Develop Reference

Action Bar Menu Items Duplicating on Run

I am very new to Java Programming and Android Studio.
While creating an Options Menu, I created a list of options in the main menu with two items in a group sub menu.
This is my menu.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
>
<item
android:id="#+id/giveup_setting"
android:orderInCategory="1"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom"
android:title="#string/action_option1"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/new_game_setting"
android:orderInCategory="2"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option2"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/help_setting"
android:orderInCategory="3"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option3"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/settings_setting"
android:orderInCategory="4"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option4" />
<menu>
<group android:checkableBehavior="single">
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_color"
android:orderInCategory="1"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/layout_color"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_text"
android:orderInCategory="2"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/layout_text"/>
</group>
</menu>
<item
android:id="#+id/about_setting"
android:orderInCategory="5"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option5"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/exit_setting"
android:orderInCategory="6"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option6"/>
</menu>
An this is how I inflate the menu in my MainActivity:
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
menu.clear();
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem menu) {
// Handle item selection
switch (menu.getItemId()) {
case R.id.help_setting:
//show help screens
return true;
case R.id.menu_color:
//change a layout of my main activity
return true;
case R.id.menu_text:
//change another layout of my main activity
return true;*/
case R.id.about_setting:
//show my about screen
return true;
case R.id.giveup_setting:
//resets the game
case R.id.new_game_setting:
//restarts the app
return true;
case R.id.exit_setting:
//exits the app
return true;
default:
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(menu);
}
}
On running the app, the menu populates but the "Settings" item (which has the nested group radio buttons) displays twice.
On running the app, the menu populates but the "Settings" item (which has the nested group radio buttons) displays twice.
What am I doing wrong?

if android:id="#+id/settings_setting" is the one you want to have a submenu don't close the item tag. Instead inflate <menu> inside the <item> tag.
<item
android:id="#+id/settings_setting"
android:orderInCategory="4"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/action_option4">
<menu>
<group android:checkableBehavior="single">
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_color"
android:orderInCategory="1"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/layout_color"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/menu_text"
android:orderInCategory="2"
app:showAsAction="never"
android:title="#string/layout_text"/>
</group>
</menu>
</item>

ActionBar icons not visible

I am adding icons to ActionBar, but instead of getting them on ActionBar, I get them in the menu option..
My Java Code-
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.dashboard, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.report) {
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),"Report",Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
My dashboard.xml
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
<item
android:id="#+id/share"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:title="Share on Whatsapp"
app:showAsAction="never"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/medication"
android:title="My Medications"
android:icon="#drawable/medication"
app:showAsAction="always"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/coc"
android:title="Add Circle of care"
android:icon="#drawable/add_icon"
app:showAsAction="always"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/report"
android:title="Report"
android:icon="#drawable/report"
app:showAsAction="always"/>
</menu>
Please tell what am I missing..
I have appcompat as library.
Thank you

Extended ActionBar or AppCompactActivity

First menu item has app:showAsAction="never", so others menu items will always be shown only in overflow menu.

How to edit the list in the right up corner that contains settings?

I tried
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
Log.v(
this.getClass().getName() + "!!!",
new Exception().getStackTrace()[0].getMethodName()
);
MenuItem m_item = (MenuItem)menu.findItem(R.id.action_settings);
if(m_item != null)
m_item.setTitle("Back to test");
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.settings, menu);
return true;
}
but it always gets null.And also,onCreate seems to have it as null as well. Is there a function that i can modify the text on it during runtime??? And if so, is there an easy way to find it?

You should add items in the menu xml. You can find it on the folder res/menu. There you have all the menus available for inflation.
I suppose that you have only one. This is how it could look with added options:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
<item
android:id="#+id/searchMain"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_action_search"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
android:title="Search"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/searchBarcodeScan"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
app:showAsAction="always|withText"
android:title="Scanner"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/seeList"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
android:title="See list"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/settings"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_settings"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
android:title="Settings"/>
</menu>
Then in your activity you can react to the option selected by overriding this method and doing things inside it:
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
switch (item.getItemId()) {
case R.id.searchMain:
doSomething();
return true;
case R.id.searchBarcodeScan:
doSomething2();
return true;
case R.id.seeList:
doSomething3();
return true;
case R.id.settings:
doSomething4();
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
EDIT
In order to change menus in runtime, you should call the method invalidateOptionsMenu(). This method will force the recreation of the menu and this time onPrepareOptionsMenu method will be called. You should override it in your Activity this way:
#Override
public boolean onPrepareOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
if(someCondition){
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main_menu, menu);
}
else if(someOtherCondition){
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.other_menu, menu);
}
return true;
}

Instead of
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.settings, menu);
do something like:
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu_custom, menu);
where res/menu/menu_custom.xml is something like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
<item android:id="#+id/menu_search"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_action_search"
android:title="#string/search"/>
<item android:id="#+id/menu_settings"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_action_settings"
android:title="#string/settings" />
</menu>
This will give you two items in the dropdown. It looks like your res/menu/settings.xml only has one item in it.

Adding a button to the Action Bar in Android?

For some reason, I cannot get my button to appear on the Action Bar. I have defined it in an XML file in /res/menu, along with inflating it and listening for an action. The icon is present in /res/drawable-hdpi. And nothing of interest shows in logcat. :(
XML:
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:id="#+id/logout"
android:icon="#drawable/logout"
android:title="Logout"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:showAsAction="always" />
</menu>
Code in main activity:
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
inflater.inflate(R.menu.main_activity_actions, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
// Handle presses on the action bar items
switch (item.getItemId()) {
case R.id.logout:
//logout code
return true;
default:
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
}
//rest of app
}
I followed this question for my initial problem, and it didn't help. How to add button in ActionBar(Android)?

Try with this change:
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:yourapp="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" >
<item android:id="#+id/logout"
android:icon="#drawable/logout"
android:title="Logout"
android:orderInCategory="100"
yourapp:showAsAction="always" />
</menu>

Vertical menu with menu button pressed

I would like to create a vertical menu to appear in the middle of the screen when the Menu button is pressed.I've implemented it and it appears in the bottom of the page but not the one i would like... Hereunder my code and my goal picture to achieve
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item
android:id="#+id/expandall"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:showAsAction="always"
android:title="Expand All"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/collapseall"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:showAsAction="withText"
android:title="Collapse All"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/myprofile"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:showAsAction="withText"
android:title="My Profile"/>
<item
android:id="#+id/signout"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:showAsAction="always"
android:title="Sign Out"/>
#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) {
switch (item.getItemId()) {
case R.id.collapseall:
// Single menu item is selected do something
collapseAll();
return true;
case R.id.expandall:
expandAll();
return true;
}
}