Database Users

[GUIDE] Create Transparent Demo pages on Android

Have you seen those apps with the really cool hand drawn arrows that show the users how the app works the first time they run it? Yeah I have too and I wanted to figure out how to do that. So I did. Now I'm going to show you also.
This is going to be pretty easy and we'll do it for Activities and Fragments so all your apps will be covered.
The first thing you'll need to do is draw the pictures that we'll place over the Activity/Fragment. I draw mine on Gimp but you can use whatever drawing tool you want. I recommend you draw them 480 X 760 px. You'll want to set your background as Transparent. Here is a sample of what I've done.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
That's easy enough. I recommend you draw these as you go, I've found that I needed to edit the images to make sure they are pointing to the exact right place on the screen.
Next up we'll create an XML layout for each image that you want to use in your app. We'll create a LinearLayout with an embedded ImageView. The ImageView will display our beautiful art from above. Make sure to give the LinearLayout an ID, set the background to @null. As for the ImageView you'll need to give it an ID also and set the source to the image file you drew previously. Be sure to put the image in the res/drawable folder, make sure the image file name is all lower case and it is a .png file type. Again you will need to create as many of these XML layouts as you did images above.
overlay_activity.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="@+id/llOverlay_activity"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background= @null"
androidrientation="vertical" >
<ImageView
android:id="@+id/ivOverlayEntertask"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:src="@drawable/activity_overlay" />
</LinearLayout>
We are going to control when this is displayed to the user with SharedPreferences. Utilizing SharePreferences gives us the ability to show the tutorial on the first run of the app and also allows the user to see it again by selecting it in the apps Settings menu.
We'll need to create a folder under /res/ named /xml, so you'll end up with /res/xml. Now let's create a new XML layout for our preferences. In Eclipse you'll choose File New > Android XML file. Change the Resource Type to Preference, then name the file exactly this prefs.xml and click Finish.
Next we'll add a CheckBoxPreference with the following attributes:
android:defaultValue="true"
android:key="tutorial"
android:summary="Enable tutorial on device"
android:title="Tutorial"
So your final prefs.xml file will look exactly like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<PreferenceScreen xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<CheckBoxPreference
android:defaultValue="true"
android:key="tutorial"
android:summary="Enable tutorial on device"
android:title="Tutorial" />
</PreferenceScreen>
Now let's look at how to show this to the user from our Activity or Fragment. First we'll determine if our tutorial CheckBoxPreferene is set to true and if so we'll display the drawing on top of the current Activity/Fragment.
Create and instance of SharedPreferences and a boolean to store the value:
SharedPreferences setNoti;
boolean showTut;
Then in our OnCreate we'll get the value for our tutorial CheckBoxPreference and if ti's true we'll overlay the image onto our Activity/Fragment:
setNoti = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(this);
// SharedPref tutorial
showTut = setNoti.getBoolean("tutorial", true);
if (showTut == true) {
showActivityOverlay();
}
Now for the last part we'll create the method to display the overlay. We will create a Dialog and apply a translucent theme with no title bar, this provides a dialog that covers our activity but doesn't hide our notification bar.
private void showActivityOverlay() {
final Dialog dialog = new Dialog(this,
android.R.style.Theme_Translucent_NoTitleBar);
dialog.setContentView(R.layout.overlay_activity);
LinearLayout layout = (LinearLayout) dialog
.findViewById(R.id.llOverlay_activity);
layout.setBackgroundColor(Color.TRANSPARENT);
layout.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
@override
public void onClick(View arg0) {
dialog.dismiss();
}
});
dialog.show();
}
We'll use a method like this whereever we want to display the overlay to our users. When we get to the last overlay it is best to change the value in our SharedPreferences so we don't continue showing the overlays to the user. We do that with this variation on our above method where in the onClick we update the SharePreferences to set our tutorial to false.
private void showActivityOverlay() {
final Dialog dialog = new Dialog(getActivity(), android.R.style.Theme_Translucent_NoTitleBar);
dialog.setContentView(R.layout.overlay_activity);
LinearLayout layout = (LinearLayout) dialog
.findViewById(R.id.llOverlay_activity);
layout.setBackgroundColor(Color.TRANSPARENT);
layout.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
@override
public void onClick(View arg0) {
// Get SharedPrefs
PreferenceManager.setDefaultValues(getActivity(), R.xml.prefs, true);
SharedPreferences setNoti = PreferenceManager
.getDefaultSharedPreferences(getActivity());
setNoti.edit().putBoolean("tutorial", false).commit();
showTut = false;
dialog.dismiss();
}
});
dialog.show();
}
And there you have it! As I mentioned at the begging of this post, this can be applied to an Activity or a Fragment. You'll notice in the last method instead of using the context of "this" I'm using the context of "getActivity()", that is the only change you have to make for this to work with a Fragment.
I am publishing the full code on my GitHub. Please feel free to leave comments, questions or your own pointers below.
https://github.com/marty331/overlaytutorial
Thanks for reading!

Cool guide.
I suggest adding [GUIDE] or [HOW-TO] to the thread title to make it easier to find. I thought it was a question when I clicked on it.

marty331 said:
I recommend you draw them 480 X 760 px.
[...]
overlay_activity.xml
Code:
[/QUOTE]
Where's your code? :(
Personally, I'd use Inkscape to create them as a *.svg and convert them to a *.png file later. That way they will not look pixelated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

nikwen said:
Where's your code?
Personally, I'd use Inkscape to create them as a *.svg and convert them to a *.png file later. That way they will not look pixelated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somehow my post was corrupted, I edited it and re-pasted everything.
I haven't tried Inkscape, but am up for giving that a go.

marty331 said:
Somehow my post was corrupted, I edited it and re-pasted everything.
I haven't tried Inkscape, but am up for giving that a go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. Thank you.
The only thing which would be even better now would be using
Code:
tags. ;)
I didn't do much with it. However, scaling SVGs looks much better because they consist of single lines and shapes which can be rendered for all densities.
The disadvantage is that it is more difficult to create good-looking graphic effects in SVG.

