Develop Reference

It's possible to make SpeechRecognizer faster?

I'm developing an application which is using the android SpeechRecognizer. I'm using it for something simple. I click in a button, my SpeechRecognizer start listening and I got some results from what I said.
Easy right? Well, My problem is that I need to make SpeechRecognizer fast. I mean, I click in my button, I say "Hello" and SpeechRecognizer takes like 3-4 seconds in return an array with the possible results. My question is:
It's possible to make SpeechRecognizer return results more faster?
Or take less time to close the Listening intent and start to process what it listen?
Maybe another way to do it? which will have a better performance than this?
I was checking the library and I saw this 3 parameters:
EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_MINIMUM_LENGTH_MILLIS:
The amount of time that it should take after we stop hearing speech to consider the input complete.
EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_COMPLETE_SILENCE_LENGTH_MILLIS
The minimum length of an utterance.
EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_POSSIBLY_COMPLETE_SILENCE_LENGTH_MILLIS
The amount of time that it should take after we stop hearing speech to
consider the input possibly complete.
http://developer.android.com/intl/es/reference/android/speech/RecognizerIntent.html
I have tried all of them but it is not working, or maybe I'm not using them right. Here is my code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private static final String TIME_FORMAT = "%02d:%02d:%02d";
private final String TAG = "MainActivity";
private StartTimerButton mSpeakButton;
private CircleProgressBar mCountdownProgressBar;
private CountDownTimer mCountDownTimer;
private TextView mTimer;
private int mRunSeconds = 0;
private SpeechRecognizer mSpeechRecognizer;
private Intent mSpeechRecognizerIntent;
private boolean mIsListening = false;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
mRunSeconds = 0;
mTimer = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.timerText);
mCountdownProgressBar = (CircleProgressBar) findViewById(R.id.progressBar);
mSpeechRecognizer = SpeechRecognizer.createSpeechRecognizer(this);
mSpeechRecognizerIntent = new Intent(RecognizerIntent.ACTION_RECOGNIZE_SPEECH);
mSpeechRecognizerIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_LANGUAGE_MODEL,
RecognizerIntent.LANGUAGE_MODEL_FREE_FORM);
mSpeechRecognizerIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_CALLING_PACKAGE,
this.getPackageName());
// mSpeechRecognizerIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_MINIMUM_LENGTH_MILLIS,
// 1000);
// mSpeechRecognizerIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_COMPLETE_SILENCE_LENGTH_MILLIS,
// 1000);
// mSpeechRecognizerIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_SPEECH_INPUT_POSSIBLY_COMPLETE_SILENCE_LENGTH_MILLIS,
// 1000);
SpeechRecognitionListener listener = new SpeechRecognitionListener();
mSpeechRecognizer.setRecognitionListener(listener);
mSpeakButton = (StartTimerButton) findViewById(R.id.btnSpeak);
mSpeakButton.setReadyState(false);
mSpeakButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
if (mSpeakButton.isReady()) {
if (!mIsListening)
mSpeechRecognizer.startListening(mSpeechRecognizerIntent);
} else
mSpeakButton.setReadyState(true);
}
});
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
return true;
}
public void onSpeechResults(ArrayList<String> matches) {
for (String match : matches) {
match = match.toLowerCase();
Log.d(TAG, "Got speech: " + match);
if (match.contains("go")) {
//Do Something
mSpeechRecognizer.stopListening();
}
if (match.contains("stop")) {
//Do Something
mSpeechRecognizer.stopListening();
}
}
}
protected class SpeechRecognitionListener implements RecognitionListener
{
#Override
public void onBeginningOfSpeech()
{
//Log.d(TAG, "onBeginingOfSpeech");
}
#Override
public void onBufferReceived(byte[] buffer)
{
}
#Override
public void onEndOfSpeech()
{
//Log.d(TAG, "onEndOfSpeech");
}
#Override
public void onError(int error)
{
mSpeechRecognizer.startListening(mSpeechRecognizerIntent);
//Log.d(TAG, "error = " + error);
}
#Override
public void onEvent(int eventType, Bundle params)
{
}
#Override
public void onPartialResults(Bundle partialResults)
{
ArrayList<String> matches = partialResults.getStringArrayList(SpeechRecognizer.RESULTS_RECOGNITION);
for (String match : matches) {
match = match.toLowerCase();
Log.d(TAG, "onPartialResults : " + match);
}
}
#Override
public void onReadyForSpeech(Bundle params)
{
Log.d(TAG, "onReadyForSpeech"); //$NON-NLS-1$
}
#Override
public void onResults(Bundle results)
{
//Log.d(TAG, "onResults"); //$NON-NLS-1$
ArrayList<String> matches = results.getStringArrayList(SpeechRecognizer.RESULTS_RECOGNITION);
onSpeechResults(matches);
// matches are the return values of speech recognition engine
// Use these values for whatever you wish to do
}
#Override
public void onRmsChanged(float rmsdB)
{
}
}}

