Is there any way to access a layout's view from a non-Activity-derived class? I'm creating an Accordion class and need to access some of the activity's UI elements. I'm passing in the activity's context to my accordion class's constructor, but the findViewById API is only available from the Activity class. I also don't want to pass in an instance of my activity since that seems to be frowned upon due to potential memory leaks.
I'm pretty sure you can just pass an activity as a parameter, e.g.
public void initSouthViews(Activity activity) {
for (int i = 0; i < southScores_.length; ++i) {
southScores_[i] = (EditText) activity.findViewById(10);
}
}
Here is something that might be helpful.
public interface IViewRequest {
public View requestViewByID(int id);
}
public class MyActivity extends Activity {
private IViewRequest viewRequest = new IViewRequest(){
public View requestViewByID(int id){
return findViewById(id);
});
}
public class Accordion(){
private IViewRequest viewRequest;
public Accordion(IViewRequest viewRequest){
this.viewRequest = viewRequest;
}
private View findViewById(int id){
return viewRequest.requestViewByID(id);
}
}
I have never tried something like this. I also don't know if it won't cuase any memory leaks. But it does what you asked :) "Calling findViewById() from outside an activity"
Activity's context is in fact the Activity class itself. Assuming that this object will live inside only one Activity, it should be safe to pass object of type Activity to it. Otherwise, think about reengineering your Accordion class.
I passed in an instance of one of the Views into the class's constructor.
Related
public class CartMain extends BasicFragment implements EditMenuInterface {...}
public abstract class BasicFragment extends Fragment {
protected ArrayList<Integer> selectedElements = new ArrayList<>();
protected RecyclerView listView;
protected ObservableArrayList<?> list;
protected boolean editMode = false;;
protected View managementMenu
... methods...
}
I would like to initialize the parameters in BasicFragments in the CartMain class, but since i cant use constructrs i dont know how is the right way to do it.
I'm doing like this:
CartMain Class
#Override
public View onCreateView...{
mainView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_cart_main, container, false);
listView = view.findById...
list = cartDAO.getAll();
listView = mainView.findViewById(R.id.cart_list_itemCarts);
}
But i dont know if its correct, because when we use constructors its obrigatory initializate the super class atributes, but using onCreateView its not obrigatory.
There are a few points about your fragment:
be sure to declare an empty public constructor with no arguments:
public CartMain(){}
without that public empty constructor, Android will crash if you put your calling activity onPause and if it gets garbag-collected after some time.
Android will look for this empty public constructor to reinstantiate your fragment in onResume from the main thread.
The variables values initialized in the onCreateView will be used as default values after onStart, onPause etc. if the app return back to work after being stopped and garbage collected. Not variables, in the class constructor.
Therefore, do all your default initialization in the onCreateView.
You can do it in the super class's onCreateView.
If some initialization is done in the superclass, then in the subclass add the super method right at the start on your onCreateView.
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflator li...{
super(li... // This will call onCeateView in your super class
... // where you can initialize 'common-for-all' values, setup listeners
...
// do everything else
return mainView;
}
And the end of your onCreateView place return mainView; that you have inflated. The view that you return is the view that will appear on the screen.
Don't use initialization through the constructor outside onCreateView, because if, due to the app going to pause it gets garbage collected, it won't be able to re-initialize.
To verify that your fragment works correctly, use Developer mode (with the settings: Restriction - No background processes, Do not keep activities in memory - or similar settings).
I have a class called myConstants and in it i list all my constants so when i need them I just reference MyConstants.MYCONSTANT. However, i would like to implement something like this for methods. i am repeating a lot of code, for instance, i have a formatCalendarString(Calendar c) method in 3 activities. seems redundant and unecessary. but i cant make them static because i get static calling non-static errors and the only other way i can think is to make a MyConstant object then call public functions off that object, like this...
MyConstants myConstants = new MyConstants();
myConstants.formatCalendarString(Calendar.getInstance());
is there some way i can just call the formatCalendarString() inside MyConstants class without generating an object?
You can use singleton pattern to cache instances. Keeping methods in something like parent activity does not make any sense (as primary role of activity is user interaction).
Example:
public class MyConstants {
private static MyConstants ourInstance;
private MyConstants() {
//private constructor to limit direct instantiation
}
public synchronized static MyConstants getInstance() {
//if null then only create instance
if (ourInstance ==null) {
ourInstance = new MyConstants();
}
//otherwise return cached instance
return ourInstance;
}
}
You just need a private constructor and public static method that would only generate instance if it is null.
Then, call MyConstants.getInstance().whateverMethod(). It will create only single instance.
However when using singleton, please keep memory leaks in mind. Do not pass activity context directly inside singletons.
If you want to have all methods in activities, you can put then in abstract class BaseActivity, which extends Activity, and then make your activities extends BaseActivity. However, if these methods doesn't correspond to something about activity, I suggest some Singleton or Util class
I agree with Pier Giorgio Misley. It's also good to add a private constructor, because you don't obviously want to instantiate an object.