I just found the Showcaseview library. It looks very promising.
Homepage: http://espiandev.github.io/ShowcaseView/
Github code: https://github.com/Espiandev/ShowcaseView

nikwen said:
I just found the Showcaseview library. It looks very promising.
Homepage: http://espiandev.github.io/ShowcaseView/
Github code: https://github.com/Espiandev/ShowcaseView
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nikwen,
ShowcaseView is really awesome, I agree. However, it does not work with Fragments yet. Super bummer!

marty331 said:
nikwen,
ShowcaseView is really awesome, I agree. However, it does not work with Fragments yet. Super bummer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you think so?
Shouldn't this work? Correct me if I am wrong.
Code:
ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions co = new ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions();
co.hideOnClickOutside = true;
sv = ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseView(R.id.buttonBlocked, getActivity(), R.string.showcase_main_title, R.string.showcase_main_message, co);
(Code based on this: https://github.com/Espiandev/Showca...andev/showcaseview/sample/SampleActivity.java)

I agree that it should, however it does not. I've emailed the developer and he said he will work on it. If you want to use ShowcaseView in an activity it works very well.

marty331 said:
I agree that it should, however it does not. I've emailed the developer and he said he will work on it. If you want to use ShowcaseView in an activity it works very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, that's strange.

Thanks exactly what I was looking for!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

marty331 said:
I agree that it should, however it does not. I've emailed the developer and he said he will work on it. If you want to use ShowcaseView in an activity it works very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it to work.
I will push my code to Github later, but I will improve it before.
Then I will write a tutorial for that.

Here is my pull request: https://github.com/Espiandev/ShowcaseView/pull/68

Guide for doing it using the ShowcaseView library: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2419939
This guide is great. Thanks again. Please understand that by posting this I don't want to criticise, offend or denigrate you.
You got mentioned in my guide.

marty331 said:
Somehow my post was corrupted, I edited it and re-pasted everything.
I haven't tried Inkscape, but am up for giving that a go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should also disable smiles in the OP!
androidrientation=„blahblahblah” is android(smile)rientation!

great tut.
thanks

cascio97 said:
I think you should also disable smiles in the OP!
androidrientation=„blahblahblah” is android(smile)rientation!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always use another trick:
Code:
android:[B[I][/I]][/B[I][/I]]orientation
The result:
Code:
android:[B][/B]orientation
That allows you to use smileys in other parts of the post.

nikwen said:
I always use another trick:
Code:
android:[B[I][/I]][/B[I][/I]]orientation
The result:
Code:
android:[B][/B]orientation
That allows you to use smileys in other parts of the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! didn't know about this one!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

