Android Drag and Drop
Android drag/drop framework allows your users to move data from one View to another View in the current layout using a graphical drag and drop gesture. The framework includes following three important components to support drag & drop functionality:
- Drag event class:
- Drag listeners:
- Helper methods and classes:
The Drag/Drop Process
There are basically four steps or states in the drag and drop process:
- Started: This event occurs when you start dragging an item in a layout, your application callsstartDrag() method to tell the system to start a drag. The arguments inside startDrag() method provide the data to be dragged, metadata for this data, and a callback for drawing the drag shadow.
The system first responds by calling back to your application to get a drag shadow. It thendisplays the drag shadow on the device.
Next, the system sends a drag event with action type ACTION_DRAG_STARTED to the registered drag event listeners for all the View objects in the current layout.
To continue to receive drag events, including a possible drop event, a drag event listener must return true, If the drag event listener returns false, then it will not receive drag events for the current operation until the system sends a drag event with action type ACTION_DRAG_ENDED.
- Continuing: The user continues the drag. System sends ACTION_DRAG_ENTERED action followed by ACTION_DRAG_LOCATION action to the registered drag event listener for the View where dragging point enters. The listener may choose to alter its View object’s appearance in response to the event or can react by highlighting its View.
The drag event listener receives a ACTION_DRAG_EXITED action after the user has moved the drag shadow outside the bounding box of the View.
- Dropped: The user releases the dragged item within the bounding box of a View. The system sends the View object’s listener a drag event with action type ACTION_DROP.
- Ended: Just after the action type ACTION_DROP, the system sends out a drag event with action type ACTION_DRAG_ENDED to indicate that the drag operation is over.
The Drag Event Class
The DragEvent represents an event that is sent out by the system at various times during a drag and drop operation. This class provides few Constants and important methods which we use during Drag/Drop process.
CONSTANTS
Following are all constants integers available as a part of DragEvent class.
| S.N. | Constants & Description |
| 1 | ACTION_DRAG_STARTED Signals the start of a drag and drop operation. |
| 2 | ACTION_DRAG_ENTERED Signals to a View that the drag point has entered the bounding box of the View. |
| 3 | ACTION_DRAG_LOCATION Sent to a View after ACTION_DRAG_ENTERED if the drag shadow is still within the View object’s bounding box. |
| 4 | ACTION_DRAG_EXITED Signals that the user has moved the drag shadow outside the bounding box of the View. |
| 5 | ACTION_DROP Signals to a View that the user has released the drag shadow, and the drag point is within the bounding box of the View. |
| 6 | ACTION_DRAG_ENDED Signals to a View that the drag and drop operation has concluded. |
METHODS
Following are few important and most frequently used methods available as a part of DragEvent class.
| S.N. | Constants & Description |
| 1 | int getAction() Inspect the action value of this event.. |
| 2 | ClipData getClipData() Returns the ClipData object sent to the system as part of the call to startDrag(). |
| 3 | ClipDescription getClipDescription() Returns the ClipDescription object contained in the ClipData. |
| 4 | boolean getResult() Returns an indication of the result of the drag and drop operation. |
| 5 | float getX() Gets the X coordinate of the drag point. |
| 6 | float getY() Gets the Y coordinate of the drag point. |
| 7 | String toString() Returns a string representation of this DragEvent object. |
Listening for Drag Event
If you want any of your views within a Layout should respond Drag event then your view either implements View.OnDragListener or setup onDragEvent(DragEvent) callback method. When the system calls the method or listener, it passes to them a DragEvent object explained above. You can have both a listener and a callback method for View object. If this occurs, the system first calls the listener and then defined callback as long as listener returns true.
The combination of the onDragEvent(DragEvent) method and View.OnDragListener is analogous to the combination of the onTouchEvent() and View.OnTouchListener used with touch events in old versions of Android.
Starting a Drag Event
You start with creating a ClipData and ClipData.Item for the data being moved. As part of the ClipDataobject, supply metadata that is stored in a ClipDescription object within the ClipData. For a drag and drop operation that does not represent data movement, you may want to use null instead of an actual object.
Next either you can extend extend View.DragShadowBuilder to create a drag shadow for dragging the view or simply you can use View.DragShadowBuilder(View) to create a default drag shadow that’s the same size as the View argument passed to it, with the touch point centered in the drag shadow.
Example
Following example shows the functionality of a simple Drag & Drop using aView.setOnLongClickListener() event listener along with View.OnDragEventListener().
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| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as DragNDropDemounder a package com.example.dragndropdemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add the code to define event listeners as well as a call back methods for the logo image used in the example. |
| 3 | Copy image logo.png in res/drawable-* folders. You can use images with different resolution in case you want to provide them for different devices. |
| 4 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml to define default view of the logo images. |
| 5 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.dragndropdemo/MainActivity.java. This file can include each of the fundamental lifecycle methods.
package com.example.dragndropdemo;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.ClipData;
import android.content.ClipDescription;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.DragEvent;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.DragShadowBuilder;
import android.view.View.OnDragListener;
import android.widget.*;
public class MainActivity extends Activity{
ImageView ima;
private static final String IMAGEVIEW_TAG = "Android Logo";
String msg;
private android.widget.RelativeLayout.LayoutParams layoutParams;
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
ima = (ImageView)findViewById(R.id.iv_logo);
// Sets the tag
ima.setTag(IMAGEVIEW_TAG);
ima.setOnLongClickListener(new View.OnLongClickListener() {
@Override
public boolean onLongClick(View v) {
ClipData.Item item = new ClipData.Item((CharSequence)v.getTag());
String[] mimeTypes = {ClipDescription.MIMETYPE_TEXT_PLAIN};
ClipData dragData = new ClipData(v.getTag().toString(),
mimeTypes, item);
// Instantiates the drag shadow builder.
