Android Activity with no GUI - android

I have created a activity that is only meant to be launched from a link (using a intent filter.) I do not want this activity to have a GUI - I just want it to start a service and put a notification in the bar. I have tried to put the intent filter for the link in my service, but that does not work. Is there a better thing to do this that will answer to intent filters - or can I just make my activity not have a GUI?
Sorry if I'm being confusing, Isaac

Echoing previous response, you shouldn't use a broadcast receiver.
In the same situation, what I did was to declare the theme thusly:
<activity android:name="MyActivity"
android:label="#string/app_name"
android:theme="#android:style/Theme.NoDisplay">

Your best bet would seem to be using a BroadcastReceiver. You can create a new BroadcastReceiver that listens for the Intent to trigger your notification and start your service like this:
public class MyIntentReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context _context, Intent _intent) {
if (_intent.getAction().equals(MY_INTENT)) {
// TODO Broadcast a notification
_context.startService(new Intent(_context, MyService.class));
}
}
}
And you can register this IntentReceiver directly in the application Manifest without needing to include it within an Activity:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.domain.myapplication">
<application android:icon="#drawable/icon" android:label="#string/app_name">
<service android:enabled="true" android:name="MyService"></service>
<receiver android:enabled="true" android:name="MyIntentReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="MY_INTENT" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
</application>
</manifest>

I'm not sure if a service would work, but a broadcast receiver definitely would not. Url's are launched using startActivity(). Broadcast receivers cannot respond to this.
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/BroadcastReceiver.html
FTA:
Note that, although the Intent class is used for sending and receiving these broadcasts, the Intent broadcast mechanism here is completely separate from Intents that are used to start Activities with Context.startActivity(). There is no way for a BroadcastReceiver to see or capture Intents used with startActivity(); likewise, when you broadcast an Intent, you will never find or start an Activity.

Use Service. I works definitely. When you click the program, it would do its work without any GUI. Use pendintgintent...getService(MySerice.class....). Then, create a new class MyService extending the Service class. Inside MyService.class, override onStart() and do whatever you want to do.

Related

Is it possible to send intents to another application like a command, telling it what to do?

I have an application that runs as a service in the background. I want another third-party application to be able to call multiple functionalities on this app via an intent. How would I achieve this. Presently the only thing i know how to do with intent is launching other applications and starting activities.
This can be achieved with a BroadcastReceiver.
Create a class that extends BroadcastReceiver and implements it's onReceive() method to handle intent appropriately:
#Override public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
if (ACTION.equals(intent.getAction())) {
// Do something..
}
}
This receiver must be declared in the manifest of the app and be exported and enabled like below:
<receiver android:name=".BroadcastReceiver"
android:enabled="true"
android:exported="true">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="ACTION" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
You will need to send your intent from the first app as a broadcast:
sendBroadcast(intent);

Android Receivers not doing as expected

Well honestly, they aren't doing anything at all. Let me start by saying that I know that Android reworked receivers in 3.1, specifically boot control. I know that they made it so that ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED cannot be used unless the application has been previously launched by the user. However, people have been successful in using them in current application, yet I am never hitting my receivers for my BOOT_COMPLETED or my SHUTDOWN.
Quick Edit - Please look at the bottom of this post for corrected Shutdown Receiver, I have gotten it to work and am now just stuck in my efforts to get BOOT_COMPLETED to work.
My manifest:
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.smashingboxes.speedblock"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="12"
android:targetSdkVersion="18" />
<!-- PERMISSIONS -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />
...
<!-- RECEIVERS -->
<receiver android:name=".BootReceiver"
android:enabled="true" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
<receiver android:name=".ShutdownReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.SHUTDOWN" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
Now my implemented receiver classes are fairly straight forward:
BOOT_COMPLETED Receiver (the one that isn't working)
public class BootReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver{
#Override
public void onReceive(Context c, Intent i) {
Intent starterIntent = new Intent(c, LaunchActivity.class);
// Start the activity (by utilizing the passed context)
starterIntent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
c.getApplicationContext().startService(starterIntent);
}
}
I have tried different things based on what I have seen as far as solutions, such as altering my launching activity to include
/* May need this, as of 3.1 we can't call BOOT_COMPLETED until the app has been run successfully */
Intent intent = new Intent("com.smashingboxes.speedblock.intent");
intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_INCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES);
this.sendBroadcast(intent);
or including this in my boot receiver intent-filter in my manifest
<action android:name="android.intent.action.QUICKBOOT_POWERON" />
Nothing seems to work. When Logs are inserted into my receiver methods they are never hit. Apparently people are still using these two receivers fairly regularly, which is why I am having trouble understanding why neither of them work. Have I missed something with my registration or something?
--EDIT--
I have solved the problem with my shutdown receiver. First, I foolishly forgot the ACTION_ portion of the tag. Secondly, HTC has separate shutdown methods, in my case I needed to add an intent-filter to my Receiver request:
<receiver android:name=".ShutdownReceiver" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.ACTION_SHUTDOWN" />
<action android:name="android.intent.action.QUICKBOOT_POWEROFF" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
Now my Shutdown Receiver works, still no luck on the Boot Completed Receiver though.
I found the answer and I think that it is actually important to note, as it seems like an issue others will run into at some point. My issue was that I was launching a "Launcher Activity" called just that, LauncherActivity. Basically, it acted as my gateway to start up services, receivers, and such when the application was launched. It is a very simple Activity class:
public class LaunchActivity extends Activity{
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState){
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
/* May need this, as of 3.1 we can't call BOOT_COMPLETED until the app has been run successfully */
Intent intent = new Intent("com.smashingboxes.speedapp.intent");
intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_INCLUDE_STOPPED_PACKAGES);
this.sendBroadcast(intent);
}
#Override
protected void onStart(){
super.onStart();
Intent serviceIntent = new Intent(this, MainService.class);
startService(serviceIntent);
// NOTE: It is VERY, VERY important that we DO NOT finish this activity.
// If we do, our BootReceiver will no longer receive its broadcast and
// we won't auto-start on boot
//finish();
}
}
Note that I was calling finish() on the LaunchActivity. The problem with this is that it seemed to tell Android that the application was in the stopped state, meaning that it won't allow the reception of the BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast, even though I had a number of services running in the background. The LauncherActivity MUST stay active throughout the entire life-cycle or the BOOT_COMPLETED receiver becomes useless. Something that I haven't really seen mentioned before, but again something I think is worth noting.