[GUIDE] Holo-themed transparent demo overlays with ShowcaseView

[GUIDE] Holo-themed transparent demo overlays
Lately I found a great tutorial by @marty331 explaining how to create transparent demo pages on Android.
I really liked his guide. Thanks again. :good:
However, I am no graphics designer. So the pages wouldn't look very good for me.
I did a little research on the internet and found the ShowcaseView library by Alex Curran. It is licensed under an Apache 2.0 License. You can find its source code here.
It is very easy to get stunning, holo-themed results with the library:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
(Source: https://raw.github.com/amlcurran/ShowcaseView/master/example.png)
Demo app
The developer put a demo app on Google Play to showcase what you can do with the library:
Set-up
For the set-up I'll quote the developer:
For people who use Maven, ShowcaseView should work immediately without any issues. If you aren't, you'll need to download the NineOldAndroids library and add it as a dependency library to the ShowcaseView library. Then add ShowcaseView as a library dependency to your project, and you're done!
WARNING: Sometimes Eclipse/IDEA will automatically import the non-NineOldAndroid versions of the animation classes, which will cause crashes on versions of Android below 3.0. Check that your imports start with com.nineoldandroids.animation and not android.animation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Source: https://github.com/amlcurran/ShowcaseView#set-up)
Showcasing views
Showcasing views is really easy:
Code:
public class MyActivity extends Activity {
ShowcaseView sv;
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions co = new ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions();
co.hideOnClickOutside = true;
sv = ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseView(R.id.showcasedView, this, R.string.showcase_title, R.string.showcase_message, co);
}
}
That's it.
Showcasing views in Fragments
It is a bit different for Fragments though:
Code:
public class ShowcaseFragment extends Fragment {
ShowcaseView sv;
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container, Bundle savedInstanceState) {
return inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_layout, container);
}
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public void onActivityCreated(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onActivityCreated(savedInstanceState);
ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions co = new ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions();
co.hideOnClickOutside = true;
sv = ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseView(R.id.showcasedView, getActivity(), R.string.showcase_title, R.string.showcase_message, co);
}
}
To show the ShowcastView setContentView() needs to be called in the Activity first.
So you have to put the code into the onActivityCreated() method.
Setting listerners
You can also add listeners to the ShowcastView:
Code:
sv.setOnShowcaseEventListener(new ShowcaseView.OnShowcaseEventListener() {
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public void onShowcaseViewHide(ShowcaseView showcaseView) {
//The view is hidden/dismissed
}
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public void onShowcaseViewShow(ShowcaseView showcaseView) {
//The view is shown
}
});
Animations
You can also add animations to your app, i.e. a virtual finger performing a gesture.
First you need to showcase the view as above. Then use this method of ShowcaseView:
Code:
public void animateGesture(float offsetStartX,
float offsetStartY,
float offsetEndX,
float offsetEndY)
All values are relative to the center of the view.
For example this is a swipe upwards, beginning at the center of the view:
Code:
sv.animateGesture(0, 0, 0, -400);
Showcasing parts of the ActionBar
Another possiblity is to showcase ActionItems:
(Source: https://lh6.ggpht.com/C7upo-Cx63WFidih9txS-FXpprPd4YtmBim3yLd1YtYIm5m5fLytz-8EQg4qo0QAnw=h900)
This is how to do it:
Code:
[user=439709]@override[/user]
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu, menu);
sv = ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseViewWithType(ShowcaseView.ITEM_ACTION_ITEM, R.id.menu_item1, this,
R.string.showcase_title, R.string.showcase_message, new ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions());
return super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
}
(Replace "this" by "getActivity()" in a Fragment.)
There are also other things in the ActionBar which can be highlighted. Just replace ITEM_ACTION_ITEM in the example above with the proper constant:
ITEM_ACTION_ITEM: An ActionItem
ITEM_ACTION_OVERFLOW: The action overflow (The three dots at the right side of the ActionBar which appears if not all items can be shown as icons.)
ITEM_TITLE: The title
ITEM_ACTION_HOME: HOME arrow in the ActionBar
ITEM_SPINNER: A spinner in the ActionBar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Customization options
The ShowcaseView can be customized using the ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions object you pass to the ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseView() method.
For some strange reason, there are no getter/setter methods for that class. So you can access the fields of that class directly.
This is the basic code for the following code snippets:
Code:
ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions co = new ShowcaseView.ConfigOptions();
co.hideOnClickOutside = true;
ShowcaseView sv = ShowcaseView.insertShowcaseView(R.id.showcasedView, this, R.string.showcase_title, R.string.showcase_message, co);
Don't respond to touches outside the showcased area
Code:
co.hideOnClickOutside = false;
co.block = true;
The field "block" determines whether the app will respond to touches outside the showcased area.
Don't hide the ShowcaseView on touches outside the showcased area
Code:
co.hideOnClickOutside = false;
The field "hideOnClickOutside" determines whether the view will be hidden when the screen is touched outside the highlighted area.
Set a fade-in or fade-out duration
The proper fields:
Code:
co.fadeInDuration = 1000;
co.fadeOutDuration = 1000;
Using these fields, you can set the time it will take the ShowcaseView to fade in or out.
Don't overlay the ActionBar
Code:
co.insert = ShowcaseView.INSERT_TO_VIEW;
This field allows you to determine whether the ShowcaseView will overlay the ActionBar.
Possible values:
ShowcaseView.INSERT_TO_DECOR: Will overlay the ActionBar
ShowcaseView.INSERT_TO_VIEW: Will just overlay the content, but not the ActionBar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hide the button
Code:
co.noButton = true;
This field allows you to hide the button of the ShowcaseView.
Show the overlay only once
Code:
co.shotType = ShowcaseView.TYPE_ONE_SHOT;
This field determines how often the overlay should be shown.
Possible values:
ShowcaseView.TYPE_NO_LIMIT: Every time the Activity is opened
ShowcaseView.TYPE_ONE_SHOT: Only once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Change the circle radius
Use the method setShowcaseIndicatorScale(float scaleMultiplier) of ShowcaseView for that:
Code:
sv.setShowcaseIndicatorScale(1.5f);
Theming
The ShowcaseView library offers plenty of options to adjust the appearance of the ShowcaseView.
Fortunately, the library allows you to theme the ShowcaseView as a whole.
To theme the appearance of the ShowcaseView you need to create a style derived from either the ShowcaseView or ShowcaseView.Light style:
Code:
<style name="CustomShowcaseTheme" parent="ShowcaseView.Light">
<item name="sv_backgroundColor">#33ffbb33</item>
<item name="sv_buttonBackgroundColor">#CF3119</item>
<item name="sv_buttonText">Close</item>
<item name="sv_titleTextAppearance">@style/CustomTitle</item>
<item name="sv_detailTextAppearance">@style/CustomDetailText</item>
</style>
(Add this to your /res/values/styles.xml file.)
The different options allow you to change the colors of the View and the text of the button.
The text styling is done using TextAppearance styles like this:
Code:
<style name="CustomTitle" parent="TextAppearance.ShowcaseView.Title">
<item name="android:textColor">#00801A</item>
</style>
<style name="CustomDetailText" parent="TextAppearance.ShowcaseView.Detail">
<item name="android:textColor">#00801A</item>
</style>
(Add this to your /res/values/styles.xml file.)
For a lighter theme, use "TextAppearance.ShowcaseView.Title.Light" and "TextAppearance.ShowcaseView.Detail.Light" as parent themes instead.
Then add this to the /res/values/styles.xml file as well:
Code:
<style name="CustomAppTheme" parent="android:Theme.Light">
<item name="showcaseViewStyle">@style/CustomShowcaseTheme</item>
</style>
(You might want to replace Theme.Light by another one.)
Furthermore, add this to the /res/values-v14/styles.xml file:
Code:
<style name="CustomAppTheme" parent="android:Theme.Holo.Light">
<item name="showcaseViewStyle">@style/CustomShowcaseTheme</item>
</style>
(You might want to replace Theme.Holo.Light by another one.)
The last step is adding this to the <application> tag in your AndroidManifest.xml:
Code:
<application
android:theme="@style/CustomAppTheme"
... />
You're done. You successfully themed your ShowcaseView.
Attributions
Big thanks to Alex Curran for the library.
I wouldn't have got the idea to write this guide without @marty331's guide. Thank you, Marty.
Moreover, I got inspired by the sample folder of the ShowcaseView project.
This was featured on the XDA portal on August 31, 2013.

cool guide, thanks. Nice work on the pull request too.
Question.
does this allow for showcasing an expanded action item(overflow for example), or do you have to showcase the overflow, have the user select it and keep the showcase highlight?

Good Tutorial, many thanks!
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus

Good job figuring this out, looks like it just needed to be called from onActivityCreated. I'm going to use this in my app instead of the Overlay View I came up with.

CrotaNexus said:
Good Tutorial, many thanks!
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
marty331 said:
Good job figuring this out, looks like it just needed to be called from onActivityCreated. I'm going to use this in my app instead of the Overlay View I came up with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.

out of ideas said:
cool guide, thanks. Nice work on the pull request too.
Question.
does this allow for showcasing an expanded action item(overflow for example), or do you have to showcase the overflow, have the user select it and keep the showcase highlight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Well, I haven't tried that yet. Try it yourself and tell us.
If it does not work, create an issue on Github.

Added the first customization options.

Just finished the theming section and therefore the whole guide.

So, it does not matter where the view belongs to? Can I use it to showcase a button of a View which was attached to the window by service?