Yes, it is possible to reduce the delay before shutdown....
You cannot alter the amount of time that Google considers to be silence at the end of a user speaking. The EXTRA_SPEECH_* parameters used to work, now they appear to sporadically work at best, or not work at all.
What you can do, is use the partial results to detect the words or phrase you want and then manually shut down the recognition service.
Here's an example of how to do this:
public boolean isHelloDetected(#NonNull final Context ctx, #NonNull final Locale loc, #NonNull final Bundle results) {
boolean helloDetected = false;
if (!results.isEmpty()) {
final String hello = ctx.getString(R.string.hello);
final ArrayList<String> partialData = results.getStringArrayList(SpeechRecognizer.RESULTS_RECOGNITION);
/* handles empty string bug */
if (partialData != null && !partialData.isEmpty()) {
partialData.removeAll(Collections.singleton(""));
if (!partialData.isEmpty()) {
final ListIterator<String> itr = partialData.listIterator();
String vd;
while (itr.hasNext()) {
vd = itr.next().toLowerCase(loc).trim();
if (vd.startsWith(hello)) {
helloDetected = true;
break;
}
}
}
}
if (!helloDetected) {
final ArrayList<String> unstableData = results.getStringArrayList("android.speech.extra.UNSTABLE_TEXT");
/* handles empty string bug */
if (unstableData != null && !unstableData.isEmpty()) {
unstableData.removeAll(Collections.singleton(""));
if (!unstableData.isEmpty()) {
final ListIterator<String> itr = unstableData.listIterator();
String vd;
while (itr.hasNext()) {
vd = itr.next().toLowerCase(loc).trim();
if (vd.startsWith(hello)) {
helloDetected = true;
break;
}
}
}
}
}
}
return helloDetected;
}
You would run this method each time you receive from onPartialResults()
If true is returned, you'll need to call stopListening() on the main thread (probably by new Handler(Looper.getMainLooper()).post(...
Be aware though, once you've shut down the recognizer, the subsequent and final results you receive in onResults() may not contain "hello". As that word may have only be classified as unstable.
You'll need to write additional logic to prevent using detectHello() once hello has been detected (otherwise you'll repeatedly call stopListening()) - some simple boolean markers would resolve this.
Finally, the use of Collections.singleton("") to remove empty strings is part of an internal bug report, details to replicate here and the use of a ListIterator may be overkill for just your sample; a simple for loop would suffice.
Good luck.

Handle AsyncTask if the task completes while the Activity is in the background

I've been using AsyncTasks for a while however, I've recently encountered a scenario where I'm unsure of how to handle correctly. Since I thought it would be a somewhat common scenario I decided to ask the question here.
So, I'm trying to use an AsyncTask to make a simple call to sign a user in to the app. After the call completes, if it succeeds, the user should be taken to another activity. This logic is simple. The problem arrises when the user navigates away from the app before the sign in call returns. In such a case, what should I do in onPostExecute()?
What I've seen some apps do is they continue with the call anyways, as long as the activity is still around, and will launch the next activity. However this creates a weird experience where the user navigates away from the app, then several seconds later, the app just pops back up in their face. Of course, I would like to avoid doing this.
Update
Example code:
public class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
private boolean mIsPaused;
...
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
...
Button btnSignIn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btn_sign_in);
btnSignIn.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
new SignInTask(ExampleActivity.this).execute();
}
});
...
}
#Override
protected void onPause() {
super.onPause();
mIsPaused = true;
}
#Override
protected void onResume() {
super.onResume();
mIsPaused = false;
}
private boolean isPaused() {
return mIsPaused;
}
...
private static class SignInTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, SomeResult> {
private final WeakReference<ExampleActivity> mAct;
public SignInTask(ExampleActivity act) {
mAct = new WeakReference<ExampleActivity>(act);
}
#Override
protected SomeResult doInBackground(Void... params) {
return mApi.signIn(creds);
}
#Override
protected void onPostExecute(SomeResult result) {
if (result.getCode() == OK) {
ExampleActivity act = mAct.get();
if (act != null) {
if (act.isPaused()) {
// do something
} else {
startActivity(new Intent(act, NextActivity.class));
}
} else {
// do something
}
}
}
}
}

made your AsyncTask class as static inner class.

