[align=center]This Tutorial is based on the code from benderamp posted here on anddev.
Creating Custom Views - The ToggleButton[/align]

What you will learn: You will learn how to create your own custom View, a ToggleButton. Also how to use custom Views in XML and JavaCode.

Problems/Questions: Write it right below...

Difficulty: 1.5 of 5

What it will look like:
[align=center] Unpressed State ..... and .... Pressed State
[/align]

Description:
0.) The easiest way to create an customized View is to extend an existing View. In this Tutorial, we will create a Toggle Button, which extends the ordinary Button provided by the SDK.

Create a class called ToggleButton.java:

1.) As we want to have a ToggleButton we need to save if the Button is toggled or not.



2.) To use our View in Code we need a Constructor that passes the Context the ToggleButton was created in to the superclass which will handle everything that is to be done.


3.) To make this View usable in XML-Layouts (this is called "inflate" or "inflating" we need another Constructor that passes the attributes like:

to the superclass which will construct (inflate) the View using the parameters specified in xml. This is the constructor that will manage what I wrote:


4.) We create a Getter-Method so one can check whether this ToggleButton is toggled or not:


5.) On every click to the ToggleBotton we want to toggle is state from 'toggled <--> untoggled':

6.) The very last thing of this class is a bit more complicated.


7.) This is the way to use your Custom View in XML-Layouts. Instead of writing "<EditText ... />" you write the full package-path of the View plus its Class-Name. Of course you can use all Attributes that the superclass is capable of handling


8.) Now give it a try. SetUp a primitive Activity like this:


And set the following as main.xml:


[align=center]:) You will see the same as in the picture at the very top of this Tutorial [/align]

The Full Source:

[align=center]Thats it [/align]
Regards,
plusminus

Also a note in addition to the tutorial. Actually, android already has the class that represents toggle buttons - the CompoundButton - which already has the isCheched attribute, and also special listener class for its changes. So, it seems to be more natural to subclass from CompoundButton if one would like to implement the toggle button with custom drawing. But here is an unpleasant trap - if one would like to use standard graphics from usual Button to draw toggled/untoggled button states (like Button.LAST_STATE_SET etc) like in the tutorial, CompoundButton does not work here - if you try to change the base class in the tutorial from Button to CompoundButton, you will see that it is not drawn as on screenshots. I do not know the reason why it is so - probably Button's resource ids are not available in the CompoundButton, maybe CompoundButton overrides the onPaint() method on some unpleasant way, or maybe something else.

Argh, why are they "hiding" components behind non-standard-names ^^

But one can still get the principles of creating custom views out of this tutorial

Regards,
plusminus

hey,

i`m trying to get this work, but i get errors for createDrawableState() - it doesn`t exist anymore? i`ve tried onCreateDrawableState() and getDrawableState(), but i still couldn`t make it work, any ideas?


cheers,
dain

Hi,

Sorry for my english, i'm french.

i've just read that createDrawableState() had been remove for Button, somebody can show how to replace this function?
ortherwise can somebody can explain me how to change button state by code?

Regards,
KevGranD

the same problem here..
how to realise toggle butttons in m5 ???

the same problem too.I find that this method be deleted in m5,see thisWeb Page Name

Hi All,
its not working for me....i m getting error in this method




Also i m getting compile time error at this line


in constructor of ToggleButton class...... Can anybody figure out this problem...How to make it work??

Thanks in Advance

Thanks
JavaAndroid

Hi,

i am too getting the same errors.....

Thanks
Vaibhav

hi all...
is it possible to add custom components the way we add textview... and all.
i an using eclipse.. in the layout when i click add button i can get a list of widgets.. how can i add my custom view to it..
thanks in advance

Hi,

I think Android does not provide iPhone style toggle button?
Look at the picture below, when I just want to set ON|OFF for some settings, I think the iPhone style and Android style ToggleButton are both OK for me, but I have an application, I want to migrate it from iPhone SDK -> Android Platform?

Can someone give me a hint about how to do that?

P.S:
Because the iPhone style ToggleButton has a slider in it, so it supports drag&drop, Do I have to implement the TouchEvent listener?

Thanks.

hi, I need a ToggleButton which can have an Image.

Any idea on how can I make this happen ?

JavaAndroid wrote:Hi All,
its not working for me...

Also i m getting compile time error at this line

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Hide ]

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Show ]

Using java Syntax Highlighting

1. super(context, attrs,inflateParams);

Parsed in 0.013 seconds, using GeSHi 1.0.8.4

in constructor of ToggleButton class...... Can anybody figure out this problem...How to make it work??

Thanks in Advance

Thanks
JavaAndroid

Is there any-body could fix it
Please kindly help
Thank you,
-
ohyes

JavaAndroid wrote:

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Hide ]

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Show ]

Using java Syntax Highlighting

1. public int[] createDrawableState() {
2.           int[] states;
3.           if (this.isChecked()) {
4. ...
5.      }
6.  

Parsed in 0.013 seconds, using GeSHi 1.0.8.4

I believe this method was changed the following works Notice also the Button state enumerations changed as well.



I think its important for the people out there that are just learning to learn not just the answer but how to find the answer. Taking the information I knew from the original tutorial I went to the android Developer site and searched for this function createDrawableState. Notice that it shows up in Button and In view. This is because of Inheritance Button inherits from TextView and View. But when you pull up either of those links there isn't a createDrawableState hitting search in the browser (control f) found onCreateDrawableState. Now that I had a hunch that I had the right method in eclipse I right clicked > Source > Overide Implement Methods Scrolled through them until I found my function.

JavaAndroid wrote:Also i m getting compile time error at this line

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Hide ]

Syntax: [ Download ] [ Show ]

Using java Syntax Highlighting

1. super(context, attrs,inflateParams);

Parsed in 0.013 seconds, using GeSHi 1.0.8.4

in constructor of ToggleButton class...... Can anybody figure out this problem...How to make it work??

Again this is a similar issue as the first one the methods have changed a little bit its something you'll have to get used to dealing with and Solving. If you noticed in my explanation of the other problem if you right click > Source there is alot of short cut learning goodness here. You'll notice constructors as well give a try at generating the constructors. you'll Notice that the params is no longer a Map its an int. So you'll have to modify your code somewhat to meet that expectation.

To the Original Poster of this tutorial thanks a lot on posting this. It helped me tremendously and opened my eyes to how easy it is to create custom components.