Dr.Alexander_Breen said:
So, it does not matter where the view belongs to? Can I use it to showcase a button of a View which was attached to the window by service?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the current sources you can't. Just have a look at the ShowcaseView class:
Code:
public static ShowcaseView insertShowcaseView(View viewToShowcase, Activity activity, int title,
int detailText, ConfigOptions options) {
ShowcaseView sv = new ShowcaseView(activity);
if (options != null)
sv.setConfigOptions(options);
if (sv.getConfigOptions().insert == INSERT_TO_DECOR) {
((ViewGroup) activity.getWindow().getDecorView()).addView(sv);
} else {
((ViewGroup) activity.findViewById(android.R.id.content)).addView(sv);
}
sv.setShowcaseView(viewToShowcase);
sv.setText(title, detailText);
return sv;
}
But you might be able to change the library with not too much effort to make that possible, too.

Did someone mention? You are on the portal, sir! Congratulations! I like this demo overlays, good way to explain apps, like a mini tutorial.
But to be mentioned on the portal is nothing new to you

benkxda said:
Did someone mention? You are on the portal, sir! Congratulations! I like this demo overlays, good way to explain apps, like a mini tutorial.
But to be mentioned on the portal is nothing new to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody mentioned that yet but I saw it this morning.
Thanks.

Due to a new update to the library I'll have to rewrite the styling section.

Hmmm....I feel time to apply for RC
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

vijai2011 said:
Hmmm....I feel time to apply for RC
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
However, you have to be a member for 9 months to apply for RC. So I'll have to wait two months.

Great tutorial.
Helped a lot.
I had one question, is there any way to use Showcase View in Preferences or Preferences Fragments??
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Akshay (Aky) said:
Great tutorial.
Helped a lot.
I had one question, is there any way to use Showcase View in Preferences or Preferences Fragments??
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Well, there is a insertShowcaseView() method you can pass a View to. Try that one. And please report whether it works for you.
If you cannot get it to work, I'll try it at the weekend.

setTextColors() seems to be gone is there a new way to change them or is it only possible via Theme now?

nikwen said:
Thanks.
Well, there is a insertShowcaseView() method you can pass a View to. Try that one. And please report whether it works for you.
If you cannot get it to work, I'll try it at the weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will try it out.
Will report it.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

[Guide] Creating a Floating Window out of your App

This is a project that I whipped together to show developers how to implement a floating window type popup for their apps. An example usage would be quick reply to a sms message, email, or any other times quick reply would come in handy. It isn't limited to just that though, using this method, you will be able to completely recreate any activity in windowed form with very little code edits.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
My brother an I have used this to create a quick reply for our app, Sliding Messaging Pro. The idea is basically the exact same as Halo, with almost the exact same implementation. We do it by extending the MainActivity in a pop up class, then using an overrode setUpWindow() function to set up your MainActivity in the window.
The full source is availible on my GitHub, found here: Floating Window GitHub
Play Store Link: Floating Window Demo
So now to the actual steps to creating your own "floating window popup" out of your apps MainActivity:
1.) First, we should add the styles that we are going to use to the styles.xml sheet.
These are the styles for the animation, of course you can define your own animation if you choose, these will bring the window up from the bottom of the screen and the close it to the bottom of the screen.
Code:
<style name="PopupAnimation" parent="@android:style/Animation">
<item name="android:windowEnterAnimation">@anim/activity_slide_up</item>
<item name="android:windowExitAnimation">@anim/activity_slide_down</item>
</style>
Now, this style is for the actual popup dialog box. You can play with the different values here all you want. We end up overriding some of these when we set up the window anyways, such as the dimming.
Code:
<style name="Theme.FloatingWindow.Popup" parent="@android:style/Theme.Holo.Light" >
<item name="android:windowIsFloating">false</item>
<item name="android:windowSoftInputMode">stateUnchanged</item>
<item name="android:windowContentOverlay">@null</item>
<item name="android:windowActionModeOverlay">true</item>
<item name="android:windowIsTranslucent">true</item>
<item name="android:windowFrame">@null</item>
<item name="android:windowAnimationStyle">@style/PopupAnimation</item>
<item name="android:windowCloseOnTouchOutside">true</item>
<item name="android:backgroundDimEnabled">false</item>
</style>
2.) Now that your styles are set up, lets go ahead and add the new Popup activity to the manifest. You can see that we used the Theme.FloatingWindow.Popup style that we just defined in the last step. You will also have to add
Code:
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
to the xmlns declarations at the top of the manifest.
Code:
<activity
android:name="PopupMainActivity"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:theme="@style/Theme.FloatingWindow.Popup"
android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize"
android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize|stateAlwaysHidden"
android:clearTaskOnLaunch="true"
android:exported="true"
tools:ignore="ExportedActivity" />
3.) One more thing that we have to put in before you have resolved all the errors here, the animations. Just copy and paste these two animations in separate files under the res/anim folder. Name one activity_slide_down.xml and the other activity_slide_up.xml
activity_slide_down.xml
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<translate android:fromXDelta="0%" android:toXDelta="0%"
android:fromYDelta="0%" android:toYDelta="100%"
android:duration="300"/>
</set>
activity_slide_up.xml
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<translate android:fromXDelta="0%" android:toXDelta="0%"
android:fromYDelta="100%" android:toYDelta="0%"
android:duration="300"/>
</set>
4.) Now that everything should be set up, we will make the actual popup activity! You can view my full code for this from the GitHub link, but basically, we are going to make a PopupMainActivity.java class and extend the MainActivity class. If you understand inheritance at all with java, you will know what this is doing. It is going to allow this PopupMainActivity class, when started, to override methods from the MainActivity to produce different outcomes.
The method that actually makes the windowed pop up I have named setUpWindow(). This means that whenever this activity is called instead of the main activity, it will use this method instead of the main activities setUpWindow() method. This is very convieniet since we don't want to do any extra work than we need to in this class. So here is the code for that class:
Code:
/**
* This method overrides the MainActivity method to set up the actual window for the popup.
* This is really the only method needed to turn the app into popup form. Any other methods would change the behavior of the UI.
* Call this method at the beginning of the main activity.
* You can't call setContentView(...) before calling the window service because it will throw an error every time.
*/
@Override
public void setUpWindow() {
// Creates the layout for the window and the look of it
requestWindowFeature(Window.FEATURE_ACTION_BAR);
getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_DIM_BEHIND,
WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_DIM_BEHIND);
// Params for the window.
// You can easily set the alpha and the dim behind the window from here
WindowManager.LayoutParams params = getWindow().getAttributes();
params.alpha = 1.0f; // lower than one makes it more transparent
params.dimAmount = 0f; // set it higher if you want to dim behind the window
getWindow().setAttributes(params);
// Gets the display size so that you can set the window to a percent of that
Display display = getWindowManager().getDefaultDisplay();
Point size = new Point();
display.getSize(size);
int width = size.x;
int height = size.y;
// You could also easily used an integer value from the shared preferences to set the percent
if (height > width) {
getWindow().setLayout((int) (width * .9), (int) (height * .7));
} else {
getWindow().setLayout((int) (width * .7), (int) (height * .8));
}
}
You can see what it does from the comments, but basically, it just initializes your main activity in a windowed for, exactly what we are trying to do!
5.) Now to actually have this method override something in the MainActivity, you must add the same method there. In my example, The method is just blank and has no implementation because i don't want it to do anything extra for the full app. So add this activity and the error that "your method doesn't override anything in the super class" will go away. Then you actually have to call this method from your MainActivity's onCreate() method so that it will set up the windowed app when it is suppose to.
Code:
/**
* Called when the activity is first created to set up all of the features.
*/
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
context = this;
// If the user is in the PopupMainActivity function, the setUpWindow function would be called from that class
// otherwise it would call the function from this class that has no implementation.
setUpWindow();
// Make sure to set your content view AFTER you have set up the window or it will crash.
setContentView(R.layout.main);
// Again, this will call either the function from this class or the PopupMainActivity one,
// depending on where the user is
setUpButton();
}
As you can see from the code, I called this method before i set the content view for the activity. This is very important, otherwise you will get a runtime exception and the app will crash every time.
After you are done with that, you have successfully set up a program that will change from a windowed state to a full app state depending on which class is called. For example, if you set up an intent to open the floating window app, it would look something like this:
Code:
Intent window = new Intent(context, com.klinker.android.floating_window.PopupMainActivity.class);
window.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(window);
You are still able to call the MainActivity class like you normally would then. with an intent like this:
Code:
Intent fullApp = new Intent(context, MainActivity.class);
fullApp.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(fullApp);
That is just about it, obviously my solution and demo are very simple implementations of what it can do. You can see from the demo app that I simply go back and forth between the activities with a button, then i have an edittext at the bottom to demonstrate how the window resizes.
You can literally do anything with this though. It will work with any layouts you have set up and is a very cool way for your users to experience your app in a different light. If you want to change how something works in the popup part of the app, all you have to do is function that portion of code out, then override that method from the popup activity, so the possibilities are endless with what can be done here.
Credit for this goes to the Paranoid Android team of course for inspiring the idea, then Jacob Klinker (klinkdawg) and myself (Luke Klinker) for the implementation without framework tweaks or custom roms. This should work for any users, no matter the phone, android version, or custom rom.
I honestly have no clue if it will work on anything below 4.0, but if you test and find out, sound off in the comments!
Thanks and enjoy! I hope to see lots of dynamic and awesome popups in the future because it really is just that simple, it won't take you more than a half hour to get this working!