How to start an application directly (without asking) at startup on Android 4.0

I want to start my application at startup in Android 4.0. To do that, I wrote some codes and these are completely the same with the #Ahmad's codes (in the answer). However, although I select my application as always, when tablet opens, it asks 'What do you prefer?' (Android's default launcher or my application). I don't want it to ask that question and it must start my application automatically.
Use the BOOT_COMPLETED Intent.
Broadcast Action: This is broadcast once, after the system has
finished booting. It can be used to perform application-specific
initialization, such as installing alarms. You must hold the
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED permission in order to receive this broadcast.
In your Manifest:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />
Set up a Broadcastreceiver:
<receiver android:name="com.example.MyBroadcastReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
This is how your BroadcastReceiver could look like:
public class MyBroadcastreceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
Intent i = new Intent(context, MyActivity.class);
startActivity(i);
}
}

Weird Android Service not starting

I have a weird issue with my Service not starting. I have my manifest file with the service, and have called it. But still it does not open up.
<service
android:name=".com.taxeeta.ForHire"
android:enabled="true" />
Calling the intent
Intent serviceIntent = new Intent();
serviceIntent.setAction("com.taxeeta.ForHire");
startService(serviceIntent);
Service
public class ForHire extends Service
I wonder what I am missing here.
Change
android:name=".com.taxeeta.ForHire"
with
android:name="com.taxeeta.ForHire"
or if the service is on the root package
android:name=".ForHire"
Also, you should use Intent.setClass( ) instead of setAction, since you don't have an IntentFilter declared for your service and you most likely, trying to use an explicit intent.
Just call startService(new Intent(getApplicationContext(),ForHire.class));
Every thing is fine in your menifest.
No need to set Action according to your menifest.
When you Declare service in Manifest file use like this.
<service android:name=".ForHire">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.taxeeta.ForHire" />
</intent-filter>
</service>
& call service Like this way.
Intent serviceIntent = new Intent();
serviceIntent.setAction("com.taxeeta.ForHire");
startService(serviceIntent);
For More information about Service refer this Documentation
http://developer.android.com/guide/components/services.html
You have a problem in the declaration of the service in your manifest. Change it to:
<service android:name="com.taxeeta.ForHire" />
(notice the . [dot] removed). Also make sure service is a child element of your application element, which is a must for the service to be recognized by the Android OS.

Broadcast intents not received by a service

I have an Android service which sends broadcast intents. I'm trying to get those intents in another application, which is an Android service. I wrote this in my manifest:
<!-- Service -->
<service android:enabled="true" android:name="...MyService"></service>
<!-- Receiver -->
<receiver android:name="...MyReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="..."></action>
<action android:name="..."></action>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
and this in my MyReceiver class:
public class ScannerBroadcastReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
#Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String action = intent.getAction();
// Process action.
Log.d(Globals.LOG_TAG, "Intent received.");
...
Unfortunately I never get the onReceive method invoked. Any idea why?
I start this service from another test application, so this is set as an Android library. The service is correctly started but this receiver is receiving nothing. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks!
In manifest must be: android:name=".[package].ScannerBroadcastReceiver"
I solved the problem and I suppose it is due to the fact that this project was set as a library. If I don't set it this way the intent is correctly received. I haven't read about this anywhere.

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