Pretty interesting problem... Going with what you've started by using booleans, you could save the response the Activity receives to the SharedPreferences in the event it is paused, or continue processing normally if it is not. If the Activity later resumes (or is recreated), check whether or not there is a saved response and handle accordingly. I was thinking something along the lines of:
import org.json.JSONObject;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
public class TaskActivity extends Activity {
private static final String KEY_RESPONSE_JSON = "returned_response";
private boolean paused = false;
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState){
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
// don't setup here, wait for onPostResume() to figure out what to do
}
#Override
public void onPostResume(){
super.onPostResume();
paused = false;
if(isSavedResponseAvailable()) processResponse(getSavedResponse());
else setup();
}
#Override
public void onPause(){
paused = true;
super.onPause();
}
private void setup(){
// normal setup
}
public void onReceiveResponse(JSONObject response){
if(paused) setSavedResponse(response);
else processResponse(response);
}
private void processResponse(JSONObject response){
// Continue with processing as if they never left
getSharedPreferences(this.getClass().getName(), 0).edit().clear().commit(); // Clear everything so re-entering won't parse old data
}
private boolean isSavedResponseAvailable(){
return getSavedResponse() != null;
}
private JSONObject getSavedResponse(){
try{
return new JSONObject(getSharedPreferences(this.getClass().getName(), 0).getString(KEY_RESPONSE_JSON, ""));
}
catch(Exception e){ }
return null;
}
private void setSavedResponse(JSONObject response){
getSharedPreferences(this.getClass().getName(), 0).edit().putString(KEY_RESPONSE_JSON, response.toString()).commit();
}
}
Clearly that's assuming your response from the task is JSON, but there's no reason you couldn't extend that to save the data individually and rebuild the necessary response object from the saved preference data.
As far as clean approaches go, though... I give this about a 3/10, but I can't think of anything better (well, other than making the TaskActivity abstract and forcing implementations to override setup(), processResponse(), isResponseAvailable(), getSavedResponse(), and setSavedResponse(), but that would only be mildly better for like a 4/10)

I would suggest putting a try/catch statement in the post execute - as far as I know what would happen in this situation is that you would get some kind of Window Manager exception.
What I would STRONGLY recommend, however, is stopping any async tasks (with the cancel method) on the onPause method, meaning that you won't interrupt them.
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/AsyncTask.html#cancel(boolean)
public final boolean cancel (boolean mayInterruptIfRunning)
Added in API level 3
Attempts to cancel execution of this task. This attempt will fail if the task has already completed, already been cancelled, or could not be cancelled for some other reason. If successful, and this task has not started when cancel is called, this task should never run. If the task has already started, then the mayInterruptIfRunning parameter determines whether the thread executing this task should be interrupted in an attempt to stop the task.
Calling this method will result in onCancelled(Object) being invoked on the UI thread after doInBackground(Object[]) returns. Calling this method guarantees that onPostExecute(Object) is never invoked. After invoking this method, you should check the value returned by isCancelled() periodically from doInBackground(Object[]) to finish the task as early as possible.
Parameters
mayInterruptIfRunning true if the thread executing this task should be interrupted; otherwise, in-progress tasks are allowed to complete.
Returns
false if the task could not be cancelled, typically because it has already completed normally; true otherwise
See Also
isCancelled()
onCancelled(Object)

boolean isRunning; //set it to true in onResume, and false in onStop
boolean isWaiting; // set it to true in onPostExecute, if "isRunning" is false
check in onResume whether isWaiting is true, if yes, take user to another screen.

