Develop Reference

Can Android layout be loaded in the C language?

This link says that to make the app display a layout, you create a main_layout.xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button android:id="#+id/button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Hello, I am a Button" />
</LinearLayout>
and then load it in onCreate method:
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
// main_layout.xml is compiled into the R.layout.main_layout object
setContentView(R.layout.main_layout);
}
My problem is that I am coding in C, and have the C version of "onCreate" method:
JNIEXPORT
void ANativeActivity_onCreate(ANativeActivity *activity, void *savedState,
size_t savedStateSize) {
....
}
is it possible to load the layout and make the app display it in the C language?

C uses "ANativeActivity" that it doesn't has any of Java methods and resources/objects. Even if you manually parse that XML you should MANUALLY implement all Widgets/Components in C.....so it's near impossible due to high amount of work involved in it.
Usually someone chooses C on Android to do "some special work" that is not available on normal Java or due to performance issues on it.

Automatically Generating java code for xml layout in Eclipse

I have got an idea to get rid of some coding when we do initializion of views.
When we create an xml layout in android. At that movement same name class is created with UpperCase Letters with a dialogue with permission. And as i created views with ids. It should create Views and initialize them automatically.
for e.g
close.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<Button
android:id="#+id/closeBtn"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/close_img" />
<TextView
android:id="#+id/closeText"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Testing Text" />
</LinearLayout>
And automatically generated java code should be.
public class Close extends Activity
{
TextView CloseText;
Button CloseBtn;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
CloseText = (TextView)findViewById(R.id.closeText);
CloseBtn = (Button)findViewById(R.id.closeBtn);
}
}
I can read xml and do the other stuff as I explained. But how could i add this module to eclipse and How could i create a service which work in Background all the time in eclipse.
Suggest me how to add this module(Plugin) to eclipse and i am going to use JAXB to generate Java Objects from XML document. Is there any better option.

Here in this website i find that just paste the xml and you will get your java code ready for activity class.
i had attached the link

Using a layout with an activity

So I just started playing around with android and I'm trying to see what things I can do. I was following the very first android tutorial: http://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp/index.html and at the very end, you programmatically define a TextView. I wanted to change this to be defined in a new layout, so I wrote this (it is named display_message.xml):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<TextView android:id="#+id/text_view"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
And in the DisplayMessage class, I changed it to this:
public class DisplayMessage extends Activity {
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.display_message);
// Get message from intent
Intent intent = getIntent();
String message = intent.getStringExtra(FirstActivity.EXTRA_MESSAGE);
// Get the text view
TextView textView = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view);
textView.setText(message);
}
}
However, Eclipse says that it doesn't know what R.layout.display_message is, nor does it know what R.id.text_view is. Is there somewhere else I need to define them or something? Where did I mess up?

It seems correct but be sure that the R class imported is the correct one.
Sometimes Eclipse imports android.R but the R file you need to import is your.package.name.R

Does Android Have MasterPage Concept like .NET or Tiles concept in Struts to add Header on all pages?

I am developing an Android Application. In this application, Logo bar is shown on all pages(Activities) or we can say it has header on all pages.
This Logo Bar have few icons like Home, Login, Notification, etc. and on Clicking on these icons corresponding navigation will perform.
for example if user is any where in application and click on home icon, he will navigate to the home page of application.
I am able to inflate logobar.XML into my All Activity by coding. but problem is i have to call onClickListener on all pages for all icons in Logo Bar.
This is not a good programming way.
How can i implement Logo Bar Activity in all other activity without repeating of code?
Is android have any Master Page concept as in .Net or tiles concept as in Struts?
Please guide me.

Edit: ok i got it. may be this answer will help you.
Try using Tab widget with tabactivity check this link for using fragment and tab http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/TabActivity.html for android. i think for lower versions also we can use this. this si what the link says - "you can use the v4 support library which provides a version of the Fragment API that is compatible down to DONUT."

you have to create your masterLayout in xml and that you have to include it in your other
layouts in which you have to have it.

