter;
}
//Some methods here can be get it once you create an object with getInstance();
}
And so you can get its methods from MainActivity like this.
Instead of creating objects like this...
MainPresenter mainPresenter = new MainPresenter();
You can get it like this...
MainPresenter mainPresenter = mainPresenter.getInstance();
More example for singleton pattern can be found here,
https://www.journaldev.com/1377/java-singleton-design-pattern-best-practices-examples
Finally, using static is not a very good choice because it uses memory space whether you use it or not. And so, you can create objects within Application Layer get it with a Typecasting. I'm sure you don't need to unit test that Application layer.
public class AppLayer extends Application {
private MainPresenter mainPresenter;
#Override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
mainPresenter = new MainPresenter();
}
public MainPresenter getMainPresenter() {
return mainPresenter;
}
And you need to give a class name within Application in manifest.xml
<application
android:name=".AppLayer"
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="#mipmap/ic_launcher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
android:roundIcon="#mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
android:supportsRtl="true"
android:theme="#style/AppTheme">
</application>
And you can get it with a Typecast in MainActivity like this!
MainPresenter mainPresenter = ((AppLayer)getApplication()).getMainPresenter();
For further studies, I suggest you learn ButterKnife, Dagger 2 and SOLID Principles. It will help you to create clean coding. Have fun!

You can do it. But just think that you will not have a reference to the activity, neither to it's attributes, including all the views. (unless you make them public or accessible with getters methods).
Also, be extra carefull with storing references to the activity or any members on the listener, since they might avoid the garbage collector from getting the listener memory back.

public class CommonClick {
public static void commonClick(final AppCompatActivity context){
context.findViewById(R.id.appbar).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
}
});
}
}

Android - event listener

I hope this will be simple question.
I have main activity, on this activity I create an instance of some class. How to send some event form one class to main one? How to setup some kind a listener to send notifications between classes. Only option what I know/use right now is to keep reference to parent class and call directly some function from child class.
I'm wonder if it possible to create something like is in ActionScript, where I can call to dispatchEvent(new Event("name")) and later setup addEventlistener("name" function) ??

If "I implement some class" means that you have declared a nested class inside your Activity class than nested non-static class will have a reference to parent class object.
In general, you can always create dispatcher/listener pattern your self. Create listener interface and add either addListener or setListener method to class that will dispatch event.
Example of listener:
public interface IAsyncFetchListener extends EventListener {
void onComplete(String item);
void onError(Throwable error);
}
Example of event dispatcher:
public class FileDownloader {
IAsyncFetchListener fetchListener = null;
...
private void doInBackground(URL url) {
...
if (this.fetchListener != null)
this.fetchListener.onComplete(result);
}
public void setListener(IAsyncFetchListener listener) {
this.fetchListener = listener
}
}
Example of class with event listener:
public class MyClass {
public void doSomething() {
FileDownloader downloader = new FileDownloader();
downloader.setListener(new IAsyncFetchListener() {
public void onComplete(String item) {
// do something with item
}
public void onError(Throwable error) {
// report error
}
});
downloader.start();
}
}

Just implement a listener(or a list of listeners) on the class that generates the events.
When an event is generated iterate over this list and call a method that all the listeners must implement (via an interface maybe?)
Hope it helped,
JQCorreia