Develop Reference

Can't find the findViewById function

I'm an Android newbie working with the Eclipse IDE and the Android SDK. Anyway, I've watched a few tutorials and I can't seem to be able to call the findViewById() function.
I would appreciate if you could instruct me how to use it, if it's a method of a static class or something else.
Thanks, I'm sure this won't be a problem for the more advanced users!
Well the in response to the comments I'm trying to use it in an Activity.
Here's the code in there:
package tk.quiero.test1;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
// automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
// as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
}
Where exactly am I supposed to use it?
Thanks

findViewById is defined in the Activity class, so it sounds like you're trying to call this from outside of the Activity. If so, you should post what exactly you're trying to do because there are ways of doing this, but there's also a high likelihood that there's a cleaner or easier way than resolving UI elements outside of the Activity

public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
View view = findViewById(R.id.xxxxx)
}
replace xxxxx with the id that you've defined in your xml...which should look like #+id/xxxxx

New Android Project with Eclipse (Explanation of the Code)

I am new to programming Android. When I start a new Android Application Project in Eclipse it automatically opens 2 files for me:
MainActivity.java and fragment_main.xml
package com.example.testprogram;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBar;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.os.Build;
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
if (savedInstanceState == null) {
getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction()
.add(R.id.container, new PlaceholderFragment()).commit();
}
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
// automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
// as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
/**
* A placeholder fragment containing a simple view.
*/
public static class PlaceholderFragment extends Fragment {
public PlaceholderFragment() {
}
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View rootView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_main, container,
false);
return rootView;
}
}
}
and
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:paddingBottom="#dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
android:paddingLeft="#dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingRight="#dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingTop="#dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
tools:context="com.example.testprogram.MainActivity$PlaceholderFragment" >
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/hello_world" />
</RelativeLayout>
I wonder what all this stuff is. The Tutorials I watch always have a different code when they start a new project. For example the .xml file that Eclipse opens for them is named activity_main.xml (unlike mine which is named fragment_main.xml). Also their MainActivity.java has less methods integrated then mine.
Can Someone tell me wether that makes a huge difference and how i can maybe change that.

You are using latest one so it get like this. Don't worry about it.
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity
instead of
public class MainActivity extends Activity
Remove all code in your MainActivity except OnCreate(). Then you follow your tutorial.
You onCreate should be
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
}

Those are probably old tutorials (on Android platform even after couple of months an tutorial can become old), Android ADT is constantly changing. It now automatically adds an Activity and a Fragment to your project. Instead of just an Activity. You can still use knowledge from those tutorials and fit it into Fragments. Or delete Fragments and use only Activities. But Android is promoting the use of Fragments with Activities, not just mere Activities so you should learn how to use them.

Create New Project Like This:
Start `File->New->Android Application Project->Next->Next->Next->Select-> Empty Activity->Next->Finish

Get rid of fragments

I decided to not use fragments for now, although Android wants developers to now use it.
But I don't find it useful at the beginning. Unfortunately my IDE prepares everything to use fragments, so my question basically is, how to I get rid of everything, thats necessary for fragments? Is there a way to create a project without fragments? Thats what I did:
package com.pthuermer.juraquiz;
import java.io.IOException;
// import com.pthuermer.juraquiz.QuizActivity.PlaceholderFragment; // only necessary for Fragments
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBar;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.media.MediaPlayer;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.os.Build;
public class AppLaunch extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_app_launch);
/* FRAGMENTS
if (savedInstanceState == null) {
getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction()
.add(R.id.container, new PlaceholderFragment()).commit();
}
END FRAGMENTS */
// code goes here...
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.app_launch, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
// automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
// as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
/**
* A placeholder fragment containing a simple view.
* Useredit: not going to use fragments for now.
public static class PlaceholderFragment extends Fragment {
public PlaceholderFragment() {
}
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View rootView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_app_launch,
container, false);
return rootView;
}
}
*/
}

I think many people in the Android community will agree that fragments are not easy to handle and even draw new problems, some of them without even a decent proper solution.
Nevertheless, trying to remove all fragments from an app is not an easy task and might require good Android programming skills. You will have to convert your fragments either to views or activities, and that is not so easy to do, especially for activities containing multiple fragments.
The best option so far is to use mortar from Square, but this alternative is not totally ready and mature yet and using it requires, TMHO, advanced Android skills.
So, if I were a relatively new programmer in the Android world, I would keep fragments, get used to them, understand how they can be used to create reusable components and make apps that work on both phones and tablets.
After a while, when you will master them, you will find their drawbacks, and be able to look for alternatives.