I love your Sliding Messaging app. Really awesome work. The BEST messaging app out there. I'm in the beta group. Thank you for this information!
Sent from my XT875 using Tapatalk

I assume that this tutorial works with gingerbread..?

aniket.lamba said:
I assume that this tutorial works with gingerbread..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It says at the bottom of the article that I don't know if it will work on anything below ICS. It relies on a dialog theme, which obviously existed pre ICS, but I have no way of checking if it works the same or not. Try it and let me know I guess!

Thank you for your sharing.
I used your example to add this amazing feature into Telepatch, an Open Source project, fork of Telegram
Thanks again!

[Idea] Create FloatingActivity type
This is an extremely awesome project, easy to implement, and very light weight, however, the only problem is that when i call the floating activity for example from a notification or whatever, the background activity closes, and i haven't been able to get around it
However, just an idea, which is what i did, create a separate Activity and put the setUpWindow() method in it, and override the onCreate() method and setUpWindow() in it, and after that, you can just create any activity and extends the FloatingActivity class and you're done, just make sure that you call super.onCreate() if you (probably) overrided the onCreate() method:laugh:

Hi, I've tried your solution. It works perfectly!
But when we touch homescreen button, the app is minimized. How can we make it persistent?

How to make truecaller like floating window..for incoming calls

[Tutorial] Programming for Sony Products [Xperia Camera.AddON][SourceCode]

Programming for Xperia Smartphones (Camera Add-On)​
Camera Add-on feature on Xperia Camera App is way to gather all custom camera apps, that the may have New/Different way to Capture pictures. Maybe some Graphical Effects or as you will see in this tutorial another way to capture.
This is How Sony Mobile Devs explain the CameraW Add-On
All camera apps in one menu
The Camera Add-on API enables you to both add a shortcut to your imaging app from the camera apps mode selector, and you can add a shortcut to the smart social camera apps mode selector in your imaging app UI. This way the user can get a seamless camera experience, and make shifting in-between different camera apps really easy. read more...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Examples of Camera Add on App
- Live on YouTube – by Xperia™
- AR Effect
- Background Defocus
- Horror
- CameraW
### Let Start ###​
What you need is ability to create Hello World! project
In this Tutorial you Learn How to Create your Camera App
&​ Adding Xperia Camera Add-On Support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Install Sony Add-On SDK
- Open Android SDK Manager
- Tools > Manager Add-on Sites > User Defined Sites > New
- Now Enter this URL
HTML:
http://dl-developer.sonymobile.com/sdk_manager/Sony-Add-on-SDK.xml
- Close the Add-on Tools
- Relaunch SDK Manager & Go to Android API-19 section & Download
HTML:
Sony Add-on SDK-3.0
***
Ready to Programming for Xperia
^-^-^​ 2... (Click On Tutorial Link)
​ Tutorial to Start Programming for Xperia Camera Add-On
:Sample Codes:
#CaptureProximity
Don't forget to Hit Thanks​

