Can I use Deprecated methods? - android

Are there any disadvantages to using deprecated methods in my code?
For example, I am using view.setBackgroundDrawable(background) in api 19 and it's working fine, but I want to know the proper way.

The main disadvantage is that the API might not be available in future versions, which will increase the cost of updating your application. It's also an indication that the SDK developers believe that there is a "better way" to do what you want to do.
Thus, in the end, it's a cost/value tradeoff: If the deprecated method is easy to replace, use the replacement. If it isn't, it's up to you to decide whether developing the "future-proof" way is worth the additional effort.
For example:
setBackgroundDrawable can easily be replaced by setDrawable (see the comment in the documentation of setBackgroundDrawable).
On the other hand, startManagingCursor is much harder to replace, so one might put off transitioning to ContentProvider until there is no other option.

Related

Is it ok to use deprecated themes for TimePicker

So some users doesn't like the Material Time Picker theme and would like the old (deprecated) theme
but I was wondering if it was 'ok' to use it. I understand deprecated methods are dangerous but is it the same thing for a Theme ?
I need to use the deprecated AlertDialog.THEME_HOLO_LIGHT instead of the Material alternative
While deprecated means "this is going to be removed, so better do not touch" it will still work unless it stop in future due to i.e. being completely removed. So it is not advised to use any deprecated elements in newly written code because that is just creating pure technical debt which you will have to pay off in the future. You better look how to achieve your goal without touching tainted features to save yourself from the need of future refactoring.
Yes you can use deprecated methods as long as the depreciated method exists.
Deprecated method means that there is a better way is available to do that particular task. Deprecated method might be removed in future version.

When is it appropriate to use a deprecated method in android

I was about to use the android class Sound Pool when I noticed it has become deprecated. Should I try to find the newest version every-time or just use the deprecated method?
Real answer? Never.
It is deprecated for a reason. Deprecated methods are methods that will not be updated and may cease to be supported at all. Try to find the newest way of doing what you want to do with the most up-to-date API.
From: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/lang/Deprecated.html
A program element annotated #Deprecated is one that programmers are discouraged from using, typically because it is dangerous, or because a better alternative exists.
There is a better way to do it, but that doesn't mean you cant do it. You are probably safe, but you will have to keep an eye on performance, especially for android.

Intergrate camera without deprecated methods and backwards support

I want to build an application where the front camera of the device is used to project the current image to a SurfaceView. All the tutorials I found so far implement this by using a Camera object from the android.hardware package.
This method, however, seems to be deprecated. When trying the 'new' preferred way to implement this feature following the Android documentation, I get the warning it can only be used with API level 21, which is pretty useless.
So I would like to know the currently preferred way to implement camera functionality in an application. Or is there maybe some support library for API levels lower than 21?
Thanks in advance.
Deprecated interface does not mean you should not use it. It means you should know that it will be phasing out in the future.
As a general rule, it is better to use a newer interface if possible, in order to avoid the need to update the software later.
The fact that API level 21 does not yet have a large enough market share means that you are probably better off using the old interface for now, and keep in mind that in a year or two, you may need to update the implementation.
I think you can implement the camera function in both sets of API and check the device`s build version first then decided to call which one implementation.
eg:
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP){
openCameraNewAPI();
}else{
openCameraOldAPI();
}

Is it safe to use the deprecated Android class (Gallery)?

I realized that Gallery class in Android is deprecated, but I can still build my application and it runs correctly.
I don't care much about performance, since it will contain 2-3 pictures at most.
What I'm wondering is, is it safe to use Gallery ?
Will it work in all devices (including API > 16)?
And I hope that Android Dev Team replaces Gallery with another widget, instead of making us write our own galleries using HorizontalScrollView etc.
There are certain functionality deprecated by the Android Engineers just to make the developers use a newer implementation of the same. For example the Dialog Fragment requires a lot of coding to do the same task a showDialog() can possibly do. You are completely safe on this one as far as I know. At the same time, there are some other deprecation made due to security issues as well. In the case of Gallery, I understand that there is nothing wrong with using the deprecated class, except that it is deprecated. You are safe.

What does "This method is deprecated" mean for application developers

I see quite a few good old useful methods or even entire classes being "deprecated and obsolete".
But code that used to call those methods continues to work. So, what does this mean to me, as an Android applications developer?
Continue using this method as long as I want, because newer SDKs
will always remain backward compatible.
It will work as long as I build for older targets (e.g. API 8), but
if I build from API 14 up, the compiler will refuse to complete
the build.
Both (1) and (2)
Other?
This is especially confusing when no alternatives are provided, as in the case of WebView.PictureListener.html#onNewPicture.
It usually means that there's either a better way of doing things or that the deprecated functionality had some irreparable flaw and should be avoided. You can usually keep using deprecated methods, but you are advised to either switch to some new API (in the first case) or find some other way of doing what you want (in the second).
Regarding onNewPicture in particular, the entire PictureListener interface is deprecated. There's no sign of what, if anything, is supposed to replace it. A comment by #CommonsWare in this thread is food for thought:
It is conceivable that upstream changes in WebKit are driving the deprecation and that support for PictureListener might be totally lost in some future release.
I would go with 4:
It will basically tell you that the use of the method or class is discouraged; it is NOT 100% that they will keep backward compatibility (they can decide to not include that method in future releases), so you should try to use the replacement of the method or class. This is sometimes not possible to use the new methods (for instance, if you want to support devices running older versions).
Some other times it is actually possible. For instance, the showDialog method is now deprecated and they recommend to use DialogFragment class. You can achieve that even in older versions of Android by using the compatibility library.
Deprecated methods are not guaranteed to remain backwards compatible. They might remain in there for a few more releases just to give everyone a chance to migrate away from them before the developers remove them. The fact that they're deprecated means that the developers think that there's an easier, faster, neater, or otherwise better way to do whatever that class or method does.
It's probably better to change your code to use a non-deprecated interface now, since if you wait and it does get removed, your users will see crashes and errors.
Even when they are deprecated, they may compile but not work. Google has decided to delete various functionality at the low OS level.
Case in point. Google, at android release 2.3 deprecated many but not all method API's that allowed call recording. They compile OK but do not function since Android 2.3 and forward on any android phone device, or tablet with phone capabilities.
As an example for a deprecated interface that has been removed in a later API level, consider the org.apache.http package: It has been deprecated in API level 22 and removed in API level 23.
Of course on actual Android devices, the classes contained in that package will still be available in the system libraries (otherwise, applications targeting an older Android release would no longer run on that device).
They are however not available in the SDK anymore, so compilation will fail unless you either change the target/build SDK to an older version (or manually include the deprecated classes).
If Google were really determined to discourage use of those libraries, they could modify the implementation so that the affected classes check the target API version of the running application and complain and/or throw a runtime exception.

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