View.DragShadowBuilder myShadow = new DragShadowBuilder(ima);
// Starts the drag
v.startDrag(dragData, // the data to be dragged
myShadow, // the drag shadow builder
null, // no need to use local data
0 // flags (not currently used, set to 0)
);
return true;
}
});
// Create and set the drag event listener for the View
ima.setOnDragListener( new OnDragListener(){
@Override
public boolean onDrag(View v, DragEvent event){
switch(event.getAction())
{
case DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_STARTED:
layoutParams = (RelativeLayout.LayoutParams)
v.getLayoutParams();
Log.d(msg, "Action is DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_STARTED");
// Do nothing
break;
case DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_ENTERED:
Log.d(msg, "Action is DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_ENTERED");
int x_cord = (int) event.getX();
int y_cord = (int) event.getY();
break;
case DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_EXITED :
Log.d(msg, "Action is DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_EXITED");
x_cord = (int) event.getX();
y_cord = (int) event.getY();
layoutParams.leftMargin = x_cord;
layoutParams.topMargin = y_cord;
v.setLayoutParams(layoutParams);
break;
case DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_LOCATION :
Log.d(msg, "Action is DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_LOCATION");
x_cord = (int) event.getX();
y_cord = (int) event.getY();
break;
case DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_ENDED :
Log.d(msg, "Action is DragEvent.ACTION_DRAG_ENDED");
// Do nothing
break;
case DragEvent.ACTION_DROP:
Log.d(msg, "ACTION_DROP event");
// Do nothing
break;
default: break;
}
return true;
}
});
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="@+id/container"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<ImageView
android:id="@+id/iv_logo"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:src="@drawable/logo"
android:contentDescription="@string/drag_drop" />
</RelativeLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">DragNDropDemo</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="drag_drop">Click on the image to drag and drop</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.guidemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="16"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.guidemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your DragNDropDemo application. I assume you had created your AVD while doing environment setup. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Eclipse installs the app on your AVD and starts it and if everything is fine with your setup and application, it will display following Emulator window:
Now do long click on the displayed android logo and you will see that logo image moves a little after 1 seconds long click from its place, its the time when you should start dragging the image. You can drag it around the screen and drop it at a new location.
Android Notifications
Android Toast class provides a handy way to show users alerts but problem is that these alerts are not persistent which means alert flashes on the screen for a few seconds and then disappears.
For important messages to be given to the user, it is required to have more persistent method. Anotification is a message you can display as an icon at the top of the device which we call notification bar or status bar.
To see the details of the notification, you will have to select the icon which will display notification drawer having detail about the notification. While working with emulator with virtual device, you will have to click and drag down the status bar to expand it which will give you detail as follows. This will be just64 dp tall and called normal view.
Above expanded form can have a Big View which will have additional detail about the notification. You can add upto six additional lines in the notifciation. The following screenshot shows such notification.
Create and Send Notifications
You have simple way to create a notification. Follow the following steps in your application to create a notification:
STEP 1 – CREATE NOTIFICATION BUILDER
As a first step is to create a notification builder using NotificationCompat.Builder.build(). You will use Notification Builder to set various Notification properties like its small and large icons, title, priority etc.
NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this)
STEP 2 – SETTING NOTIFICATION PROPERTIES
Once you have Builder object, you can set its Notification properties using Builder object as per your requirement. But this is mandatory to set at least following:
- A small icon, set by setSmallIcon()
- A title, set by setContentTitle()
- Detail text, set by setContentText()
mBuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.notification_icon);
mBuilder.setContentTitle("Notification Alert, Click Me!");
mBuilder.setContentText("Hi, This is Android Notification Detail!");
You have plenty of optional properties which you can set for your notification. To learn more about them, see the reference documentation for NotificationCompat.Builder.
STEP 3 – ATTACH ACTIONS
This is an optional part and required if you want to attach an action with the notification. An action allows users to go directly from the notification to an Activity in your application, where they can look at one or more events or do further work.
The action is defined by a PendingIntent containing an Intent that starts an Activity in your application. To associate the PendingIntent with a gesture, call the appropriate method ofNotificationCompat.Builder. For example, if you want to start Activity when the user clicks the notification text in the notification drawer, you add the PendingIntent by calling setContentIntent().
A PendingIntent object helps you to perform an action on your application’s behalf, often at a later time, without caring of whether or not your application is running.
We take help of stack builder object which will contain an artificial back stack for the started Activity. This ensures that navigating backward from the Activity leads out of your application to the Home screen.
Intent resultIntent = new Intent(this, ResultActivity.class);
TaskStackBuilder stackBuilder = TaskStackBuilder.create(this);
stackBuilder.addParentStack(ResultActivity.class);
// Adds the Intent that starts the Activity to the top of the stack
stackBuilder.addNextIntent(resultIntent);
PendingIntent resultPendingIntent =
stackBuilder.getPendingIntent(
0,
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT
);
mBuilder.setContentIntent(resultPendingIntent);
STEP 4 – ISSUE THE NOTIFICATION
Finally, you pass the Notification object to the system by calling NotificationManager.notify() to send your notification. Make sure you call NotificationCompat.Builder.build() method on builder object before notifying it. This method combines all of the options that have been set and return a new Notificationobject.
NotificationManager mNotificationManager =
(NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
// notificationID allows you to update the notification later on.
mNotificationManager.notify(notificationID, mBuilder.build());
The NotificationCompat.Builder Class
The NotificationCompat.Builder class allows easier control over all the flags, as well as help constructing the typical notification layouts. Following are few important and most frequently used methods available as a part of NotificationCompat.Builder class.
| S.N. | Constants & Description |
| 1 | Notification build() Combine all of the options that have been set and return a new Notification object. |
| 2 | NotificationCompat.Builder setAutoCancel (boolean autoCancel) Setting this flag will make it so the notification is automatically canceled when the user clicks it in the panel. |
| 3 | NotificationCompat.Builder setContent (RemoteViews views) Supply a custom RemoteViews to use instead of the standard one. |
| 4 | NotificationCompat.Builder setContentInfo (CharSequence info) Set the large text at the right-hand side of the notification. |
| 5 | NotificationCompat.Builder setContentIntent (PendingIntent intent) Supply a PendingIntent to send when the notification is clicked. |
| 6 | NotificationCompat.Builder setContentText (CharSequence text) Set the text (second row) of the notification, in a standard notification. |
| 7 | NotificationCompat.Builder setContentTitle (CharSequence title) Set the text (first row) of the notification, in a standard notification. |
| 8 | NotificationCompat.Builder setDefaults (int defaults) Set the default notification options that will be used. |
| 9 | NotificationCompat.Builder setLargeIcon (Bitmap icon) Set the large icon that is shown in the ticker and notification. |
| 10 | NotificationCompat.Builder setNumber (int number) Set the large number at the right-hand side of the notification. |
| 11 | NotificationCompat.Builder setOngoing (boolean ongoing) Set whether this is an ongoing notification. |
| 12 | NotificationCompat.Builder setSmallIcon (int icon) Set the small icon to use in the notification layouts. |
| 13 | NotificationCompat.Builder setStyle (NotificationCompat.Style style) Add a rich notification style to be applied at build time. |
| 14 | NotificationCompat.Builder setTicker (CharSequence tickerText) Set the text that is displayed in the status bar when the notification first arrives. |
| 15 | NotificationCompat.Builder setVibrate (long[] pattern) Set the vibration pattern to use. |
| 16 | NotificationCompat.Builder setWhen (long when) Set the time that the event occurred. Notifications in the panel are sorted by this time. |
Example
Following example shows the functionality of a Android notification using a NotificationCompat.BuilderClass which has been introduced in Android 4.1.
| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as NotificationDemounder a package com.example.notificationdemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add the code to define three methods startNotification(), cancelNotification() and updateNotification() to cover maximum functionality related to Android notifications. |
| 3 | Create a new Java file src/NotificationView.java, which will be used to display new layout as a part of new activity which will be started when user will click any of the notifications |
| 4 | Copy image woman.png in res/drawable-* folders and this image will be used as Notification icons. You can use images with different resolution in case you want to provide them for different devices. |
| 5 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml to add three buttons in linear layout. |
| 6 | Create a new layout XML file res/layout/notification.xml. This will be used as layout file for new activity which will start when user will click any of the notifications. |
| 7 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 8 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.notificationdemo/MainActivity.java. This file can include each of the fundamental lifecycle methods.
package com.example.notificationdemo;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.NotificationManager;
import android.app.PendingIntent;
import android.app.TaskStackBuilder;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private NotificationManager mNotificationManager;
private int notificationID = 100;
private int numMessages = 0;
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
Button startBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.start);
startBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
displayNotification();
}
});
Button cancelBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.cancel);
cancelBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
cancelNotification();
}
});
Button updateBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.update);
updateBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
updateNotification();
}
});
}
protected void displayNotification() {
Log.i("Start", "notification");
/* Invoking the default notification service */
NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder =
new NotificationCompat.Builder(this);
mBuilder.setContentTitle("New Message");
mBuilder.setContentText("You've received new message.");
mBuilder.setTicker("New Message Alert!");
mBuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.woman);
/* Increase notification number every time a new notification arrives */
mBuilder.setNumber(++numMessages);
/* Creates an explicit intent for an Activity in your app */
Intent resultIntent = new Intent(this, NotificationView.class);
TaskStackBuilder stackBuilder = TaskStackBuilder.create(this);
stackBuilder.addParentStack(NotificationView.class);
/* Adds the Intent that starts the Activity to the top of the stack */
stackBuilder.addNextIntent(resultIntent);
PendingIntent resultPendingIntent =
stackBuilder.getPendingIntent(
0,
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT
);
mBuilder.setContentIntent(resultPendingIntent);
mNotificationManager =
(NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
/* notificationID allows you to update the notification later on. */
mNotificationManager.notify(notificationID, mBuilder.build());
}
protected void cancelNotification() {
Log.i("Cancel", "notification");
mNotificationManager.cancel(notificationID);
}
protected void updateNotification() {
Log.i("Update", "notification");
/* Invoking the default notification service */
NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder =
new NotificationCompat.Builder(this);
mBuilder.setContentTitle("Updated Message");
mBuilder.setContentText("You've got updated message.");
mBuilder.setTicker("Updated Message Alert!");
mBuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.woman);
/* Increase notification number every time a new notification arrives */
mBuilder.setNumber(++numMessages);
/* Creates an explicit intent for an Activity in your app */
Intent resultIntent = new Intent(this, NotificationView.class);
TaskStackBuilder stackBuilder = TaskStackBuilder.create(this);
stackBuilder.addParentStack(NotificationView.class);
/* Adds the Intent that starts the Activity to the top of the stack */
stackBuilder.addNextIntent(resultIntent);
PendingIntent resultPendingIntent =
stackBuilder.getPendingIntent(
0,
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT
);
mBuilder.setContentIntent(resultPendingIntent);
mNotificationManager =
(NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
/* Update the existing notification using same notification ID */
mNotificationManager.notify(notificationID, mBuilder.build());
}
}
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.notificationdemo/NotificationView.java.
package com.example.notificationdemo;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
public class NotificationView extends Activity{
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.notification);
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/start"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/start_note"/>
<Button android:id="@+id/cancel"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/cancel_note" />
<Button android:id="@+id/update"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/update_note" />
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/layout/notification.xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent" >
<TextView
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="400dp"
android:text="Hi, Your Detailed notification view goes here...." />
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">NotificationDemo</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="start_note">Start Notification</string>
<string name="cancel_note">Cancel Notification</string>
<string name="update_note">Update Notification</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.notificationdemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="17"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.notificationdemo.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>
<activity android:name=".NotificationView"
android:label="Details of notification"
android:parentActivityName=".MainActivity">
<meta-data
android:name="android.support.PARENT_ACTIVITY"
android:value=".MainActivity"/>
</activity>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your NotificationDemo application. I assume you had created your AVD while doing environment setup. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Eclipse installs the app on your AVD and starts it and if everything is fine with your setup and application, it will display following Emulator window:
Now click Start Notification button, you will see at the top a message “New Message Alert!” will display momentarily and after that you will have following screen having a small icon at the top left corner.
Now lets expand the view, long click on the small icon, after a second it will display date information and this is the time when you should drag status bar down without releasing mouse. You will see status bar will expand and you will get following screen:
Now let’s try to click on the image icon, this will launch your new activity which you have set using intent and you will have following screen:
Next, you can click on “Detail of notification” and it will take you back to the main screen where you can try using Update Notification button which will update existing notification and number will increase by 1 but if you will send notification with new notification ID then it will keep adding in the stack and you see them separately listed on the screen.
