Develop Reference

Android view doesn't update when trying to set values over time

I got a fragment which got a control called RingProgress which is simply a ring that fills itself according to a percentage value given. For example, if I do:
ringProgress.setProgress(20);
It means that 20% of the ring will now be filled.
What I'm trying to do is to animate the ring being filled over a few seconds. So what I've tried to do is this:
#Override
public void onResume()
{
super.onResume();
HandlerThread handlerThread = new HandlerThread("countdown");
handlerThread.start();
Handler handler = new Handler(handlerThread.getLooper());
handler.post(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
final Timer timer = new Timer();
timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new TimerTask()
{
int totalSeconds = secondsToStart + minutesToStart * 60;
int secondsPassed = 0;
#Override
public void run()
{
if(secondsPassed == totalSeconds)
{
timer.cancel();
}
final int currentProgress = (secondsPassed / totalSeconds) * 100;
secondsPassed++;
getActivity().runOnUiThread(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
mRingProgressBar.setProgress(currentProgress);
}
});
}
}, 0, 1000);
}
});
}
The problem is that the update of the ring is not shown until the time is up. For example, if I set it for 5 seconds then when the fragment loads the ring is set to 0, then nothing happens for 5 seconds and then the ring is full with 100% all at once..
How can I start this animation properly?

I guess the problem is with
final int currentProgress = (secondsPassed / totalSeconds) * 100;
secondsPassed / totalSeconds return int value so it will be 0 or 1 only. And you multiply it to 100.
You have to use float or double instead
something like
final int currentProgress = Math.round(((float) secondsPassed)/((float) totalSeconds)*100f);

On this line:
Handler handler = new Handler(handlerThread.getLooper());
You are trying to get the looper from a handlerThread. But how sure you are the looper has already been initialized?
From the documentation of getLooper()
This method returns the Looper associated with this thread. If this thread not been started or for any reason is isAlive() returns false, this method will return null. If this thread has been started, this method will block until the looper has been initialized.
onLooperPrepared() is the callback, where you can be sure, that the Looper has been initialized, and therefore you can construct logics on that.
Thus, what you have to do, is to subclass HandlerThread and create appropriate logics from onLooperPrepared() callback.
Here's a nice post which will help you out. See implementation of MyWorkerThread class there.

Instead of using a handler, you could use a property animator as follows:
ObjectAnimator.ofInt(mRingProgressBar, "progress", 0, 100)
.setDuration(totalSeconds * 1000) //time is in miliseconds
.start();
This will find a method setProgress() in your mRingProgressBarand set the value according to the limits given. In the example above, 0 to 100.
You can read more about it here

Since you want to run on a different thread, you can use this handler in the top of the class:
private int progress = 0;
Handler timerHandler = new Handler();
Runnable timerRunnable = new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
ringProgress.setProgress(progress);
progress += 20;
if (progress == 100) { //clear??
}
timerHandler.postDelayed(this, 1000);
}
};
In inCreate set the max:
ringProgress.setMax(100);
This will complete the animation within 5 seconds, then you can clear the animation. If you want smaller increments, change the line below (update every tenth of a second), and change the steps
timerHandler.postDelayed(this, 100);

How can I control a timer in android?

I want to make an application about mini game.
Detail : In 2 seconds you must to answer a question if you don't answer or the answer is wrong -> Game Over . But if your answer is true the Timer will reset become 0 and countdown again with diffirent question.
I have already seen many code about timer in website but I don't understand clearly about it :(
So I want to ask : How can i set up a timer run only 2 seconds and how can i reset it and continue with a new question ?
Please help me.

you can use CountDownTimer in android like this:
public class Myclass {
myTimer timer =new myTimer(2000,1000);
public void creatQuestion(){
timer.start();
//method you init question and show it to user
}
public void getUserAnswer(/*evry thing you expected*/)
{
//if answer is true call timer.start()
//else call timer.onFinish(); to run onfinish in timer
}
public class myTimer extends CountDownTimer {
public myTimer(long millisInFuture, long countDownInterval) {
super(millisInFuture, countDownInterval);
}
#Override
public void onTick(long millisUntilFinished) {
// you can update ui here
}
#Override
public void onFinish() {
this.cancel();
//fire game over event
}
}
}
i hope it make you satisfy