Tutorial to Start Programming for Xperia Camera Add-On
2. Starting...
- Create New Android Project (Alt + Shift + N)
* Minimum Requirement: API 16
* Target: API 19/20
* Compile with: Sony Add-on SDK 3.0 (API-19)
Note:You can Add Xperia Camera Add-On support to your current custom camera Application by Adding few elements to your app.
- from Bottom to Top
This Sample as first sample is just modified Basic_Sample from SonyMobile
Modified to Capture & Save Image By Hovering Proximity Sensor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
​* Open Manifest & Add require Permissions for using Add-On API, Camera Hardware & Storage.
The Storage permission is for create file in SD-Card for capture pics and Camera to get permission from system to allow us to use Camera hardware.
Code:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
<uses-permission android:name="com.sonymobile.permission.CAMERA_ADDON"/>
- Declare required library inside Application in manifest
Code:
<!-- If you want to create a camera app for just Xperia device you should set[B] required="true"[/B]. False means your can be install on other devices-->
<uses-library android:name="com.sonymobile.camera.addon.api" android:required="false"/>
- Then you will have your Activities declaration. You should add specific Intent-Filter & Meta-Data for the Activities that you want show on Camera Add-On menu. In this sample I set it for main activity.
Code:
<activity
android:name=".BasicCameraApp"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:screenOrientation="landscape"
android:windowSoftInputMode="stateAlwaysHidden"
android:launchMode="singleTask" >
<!-- The widowSoftInputMode is preferred to use But
launchMode="singleTask" must be set because there is another apps in Add-On menu that can launch or
switch between different modes -->
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.sonymobile.camera.addon.action.REGISTER_MODE" />
</intent-filter>
<meta-data android:name="com.sonymobile.camera.addon.MODE_ATTRIBUTES"
android:resource="@xml/sample_mode" />
<!-- This XML file save all required attributes for Info show in add-on menu and etc-->
</activity>
* Under res/ create xml folder & then .xml file to generate required meta-data
HTML:
res/xml/sample_mode.xml
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<modes xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<!-- Do Not hard-code your won't register as add-on -->
<mode
<!-- [B]Remember [/B]the name="" because you need this to use it in classes cause this name will register
If you set incorrect your mode won't be available in modes menu -->
name="cameraw"
descriptionLabel="@string/app_name"
selectorIcon="@drawable/mode_icon"
shortcutIcon="@drawable/mode_shortcut_icon"
selectorLabel="@string/app_name"
shortcutLabel="@string/app_name" >
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" />
</mode>
</modes>
* In layout folder you should add element for Preview of Camera. You can use TextureView, SurfaceView & FrameLayout. In this basic sample there is SurfaceView.
* In drawable you should add file for icon & shortcut of your add-on that must follow the guidelines. For better understand I upload the Xperia Camera drawable resources + what you can check in Sample Code drawable.
* Now Coding...
Code:
import com.sonymobile.camera.addon.capturingmode.CapturingModeSelector;
First you should define as specific parameter of Camera Add-On API
Code:
/**This class opens and closes the capturing mode selector. The mode selector provides access to all registered camera modes for camera add-ons available to the user. All methods must be called from the UI thread. **/
CapturingModeSelector mCapturingModeSelector;
- Then you need to define two listener for Selecting process & while closing the modes menu;
Code:
public static final String MODE_NAME = "cameraw";
Code:
private class MyOnModeSelectListener implements CapturingModeSelector.OnModeSelectListener {
Override
public void onModeSelect(String modeName) {
if (mCapturingModeSelector != null) {
mCapturingModeSelector.close();
mModeSelectorButton.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
}
}
}
Code:
private class MyOnModeFinishListener implements CapturingModeSelector.OnModeFinishListener {
Override
public void onModeFinish() {
if (mCapturingModeSelector != null) {
mCapturingModeSelector.close();
}
finish();
}
}
- The Handle the Click & Touch on Mode Button
Code:
private class ModeSelectorButtonTouchListener implements View.OnTouchListener {
Override
public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
mModeSelectorButton.onTouchEvent(event);
if (mModeSelectorButton.isPressed()) {
mModeSelectorButton.setColorFilter(PRESSED_COLOR_FILTER);
} else {
mModeSelectorButton.clearColorFilter();
}
return true;
}
}
Code:
private class ModeSelectorButtonClickListener implements View.OnClickListener {
Override
public void onClick(View v) {
if (mCapturingModeSelector != null) {
[B]// This is name attributes in .xml file as meta-data[/B]
mCapturingModeSelector.open(MODE_NAME);
mModeSelectorButton.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
mModeSelectorButton.clearColorFilter();
}
}
}
- Then at Override onCreate you should define them;
Code:
mModeSelectorButton.setOnClickListener(new ModeSelectorButtonClickListener());
mModeSelectorButton.setOnTouchListener(new ModeSelectorButtonTouchListener());
- & on @override onResume these. onResume for these to handle their action when user back to your app that she didn't close it completely so she need modes selector to switch modes;
Code:
mCapturingModeSelector.setOnModeSelectListener(new MyOnModeSelectListener());
mCapturingModeSelector.setOnModeFinishListener(new MyOnModeFinishListener());
NOTE: These are mandatory in your Activity that want to support add-on.
If you have already Camera App you should add what previously said up to here and you done!
It means these are common elements that you should add for Camera Add-On support.
^^^
^^^
*** Sample Codes ***
​* How to Capture By Proximity Sensor?
I.
Code:
import android.hardware.Sensor;
import android.hardware.SensorEvent;
import android.hardware.SensorEventListener;
import android.hardware.SensorManager;
II. implements you activity from SensorEventListener
Code:
public class BasicCameraApp extends Activity implements SensorEventListener{}
III. Override onCreate(Bundle Saved){} you must declare instance of Sensor & SensorManager
Code:
//define [COLOR=Blue][B]sensorManager [/B][/COLOR]& declare which sensor do you want to use
//that here is [COLOR=Blue][B]Proximity_SENSOR[/B][/COLOR]
mSensorManager = (SensorManager) getSystemService(SENSOR_SERVICE);
mSensor = mSensorManager.getDefaultSensor(Sensor.TYPE_PROXIMITY);
Then you need to register the sensor to get data from it at Override onResume(){} cause this must be available for user when back to your app.
Code:
mSensorManager.registerListener(this, mSensor, SensorManager.SENSOR_DELAY_FASTEST);
Now you have interaction with proximity sensor so we need to capture function and integrate it with sensorEvent.
Note: Always Unregister Sensors when user leave your app. It means you should release the camera, and all other sensor you are using in your app
Code:
Override
public void onPause(){
super.onPause();
mSensorManager.unregisterListener(this);
mCameraWrapper.mCamera.release();
}
IV. Then define PictureCallback to handle received data from Camera Lens and write them to File.
Code:
private PictureCallback mPicture = new PictureCallback() {
Override
public void onPictureTaken(byte[] data, Camera camera) {
//Here you will have array of data from camera and save these data to file as picture
// there is almost always separate function to handle name files and extension
// and here just write byte[] data to that file
File pictureFile = getOutputMediaFile(MEDIA_TYPE_IMAGE);
// NOTE: Handle the image rotation after saving the file.
try {
// [B]pictureFile[/B] that created in [B]getOutputMediaFile()[/B] function now set to FileOutputStream
FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(pictureFile);
//here bye[] data write in created file.
fos.write(data);
fos.close();
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Captured", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
Log.d(TAG, "File not found: " + e.getMessage());
}
catch (IOException e) {
Log.d(TAG, "Error accessing file: " + e.getMessage());
}
finally {
//start camera preview after file created and data wrote in it.
mCameraWrapper.mCamera.startPreview();
}
}
};
Code:
public static final int MEDIA_TYPE_IMAGE = 1;
private File getOutputMediaFile(int type){
File mediaStorageDir = new File(Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES), "AddOn_GeeksEmpire");
if (! mediaStorageDir.exists()){
if (! mediaStorageDir.mkdirs()){
Log.d("CameraW", "failed to create directory");
return null;
}
}
// Create a media file name
String timeStamp = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyyMMdd_HHmmss").format(new Date());
File mediaFile;
if (type == MEDIA_TYPE_IMAGE){
//this is empty jpg image file with timestamp to prevent overwrite
mediaFile = new File(mediaStorageDir.getPath() + File.separator + "AddON_"+ timeStamp + ".jpg");
}
else {
return null;
}
return mediaFile;
}
>> After this we just need to call takePicture() function to take a pic...
V. When you implements the activity from SensorEventListener it will ask you to add unimplemented methods, that will be these two function at least.
Code:
Override
public void onAccuracyChanged(Sensor sensor, int accuracy) { }
Override
public void onSensorChanged(SensorEvent event) {
//Proximity Sensor detect near interaction ~5cm
//in this case of sensor type system have one
float p = event.values[0];
System.out.println("Proximity >> " + p);
if(p == 0){
//here i call takePicture function when value of Sensor (destination) be 0
// like tap on sensor or hover nearly
mCameraWrapper.mCamera.takePicture(null, null, mPicture);
}
}
There should be also a Class that handle the surfaceView for preview of Camera Because It is easy to understand and not any special point in this simple example I just wrote detail inside the CameraWraper.class
Just few code...
- You define Camera parameter & then use Open(int id) function to launch camera & after this use startPreview() function to see live view through camera lens.
So First you need to add Preview (SurfaceView) & then use Camera.
In this sample...
Code:
SurfaceView surfaceView = (SurfaceView)findViewById(R.id.surface);
CameraWrapper mCameraWrapper = new CameraWrapper(); //class that handle the preview
surfaceView.getHolder().addCallback(mCameraWrapper);
Code:
Camera mCamera;
try{
mCamera.open(); /*Or you can use open(int id) the id can define the front & back camera. usually if you don't set id it will launch back camera (int id = 0)*/
} catch (RuntimeException e) {
// here is good point to handle errors if there is problem with Camera maybe from other app or System.
} finally{
mCamera.startPreview();
}
Note: You can use these inside camera preview class or directly in activity class.
Note: When there is change in surfaceView, change the orientation for instance, first you should stop the live view, apply new configuration and then startPreview().
Code:
Override
public void surfaceChanged(SurfaceHolder holder, int format, int w, int h) {
// stop preview before making changes
try {
mCamera.stopPreview();
} catch (Exception e){
// ignore: tried to stop a non-existent preview
}
// set preview size and make any resize, rotate or
// reformatting changes here
try {
mCamera.setPreviewDisplay(mHolder);
mCamera.startPreview();
} catch (Exception e){
//
}
}
End of Proximity Capture |
OOOOOOO
The explanations of codes are available inside each classes.
If you find any mistake Or issue in my codes Please inform me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget to Hit Thanks​