Use the cancel() of AsynchTask class onBackPress() of Activty class
public class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
private boolean mIsPaused;
SignInTask singleTaskObj;
...
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
...
Button btnSignIn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btn_sign_in);
btnSignIn.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
singleTaskObj = new SignInTask(ExampleActivity.this).execute();
}
});
...
}
#Override
protected void onPause() {
super.onPause();
mIsPaused = true;
}
#Override
protected void onResume() {
super.onResume();
mIsPaused = false;
}
protected void onBackPressed()
{
singleTaskObj.cancel();
}
private boolean isPaused() {
return mIsPaused;
}
...
private static class SignInTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, SomeResult> {
private final WeakReference<ExampleActivity> mAct;
public SignInTask(ExampleActivity act) {
mAct = new WeakReference<ExampleActivity>(act);
}
#Override
protected SomeResult doInBackground(Void... params) {
return mApi.signIn(creds);
}
#Override
protected void onPostExecute(SomeResult result) {
if (result.getCode() == OK) {
ExampleActivity act = mAct.get();
if (act != null) {
if (act.isPaused()) {
// do something
} else {
startActivity(new Intent(act, NextActivity.class));
}
} else {
// do something
}
}
}
}
}

Android Handler changing WeakReference

My static handler has a WeakReference to my Activity (this is to prevent the well documented memory leak issue).
I post a long delayed message and I want this message delivered to my activity (which should be in the foreground).
My concern is that on orientation change, my activity is destroyed and the handler has a reference to the old activity which should have been destroyed.
In order to get around this in my onCreate for the activity I do this.
if(mHandler == null)
mHandler = new LoginHandler(this);
else {
mHandler.setTarget(this);
}
And my handler is declared as a static global variable:
private static LoginHandler mHandler = null;
and the implementing class is also static as below:
private static class LoginHandler extends Handler {
private WeakReference<LoginActivity> mTarget;
LoginHandler(LoginActivity target) {
mTarget = new WeakReference<LoginActivity>(target);
}
public void setTarget(LoginActivity target) {
mTarget = new WeakReference<LoginActivity>(target);
}
#Override
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
// process incoming messages here
LoginActivity activity = mTarget.get();
switch (msg.what) {
case Constants.SUCCESS:
activity.doSomething();
break;
default:
activity.setStatusMessage("failed " + msg.obj, STATUS_TYPE_DONE);
}
}
}
What I want to know is if there is something wrong with changing the WeakReference on onCreate or is there anything else wrong with this approach?
Thanks,

So I wrote the following test to figure out whether I had the right idea or not and it seems that m approach is correct. In onCreate we change the WeakReference and the posted message will always get delivered to the activity that is in the foreground. If you change this code to always create a new Handler in onCreate you'll notice the update messages do not get delivered.
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private static int COUNT = 0;
static LoginHandler mHandler;
private static class LoginHandler extends Handler {
private WeakReference<MainActivity> mTarget;
LoginHandler(MainActivity target) {
mTarget = new WeakReference<MainActivity>(target);
}
public void setTarget(MainActivity target) {
mTarget.clear();
mTarget = new WeakReference<MainActivity>(target);
}
#Override
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
// int duration = Toast.LENGTH_LONG;
// process incoming messages here
MainActivity activity = mTarget.get();
activity.update(msg.arg1);
}
}
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
if(mHandler == null)
mHandler = new LoginHandler(this);
else
mHandler.setTarget(this);
((Button)findViewById(R.id.button)).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
Message msg = new Message();
msg.arg1 = COUNT++;
mHandler.sendMessageDelayed(msg, 3000);
}
});
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
// Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
return true;
}
private void update(int count) {
((TextView) findViewById(R.id.hello_world)).setText("Hello World # "+ count);
}
}

A solution in getting away with activity's destroy-and-create life cycle, if you want to retain the active objects is to make use of the "Retent Fragments".
The idea is simple, you are telling the Android system to " retain" your fragment, when it's associated activity is being destroyed and re created. And make sure you grab the current activity's context in the fragment's onAttach() callable, so you are always updating the correct activity.
Below link has more details:
http://www.androiddesignpatterns.com/2013/04/retaining-objects-across-config-changes.html