The solution was pretty easy.
You need to extends "Activity" Class,in onCreate function SetContentView to your base xml layout and also need to override setContentView in base Activity Class
For Example:
1.Create "base_layout.xml" with the below code
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:background="#000000"
android:padding="15dp" >
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:background="#000000"
android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:minHeight="50dp" android:paddingLeft="10dp">
<ImageView android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:id="#+id/ImageView01"
android:adjustViewBounds="true" android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:scaleType="fitCenter" android:maxHeight="50dp" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:id="#+id/linBase"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent" >
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
2.Create "BaseActivity.java"
public class BaseActivity extends Activity {
ImageView image;
LinearLayout linBase;
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
super.setContentView(R.layout.base_layout);
image = (ImageView)findViewById(R.id.ImageView01);
image.setImageResource(R.drawable.header);
linBase = (LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.linBase);
}
#Override
public void setContentView(int id) {
LayoutInflater inflater = (LayoutInflater)getBaseContext().getSystemService(Context.LAYOUT_INFLATER_SERVICE);
inflater.inflate(id, linBase);
}
}
and
public class SomeActivity extends BaseActivity {
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
super.setContentView(R.layout.some_layout);
//rest of code
}
}
The only thing I noticed so far was that when requesting a progress bar (requestWindowFeature(Window.FEATURE_INDETERMINATE_PROGRESS)) this needs to be done before calling super.onCreate. I think this is because nothing can be drawn yet before calling this function.
This worked great for me and hopefully you will find this useful in your own coding.

There is something like that, but only available on api 11+ (3.2 and Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich). Its called actionbar ( http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/ActionBar.html).

I have done this using XML file.
I am just creating runtime view from XML file , and add it to the Activity layout.
I have created method for that
public static void setLoginview(Context ctx, RelativeLayout layout) {
LayoutInflater linflater = (LayoutInflater) ctx
.getSystemService(Context.LAYOUT_INFLATER_SERVICE);
View myView = linflater.inflate(R.layout.loginheader, null);
layout.addView(myView);
try {
layout.getChildAt(0).setPadding(0, 50, 0, 0);
} catch (Exception e) {
}
}
ctx is the application contetx and layout is the layout in which i want to add that view.

creating a countdowntimer

I've created a countdown timer that counts Days:Hrs:Mins:Sec. using regular text view and updating it using my handler works fine for me.
however I want to create a cool animation for the changing digits:
1st Q:
I have 2 options as I see it to draw the numbers:
1. using a home made font applied with a style
2. using a textview/btn with no text on them and applying a backrgound image using setBackgroundResource()
--what should I choose?
2nd Q:
I've created a wrapper for ViewFlipper(not extending it)
public class transitionair extends Activity {
SpecialFlipperWrapper m_thousand;
SpecialFlipperWrapper m_hundred;
SpecialFlipperWrapper m_tens;
SpecialFlipperWrapper m_ones;
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle icicle) {
super.onCreate(icicle);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
ViewFlipper flipper_Tsnds=(ViewFlipper)findViewById(R.id.yearThousand);
m_thousand = new SpecialFlipperWrapper(flipper_Tsnds, this, 9);
ViewFlipper flipper_Hndrds=(ViewFlipper)findViewById(R.id.yearHundread);
m_hundred = new SpecialFlipperWrapper(flipper_Hndrds, this, 9);
ViewFlipper flipper_Tns=(ViewFlipper)findViewById(R.id.yearTens);
m_tens = new SpecialFlipperWrapper(flipper_Tns, this, 9);
ViewFlipper flipper_Ons=(ViewFlipper)findViewById(R.id.yearOnes);
m_ones = new SpecialFlipperWrapper(flipper_Ons, this, 9);
m_thousand.startFlipping();
m_hundred.startFlipping();
m_tens.startFlipping();
m_ones.startFlipping();
}
}
however trying to fetch one of the latter views that come after the yearThousand id are retrieving null
XML I'm Using is:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
>
<ViewFlipper
android:id="#+id/yearThousand"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<ViewFlipper
android:id="#+id/yearHundread"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<ViewFlipper
android:id="#+id/yearTens"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
<ViewFlipper
android:id="#+id/yearOnes"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
ps xml's for the animation itself are working so I left them out
Main questions is: can I make it better?
second question is: how?
third question is why is my layout returning null on the second call to it and how can I avoid it?
10XX