Develop Reference

Adding buttons on top of activity

I want to add some buttons on top of the activity layout (marked it in the picture) but could not find how to do this. What phrases should i search for?

The buttons that appear there (both text and icons) are items in what's called the Options Menu. Developer guides for creating options menus are here: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/menus.html#options-menu

As Ben P said, thats called Menu.
You need to create an XML with the options, and in the activity render the XML.
Example, lets call this menu_test.xml
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
tools:context=".MainActivity" >
<item android:id="#+id/action_download"
android:title="#string/download_information"
android:orderInCategory="100"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_file_download_white_24dp"
app:showAsAction="always" />
</menu>
As you can see on the guide, showAsAction will display the icon if have one, or the title if it hasnt. If you remove that line, its added to the three points button.
Now in the activity
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu_test, menu);
return true;
}
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
int id = item.getItemId();
if (id == R.id.action_download) {
//YOUR METHOD HERE
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
Hope it helps.

You need to remove actionbar from activity. You can set NoActionBar theme for the activity. And in your layout xml, you can add toolbar which includes buttons like following code.
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
android:id="#+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#131313"
android:minHeight="?attr/actionBarSize">
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:background="#00aaaaaa"
android:layout_gravity="right"
android:layout_height="match_parent">
<Button
android:text="Delete"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:background="#000"
android:textColor="#fff"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textSize="16dp" />
</LinearLayout>
</android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar>
And in onCreate() function, you can add following code:
Toolbar topToolBar = (Toolbar) findViewById(R.id.toolbar);
setSupportActionBar(topToolBar);
ActionBar actionBar = getSupportActionBar();;
actionBar.setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(true);

Object reference becomes null on invoking findViewById() method

I'm learning actionviews and was following this short tutorial:
http://wptrafficanalyzer.in/blog/adding-custom-action-view-to-action-bar-in-android/
But I don't know why the EditText object becomes null at the runtime. Please help me with this.
MainActivity:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
/** Create an option menu from res/menu/items.xml */
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.items, menu);
/** Get the action view of the menu item whose id is search */
View v = (View) menu.findItem(R.id.search).getActionView();
/** Get the edit text from the action view */
EditText txtSearch = ( EditText ) v.findViewById(R.id.txt_search);
/** Setting an action listener */
txtSearch.setOnEditorActionListener(new TextView.OnEditorActionListener() {
#Override
public boolean onEditorAction(TextView v, int actionId, KeyEvent event) {
Toast.makeText(getBaseContext(), "Search : " + v.getText(), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
return false;
}
});
return super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
}
}
items.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/photo"
android:title="Photo"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
/>
<item
android:id="#+id/video"
android:title="Video"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
/>
<item
android:id="#+id/mobile"
android:title="Mobile"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText"
/>
<item
android:id="#+id/search"
android:title="Search"
app:showAsAction="ifRoom|collapseActionView"
android:actionLayout="#layout/search_layout"
/>
</menu>
search_layout.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="horizontal">
<EditText
android:id="#+id/txt_search"
android:inputType="text"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
/>
</RelativeLayout>

In your comment you stated the xml file names are search_layout.xml and items.xml. Now, in your code, you'll notice this line:
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
And this is important, so listen up: This line of code basically says, here is the corresponding xml file (layout resource element) that belongs to this java class. Now, what is the point of this? Well, if you want to access something that is in the content of an xml file called hello, and change the image of an image button, you cant do it until you specify where that image button is.
XML: I'm what the screen looks like!
Java: I'm what to do with some screen. What screen? Well, that screen is described in the setContentView line.
So, as you go deeper into android, you will start to get more and more XML files, and you need to specify which one you are talking about, so that the java (which is the brain of your program) knows what to do and where to do it.
Hope this helped, let me know if it did!
Ruchir

Your setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); layout is referencing to the wrong file. Change to (i guess is that the name of the file) setContentView(R.layout.search_layout);

Apply a layout to ActionBar menu item and make it clickable

I am trying to use icon fonts with ActionBar menu item using a custom layout. Applying a layout to the menu item does solve the problem and the icon font renders perfect but doing so make the menu item un-clickable. Is there a way to solve this?
I am trying to avoid using a custom action bar because I want to use font icons instead of images.
Here is my code so far:
layout.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="48dp"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_gravity="right">
<TextView
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
style="#style/action_bar_icons"
android:text="#string/ic_sliders"
android:clickable="true"/>
</RelativeLayout>
menu.xml
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
tools:context="com.hackerrank.projectx.SearchResultsActivity">
<item
android:id="#+id/action_filters"
android:title="#string/action_filters"
android:showAsAction="always"
android:onClick="onFilterClick"
android:actionLayout="#layout/action_search_result_filter" />
<item
android:id="#+id/action_toggle_view"
android:title="#string/action_custom_view"
/>
</menu>

