Mobile Programming

Chapter 3

3. Activity, Fragments, Intent and Services

3.1. Activity
In android, Activity represents a single screen with a user interface (UI) of an application and it will act
as an entry point for users to interact with an app.
Android apps can contain multiple screens and each screen of the application is an extension of Activity
class. By using activities, we can place all our android application UI components in a single screen.
From the multiple activities in android app, one activity can be marked as a main activity and that is
the first screen to appear when we launch the application. In android app each activity can start another
activity to perform different actions based on our requirements.
For example, a contacts app which is having a multiple activities, in that the main activity screen will
show a list of contacts and from the main activity screen we can launch other activities that provides a
screens to perform a tasks like add a new contact and search for the contacts. A ll these activities in
contact app are loosely bound to other activities but will work together to provide a better user
experience.
Generally, in android there is a minimal dependency between the activities in an app. To use activities in
application we need to register those activities information in our app’s manifest file
(AndroidMainfest.xml) and need to manage activity life cycle properly.
To use activities in our application we need to define activities with required attributes in manifest file
(AndroidMainfest.xml) like as shown below

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<manifest …..>
<application …..>
<activity android:name=".MainActivity" >
…….
…….
</activity>
…….
</application>
</manifest>

The activity attribute android:name will represent the name of class and we can also add multiple
attributes like icon, label, theme, permissions, etc. to an activity element based on our requirements.
In android application, activities can be implemented as a subclass of Activity class like as shown
below.

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
public class MainActivity extends Activity {

SEng3035 Page 1
Mobile Programming

/** Called when the activity is first created. */

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
}
}

Android Activity Lifecycle

The activities in our android application will go through different stages in their life cycle. In
android, Activity class have a 7 callback methods like onCreate(), onStart(), onPause(), onRestart(),
onResume(), onStop() and onDestroy() to describe how the activity will behave at different stages.
 onCreate() — Called when the activity is first created
 onStart() — Called when the activity becomes visible to the user
 onResume() — Called when the activity starts interacting with the user
 onPause() — Called when the current activity is being paused and the previous activity is being
resumed
 onStop() — Called when the activity is no longer visible to the user
 onDestroy() — Called before the activity is destroyed by the system (either manually or by the
system to conserve memory)
 onRestart() — Called when the activity has been stopped and is restarting again
By default, the activity created for you contains the onCreate() event. Within this event handler is the
code that helps to display the UI elements of your screen. The following figure shows life cycle of an
activity.

Figure 3.1 Life cycle of an activity

The best way to understand the various stages of an activity is to create a new project, implement the
various events, and then subject the activity to various user interactions.
SEng3035 Page 2
Mobile Programming

Understanding the Life Cycle of an Activity

1. Create a new Android project and name it Activity101.
2. In the Activity101Activity.java file, add the following statements in bold:
import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.util.Log;
public class Activity101Activity extends Activity {
String tag = “Lifecycle”;
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
Log.d(tag, “In the onCreate() event”);
}
public void onStart(){
super.onStart();
Log.d(tag, “In the onStart() event”); }
public void onRestart() {
super.onRestart();
Log.d(tag, “In the onRestart() event”); }
public void onResume(){
super.onResume();
Log.d(tag, “In the onResume() event”); }
public void onPause(){
super.onPause();
Log.d(tag, “In the onPause() event”); }
public void onStop(){
super.onStop();
Log.d(tag, “In the onStop() event”); }
public void onDestroy() {
super.onDestroy();
Log.d(tag, “In the onDestroy() event”); }
}

3. Press F11 to debug the application on the Android emulator.

4. When the activity is first loaded, you should see something very similar to the following in the
LogCat window (click the Debug perspective):
11-16 06:25:59.396: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onCreate() event
11-16 06:25:59.396: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onStart() event
11-16 06:25:59.396: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onResume() event
5. If you click the Back button on the Android emulator, the following is printed:
11-16 06:29:26.665: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onPause() event
11-16 06:29:28.465: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onStop() event
11-16 06:29:28.465: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onDestroy() event
6. Click the Home button and hold it there. Click the Activities icon and observe the following:
SEng3035 Page 3
Mobile Programming

11-16 06:31:08.905: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onCreate() event