Big View Notification
The following code snippet demonstrates how to alter the notification created in the previous snippet to use the Inbox big view style. I’m going to update displayNotification() modification method to show this functionality:
protected void displayNotification() {
Log.i("Start", "notification");
/* Invoking the default notification service */
NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder =
new NotificationCompat.Builder(this);
mBuilder.setContentTitle("New Message");
mBuilder.setContentText("You've received new message.");
mBuilder.setTicker("New Message Alert!");
mBuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.woman);
/* Increase notification number every time a new notification arrives */
mBuilder.setNumber(++numMessages);
/* Add Big View Specific Configuration */
NotificationCompat.InboxStyle inboxStyle =
new NotificationCompat.InboxStyle();
String[] events = new String[6];
events[0] = new String("This is first line....");
events[1] = new String("This is second line...");
events[2] = new String("This is third line...");
events[3] = new String("This is 4th line...");
events[4] = new String("This is 5th line...");
events[5] = new String("This is 6th line...");
// Sets a title for the Inbox style big view
inboxStyle.setBigContentTitle("Big Title Details:");
// Moves events into the big view
for (int i=0; i < events.length; i++) {
inboxStyle.addLine(events[i]);
}
mBuilder.setStyle(inboxStyle);
/* Creates an explicit intent for an Activity in your app */
Intent resultIntent = new Intent(this, NotificationView.class);
TaskStackBuilder stackBuilder = TaskStackBuilder.create(this);
stackBuilder.addParentStack(NotificationView.class);
/* Adds the Intent that starts the Activity to the top of the stack */
stackBuilder.addNextIntent(resultIntent);
PendingIntent resultPendingIntent =
stackBuilder.getPendingIntent(
0,
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT
);
mBuilder.setContentIntent(resultPendingIntent);
mNotificationManager =
(NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
/* notificationID allows you to update the notification later on. */
mNotificationManager.notify(notificationID, mBuilder.build());
}
Now if you will try to run your application then you will find following result in expanded form of the view:
Now if you will try to run your application then you will find following result in expanded form of the view:
Android Location Based Services
Android location APIs make it easy for you to build location-aware applications, without needing to focus on the details of the underlying location technology. This becomes possible with the help ofGoogle Play services, which facilitates adding location awareness to your app with automated location tracking, geofencing, and activity recognition.
This tutorial shows you how to use Location Services in your app to get the current location, get periodic location updates, look up addresses etc.
The Location Object
The Location object represents a geographic location which can consist of a latitude, longitude, timestamp, and other information such as bearing, altitude and velocity. There are following important methods which you can use with Location object to get location specific information:
| S.N. | Method & Description |
| 1 | float distanceTo(Location dest) Returns the approximate distance in meters between this location and the given location. |
| 2 | float getAccuracy() Get the estimated accuracy of this location, in meters. |
| 3 | double getAltitude() Get the altitude if available, in meters above sea level. |
| 4 | float getBearing() Get the bearing, in degrees. |
| 5 | double getLatitude() Get the latitude, in degrees. |
| 6 | double getLongitude() Get the longitude, in degrees. |
| 7 | float getSpeed() Get the speed if it is available, in meters/second over ground. |
| 8 | boolean hasAccuracy() True if this location has an accuracy. |
| 9 | boolean hasAltitude() True if this location has an altitude. |
| 10 | boolean hasBearing() True if this location has a bearing. |
| 11 | boolean hasSpeed() True if this location has a speed. |
| 12 | void reset() Clears the contents of the location. |
| 13 | void setAccuracy(float accuracy) Set the estimated accuracy of this location, meters. |
| 14 | void setAltitude(double altitude) Set the altitude, in meters above sea level. |
| 15 | void setBearing(float bearing) Set the bearing, in degrees. |
| 16 | void setLatitude(double latitude) Set the latitude, in degrees. |
| 17 | void setLongitude(double longitude) Set the longitude, in degrees. |
| 18 | void setSpeed(float speed) Set the speed, in meters/second over ground. |
| 19 | String toString() Returns a string containing a concise, human-readable description of this object. |
Get the Current Location
To get the current location, create a location client which is LocationClient object, connect it to Location Services using connect() method, and then call its getLastLocation() method. This method returns the most recent location in the form of Location object that contains latitude and longitude coordinates and other information as explained above. To have location based functionality in your activity, you will have to implement two interfaces:
- GooglePlayServicesClient.ConnectionCallbacks
- GooglePlayServicesClient.OnConnectionFailedListener
These interfaces provide following important callback methods, which you need to implement in youractivity class:
| S.N. | Callback Methods & Description |
| 1 | abstract void onConnected(Bundle connectionHint) This callback method is called when location service is connected to the location client successfully. You will use connect() method to connect to the location client. |
| 2 | abstract void onDisconnected() This callback method is called when the client is disconnected. You will use disconnect()method to disconnect from the location client. |
| 3 | abstract void onConnectionFailed(ConnectionResult result) This callback method is called when there was an error connecting the client to the service. |
You should create the location client in onCreate() method of your activity class, then connect it in onStart(), so that Location Services maintains the current location while your activity is fully visible. You should disconnect the client in onStop() method, so that when your app is not visible, Location Services is not maintaining the current location. This helps in saving battery power up-to a large extent.
Get the Updated Location
If you are willing to have location updates, then apart from above mentioned interfaces, you will need to implement LocationListener interface as well. This interface provide following callback method, which you need to implement in your activity class:
| S.N. | Callback Method & Description |
| 1 | abstract void onLocationChanged(Location location) This callback method is used for receiving notifications from the LocationClient when the location has changed. |
Location Quality of Service
The LocationRequest object is used to request a quality of service (QoS) for location updates from theLocationClient. There are following useful setter methods which you can use to handle QoS. There are equivalent getter methods available which you can check in Android official documentation.
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| S.N. | Method & Description |
| 1 | setExpirationDuration(long millis) Set the duration of this request, in milliseconds. |
| 2 | setExpirationTime(long millis) Set the request expiration time, in millisecond since boot. |
| 3 | setFastestInterval(long millis) Explicitly set the fastest interval for location updates, in milliseconds. |
| 4 | setInterval(long millis) Set the desired interval for active location updates, in milliseconds. |
| 5 | setNumUpdates(int numUpdates) Set the number of location updates. |
| 6 | setPriority(int priority) Set the priority of the request. |
Now for example, if your application wants high accuracy location it should create a location request with setPriority(int) set to PRIORITY_HIGH_ACCURACY and setInterval(long) to 5 seconds. You can also use bigger interval and/or other priorities like PRIORITY_LOW_POWER for to request “city” level accuracy or PRIORITY_BALANCED_POWER_ACCURACY for “block” level accuracy.