Can't you just use a parent class? That way you can just inherit the methods and manage in one source. Then you don't have to use static functions then.
Edit: Like Tomasz Czura said, just extend the Class.
public class ParentClass {
public void commonMethod(){
}
}
public class OtherClass extends ParentClass{
}
You can use the Static keyword.
Static methods can be referenced from outside without istantiating the new object.
Just create a class:
public class MyClassContainingMethods{
public static String MyStaticMethod(){
return "I am static!";
}
}
Now call it like
String res = MyClassContainingStaticMethods.MyStaticMethod();
Hope this helps
NOTE
You CAN call non-static from static by doing something like this:
public static void First_function(Context context)
{
SMS sms = new SMS();
sms.Second_function(context);
}
public void Second_function(Context context)
{
Toast.makeText(context,"Hello",1).show(); // This i anable to display and cause crash
}
Example taken from here, you will obiouvsly have to fit it into your needs
I am trying of access a view from a non activity class, but I am not sure how to do it
After looking at some other sources, I understand I must pass the Context like this
public Manager(Context c) {
context = c;
}
but when I try c.findViewById() it doesnt work. How do you do this?
Try this
public Manager(Activity a) {
Activity = a;
}
then do
a.findViewById
If you make your view a public static variable, you can access it from anywhere in your application.
for example:
In your Activity class, use
public static TextView mTextView = null;
In its onCreate(), initialize the TextView.
Now from any other class, you can always use:
myActivity.mTextView
to access the TextView
I'm dealing with fragments.
I have an Activity and different fragments.
Each fragment need the access to a Class(call it X) that allow it to access a database, but, because I have a lot of fragments, I don't want to create a different instance of the Class X in every fragment as I think it will require lots of memory.
So how can I do?
I wrote something like this (with a getter), but it doesn't work!
public class MyActivity {
private ClassX classx;
.....
public ClassX getClassX() {
return classx;
}
.....
}
But than, how can I call it from the fragment?
From the fragment call your activity's method
((MyActivity ) getActivity()).getClassX() ;
This is a little bit more of a Java question and android.
If you looking at accessing the database, look at creating a database singleton.
So something like:
public class Database {
// This starts off null
private static Database mInstance;
/**
* Singleton method, will return the same object each time.
*/
public static final Database getInstance() {
// First time this method is called by Database.getInstance() from anywhere
// in your App. It will create this Object once.
if(mInstance == null) mInstance = new Database();
// Returns the created object from a statically assigned field so its never
// destroyed until you do it manually.
return mInstance;
}
//Private constructor to stop you from creating this object by accident
private Database(){
//Init db object
}
}
So then from your fragments and activities you can then place the following field in your class's (Better use use a base activity and fragment to save you repeating code).
public abstract class BaseFragment extends Fragment {
protected final Database mDatabase = Database.getInstance();
}
Then your concrete fragments can extend your BaseFragment e.g. SearchListFragment extends BaseFragment
Hope this helps.
Worth reading about singletons and database
Regards,
Chris
Define an interface called Callbacks (or something else if you want). In it, have a public method called getClassX(). Then make your Activity implement the Callbacks interface.
In your Fragments, in onAttach, store a reference to a Callbacks object (i.e. your activity via something like:
if(activity instanceof Callbacks)
mCallbacks = (Callbacks)activity;
This will guarantee that the Fragments are able to call the function. (in case you want to reuse the fragments later in another app)
Then in your Activity, in onCreate(), create an instance of ClassX. In your getClassX() method, just return a reference to it.
When you want a reference to it from your Fragments, call mCallbacks.getClassX() and you should be sorted.
You can use a static object in your activity, and use it from the fragment, or call the getActivity() method in your fragment to access the whole activity objects/methods
I often find myself needing to access methods that require referencing some activity. For example, to use getWindowManager, I need to access some Activity. But often my code for using these methods is in some other class that has no reference to an activity. Up until now, I've either stored a reference to the main activity or passed the context of some activity to the class. Is there some better way to do this?
If you already have a valid context, just use this:
Activity activity = (Activity) context;
Passing context is better way for refrence Activity.
You can pass Context to another class.
IN Activity ::
AnotherClass Obj = new AnotherClass(this);
IN Another Class
class AnotherClass{
public AnotherClass(Context Context){
}
}
You can implement the necessary methods in your activity and implement a Handler. Then, simply pass a handler instance to your classes, where you can obtain a message for handler and send it to target.
You can make you application instance a singleton, and use it when you need a Context
An example is in this question:
Android Application as Singleton
This way, when you need a Context, you can get it with
Context context = MyApplication.getInstance()
This might not be the cleanest solution, but it has worked well for me so far
I found a way to get the Activity to a non-activity class that I have not seen discussed in forums. This was after numerous failed attempts at using getApplicationContext() and of passing the context in as a parameter to constructors, none of which gave Activity. I saw that my adapters were casting the incoming context to Activity so I made the same cast to my non-activity class constructors:
public class HandleDropdown extends Application{
...
public Activity activity;
...
public HandleDropdown() {
super();
}
public HandleDropdown(Activity context) {
this.activity = context;
this.context = context;
}
public void DropList(View v,Activity context) {
this.activity = context;
this.context = context;
...