I tried to study mortar from Square three times and still I haven't the slightest idea how to use it. So I went ahead and used Kotlin+Anko, switched all Fragments to Views and I'm more than happy - the code base is three times smaller, no dirty Fragment hacks, no NPEs that view has not been created for unknown reason, etc. Just implement views as follows:
class QuestionnaireView(ctx: Context, questions: List<Question>): _LinearLayout {
init {
orientation = LinearLayout.VERTICAL
for (question in questions) {
verticalLayout {
textView {
text = question.title
}.lparams(matchParent, wrapContent)
... etc - generate answer fields as necessary
}.lparams(matchParent, wrapContent)
}
}
}
Advantages:
Pass parameters using constructors like a human being, not via retarded arguments Bundle
No longer worry about the Fragment lifecycle and whether onCreateView() has yet been called or not.
Gets rid of exceptions thrown in Android's moveToState() mammoth method
Get rid of thousands layout.xml files stored in a single directory
Get rid of that styles.xml horrible mess
No need to define multiple layouts just to show a list+details on 720dp devices: just add if(screenWidthDp>=720) { detailView {} } to your init block.
Disadvantages:
No layout previews
Android Studio will become so slow it's almost useless.
You'll need to generate IDs for those views, otherwise their state will be lost on rotate

I don't know what is appcompat v_7 and why is it being add in every time when i create a new project ?

this code is about the default code of MainActivity.java
having problem to understand and also there is a another thing that is the fragmentaion_main.xml file which is likely another buden instead of activity_main.xml why it so ?
package com.example.onehello;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBar;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.os.Build;
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
if (savedInstanceState == null) {
getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction()
.add(R.id.container, new PlaceholderFragment()).commit();
}
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
// automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
// as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
/**
* A placeholder fragment containing a simple view.
*/
public static class PlaceholderFragment extends Fragment {
public PlaceholderFragment() {
}
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View rootView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_main, container,
false);
return rootView;
}
}
}

What is appcompat_v7?
It is the support library added for backwards compatibility. Android has many versions and each new version brings many changes to the API. So, for the older versions of Android to be compatible with the code written for the newer versions, the appcompat_v7 library is helpful.
Why is it being added every time I create a new project?
I assume that you are using Eclipse IDE for the development. Ideally, it would suffice to create one appcompat_v7 folder and make all the projects link to that folder for support library. But, there seems to be some bug in Eclipse. It creates a new appcompat_v7 folder each time a new project is created.
'fragment_main.xml' is like another burden?
Fragment class was introduced in Android API 11. It is useful in creating different layouts for tablets and phones. It is more of a good support to take advantage of the bigger screens on tablets. If you want to develop your application for a smart phone only, you need not even worry about it. So, it's more of an advantage than a burden.
For more reading on fragments, go to http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Fragment.html

This appears after installation "Android Support Library":
https://developer.android.com/tools/support-library/features.html

Fragments and Activities -- where do I put my application logic?

I have created my view how I want it to look. It has 1 images, an input box, and a button. I will want to load another activity when the button is clicked. I am confused why there are fragments and activities. I am new to the Android world (coming from iOS).
My understanding is that Activities are similar to ViewControllers, but I am not sure I understand what a fragment is.
Where do I put the event handling?
package com.phppointofsale.phppointofsale;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBar;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.os.Build;
public class StoreUrlActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_store_url);
if (savedInstanceState == null) {
getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction()
.add(R.id.container, new StoreUrlFragement()).commit();
}
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.store_url, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
// automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
// as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
/**
* A placeholder fragment containing a simple view.
*/
public static class StoreUrlFragement extends Fragment {
public StoreUrlFragement() {
}
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View rootView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_store_url,
container, false);
return rootView;
}
}
}

Firstly I would recommend reading this Fragments . Pay particular attention to the created fragment section, which includes the fragment life-cycle diagram. Second download and compile this Sample App,the effective navigation app will help you understand how different fragments work in tandem, and even implements a action bar.
To answer your question more or less a fragment can be thought of as a separate class. Once you call upon that particular fragment you can call functions from within that class.
Fragment Case-Switch
This is some sample code to show you what I mean.
public Fragment getItem(int i){
switch (i) {
case 0:
// The first section of the app is the most interesting -- it offers
// a launchpad into the other demonstrations in this example application.
return new LaunchpadSectionFragment();
case 1:
return new BluetoothClass();
default:
// The GPS section of the app .
Fragment fragment = new DummySectionFragment();
Bundle args = new Bundle();
args.putInt(DummySectionFragment.ARG_SECTION_NUMBER, i + 1);
fragment.setArguments(args);
return fragment;
}
}
In this case each fragment for me represented a class, which was implemented in a separate tab and each tab had a separate functionality. One of the key advantages of fragments is you can run separate activities without first letting one activity complete.
Furthermore each fragment is an extension of the java.lang.Object library. So it has all those functions + additional ones. I would read this as well. Lastly it would be a good idea to have separate xml files for each fragment then you can display that separately when a fragment is invoked.
Some more code
Each fragment will/could have this
public void onActivityCreated(Bundle savedInstanceState){
super.onActivityCreated(savedInstanceState);
// Do stuff on creation. This is usually where you add the bulk of your code. Like clickListners
View rootview = inflater.inflate(R.layout.xml_the_fragment_uses container,false);
rootview.findViewById(R.id.your_id).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
//Do something
}
});
}
public void onStart(){
super.onStart();
Toast.makeText(getActivity(), "Fragment started",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
public void onResume(){
super.onStart();
Toast.makeText(getActivity(), "Fragment Resumed",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
public void onStop(){
super.onStart();
Toast.makeText(getActivity(), "Fragment Stoped",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
disableBT();
}
Remember these functions are from the fragment life-cycle I mentioned earlier.
Hopefully that gave you some idea on fragments. Also remember to read this as a lot of functionality uses the v7 app compat library. Including the fragment manager.