You Can setOnClickListener on the actionLayout something like this
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
getMenuInflater().inflate(mMenuResource, menu);
MenuItem item = menu.findItem(R.id.notfication);
FrameLayout badgeLayout = (FrameLayout) MenuItemCompat.getActionView(item);
badgeLayout.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
Intent not = new Intent(DrawerActivity.this,NotificationActivity.class);
not.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TOP);
startActivity(not);
}
});
return super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
}

If you are using it inside a fragment try this:
onCreateView()
{
setHasOptionMenu(true);
...`enter code here`
}

OnOptionsItemSelected not being called for Action Bar Menu Item with custom actionLayout

I'm trying to implement a notification icon in my actionbar to show the count of notifications. Something like
I've added a custom layout file for it NotificationIcon.xml:
<!-- Menu Item Image -->
<ImageButton
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:padding="2dp"
android:clickable="true"
android:src="#drawable/notification" />
<!-- Badge Count -->
<TextView
android:id="#+id/actionbar_notifcation_textview"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="20dp"
android:minWidth="20dp"
android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
android:gravity="center_horizontal"
android:background="#drawable/circle_green"
android:fontFamily="sans-serif-black"
android:textStyle="bold"
android:text="0"
android:textColor="#FFFFFF" />
</RelativeLayout>
And used it in my menu as main_activity_actions.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item
android:id="#+id/action_add"
android:title="#string/AddTag"
android:icon="#+drawable/ic_action_new"
android:showAsAction="always" />
<item
android:id="#+id/notification_icon"
android:title="#string/PendingJobs"
android:actionLayout="#layout/notificationIcon"
android:icon="#+drawable/notification"
android:showAsAction="always" />
<item
android:id="#+id/gps_status_icon"
android:title="#string/GPS"
android:icon="#+drawable/gps_grey"
android:showAsAction="always" />
</menu>
The UI looks fine but the OnOptionsItemSelected is not being called for the notification icon. It works fine for the other two.
I did google this and ound this link: onOptionsItemSelected not getting called when using custom action view
I tried to implement it in my main activity:
public override bool OnCreateOptionsMenu(IMenu menu)
{
actionBarMenu = menu;
MenuInflater.Inflate(Resource.Menu.main_activity_actions, menu);
var notificationMenuItem = menu.FindItem(Resource.Id.notification_icon);
notificationMenuItem.ActionView.Click += (sender, args) => {
this.OnOptionsItemSelected(notificationMenuItem);
};
return base.OnCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
}
but it does not works for me. It never fires the click event.
Please help.

#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
MenuInflater inflater = getSupportMenuInflater();
inflater.inflate(R.menu.main_activity_actions, menu);
final View notification_icon= menu.findItem(R.id.notification_icon).getActionView();
notification_icon.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
// write ur code here
}
});
return super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
}
use this code......hope it helps :)

i struggle with the same Problem and found following Solution:
First of all: i really don't know why but if you delete the
android:clickable="true"
then ... and ONLY then you get the click event!!!
Second: you have to set the Listener...
...
item.getActionView().setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
//Do Your Stuff.....
}
});
May someone can Explain why this is with the "android:clickable" Thing... i tough the standard value IS true??

You had made ImageButton clickable, and then written the clickListener for the Layout of menuItem. You can observe that if you click outside the ImageButton but inside the MenuItem layout, your listener will work. The reason is simple clickListener for ImageButton has nothing to do, on setting Clickable = true defines whether this button reacts to click events. Just simply set Clickable = false, your button will not react to its click event, eventually your whole layout will react to your defined clickListener and then your problem will be solved.

How to set spinner in action bar for android application?

I am using action bar for my application. I am getting my preview in device like this
My spinner didn't set properly. I added button as item in menu. My code is here... http://pastie.org/8482541
When i run in my device only it shows some what different.
How can i do this? Can any body help me? Thanks in advance.

try like this for each menu item you want
#Override
public boolean onPrepareOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
MenuItem item = menu.findItem(R.id.item1);
item.getActionView().setBackgroundDrawable(new ColorDrawable(/*some color you need */));
return super.onPrepareOptionsMenu(menu);
}
use this custom menu
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<item android:id="#id/item1"
android:showAsAction="always"
android:actionLayout="#layout/action_text"/>
</menu>

Use this:
You need to take one button and set any image as its background.Then on click of the button call Spinner.performClick() to open the spinner.
Below is code to implement the same thing. In xml file:
<Button
android:id="#+id/font"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
android:layout_marginLeft="50dp"
android:layout_weight="0.5"
android:background="#drawable/textsel" />
<Spinner
android:id="#+id/spin"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center_vertical"
android:layout_marginLeft="10dp"
android:layout_weight="0.5"
android:dropDownHorizontalOffset="0dp"
android:dropDownVerticalOffset="20dp"
android:dropDownWidth="500dp"
android:paddingTop="2sp"
android:spinnerMode="dropdown" >
</Spinner>
In Java class:
Spinner spin = (Spinner) findViewById(R.id.spin);
Button typetext = (Button) findViewById(R.id.font);
typetext.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
spin.performClick();
}
});