Android: Activities and Views

29 Mar 2010 CMPT166 Dr. Sean Ho Trinity Western University

Outline for today

Android Activity: li e cycle! states
"i e cycle #et$ods Savin% &ersistent ' transient state

Android (ie)s *)id%ets+:

Wid%ets and layo,ts -M" con i%,ration! layo,t editor

CMPT166: Android Activity

29 Mar 2010

inds of Android a!!lications

Activity: &resent U. or one interactive tas/
e.%.: %et ,serna#e0&ass)ord! dis&lay #a&

Service: 1ac/%ro,nd tas/! o ten )'o U.

e.%.: &lay #,sic! etc$ ile over net)or/

2roadcast 3eceiver: res&ond to anno,nce#ents

e.%.: i ti#e4one c$an%es! 1attery lo)! etc.

Content Provider: access'5,ery a datastore

e.%.!: #,sic li1rary! st,dent data1ase! etc.

We )ill oc,s on Activities! as t$e si#&lest /ind

CMPT166: Android Activity 29 Mar 2010 3

Activity life cycle

6o,r states: Active: r,nnin% and

in ore%ro,nd
Pa,sed: r,nnin%! 1,t a

dialo% $as &o&&ed7,& on to& o it 1,t $idden 1y ot$ers

Sto&&ed: still r,nnin%! Dead: ter#inated!

&er$a&s 1y Android 8S )$en lo) on #e#ory

CMPT166: Android Activity 29 Mar 2010 "

$ife cycle %et&ods

Activity e9ists 1et)een onCreate'onDestroy*+:
.nitial set,& and inal tear do)n o reso,rces

Activity is visi1le 1et)een onStart'onSto&*+:

on3estart*+ also called )$en ret,rn to ore

.n ore%ro,nd 1et)een on3es,#e'onPa,se*+:

.n ore%ro,nd #eans acce&tin% ,ser in&,t onPa,se: co##it ,nsaved c$an%es! etc.

A &a,sed activity #i%$t 1e destroyed 1e ore it

ever res,#es:

CMPT166: Android Activity

29 Mar 2010

'avin( state
Persistent state s$o,ld 1e saved in onPa,se*+
e.%. dra t o a #essa%e 1ein% co#&osed Write to stora%e: &re erences!

S;" data1ase! a&&7s&eci ic ile! or SD card

Transient state: ,se onSave.nstanceState*+
e.%. $o) ,ser illed o,t or# 1e ore <s,1#it= Save in a 2,ndle! )$ic$ is &assed to 1ot$

onCreate*+ and on3estore.nstanceState*+

Use t$is! e.%.! to ill o,t t$e or# a%ain )$en

,ser %oes <2ac/= to t$is activity

CMPT166: Android Activity

29 Mar 2010

Views *wid(ets+
(ie) is Android>s )id%et class *c. . ?Co#&onent+ S,1classes incl,de: 2,tton! Te9t(ie) *la1el+!

@ditTe9t *te9t area+! S&inner *&,ll7do)n list+! A

8r #a/e yo,r o)n s,1class to c,sto#i4e:

(ie)Bro,&s are layo,t #ana%ers:

"inear"ayo,t! Brid(ie)! Ta1le"ayo,t! Ta1Host!.. call setContent(ie)*+ to declare t$e activity>s #ain (ie) *&anel+:
Te,tView tv - new Te,tView* t&is +. setContentView* tv +.
CMPT166: Android Activity 29 Mar 2010 )

.n t$e activity>s onCreate*+ #et$od:

01ello2 Android34 tutorial

8nly one activity: HelloAndroid
Pac/a%e: do#ain na#e! a&&lication na#e

onCreate*+ #et$od: called )$en activity is r,n T$e &ara#eter is t$e saved state 2,ndle:
Use t$is to restore transient state Also &ass ,& to s,&erclass onCreate*+

Create a vie) *)id%et+: Te9t(ie)

Set t$e te9t to <Hello! Android:= Set as t$e #ain vie) or t$e activity

Set a layo,t as #ain vie) i )ant C 1 )id%et:

CMPT166: Android Activity 29 Mar 2010

5M$ layout
"ayin% o,t )id%ets can 1e co#&le9 in code Do, #ay ,se an -M" con i% ile or yo,r layo,ts:
Create a ile ,nder res'layo,t'E.9#l -M" is li/e HTM": Fta%C A F'ta%C

S&eci y layo,ts! )id%ets! ont'colo,r'te9t'etc.

@cli&se ADT $as a WDS.WDB layo,t editor:

T$e -M" layo,t %ets co#&iled into an o1Gect in

3e er to 3.layo,t.#y"ayo,t
CMPT166: Android Activity

t$e 3 class *a,to7%eneratedH don>t edit directly:+ * ollo)s na#e o t$e -M" ile+
29 Mar 2010 9