11-16 06:31:08.905: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onStart() event
11-16 06:31:08.925: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onResume() event
7. Click the Phone button on the Android emulator so that the activity is pushed to the background.
Observe the output in the LogCat window:
11-16 06:32:00.585: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onPause() event
11-16 06:32:05.015: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onStop() event
8. Notice that the onDestroy() event is not called, indicating that the activity is still in memory. Exit
the phone dialer by clicking the Back button. The activity is now visible again. Observe the output in the
LogCat window:
11-16 06:32:50.515: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onRestart() event
11-16 06:32:50.515: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onStart() event
11-16 06:32:50.515: D/Lifecycle(559): In the onResume() event
The onRestart() event is now fi red, followed by the onStart() and onResume() methods.
How It Works
As you can see from this simple example, an activity is destroyed when you click the Back button. This is
crucial to know, as whatever state the activity is currently in will be lost; hence, you need to write
additional code in your activity to preserve its state when it is destroyed. At this point, note that the
onPause() method is called in both scenarios — when an activity is sent to th e background, as well as
when it is killed when the user presses the Back button.
When an activity is started, the onStart() and onResume()methods are always called, regardless of
whether the activity is restored from the background or newly created. When an activity is created for the
first time, the onCreate() method is called.
From the preceding example, you can derive the following guidelines:
 Use the onCreate() method to create and instantiate the objects that you will be using in your
application.
 Use the onResume() method to start any services or code that needs to run while your activity is
in the foreground.
 Use the onPause() method to stop any services or code that does not need to run when your
activity is not in the foreground.
 Use the onDestroy() method to free up resources before your activity is destroyed.
Note: Even if an application has only one activity and the activity is killed, the application will still be
running in memory.

3.2. Fragments
In the previous section you learned what an activity is and how to use it. In a small-screen device (such as
a smartphone), an activity typically fills the entire screen, displaying the various views that make up the
user interface of an application. The activity is essentially a container for views.
However, when an activity is displayed in a large-screen device, such as on a tablet, it is somewhat out of
place. Because the screen is much bigger, all the views in an activity must be arranged to make full use of
the increased space, resulting in complex changes to the view hierarchy. A better approach is to have
“mini-activities,” each containing its own set of views. During runtime, an activity can contain one or
more of these mini-activities, depending on the screen orientation in which the device is held. In Android
3.0 and later, these mini-activities are known as fragments.
SEng3035 Page 4
Mobile Programming

Think of a fragment as another form of activity. You create fragments to contain views, just like
activities. Fragments are always embedded in an activity. For example, Figure 3.2.1 shows two
fragments. Fragment 1 might contain a ListView showing a list of book titles. Fragment 2 might contain
some TextViews and ImageViews showing some text and images.
Now imagine the application is running on an Android tablet in portrait mode (or on an Android
smartphone). In this case, Fragment 1 may be embedded in one activity, while Fragment 2 may be
embedded in another activity (see Figure 3.2.2). When users select an item in the list in Fragment
1,Activity 2 will be started.

Figure 3.2.1 Fragments in an activity Figure 3.2.2 Fragments in different activities

If the application is now displayed in a tablet in landscape mode, both fragments can be embedded within
a single activity, as shown in Figure 3.2.3.

Figure 3.2.3 Fragments in landscape mode

From this discussion, it becomes apparent that fragments present a versatile way in which you can create
the user interface of an Android application.
Fragments form the atomic unit of your user interface, and they can be dynamically added (or removed)
to activities in order to create the best user experience possible for the target device.
Android Fragment Life Cycle
The following is pictorial representation of android fragment life cycle while its activity is running.
The following are the list of methods which will perform during the lifecycle of fragment in android
applications.

SEng3035 Page 5
Mobile Programming

Method Description

onAttach() It is called when the fragment has been associated with an activity.

onCreate() It is used to initialize the fragment.

onCreateView() It is used to create a view hierarchy associated with the fragment.

onActivityCreated() It is called when the fragment activity has been created and the fragment view hierarchy
instantiated.

onStart() It is used to make the fragment visible.

onResume() It is used to make the fragment visible in an activity.

onPause() It is called when fragment is no longer visible and it indicates that the user is leaving the
fragment.

onStop() It is called to stop the fragment using onStop() method.

onDestoryView() The view hierarchy which associated with the fragment is being removed after executing this
method.

onDestroy() It is called to perform a final clean up of the fragments state.

onDetach() It is called immediately after the fragment disassociated from the activity.