Activities should strongly consider removing all location request when entering the background (for example at onPause()), or at least swap the request to a larger interval and lower quality to save power consumption.
Displaying a Location Address
Once you have Location object, you can use Geocoder.getFromLocation() method to get an address for a given latitude and longitude. This method is synchronous, and may take a long time to do its work, so you should call the method from the doInBackground() method of an AsyncTask class.
The AsyncTask must be subclassed to be used and the subclass will overridedoInBackground(Params…) method to perform a task in the background and onPostExecute(Result)method is invoked on the UI thread after the background computation finishes and at the time to display the result. There is one more important method available in AyncTask which isexecute(Params… params), this method executes the task with the specified parameters.
Check following example to have better understanding on how we use AynchTask in any Android application to get work done in the background without interfering main task.
Example
Following example shows you in practical how to to use Location Services in your app to get the current location and its equivalent addresses etc.
To experiment with this example, you will need actual Mobile device equipped with latest Android OS, otherwise you will have to struggle with emulator which may not work.
INSTALL THE GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES SDK
Before you proceed to have location support in your Android Applications, you neet to setup Google Play Services SDK using following simple steps:
| Steps | Description |
| 1 | Launch the SDK Manager.
|
| 2 | Search for Google Play services option from the given package list under Extra and if its not installed, then install it. The Google Play services SDK is saved in your Android SDK environment at <android-sdk>/extras/google/google_play_services/. |
| 3 | Copy the library project at <android-sdk>/extras/google/google_play_services/libproject/google-play-services_lib/ to the location where you maintain your Android app projects. If you are using Eclipse, import the library project into your workspace. Click File > Import, select Android > Existing Android Code into Workspace, and browse to <android-sdk>/extras/google/google_play_services/libproject/, library project to import it. |
CREATE ANDROID APPLICATION
| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as LBSDemo/i> under a package com.example.lbsdemo. While creating this project, make sure you Target SDK andCompile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Add Google Play Service library in your project by following simple steps given below. |
| 3 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add required code as shown below to take care of getting current location and its equivalent address. |
| 4 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml to add all GUI components which include three buttons and two text views to show location/address. |
| 5 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 6 | Modify AndroidManifest.xml as shown below |
| 7 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Let’s add Google Play Service reference in the project. Right click on the project and select Build Path > Configure Build Path > Android > and then click Add button which will show google-play-service_liboption to be added, just double click on it, which will add required library reference and you will have window as follows:
Following is the content of the modified main activity file src/com.example.lbsdemo/MainActivity.java.
package com.example.lbsdemo;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;
import com.google.android.gms.common.ConnectionResult;
import com.google.android.gms.common.GooglePlayServicesClient;
import com.google.android.gms.location.LocationClient;
import android.content.Context;
import android.location.Address;
import android.location.Geocoder;
import android.location.Location;
import android.os.AsyncTask;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v4.app.FragmentActivity;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class MainActivity extends FragmentActivity implements
GooglePlayServicesClient.ConnectionCallbacks,
GooglePlayServicesClient.OnConnectionFailedListener
{
LocationClient mLocationClient;
private TextView addressLabel;
private TextView locationLabel;
private Button getLocationBtn;
private Button disconnectBtn;
private Button connectBtn;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
locationLabel = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.locationLabel);
addressLabel = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.addressLabel);
getLocationBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.getLocation);
getLocationBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
displayCurrentLocation();
}
});
disconnectBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.disconnect);
disconnectBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
mLocationClient.disconnect();
locationLabel.setText("Got disconnected....");
}
});
connectBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.connect);
connectBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
mLocationClient.connect();
locationLabel.setText("Got connected....");
}
});
// Create the LocationRequest object
mLocationClient = new LocationClient(this, this, this);
}
@Override
protected void onStart() {
super.onStart();
// Connect the client.
mLocationClient.connect();
locationLabel.setText("Got connected....");
}
@Override
protected void onStop() {
// Disconnect the client.
mLocationClient.disconnect();
super.onStop();
locationLabel.setText("Got disconnected....");
}
@Override
public void onConnected(Bundle dataBundle) {
// Display the connection status
Toast.makeText(this, "Connected", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
@Override
public void onDisconnected() {
// Display the connection status
Toast.makeText(this, "Disconnected. Please re-connect.",
Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
@Override
public void onConnectionFailed(ConnectionResult connectionResult) {
// Display the error code on failure
Toast.makeText(this, "Connection Failure : " +
connectionResult.getErrorCode(),
Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
public void displayCurrentLocation() {
// Get the current location's latitude & longitude
Location currentLocation = mLocationClient.getLastLocation();
String msg = "Current Location: " +
Double.toString(currentLocation.getLatitude()) + "," +
Double.toString(currentLocation.getLongitude());
// Display the current location in the UI
locationLabel.setText(msg);
// To display the current address in the UI
(new GetAddressTask(this)).execute(currentLocation);
}
/*
* Following is a subclass of AsyncTask which has been used to get
* address corresponding to the given latitude & longitude.
*/
private class GetAddressTask extends AsyncTask<Location, Void, String>{
Context mContext;
public GetAddressTask(Context context) {
super();
mContext = context;
}
/*
* When the task finishes, onPostExecute() displays the address.
*/
@Override
protected void onPostExecute(String address) {
// Display the current address in the UI
addressLabel.setText(address);
}
@Override
protected String doInBackground(Location... params) {
Geocoder geocoder =
new Geocoder(mContext, Locale.getDefault());
// Get the current location from the input parameter list
Location loc = params[0];
// Create a list to contain the result address
List<Address> addresses = null;
try {
addresses = geocoder.getFromLocation(loc.getLatitude(),
loc.getLongitude(), 1);
} catch (IOException e1) {
Log.e("LocationSampleActivity",
"IO Exception in getFromLocation()");
e1.printStackTrace();
return ("IO Exception trying to get address");
} catch (IllegalArgumentException e2) {
// Error message to post in the log
String errorString = "Illegal arguments " +
Double.toString(loc.getLatitude()) +
" , " +
Double.toString(loc.getLongitude()) +
" passed to address service";
Log.e("LocationSampleActivity", errorString);
e2.printStackTrace();
return errorString;
}
// If the reverse geocode returned an address
if (addresses != null && addresses.size() > 0) {
// Get the first address
Address address = addresses.get(0);
/*
* Format the first line of address (if available),
* city, and country name.