Sorry, I just forgot to write about Camera Preview Handler, So updated the Tutorial Post.
Good Luck

[Tutorial] How to Implement & Retrieve Info | Android Shortcut Manager [API 25+]

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This tutorial is about New Android API called ShortcutManager, introduced in API Level 25.
By ShortcutManager you can design a better User Experience (UX) for Normal Apps & Launcher Apps (Home).
This is very useful API that increases the productivity of Apps & so users. App Shortcuts are the link to inner part of an app.
If your app targets Android 7.1 (API level 25) or higher, you can define shortcuts to specific actions in your app. These shortcuts can be displayed in a supported launcher. Shortcuts let your users quickly start common or recommended tasks within your app.
Read More
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ShortcutManager manages an app's shortcuts. Shortcuts provide users with quick access to activities other than an app's main activity in the currently-active launcher. For example, an email app may publish the "compose new email" action, which will directly open the compose activity. The ShortcutInfo class contains information about each of the shortcuts themselves.
Read More
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
List of Geeks Empire Open Source Projects based on Android 7.1.+ AppShortcut API
- Super Shortcut
- Phone App
# Let Start #​
What do you need to get started...
- To Learn: Create Hello World Project
- To Implement: You must have an App with different Activities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What will you learn...
- Creating Launcher App
- Add & Get Info from Shortcut Manager
- Working with List<>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Index
- Implement App Shortcut to your App -- Static Shortcuts | Dynamic Shortcuts
- Retrieve ShortcutInfo as Default Launcher App
Thanks for Supporting GeeksEmpire projects​
Don't Forget To Hit Thanks​

