Issue with launching Android application via Intents - android

My problem is thus; I am new to programming on the ANDROID platform and have a 'working' application that piggy-backs on the API-Docs example. I wish it to launch three tabs one containing a list of reports, one a form to file a report and the last to show the geo-located reports. It doesn't appear as a separate application, it instead appears as a list to be launched by the API-Docs example. Below is my manifest code...
<activity android:name=".HelloFlamingos">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.SAMPLE_CODE" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".Controls2" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.TAB" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".List1" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.TAB" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".ReviewTab" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.TAB" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="3" />
HelloFlamingos is the initial page that I wish to be displayed, I realise that the intents for this are wrong, have thought about using category: VIEWS, action: DEFAULT, however is seemingly unwilling to work. Thanks!

In what context is the activity started? If you're looking to have the HelloFlamingos activity the first displayed from the Android OS, you should change its category in the manifest to category.LAUNCHER.
If you're looking to start the activity from elsewhere in your app, create an Intent which matches what you've specified (category.SAMPLE_CODE) and use startActivity or startActivityForResult.

Related

Android - How to change entry point of App without removing shortcuts?

So, in a previous version of my Application, I had an entry point named MainActivity
<activity
android:name=".MainActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
This version, I have a new entry point for my application, which then re-directs to MainActivity or another screen programmatically. Here are the two activities:
<activity
android:name=".NewEntryPoint"
android:label="#string/title_activity_second" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity
android:name=".MainActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name" >
<intent-filter>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
I removed the action.MAIN from main activity and set it to my NewEntryPoint. However, any users that had the application as a shortcut on their homescreen will lose the shortcut. Keeping the Launcher category in MainActivity didn't help either.
Is there a way to change entry point of my App without removing shortcuts?
Thanks!
I believe you could use activity-alias for this, but I would question whether or not it's worth the future maintenance just to avoid users having to add a shortcut to your app again. Something like this:
<activity-alias
android:name=".MainActivity"
android:targetActivity=".NewEntryPoint">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity-alias>

I'm developing in Android Studio, When I run my app on my S4 2 copies are created on my phone

My project currently has just two classes and when I run the project on my phone two apps are created. The first app runs the entire project and the second app only runs one class(The class that isn't my Main). Has anyone encountered this bug before?
Maybe you have multiple activities defined as launcher activities in your manifest, like so:
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="#drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="#string/app_name">
<activity
android:name=".MainActivity">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".AnotherActivity">
<!-- creates a second "app" when deploying -->
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
That would create two apps on your phone.
Yes, 'Jaap Van Hengstum' is correct.
If you want only one entry point for your application, then only one activity should have below intent filter.
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
Remove if you have multiple entry of it in your manifest file.

Two main activities in AndroidManifest.xml

I would like to have two main activities in my app. So in my manifest I put:
<activity
android:name="mypackage1.MainActivity"
android:label="#string/title_activity_main">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity
android:name="mypackage2.MainActivity2"
android:label="#string/title_activity_main2">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
Two icons are created in my apps menu. But when I click on each of them the first activity MainActivity is always launched. Is it possible to have two main activities? If so, what's wrong with what I did?
Thanks
The LAUNCHER intent filter is what determines what shows up in the app drawer/launcher. That is why you get two icons shown up.
However, you also set the DEFAULT intent filter, which sets the default Activity for the whole package. Since you set it twice, you get the problem of precedence of the first/latest registered. When you remove the DEFAULT filter, you will be able to start whatever you click on in the launcher.
In short, remove the following line from both Activities:
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
Yes, just mark two or more of your <activity>s as LAUNCHER within your manifest.
In addition you have to set the android:taskAffinity attribute on both of your Launcher-Activities which specify the exact package and Activity to be started.
<activity android:label="MyApp" android:name=".MyApp" android:taskAffinity="com.example.MainActivity">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name=".MyApp"/>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:label="Settings" android:name=".Settings" android:taskAffinity="com.example.SettingsActivity" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name=".Settings"/>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
Use android:documentLaunchMode="intoExisting", to launch a separate task based on the intent's Component name and data URI. Without this (by default), the activity will share all the same activities, as android:documentLaunchMode default to none.
intoExisting: The system searches for a task whose base intent's ComponentName and data URI match those of the launching intent. If the system finds such a task, the system clears the task, and restarts with the root activity receiving a call to onNewIntent(android.content.Intent). If the system does not find such a task, the system creates a new task. source
<activity
android:name=".CameraActivity"
android:exported="true"
android:documentLaunchMode="intoExisting"
android:label="#string/app_1_label">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity
android:name=".ProfilePoseNetActivity"
android:exported="true"
android:documentLaunchMode="intoExisting"
android:label="#string/app_2_label">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
The intention of potroae using task affinities to prevent your 2 activities from sharing the same task. However, it is annoying to have to select a task name, i.e. com.example/SettingsActivity for every task you want to launch separately.