*/
String addressText = String.format(
"%s, %s, %s",
// If there's a street address, add it
address.getMaxAddressLineIndex() > 0 ?
address.getAddressLine(0) : "",
// Locality is usually a city
address.getLocality(),
// The country of the address
address.getCountryName());
// Return the text
return addressText;
} else {
return "No address found";
}
}
}// AsyncTask class
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/getLocation"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/get_location"/>
<Button android:id="@+id/disconnect"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/disconnect"/>
<Button android:id="@+id/connect"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/connect"/>
<TextView
android:id="@+id/locationLabel"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
<TextView
android:id="@+id/addressLabel"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">LBSDemo</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="get_location">Get Location</string>
<string name="disconnect">Disconnect Service</string>
<string name="connect">Connect Service</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.lbsdemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="8"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION"/>
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.lbsdemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your LBSDemo application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Before starting your application, Eclipse will display following window to select an option where you want to run your Android application.
Select mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display following screen:
Now to see location select Get Location Button which will display location information as follows:
You can try by disconnecting location client using Disconnect Service and then connecting it by usingConnect Service button. You can also modify to get location update as explained above and in Android Official documentation.
Android Sending Email
You have learnt Android Intent, which is an object carrying an intent ie. message from one component to another component with-in the application or outside the application.
As such you do not need to develop your email client from scratch because they are already available like Gmail and K9mail. But you will need to send email from your Android application, where you will have to write an Activity that needs to launch an email client and sends an email using your Android device. For this purpose, your Activity will send an ACTION_SEND along with appropriate data load, to the Android Intent Resolver. The specified chooser gives the proper interface for the user to pick how to send your email data.
Following section explains different parts of our Intent object required to send an email.
Intent Object – Action to send Email
You will use ACTION_SEND action to launch an email client installed on your Android device. Following is simple syntax to create an intent with ACTION_SEND action
Intent emailIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SEND);
Intent Object – Data/Type to send Email
To send an email you need to specify mailto: as URI using setData() method and data type will be totext/plain using setType() method as follows:
emailIntent.setData(Uri.parse("mailto:"));
emailIntent.setType("text/plain");
Intent Object – Extra to send Email
Android has built-in support to add TO, SUBJECT, CC, TEXT etc. fields which can be attached to the intent before sending the intent to a target email client. You can use following extra fields in your email:
| S.N. | Extra Data & Description |
| 1 | EXTRA_BCC A String[] holding e-mail addresses that should be blind carbon copied. |
| 2 | EXTRA_CC A String[] holding e-mail addresses that should be carbon copied. |
| 3 | EXTRA_EMAIL A String[] holding e-mail addresses that should be delivered to. |
| 4 | EXTRA_HTML_TEXT A constant String that is associated with the Intent, used with ACTION_SEND to supply an alternative to EXTRA_TEXT as HTML formatted text. |
| 5 | EXTRA_SUBJECT A constant string holding the desired subject line of a message. |
| 6 | EXTRA_TEXT A constant CharSequence that is associated with the Intent, used with ACTION_SEND to supply the literal data to be sent. |
| 7 | EXTRA_TITLE A CharSequence dialog title to provide to the user when used with a ACTION_CHOOSER. |
Here is an example showing you how to assign extra data to your intent:
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_EMAIL , new String[]{"recipient@example.com"});
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_SUBJECT, "subject of email");
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TEXT , "body of email");
Example
Following example shows you in practical how to use Intent object to launch Email client to send an Email to the given recipients.
To experiment with this example, you will need actual Mobile device equipped with latest Android OS, otherwise you will have to struggle with emulator which may not work. Second you will need to have an Email client like GMail or K9mail installed on your device.
| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as SendEmailDemounder a package com.example.sendemaildemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add required code to take care of sending email. |
| 3 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml add any GUI component if required. I’m adding a simple button to launch Email Client. |
| 4 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 5 | Modify AndroidManifest.xml as shown below |
| 6 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.sendemaildemo/MainActivity.java.
package com.example.sendemaildemo;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
Button startBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.sendEmail);
startBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
sendEmail();
}
});
}
protected void sendEmail() {
Log.i("Send email", "");
String[] TO = {"amrood.admin@gmail.com"};
String[] CC = {"mcmohd@gmail.com"};
Intent emailIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SEND);
emailIntent.setData(Uri.parse("mailto:"));
emailIntent.setType("text/plain");
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_EMAIL, TO);
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_CC, CC);
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_SUBJECT, "Your subject");
emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TEXT, "Email message goes here");
try {
startActivity(Intent.createChooser(emailIntent, "Send mail..."));
finish();
Log.i("Finished sending email...", "");
} catch (android.content.ActivityNotFoundException ex) {
Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this,
"There is no email client installed.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
@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;
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/sendEmail"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/compose_email"/>
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">SendEmailDemo</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="compose_email">Compose Email</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.sendemaildemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="8"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.sendemaildemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your SendEmailDemo application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Before starting your application, Eclipse will display following window to select an option where you want to run your Android application.
Select your mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display following screen:
Now use Compose Email button to list down all the installed email clients. From the list, you can choose one of email clients to send your email. I’m going to use Gmail client to send my email which will have all the provided defaults fields available as shown below. Here From: will be default email ID you have registered for your Android device.
You can modify either of the given default fields and finally use send email button (marked with red rectangle) to send your email to the mentioned recipients.
Android Sending SMS
There are following two ways to send SMS using Android device:
- Using SmsManager to send SMS
- Using Built-in Intent to send SMS
Using SmsManager to send SMS
The SmsManager manages SMS operations such as sending data to the given mobile device. You can create this object by calling the static method SmsManager.getDefault() as follows:
SmsManager smsManager = SmsManager.getDefault();
Once you have SmsManager object, you can use sendDataMessage() method to send SMS at the specified mobile number as below:
smsManager.sendTextMessage("phoneNo", null, "SMS text", null, null);
Apart from the above method, there are few other important functions available in SmsManager class. These methods are listed below:
| S.N. | Method & Description |
| 1 | ArrayList<String> divideMessage(String text) This method divides a message text into several fragments, none bigger than the maximum SMS message size. |
| 2 | static SmsManager getDefault() This method is used to get the default instance of the SmsManager |
| 3 | void sendDataMessage(String destinationAddress, String scAddress, short destinationPort, byte[] data, PendingIntent sentIntent, PendingIntent deliveryIntent) This method is used to send a data based SMS to a specific application port. |
| 4 | void sendMultipartTextMessage(String destinationAddress, String scAddress, ArrayList<String> parts, ArrayList<PendingIntent> sentIntents, ArrayList<PendingIntent> deliveryIntents) Send a multi-part text based SMS. |
| 5 | void sendTextMessage(String destinationAddress, String scAddress, String text, PendingIntent sentIntent, PendingIntent deliveryIntent) Send a text based SMS. |
Example
Following example shows you in practical how to use SmsManager object to send an SMS to the given mobile number.