Implement AppShortcuts [Static|Dynamic]
You can publish two different types of shortcuts for your app:
- Static shortcuts are defined in a resource file that is packaged into an APK. Therefore, you must wait until you update your entire app to change the details of these static shortcuts.
- Dynamic shortcuts are published at runtime using the ShortcutManager API. During runtime, your app can publish, update, and remove its dynamic shortcuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
# Static Shortcuts
(If you have Camera App, it is reasonable to create static shortcuts to Selfie Activity, Video Recording or etc.)
Like other resources, you need to define Static Shortcuts inside the .xml file under app/res/xml/static_shortcuts_info.xml and call it inside AndroidManifest.xml
Code:
<shortcuts xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<shortcut
android:shortcutId="some_string_must_be_different_for_each"
android:enabled="true"
android:icon="@drawable/icon"
android:shortcutShortLabel="text"
android:shortcutLongLabel="text"
android:shortcutDisabledMessage="warning_text">
<intent
android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
android:targetPackage="com.test.application"
android:targetClass="com.test.application.SomeActivity" />
<!-- If your shortcut is associated with multiple intents, include them here. The last intent in the list determines what the user sees whenthey launch this shortcut. -->
<categories android:name="android.shortcut.conversation" />
</shortcut>
<!-- Add More* -->
</shortcuts>
* Add more AppShortcut is limited to each activity with ACTION_MAIN & LAUNCHER Category in intent filter
Code:
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
Get limited amount of AppShortcuts (Static/Daynamic combined) with
Code:
getSystemService(ShortcutManager.class).getMaxShortcutCountPerActivity()
after creating Static Shortcuts Info call them inside Manifest as meta-data inside activity tag with mentioned intent filter.
Code:
<activity android:name="Main">
<intent-filter>
<!-- activity with this intent filter can have app shortcut -->
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
<meta-data android:name="android.app.shortcuts" android:resource="@xml/static_shortcuts_info.xml" />
</activity>
Done!
# Dynamic Shortcuts
(If you have Online Shopping App, it is reasonable to implement Dynamic Shortcuts to New Available Product, Special Deals Information to show names or prices)
You need to add dynamic shortcuts in runtime. for example @onStart(Bundle){}
Code:
ShortcutManager shortcutManager = getSystemService(ShortcutManager.class);
List<ShortcutInfo> shortcutInfos = new ArrayList<ShortcutInfo>();
ShortcutInfo firstShortcut = new ShortcutInfo.Builder(getApplicationContext(), "different_text_for_each")
.setShortLabel("Deals")
.setLongLabel("Smartphone 20% Off")
.setIcon(Icon.createWithResource(context, R.drawable.icon_website))
.setIntent(new Intent(context, Activity.class))
.build();
ShortcutInfo secondShortcut = new ShortcutInfo.Builder(getApplicationContext(), "different_text_for_each")
.setShortLabel("NEW Phone")
.setLongLabel("Available April 1st")
.setIcon(Icon.createWithResource(context, R.drawable.icon_website))
.setIntent(new Intent(context, Activity.class))
.build();
shortcutInfos.add(firstShortcut);
shortcutInfos.add(secondShortcut);
shortcutManager.setDynamicShortcuts(shortcutInfos);
//after first time you can just update the value by [B]updateShortcuts(List<ShortcutInfo>)[/B]
You can remove one shortcut by calling removeDynamicShortcuts and set it is specific id (string)
Code:
removeDynamicShortcuts("string_of_id")
Or Just call this method
Code:
removeAllDynamicShortcuts()
Done!

Retrieve AppShortcuts as Launcher App [Default Home]
If you want to develop Launcher App, you can retrieve AppShortcuts Information to show them to your users.
NOTE: Launcher must be set as Default Home App to access this information.
This is simple Launcher Activity Config inside AndroidManifest.xml
Code:
<activity
android:name=".launcher"
android:label="@string/launcher"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher_home"
android:launchMode="singleTask"
android:stateNotNeeded="true"
android:clearTaskOnLaunch="true"
android:theme="@android:style/Theme.DeviceDefault.Wallpaper">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<!-- required intent filter for Launcher App -->
<category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity>
Then you can go to Setting > Apps > Home (Select your Launcher).
So you should add this checkpoint inside your code to check if your app has permission (as default home) to get this info.
Code:
LauncherApps.hasShortcutHostPermission ()
For Launcher there is a special API, added in API 21 but methods for AppShortcuts added in API 25. (LauncherApps API)
Class for retrieving a list of launchable activities for the current user and any associated managed profiles that are visible to the current user, which can be retrieved with getProfiles(). This is mainly for use by launchers. Apps can be queried for each user profile. Since the PackageManager will not deliver package broadcasts for other profiles, you can register for package changes here. Read More
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You set Package of an App to ShortcutQuery to retrieve info.
This method get all AppShortcuts (Static/Dynamic)
Code:
try {
LauncherApps launcherApps = (LauncherApps) getSystemService(LAUNCHER_APPS_SERVICE);
int queryFlags =
LauncherApps.ShortcutQuery.FLAG_MATCH_DYNAMIC
| LauncherApps.ShortcutQuery.FLAG_MATCH_MANIFEST
| LauncherApps.ShortcutQuery.FLAG_MATCH_PINNED;
ApplicationInfo applicationInfo = getPackageManager().getApplicationInfo(packageName, 0);
List<ShortcutInfo> shortcutInfoList = launcherApps.getShortcuts(
new LauncherApps.ShortcutQuery().setPackage(packageName).setQueryFlags(queryFlags),
UserHandle.getUserHandleForUid(applicationInfo.uid));
for (int i = 0; i < shortcutInfoList.size(); i++){
System.out.println("Shortcut :: " + shortcutInfoList.get(i).getShortLabel());
}
}
catch (Exception e){e.printStackTrace();}
Then it is your choice to design how you want to show it to your users. Simple PopupMenu or ListView...
Done!

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Kindda looking for it
it really helped me

Update Info
開発者 said:
Kindda looking for it
it really helped me
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Your Welcome