Android Loader vs AsyncTask on button tap

I have an activity which requires no data from server on load - just plain init for ui
UI has several buttons.
User clicks one of them and app sends request to server (rest call)
While request is processing spinner is shown (for about 10 seconds)
For now it uses AsyncTask - so if app changes portrait to landscape - activity is restarted and I loose the process
Second option is to use Loader - the problem is that it is started on button tap - not on activity start
This leads to many exceptions - when LoaderManager sends events to non-started item
Is there any solution?
few comments:
- 10 seconds is just for example
- lock user to one orientation is not an option
- service is overkill for simple rest call

public class TestActivity extends FragmentActivity {
private Button one;
private Button two;
private final int ONE_ID = 0;
private final int TWO_ID = 1;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
one = (Button) findViewById(R.id.one);
two = (Button) findViewById(R.id.two);
one.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
getLoaderManager().restartLoader(ONE_ID, null, callbacks);
}
});
two.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View v) {
getLoaderManager().restartLoader(ONE_ID, null, callbacks);
}
});
Loader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> loader = getLoaderManager().getLoader(ONE_ID);
if (loader != null) {
getLoaderManager().initLoader(ONE_ID, null, callbacks);
}
loader = getLoaderManager().getLoader(TWO_ID);
if (loader != null) {
getLoaderManager().initLoader(TWO_ID, null, callbacks);
}
}
public static class AsyncTaskLoaderResult<E> {
public E data;
public Bundle args;
}
public static class Result {
}
private LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> callbacks = new LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>>() {
#Override
public Loader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> onCreateLoader(int id, Bundle args) {
/**
* according different Id, create different AsyncTaskLoader
*/
switch (id) {
case ONE_ID:
return new OneAsyncTaskLoader(TestActivity.this);
case TWO_ID:
return new TwoAsyncTaskLoader(TestActivity.this);
}
return null;
}
#Override
public void onLoadFinished(Loader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> loader, AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result> data) {
/**
* handle result
*/
switch (loader.getId()) {
}
getLoaderManager().destroyLoader(loader.getId());
}
#Override
public void onLoaderReset(Loader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> loader) {
}
};
public static class OneAsyncTaskLoader extends AsyncTaskLoader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> {
private AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result> result;
public OneAsyncTaskLoader(Context context) {
super(context);
}
#Override
protected void onStartLoading() {
super.onStartLoading();
if (result != null) {
deliverResult(result);
} else {
forceLoad();
}
}
#Override
public AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result> loadInBackground() {
/**
* send request to server
*/
result = new AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>();
result.data = null; // result.data comes from server's response
return result;
}
}
public static class TwoAsyncTaskLoader extends AsyncTaskLoader<AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>> {
private AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result> result;
public TwoAsyncTaskLoader(Context context) {
super(context);
}
#Override
protected void onStartLoading() {
super.onStartLoading();
if (result != null) {
deliverResult(result);
} else {
forceLoad();
}
}
#Override
public AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result> loadInBackground() {
/**
* send request to server
*/
result = new AsyncTaskLoaderResult<Result>();
result.data = null; // result.data comes from server's response
return result;
}
}
}

First, you can eliminate the orienatation change issue by declaring
android:configChanges="orientation"
or savedInstanceState()
But the real problem here is having the user stare at a spinner for 10 seconds. Most users aren't going to be patient enough for this. I don't know what your app is doing so its hard to give an accurate suggestion but I can say that you need to do your network stuff in your AsyncTask but allow the user to do other things
You can allow the user to do other things while the AsyncTask finishes or put that code in a [Service(http://developer.android.com/guide/components/services.html). Either way, don't make your users stare at a screen for 10 seconds of spinning...they won't be YOUR users for long

If you're using an AsyncTask for this you might want to either use a Service instead or use onRetainNonConfigurationInstance or Fragment.setRetainInstance to allow the AsyncTask to live through configuration changes.
Or disable configuration changes: I've used that in the past with some success.

Here's a good article on the subject:
http://www.javacodegeeks.com/2013/01/android-loaders-versus-asynctask.html
Anyways, as #codeMagic mentioned, AsyncTask with android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize" should be enough for you (it prevents activity from being recreated on config changes)