To experiment with this example, you will need actual Mobile device equipped with latest Android OS, otherwise you will have to struggle with emulator which may not work.
| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as SendSMSDemounder a package com.example.sendsmsdemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add required code to take care of sending email. |
| 3 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml add any GUI component if required. I’m adding a simple GUI to take mobile number and SMS text to be sent and a simple button to send SMS. |
| 4 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 5 | Modify AndroidManifest.xml as shown below |
| 6 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.sendsmsdemo/MainActivity.java.
package com.example.sendsmsdemo;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.telephony.SmsManager;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
Button sendBtn;
EditText txtphoneNo;
EditText txtMessage;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
sendBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnSendSMS);
txtphoneNo = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editTextPhoneNo);
txtMessage = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editTextSMS);
sendBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
sendSMSMessage();
}
});
}
protected void sendSMSMessage() {
Log.i("Send SMS", "");
String phoneNo = txtphoneNo.getText().toString();
String message = txtMessage.getText().toString();
try {
SmsManager smsManager = SmsManager.getDefault();
smsManager.sendTextMessage(phoneNo, null, message, null, null);
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "SMS sent.",
Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
} catch (Exception e) {
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),
"SMS faild, please try again.",
Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
@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;
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/textViewPhoneNo"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/phone_label" />
<EditText
android:id="@+id/editTextPhoneNo"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:inputType="phone"/>
<TextView
android:id="@+id/textViewMessage"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/sms_label" />
<EditText
android:id="@+id/editTextSMS"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:inputType="textMultiLine"/>
<Button android:id="@+id/btnSendSMS"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/send_sms_label"/>
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">SendSMSDemo</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="phone_label">Enter Phone Number:</string>
<string name="sms_label">Enter SMS Message:</string>
<string name="send_sms_label">Send SMS</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.sendsmsdemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="8"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SEND_SMS" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.sendsmsdemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your SendSMSDemo application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Before starting your application, Eclipse will display following window to select an option where you want to run your Android application.
Select your mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display following screen:
Now you can enter a desired mobile number and a text message to be sent on that number. Finally click on Send SMS button to send your SMS. Make sure your GSM connection is working fine to deliver your SMS to its recipient.
You can take a number of SMS separated by comma and then inside your program you will have to parse them into an array string and finally you can use a loop to send message to all the given numbers. That’s how you can write your own SMS client. Next section will show you how to use existing SMS client to send SMS.
Using Built-in Intent to send SMS
You can use Android Intent to send SMS by calling built-in SMS functionality of the Android. Following section explains different parts of our Intent object required to send an SMS.
Intent Object – Action to send SMS
You will use ACTION_VIEW action to launch an SMS client installed on your Android device. Following is simple syntax to create an intent with ACTION_VIEW action
Intent smsIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
Intent Object – Data/Type to send SMS
To send an SMS you need to specify smsto: as URI using setData() method and data type will be tovnd.android-dir/mms-sms using setType() method as follows:
smsIntent.setData(Uri.parse("smsto:"));
smsIntent.setType("vnd.android-dir/mms-sms");
Intent Object – Extra to send SMS
Android has built-in support to add phone number and text message to send an SMS as follows:
smsIntent.putExtra("address" , new String("0123456789;3393993300"));
smsIntent.putExtra("sms_body" , "Test SMS to Angilla");
Here address and sms_body are case sensitive and should be specified in small characters only. You can specify more than one number in single string but separated by semi-colon (;).
Example
Following example shows you in practical how to use Intent object to launch SMS client to send an SMS to the given recipients.
To experiment with this example, you will need actual Mobile device equipped with latest Android OS, otherwise you will have to struggle with emulator which may not work.
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| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as SendSMSDemounder a package com.example.sendsmsdemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add required code to take care of sending SMS. |
| 3 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml add any GUI component if required. I’m adding a simple button to launch SMS Client. |
| 4 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 5 | Modify AndroidManifest.xml as shown below |
| 6 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.sendsmsdemo/MainActivity.java.
package com.example.sendsmsdemo;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
Button startBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.sendSMS);
startBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
sendSMS();
}
});
}
protected void sendSMS() {
Log.i("Send SMS", "");
Intent smsIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
smsIntent.setData(Uri.parse("smsto:"));
smsIntent.setType("vnd.android-dir/mms-sms");
smsIntent.putExtra("address" , new String ("0123456789"));
smsIntent.putExtra("sms_body" , "Test SMS to Angilla");
try {
startActivity(smsIntent);
finish();
Log.i("Finished sending SMS...", "");
} catch (android.content.ActivityNotFoundException ex) {
Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this,
"SMS faild, please try again later.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
@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;
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/sendSMS"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/compose_sms"/>
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">SendSMSDemo</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="compose_sms">Compose SMS</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.sendsmsdemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="8"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.sendsmsdemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your SendSMSDemo application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Before starting your application, Eclipse will display following window to select an option where you want to run your Android application.
Select your mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display following screen:
Now use Compose SMS button to launch Android built-in SMS clients which is shown below:
You can modify either of the given default fields and finally use send SMS button (marked with red rectangle) to send your SMS to the mentioned recipient.
Android Phone Calls
As such every Android Device specially Mobile phone is meant to provide a functionality to make a phone call but still you may need to write an application where you want to give an option to your user to make a call using a hard coded phone number.
This chapter lists down all the simple steps to create an application which can be used to make a Phone Call. You can use Android Intent to make phone call by calling built-in Phone Call functionality of the Android. Following section explains different parts of our Intent object required to make a call.