I've done something similar using Thread/Runnable.
Thread t = new Thread(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
final long startTime = getTime();
final long maxEndTime = startTime + 2000L;
try {
while (shouldContinueWaiting()) {
if (getTime() > maxEndTime) {
throw new TimeoutException();
}
sleep();
}
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
handleInterrupt();
} catch (TimeoutException e) {
handleTimeout();
}
}
boolean shouldContinueWaiting() {
// Has the user already answered?
}
void handleInterrupt() {
// The user has answered. Dispose of this thread.
}
void handleTimeout() {
// User didn't answer in time
}
void sleep() throws InterruptedException {
Thread.sleep(SLEEP_DURATION_IN_MILLIS);
}
void getTime() {
return System.currentTimeMillis();
}
then you can start/restart the thread by:
t = new Thread(same as above...);
t.start();
and stop by:
t.interrupt();

We want to use the Timer class.
private Timer timer;
When you're ready for the timer to start counting -- let's say it's after you press a certain button -- do this to start it:
timer = new Timer();
timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(incrementTime(), 0, 100);
The first line is us creating a new Timer. Pretty standard. The second line, however, is the one I wanted you to see.
incrementTime() is a method that is called at the end of every "tick" of the clock. This method can be called whatever you want, but it has to return an instance of TimerTask. You could even make an anonymous interface if you want, but I prefer moving it off into its own section of code.
The 0 is our starting location. We start counting from here. Simple.
The 100 is how large a "tick" of the clock is (in milliseconds). Here, it's every 100 milliseconds, or every 1/10 of a second. I used this value at the time of writing this code because I was making a stopwatch application and I wanted my clock to change every 0.1 seconds.
As for your project, I'd suggest making the timer's task be your question switch method. Make it happen every 2000 milliseconds, or 2 seconds.

You can use a Handler.
Handler h = new Handler();
h.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
//this will happen after 2000 ms
}
}, 2000);

Maybe this can help you:
Handler handler = new Handler();
handler.post(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
// FIRE GAME OVER
handler.postDelayed(this, 2000); // set time here to refresh textView
}
});
You can fire your game over after 2000 milliseconds.
If you get the question correct -> remove callback from handler and reset it when the next question starts.

Do an operation every 100ms for 1000 ms

I would like to do an operation every 100ms for 1000ms.
I believe I would need to use the
handler
How do I do that?

Handler h = new Handler();
int count = 0;
int delay = 100;//milli seconds
long now = 0;
h.postDelayed(new Runnable(){
public void run(){
now = System.currentTimeMillis();
//do something
if(10>count++)
h.postAtTime(this, now + delay);
},
delay};
Please note that your operation MUST take less then 100ms to execute or it will not be able to run every 100ms, this will be the case for all methods.

Timer t = new Timer();
int count = 0;
t.scheduleAtFixedRate(new TimerTask() {
count++;
// Do stuff
if (count >= 10)
t.cancel();
}, 0, 100);
This schedules a timer to execute a TimerTask, with a 0 millisecond delay. It will execute the body of the TimerTask every 100 milliseconds. Using count to keep track of where you are in the task, after 10 iterations, you may cancel the timer.
As #Jug6ernaut mentioned, ensure your task won't take long to execute. Lengthy tasks (ones that take longer than 100 milliseconds, in your case) will cause lag/potentially undesirable results.

You can do this by using a Timer.

I don't have time to test this right now, but this should work
This is one way:
Your methods you want to call from here will probably need to be static
This class can be nested in another class
You could use % (modulus) so the timer can keep counting up and you can set things to happen at more intervals
create this timer:
private Timer mTimer = new Timer();
to start this timer:
mTimer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new MyTask(), 0, 100L);
the timer class:
/**
* Nested timer to call the task
*/
private class MyTask extends TimerTask {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
counter++;
//call your method that you want to do every 100ms
if (counter == 10) {
counter = 0;
//call method you wanted every 1000ms
}
Thread.sleep(100);
} catch (Throwable t) {
//handle this - maybe by starting it back up again
}
}
}

How to run an async task for every x mins in android?