App launcher to reload from beginning in Android

I have created app to act like an home launcher. So when user clicks on the home button I get Complete action using Launcher or my app's name say for example "myhomelauncher".
When I click on home button and click myhomelauncher my application loads everything from first perfectly fine. Now when I am in the second screen in my application say I am looking at activity 2 in my app and now I click on Home button and click myhomelauncher I endup getting the same activity 2 windows it is not reloading. (It should reload and show up activity 1 rather than 2)
I have seen lot of apps that can reload everytime I click their launcher. Why not mine?
Here is what I have done in my manifest.xml
<activity
android:name=".MyLauncher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
android:persistent="true"
android:screenOrientation="landscape">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
I am not sure where is the mistake?
Please have a look into the documentation - what can be of interest to your problem are the following settings:
android:clearTaskOnLaunch
android:launchMode
I would suspect setting android:launchMode to singleTask could solve your problem, altough be careful which side effects this will cause.
So:
<activity
android:name=".MyLauncher"
android:label="#string/app_name"
android:persistent="true"
android:screenOrientation="landscape"
android:launchMode="singleTask">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
should do the trick.
Look up launchMode. But be careful, with great power, comes great responsibility.
This is the relevant section in a menifest that seems to work for me. Note that I have put singleInstance in the launch mode because I don't want more than one of my app, ever.
<application android:icon="#drawable/icon" android:label="#string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".usbEffects"
android:theme="#android:style/Theme.NoTitleBar.Fullscreen"
android:windowSoftInputMode="stateAlwaysHidden"
android:screenOrientation="portrait"
android:launchMode="singleInstance"
android:configChanges="keyboardHidden|orientation"
android:label="#string/app_name" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>

Too many Activities being started when launching an Android Application

I am confirming about creating activity.
My Manifest.xml is like this :
<application android:icon="#drawable/icon" android:label="#string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".FirstActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".SecondActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".ThirdActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
You can see property action android:name= property is "android.intent.action.MAIN" and
category android:name= is "android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" for all activities.
When the application starts up, it calls FirstActivity.
Then calls useless Activity such as ThirdActivity or SecondActivity.
In this case, is my manifest.xml correct?
Or, do I need to set another property to Second and Third activity?
If so, what is that?
I wonder manifest.xml file is right for my case.
Please advise.
Try this config:
<application android:icon="#drawable/icon" android:label="#string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".FirstActivity" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".SecondActivity" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".ThirdActivity" android:label="#string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
Think of an Intent as message used to start an Activity to do something. So I can create an Intent to view a web page and an application with an Activity which knows how to view a web page - most likely the browser - can intercept his Intent as act on it.
You tell Android which Activities can act on which Intents using the <intent-filter> part of your Manifest.
The MAIN Intent is a special one. This is sent to an application when it is launched and basically it says "Go!" So the Activity which shoud be displayed first needs to intercept this by having a correctly defined <intent-filter>.
As you had all three Activities with MAIN in their filter they all responded to the request to start your application. So you should have that <intent-filter> only for FirstActivity.
One of the other problems with using
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /> for more than one activity is that the Phone's launcher menu will display more than one icon...
From the docs:
CATEGORY_LAUNCHER The activity can
be the initial activity of a task and
is listed in the top-level application
launcher.

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