}
After doing this cast conversion of Context to Activity I could use this.activity wherever I needed an Activity context.
I'm new to android so my suggestion may look guffy but what if you'll just create a reference to your activity as private property and assign that in OnCreate method? You can even create your CustomActivity with OnCreate like that and derive all your activities from your CustomActivity, not the generic Activity provided by android.
class blah extends Activity{
private Activity activityReference;
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
activityReference = this;
}
}
after that you could use that the way you want, i.e. in
Intent i = new Intent(activityReference, SomeOtherActivity.class)
etc
There are many ways for Activities communication.
you can use:
the startActivityForResult method
a system of broadcast message and receiver (you can broadcast an event from the actual activity, and register a receiver in the target activity. Remember that the target activity must be previously initialized and non finished)
as you say, store a reference of the target activity wherever you need.
We built a framework for this. We have a BaseActivity class that inherits from Activity and it overrides all the lifecycle methods and has some static (class) variables that keep track of the activity stack. If anything wants to know what the current activity is, it just calls a static method in BaseActivity that returns the activity on top of our privately-managed stack.
It is kinda hacky, but it works. I'm not sure I would recommend it though.
Handle the Intent in the class you want to do these methods, and send your information to it in a Bundle like so:
Intent i = new Intent("android.intent.action.MAIN");
i.setComponent(new ComponentName("com.my.pkg","com.my.pkg.myActivity"));
Bundle data = new Bundle();
i.putExtras(data);
startActivityForResult(i);
Then use an OnActivityResultListener to grab the new data.
I solved this by making a singleton class has an instance of the class below as a member.
public class InterActivityReferrer <T> {
HashMap<Integer, T> map;
ArrayList<Integer> reserve;
public InterActivityReferrer() {
map = new HashMap<>();
reserve = new ArrayList<>();
}
public synchronized int attach(T obj) {
int id;
if (reserve.isEmpty()) {
id = reserve.size();
}
else {
id = reserve.remove(reserve.size() - 1);
}
map.put(id, obj);
return id;
}
public synchronized T get(int id) {
return map.get(id);
}
public synchronized T detach(int id) {
T obj = map.remove(id);
if (obj != null) reserve.add(id);
return obj;
}
}
This class can get a T object and return a unique integer assigned to the object by attach(). Assigned integers will not collide with each other unless HashMap fails. Each assigned integer will be freed when its corresponding object is detached by detach(). Freed integers will be reused when a new object is attached.
And from a singleton class:
public class SomeSingleton {
...
private InterActivityReferrer<Activity> referrer = new InterActivityReferrer<>();
...
public InterActivityReferrer<Activity> getReferrer() {return referrer;}
}
And from an activity that needs to be referred:
...
int activityID = SomeSingleton.getInstance().getReferrer().attach(this);
...
Now with this, a unique integer corresponding to this activity instance is returned. And an integer can be delivered into another starting activity by using Intent and putExtra().
...
Intent i = new Intent(this, AnotherActivity.class);
i.putExtra("thisActivityID", activityID);
startActivityForResult(i, SOME_INTEGER);
...
And from the another activity:
...
id refereeID = getIntent().getIntExtra("thisActivityID", -1);
Activity referredActivity = SomeSingleton.getInstance().getReferrer().get(refereeID);
...
And finally the activity can be referred. And InterActivityReferrer can be used for any other class.
I hope this helps.
public static Activity getLaunchActivity()
{
final Class<?> activityThreadClass = Class.forName("android.app.ActivityThread");
final Method methodApp = activityThreadClass.getMethod("currentApplication");
App = (Application) methodApp.invoke(null, (Object[]) null);
Intent launcherIntent = App.getPackageManager().getLaunchIntentForPackage(App.getPackageName());
launchActivityInfo = launcherIntent.resolveActivityInfo(App.getPackageManager(), 0);
Class<?> clazz;
try
{
clazz = Class.forName(launchActivityInfo.name);
if(clazz != null)
return Activity.class.cast(clazz.newInstance());
}
catch (Exception e)
{}
return null;
}
Just a guess since I haven't done this but it might work.
1) Get your applicationContext by making your Android Application class a Singleton.
2) Get your ActivityManager class from the context.
3) Get a list of RunningTaskInfos using getRunningTasks() on the ActivityManager.
4) Get the first RunningTaskInfo element from the list which should be the most recent task launched.
5) Call topActivity on that RunningTaskInfo which should return you the top activity on the activity stack for that task.
Now, this seems like a LOT more work than any of the other methods mentioned here, but you can probably encapsulate this in a static class and just call it whenever. It seems like it might be the only way to get the top activity on the stack without adding references to the activities.