AsyncTaskLoader onLoadFinished with a pending task and config change

I'm trying to use an AsyncTaskLoader to load data in the background to populate a detail view in response to a list item being chosen. I've gotten it mostly working but I'm still having one issue. If I choose a second item in the list and then rotate the device before the load for the first selected item has completed, then the onLoadFinished() call is reporting to the activity being stopped rather than the new activity. This works fine when choosing just a single item and then rotating.
Here is the code I'm using. Activity:
public final class DemoActivity extends Activity
implements NumberListFragment.RowTappedListener,
LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<String> {
private static final AtomicInteger activityCounter = new AtomicInteger(0);
private int myActivityId;
private ResultFragment resultFragment;
private Integer selectedNumber;
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
myActivityId = activityCounter.incrementAndGet();
Log.d("DemoActivity", "onCreate for " + myActivityId);
setContentView(R.layout.demo);
resultFragment = (ResultFragment) getFragmentManager().findFragmentById(R.id.result_fragment);
getLoaderManager().initLoader(0, null, this);
}
#Override
protected void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
Log.d("DemoActivity", "onDestroy for " + myActivityId);
}
#Override
public void onRowTapped(Integer number) {
selectedNumber = number;
resultFragment.setResultText("Fetching details for item " + number + "...");
getLoaderManager().restartLoader(0, null, this);
}
#Override
public Loader<String> onCreateLoader(int id, Bundle args) {
return new ResultLoader(this, selectedNumber);
}
#Override
public void onLoadFinished(Loader<String> loader, String data) {
Log.d("DemoActivity", "onLoadFinished reporting to activity " + myActivityId);
resultFragment.setResultText(data);
}
#Override
public void onLoaderReset(Loader<String> loader) {
}
static final class ResultLoader extends AsyncTaskLoader<String> {
private static final Random random = new Random();
private final Integer number;
private String result;
ResultLoader(Context context, Integer number) {
super(context);
this.number = number;
}
#Override
public String loadInBackground() {
// Simulate expensive Web call
try {
Thread.sleep(5000);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
return "Item " + number + " - Price: $" + random.nextInt(500) + ".00, Number in stock: " + random.nextInt(10000);
}
#Override
public void deliverResult(String data) {
if (isReset()) {
// An async query came in while the loader is stopped
return;
}
result = data;
if (isStarted()) {
super.deliverResult(data);
}
}
#Override
protected void onStartLoading() {
if (result != null) {
deliverResult(result);
}
// Only do a load if we have a source to load from
if (number != null) {
forceLoad();
}
}
#Override
protected void onStopLoading() {
// Attempt to cancel the current load task if possible.
cancelLoad();
}
#Override
protected void onReset() {
super.onReset();
// Ensure the loader is stopped
onStopLoading();
result = null;
}
}
}
List fragment:
public final class NumberListFragment extends ListFragment {
interface RowTappedListener {
void onRowTapped(Integer number);
}
private RowTappedListener rowTappedListener;
#Override
public void onAttach(Activity activity) {
super.onAttach(activity);
rowTappedListener = (RowTappedListener) activity;
}
#Override
public void onActivityCreated(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onActivityCreated(savedInstanceState);
ArrayAdapter<Integer> adapter = new ArrayAdapter<Integer>(getActivity(),
R.layout.simple_list_item_1,
Arrays.asList(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6));
setListAdapter(adapter);
}
#Override
public void onListItemClick(ListView l, View v, int position, long id) {
ArrayAdapter<Integer> adapter = (ArrayAdapter<Integer>) getListAdapter();
rowTappedListener.onRowTapped(adapter.getItem(position));
}
}
Result fragment:
public final class ResultFragment extends Fragment {
private TextView resultLabel;
#Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container, Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View root = inflater.inflate(R.layout.result_fragment, container, false);
resultLabel = (TextView) root.findViewById(R.id.result_label);
if (savedInstanceState != null) {
resultLabel.setText(savedInstanceState.getString("labelText", ""));
}
return root;
}
#Override
public void onSaveInstanceState(Bundle outState) {
super.onSaveInstanceState(outState);
outState.putString("labelText", resultLabel.getText().toString());
}
void setResultText(String resultText) {
resultLabel.setText(resultText);
}
}
I've been able to get this working using plain AsyncTasks but I'm trying to learn more about Loaders since they handle the configuration changes automatically.
EDIT: I think I may have tracked down the issue by looking at the source for LoaderManager. When initLoader is called after the configuration change, the LoaderInfo object has its mCallbacks field updated with the new activity as the implementation of LoaderCallbacks, as I would expect.
public <D> Loader<D> initLoader(int id, Bundle args, LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<D> callback) {
if (mCreatingLoader) {
throw new IllegalStateException("Called while creating a loader");
}
LoaderInfo info = mLoaders.get(id);
if (DEBUG) Log.v(TAG, "initLoader in " + this + ": args=" + args);
if (info == null) {
// Loader doesn't already exist; create.
info = createAndInstallLoader(id, args, (LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<Object>)callback);
if (DEBUG) Log.v(TAG, " Created new loader " + info);
} else {
if (DEBUG) Log.v(TAG, " Re-using existing loader " + info);
info.mCallbacks = (LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<Object>)callback;
}
if (info.mHaveData && mStarted) {
// If the loader has already generated its data, report it now.
info.callOnLoadFinished(info.mLoader, info.mData);
}
return (Loader<D>)info.mLoader;
}
However, when there is a pending loader, the main LoaderInfo object also has an mPendingLoader field with a reference to a LoaderCallbacks as well, and this object is never updated with the new activity in the mCallbacks field. I would expect to see the code look like this instead:
// This line was already there
info.mCallbacks = (LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<Object>)callback;
// This line is not currently there
info.mPendingLoader.mCallbacks = (LoaderManager.LoaderCallbacks<Object>)callback;
It appears to be because of this that the pending loader calls onLoadFinished on the old activity instance. If I breakpoint in this method and make the call that I feel is missing using the debugger, everything works as I expect.
The new question is: Have I found a bug, or is this the expected behavior?