Intent Object – Action to make Phone Call
You will use ACTION_CALL action to trigger built-in phone call functionality available in Android device. Following is simple syntax to create an intent with ACTION_CALL action
Intent phoneIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_CALL);
You can use ACTION_DIAL action instead of ACTION_CALL, in that case you will have option to modify hardcoded phone number before making a call instead of making a direct call.
Intent Object – Data/Type to make Phone Call
To make a phone call at a given number 91-800-001-0101, you need to specify tel: as URI using setData() method as follows:
phoneIntent.setData(Uri.parse("tel:91-800-001-0101"));
The interesting point is that, to make a phone call, you do not need to specify any extra data or data type.
Example
Following example shows you in practical how to use Android Intent to make phone call to the given mobile number.
To experiment with this example, you will need actual Mobile device equipped with latest Android OS, otherwise you will have to struggle with emulator which may not work.
| Step | Description |
| 1 | You will use Eclipse IDE to create an Android application and name it as PhoneCallDemounder a package com.example.phonecalldemo. While creating this project, make sure youTarget SDK and Compile With at the latest version of Android SDK to use higher levels of APIs. |
| 2 | Modify src/MainActivity.java file and add required code to take care of making a call. |
| 3 | Modify layout XML file res/layout/activity_main.xml add any GUI component if required. I’m adding a simple button to Call 91-800-001-0101 number |
| 4 | Modify res/values/strings.xml to define required constant values |
| 5 | Modify AndroidManifest.xml as shown below |
| 6 | Run the application to launch Android emulator and verify the result of the changes done in the aplication. |
Following is the content of the modified main activity filesrc/com.example.phonecalldemo/MainActivity.java.
package com.example.phonecalldemo;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.Toast;
publicclass MainActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
Button startBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.makeCall);
startBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View view) {
makeCall();
}
});
}
protected void makeCall() {
Log.i("Make call", "");
Intent phoneIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_CALL);
phoneIntent.setData(Uri.parse("tel:91-800-001-0101"));
try {
startActivity(phoneIntent);
finish();
Log.i("Finished making a call...", "");
} catch (android.content.ActivityNotFoundException ex) {
Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this,
"Call faild, please try again later.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
@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;
}
}
Following will be the content of res/layout/activity_main.xml file:
<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/makeCall"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/make_call"/>
</LinearLayout>
Following will be the content of res/values/strings.xml to define two new constants:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<resources>
<string name="app_name">PhoneCallDemo</string>
<string name="hello_world">Hello world!</string>
<string name="action_settings">Settings</string>
<string name="make_call">Call 91-800-001-0101</string>
</resources>
Following is the default content of AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.phonecalldemo"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >
<uses-sdk
android:minSdkVersion="8"
android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CALL_PHONE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity
android:name="com.example.phonecalldemo.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>
</application>
</manifest>
Let’s try to run your PhoneCallDemo application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project’s activity files and click Run icon from the toolbar. Before starting your application, Eclipse will display following window to select an option where you want to run your Android application.
Select your mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display following screen:
Now use Call 91-800-001-0101 button to make phone call as shown below:
Publishing Android Application
Android application publishing is a process that makes your Android applications available to users. Infact, publishing is the last phase of the Android application development process.
Once you developed and fully tested your Android Application, you can start selling or distributing free using Google Play (A famous Android marketplace). You can also release your applications by sending them directly to users or by letting users download them from your own website.
You can check a detailed publishing process at Android official website, but this tutorial will take you through simple steps to launch your application on Google Play. Here is a simplified check list which will help you in launching your Android application:
| Step | Activity |
| 1 | Regression Testing Before you publish your application, you need to make sure that its meeting the basic quality expectations for all Android apps, on all of the devices that you are targeting. So perform all the required testing on different devices including phone and tablets. |
| 2 | Application Rating When you will publish your application at Google Play, you will have to specify a content rating for your app, which informs Google Play users of its maturity level. Currently available ratings are (a) Everyone (b) Low maturity (c) Medium maturity (d) High maturity. |
| 3 | Targeted Regions Google Play lets you control what countries and territories where your application will be sold. Accordingly you must take care of setting up time zone, localization or any other specific requirement as per the targeted region. |
| 4 | Application Size Currently, the maximum size for an APK published on Google Play is 50 MB. If your app exceeds that size, or if you want to offer a secondary download, you can use APK Expansion Files, which Google Play will host for free on its server infrastructure and automatically handle the download to devices. |
| 5 | SDK and Screen Compatibility It is important to make sure that your app is designed to run properly on the Android platform versions and device screen sizes that you want to target. |
| 6 | Application Pricing Deciding whether you app will be free or paid is important because, on Google Play, free apps must remain free. If you want to sell your application then you will have to specify its price in different currencies. |
| 7 | Promotional Content It is a good marketing practice to supply a variety of high-quality graphic assets to showcase your app or brand. After you publish, these appear on your product details page, in store listings and search results, and elsewhere. |
| 8 | Build and Upload release-ready APK The release-ready APK is what you you will upload to the Developer Console and distribute to users. You can check complete detail on how to create a release-ready version of your app: Preparing for Release. |
| 9 | Finalize Application Detail Google Play gives you a variety of ways to promote your app and engage with users on your product details page, from colorful graphics, screenshots, and videos to localized descriptions, release details, and links to your other apps. So you can decorate your application page and provide as much as clear crisp detail you can provide. |
Export Android Application
You will need to export your application as an APK (Android Package) file before you upload it Google Play marketplace.
To export an application, just open that application project in Eclipse and select File->Export from your Eclipse and follow the simple steps to export your application:
Next select, Export Android Application option as shown in the above screen shot and then click Nextand again Next so that you get following screen where you will choose Create new keystore to store your application.
Enter your password to protect your application and click on Next button once again. It will display following screen to let you create a key for your application:
Once you filled up all the information, click Next button and finally it will ask you a location where Application will be exported:
Finally, you click on Finish button to generate your Android Application Package File which will be uploaded at Google Play marketplace.
Google Play Registration
The most important step is to register with Google Play using Google Play Marketplace. You can use your existing google ID if you have any otherwise you can create a new Google ID and then register with the marketplace. You will have following screen to accept terms and condition.
You can use Continue to payment button to proceed to make a payment of $25 as a registration fee and finally to complete your account detail.
Once you are a registered user at Google Play, you can upload release-ready APK for your application and finally you will complete application detail using application detail page as mentioned in step 9 of the above mentioned checklist.
IT GUIDELINES 