how to run the async task at specific time? (I want to run it every 2 mins)
I tried using post delayed but it's not working?
tvData.postDelayed(new Runnable(){
#Override
public void run() {
readWebpage();
}}, 100);
In the above code readwebpage is function which calls the async task for me..
Right now below is the method which I am using
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
readwebapage();
}
public void readWebpage() {
DownloadWebPageTask task = new DownloadWebPageTask();
task.execute("http://www.google.com");
}
private class DownloadWebPageTask extends AsyncTask<String, Void, String> {
#Override
protected String doInBackground(String... urls) {
String response1 = "";
response1=read();
//read is my another function which does the real work
response1=read();
super.onPostExecute(response1);
return response1;
}
protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
try {
Thread.sleep(100);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
TextView tvData = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.TextView01);
tvData.setText(result);
DownloadWebPageTask task = new DownloadWebPageTask();
task.execute(new String[] { "http://www.google.com" });
}
}
This is what I my code is and it works perfectly fine but the big problem I drains my battery?

You can use handler if you want to initiate something every X seconds. Handler is good because you don't need extra thread to keep tracking when firing the event. Here is a short snippet:
private final static int INTERVAL = 1000 * 60 * 2; //2 minutes
Handler mHandler = new Handler();
Runnable mHandlerTask = new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run() {
doSomething();
mHandler.postDelayed(mHandlerTask, INTERVAL);
}
};
void startRepeatingTask()
{
mHandlerTask.run();
}
void stopRepeatingTask()
{
mHandler.removeCallbacks(mHandlerTask);
}
Note that doSomething should not take long (something like update position of audio playback in UI). If it can potentially take some time (like downloading or uploading to the web), then you should use ScheduledExecutorService's scheduleWithFixedDelay function instead.

Use Handler and PostDelayed:
final Handler handler = new Handler();
handler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
readWebpage();
handler.postDelayed(this, 120000); //now is every 2 minutes
}
}, 120000); //Every 120000 ms (2 minutes)

you can use TimerTask instead of AsyncTask.
ex:
Timer myTimer = new Timer("MyTimer", true);
myTimer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new MyTask(), ASAP, TWO_MINUTES);
private class MyTask extends TimerTask {
public void run(){
readWebPage();
}
}

When phone goes to sleep mode, to save battery, and it is quite possible to happen within 2 mins interval, Handler.postDelayed() may miss scheduled time. For such activities you should use AlarmManager, get a lock with PowerManager to prevent going to sleep back while you're running the AsyncTask.
See my post with code sample here
Also you may want to read Scheduling Repeating Alarms

I suggest to go with Handler#postDelayed(Runnable). Keep in mind that this method will work only when your app is running (may be in background) but if user closes it manually or simply Android runs out of memory it'll stop working and won't be restarted again later - for that you need to use services.
final Handler handler = new Handler();
handler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
handler.postDelayed(this, 2 * 60 * 1000); // every 2 minutes
/* your code here */
}
}, 2 * 60 * 1000); // first run after 2 minutes
This code will wait 2 minutes, execute your code, and then keep doing that every 2 minutes. But if you want it to run instantly for the first time - and then start the wait-do loop, instead use:
final Handler handler = new Handler();
/* your code here */
new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
handler.postDelayed(this, 2 * 60 * 1000); // every 2 minutes
/* and also here - your code */
}
}.run();
or, if your code is longer than just one method (readWebsite() in this case), and you don't want that to be duplicated:
final Handler handler = new Handler();
handler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
handler.postDelayed(this, 2 * 60 * 1000); // every 2 minutes
/* your longer code here */
}
}, 0); // first run instantly
(^ this one is just like the first example but has a 0ms delay before first run instead of 2 minutes)
(This answer is based on #Devashish Mamgain's one but I added too much details for an edit so I had to add a new one)

Try extending the Thread class, set a sleep time of 2000 millis and place your call into the run method. That should do it.