In most cases you should just ignore such reports if Activity is already destroyed.
public void onLoadFinished(Loader<String> loader, String data) {
Log.d("DemoActivity", "onLoadFinished reporting to activity " + myActivityId);
if (isDestroyed()) {
Log.i("DemoActivity", "Activity already destroyed, report ignored: " + data);
return;
}
resultFragment.setResultText(data);
}
Also you should insert checking isDestroyed() in any inner classes. Runnable - is the most used case.
For example:
// UI thread
final Handler handler = new Handler();
Executor someExecutorService = ... ;
someExecutorService.execute(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
// some heavy operations
...
// notification to UI thread
handler.post(new Runnable() {
// this runnable can link to 'dead' activity or any outer instance
if (isDestroyed()) {
return;
}
// we are alive
onSomeHeavyOperationFinished();
});
}
});
But in such cases the best way is to avoid passing strong reference on Activity to another thread (AsynkTask, Loader, Executor, etc).
The most reliable solution is here:
// BackgroundExecutor.java
public class BackgroundExecutor {
private static final Executor instance = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor();
public static void execute(Runnable command) {
instance.execute(command);
}
}
// MyActivity.java
public class MyActivity extends Activity {
// Some callback method from any button you want
public void onSomeButtonClicked() {
// Show toast or progress bar if needed
// Start your heavy operation
BackgroundExecutor.execute(new SomeHeavyOperation(this));
}
public void onSomeHeavyOperationFinished() {
if (isDestroyed()) {
return;
}
// Hide progress bar, update UI
}
}
// SomeHeavyOperation.java
public class SomeHeavyOperation implements Runnable {
private final WeakReference<MyActivity> ref;
public SomeHeavyOperation(MyActivity owner) {
// Unlike inner class we do not store strong reference to Activity here
this.ref = new WeakReference<MyActivity>(owner);
}
public void run() {
// Perform your heavy operation
// ...
// Done!
// It's time to notify Activity
final MyActivity owner = ref.get();
// Already died reference
if (owner == null) return;
// Perform notification in UI thread
owner.runOnUiThread(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
owner.onSomeHeavyOperationFinished();
}
});
}
}

Maybe not best solution but ...
This code restart loader every time, which is bad but only work around that works - if you want to used loader.
Loader l = getLoaderManager().getLoader(MY_LOADER);
if (l != null) {
getLoaderManager().restartLoader(MY_LOADER, null, this);
} else {
getLoaderManager().initLoader(MY_LOADER, null, this);
}
BTW. I am using Cursorloader ...

A possible solution is to start the AsyncTask in a custom singleton object and access the onFinished() result from the singleton within your Activity. Every time you rotate your screen, go onPause() or onResume(), the latest result will be used/accessed. If you still don't have a result in your singleton object, you know it is still busy or that you can relaunch the task.
Another approach is to work with a service bus like Otto, or to work with a Service.

Ok I'm trying to understand this excuse me if I misunderstood anything, but you are losing references to something when the device rotates.
Taking a stab...
would adding
android:configChanges="orientation|keyboardHidden|screenSize"
in your manifest for that activity fix your error? or prevent onLoadFinished() from saying the activity stopped?