Execute multiple messages(Runnables) then he should use the Looper class which is responsible for creating a queue in the thread. For example, while writing an application that downloads files from the internet, we can use Looper class to put files to be downloaded in the queue. This will help you to perform async task in android...
HandlerThread hThread = new HandlerThread("HandlerThread");
hThread.start();
Handler handler = new Handler(hThread.getLooper());
final Handler handler1 = new Handler(hThread.getLooper());
final long oneMinuteMs = 60 * 1000;
Runnable eachMinute = new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
Log.d(TAG, "Each minute task executing");
handler1.postDelayed(this, oneMinuteMs);
sendPostRequest();
}
};
// sendPostRequest();
// Schedule the first execution
handler1.postDelayed(eachMinute, oneMinuteMs);

You can use Time with Handler and TimerTask
final Handler handler = new Handler();
Timer timer = new Timer();
TimerTask backtask = new TimerTask() {
#Override
public void run() {
handler.post(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
//To task in this. Can do network operation Also
Log.d("check","Check Run" );
} catch (Exception e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
}
}
});
}
};
timer.schedule(backtask , 0, 20000); //execute in every 20000 ms*/
You can check logcat to verify whether is running or not using 'check' tag name

You could run a loop within the AsyncTask that sleeps for two seconds between doing the tasks. Something like this:
protected Result doInBackground (Params... params) {
while (!interrupted) {
doWork();
Thread.sleep(2000);
}
}

How to change a TextView every second in Android

I've made a simple Android music player. I want to have a TextView that shows the current time in the song in minutes:seconds format. So the first thing I tried was to make the activity Runnable and put this in run():
int position = 0;
while (MPService.getMP() != null && position<MPService.duration) {
try {
Thread.sleep(1000);
position = MPService.getSongPosition();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
return;
}
// ... convert position to formatted minutes:seconds string ...
currentTime.setText(time); // currentTime = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.current_time);
But that fails because I can only touch a TextView in the thread where it was created. So then I tried using runOnUiThread(), but that doesn't work because then Thread.sleep(1000) is called repeatedly on the main thread, so the activity just hangs at a blank screen. So any ideas how I can solve this?
new code:
private int startTime = 0;
private Handler timeHandler = new Handler();
private Runnable updateTime = new Runnable() {
public void run() {
final int start = startTime;
int millis = appService.getSongPosition() - start;
int seconds = (int) ((millis / 1000) % 60);
int minutes = (int) ((millis / 1000) / 60);
Log.d("seconds",Integer.toString(seconds)); // no problem here
if (seconds < 10) {
// this is hit, yet the text never changes from the original value of 0:00
currentTime.setText(String.format("%d:0%d",minutes,seconds));
} else {
currentTime.setText(String.format("%d:%d",minutes,seconds));
}
timeHandler.postAtTime(this,(((minutes*60)+seconds+1)*1000));
}
};
private ServiceConnection onService = new ServiceConnection() {
public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName className,
IBinder rawBinder) {
appService = ((MPService.LocalBinder)rawBinder).getService();
// start playing the song, etc.
if (startTime == 0) {
startTime = appService.getSongPosition();
timeHandler.removeCallbacks(updateTime);
timeHandler.postDelayed(updateTime,1000);
}
}

what about this:
int delay = 5000; // delay for 5 sec.
int period = 1000; // repeat every sec.
Timer timer = new Timer();
timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new TimerTask()
{
public void run()
{
//your code
}
}, delay, period);

Use a Timer for this (instead of a while loop with a Thread.Sleep in it). See this article for an example of how to use a timer to update a UI element periodically:
Updating the UI from a timer
Edit: updated way-back link, thanks to Arialdo: http://web.archive.org/web/20100126090836/http://developer.android.com/intl/zh-TW/resources/articles/timed-ui-updates.html
Edit 2: non way-back link, thanks to gatoatigrado: http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2007/11/stitch-in-time.html

You have to use a handler to handle the interaction with the GUI. Specifically a thread cannot touch ANYTHING on the main thread. You do something in a thread and if you NEED something to be changed in your main thread, then you call a handler and do it there.
Specifically it would look something like this:
Thread t = new Thread(new Runnable(){
... do stuff here
Handler.postMessage();
}
Then somewhere else in your code, you do
Handler h = new Handler(){
something something...
modify ui element here
}
Idea its like this, thread does something, notifies the handler, the handler then takes this message and does something like update a textview on the UI thread.

This is one more Timer example and I'm using this code in my project.
https://stackoverflow.com/a/18028882/1265456

I think the below blog article clearly gives a very nice solution. Especially, if you are a background service and want to regularly update your UI from this service using a timer-like functionality.
It really helped me, much more than the 2007 blog link posted by MusiGenesis above.
https://www.websmithing.com/2011/02/01/how-to-update-the-ui-in-an-android-activity-using-data-from-a-background-service/