Example:
Following is the example of creating a two fragments, two buttons and showing the respective fragment
when click on button in android application.
1. Create a new android application using android studio and give name as Fragments.
2. Now we need to create our own custom fragment layout files
(listitems_info.xml, details_info.xml) in \res\layout path to display those fragments in
main layout for that right click on your layout folder  Go to New  select Layout resource
file and give name as listitems_info.xml. Once we create a new file listitems_info.xml,
open it and write the code like as shown below

listitems_info.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical" android:layout_width="match_parent"

SEng3035 Page 6
Mobile Programming

android:layout_height="match_parent">
<ListView
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:id="@android:id/list" />
</LinearLayout>

3. Same way create another file details_info.xml, open it and write the code like as shown below
details_info.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical" android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:background="#0079D6">
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textColor="#ffffff"
android:layout_marginTop="200px"
android:layout_marginLeft="200px"
android:id="@+id/Name"/>
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginLeft="200px"
android:textColor="#ffffff"
android:id="@+id/Location"/>
</LinearLayout>

4. Now we need to create our own custom fragment class files (ListMenuFragment.java,
DetailsFragment.java) in \java\com.example.fragmentsexample path to bind and display data
in fragments for that right click on your application folder Go to New  select Java Class and
give name as DetailsFragment.java. Once we create a new file DetailsFragment.java, open it
and write the code like as shown below
DetailsFragment.java

import android.app.Fragment;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.TextView;
public class DetailsFragment extends Fragment {
TextView name,location;

SEng3035 Page 7
Mobile Programming

@Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View view = inflater.inflate(R.layout.details_info,
container, false);
name = (TextView)view.findViewById(R.id.Name);
location = (TextView)view.findViewById(R.id.Location);
return view;
}
public void change(String uname, String ulocation){
name.setText(uname);
location.setText(ulocation);
}
}

5. If you observe above code we extended class with Fragment and used LayoutInflater to show
the details of fragment. We defined a function change() to change the text in textview. Same
way create another file ListMenuFragment.java, open it and write the code like as shown
below
ListMenuFragment.java

import android.app.ListFragment;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
import android.widget.ListView;
public class ListMenuFragment extends ListFragment {
String[] users = new String[] { "Abebe","Samson","Kirubel","Helen" };
String[] location = new String[]{"Gondar","Bahir Dar","Addis
Ababa","Debre Markos"};
@Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
View view =inflater.inflate(R.layout.listitems_info,
container, false);
ArrayAdapter<String> adapter
= new ArrayAdapter<String>(getActivity(),
android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1, users);
setListAdapter(adapter);
return view;
}
@Override
public void onListItemClick(ListView l, View v, int position, long id) {

SEng3035 Page 8
Mobile Programming

DetailsFragment txt =
(DetailsFragment)getFragmentManager().findFragmentById(R.id.fragment2);
txt.change("Name: "+ users[position],"Location :
"+ location[position]);
getListView().setSelector(android.R.color.holo_blue_dark);
}
}

6. If you observe above code we extended our class using ListFragment and we defined two
arrays of strings users, location which contains names and locations. We
defined onListItemClick event to update the name and location in DetailsFragment based
on the list item which we clicked. Now we need to display our fragments horizontally side by
side in main layout for that open activity_main.xml file and write code like as shown below
activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="horizontal"
tools:context="com.example.fragmentsexample.MainActivity">
<fragment
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_width="350px"
class="com.example.fragmentsexample.ListMenuFragment"
android:id="@+id/fragment"/>
<fragment
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
class="com.example.fragmentsexample.DetailsFragment"
android:id="@+id/fragment2"/>
</LinearLayout>

We are not going to make any modifications for our main activity file ( MainActivity.java) and manifest
file (AndroidMainfest.xml).

3.3. Intents
Android uses Intent for communicating between the components (such as activities, services, broadcast
receivers and content providers) of an Application and also from one application to another application.
For example: Intent facilitates you to redirect your activity to another activity on occurrence of any event.
By calling, startActivity() you can perform this task.

SEng3035 Page 9
Mobile Programming

Intent intent = new Intent(getApplicationContext(), SecondActivity.class);

startActivity(intent);

In the above example, foreground activity is getting redirected to another activity i.e.
SecondActivity.java. getApplicationContext() returns the context for your foreground activity.
In android, Intents are the objects of android.content.Intent type and intents are mainly useful to
perform following things.

Component Description

Starting an Activity By passing an Intent object to startActivity() method we can start a new Activity
or existing Activity to perform required things.

Starting a Service By passing an Intent object to startService() method we can start a new Service or
send required instructions to an existing Service.

Delivering a Broadcast By passing an Intent object to sendBroadcast() method we can deliver our messages
to other app broadcast receivers.

Tilahun the bravo man

Types of Intents:
There are two types of intents: Explicit Intent and Implicit Intent
Explicit Intent:
Explicit Intents are used to connect the application internally. In Explicit we use the name of component
which will be affected by Intent. For Example: If we know class name then we can navigate the app from
One Activity to another activity using Intent. In the similar way we can start a service to download a file
in background process. Explicit Intent works internally within an application to perform navigation and
data transfer. The below given code snippet will help you understand the concept of Explicit Intents

Intent intent = new Intent(getApplicationContext(), SecondActivity.class);

startActivity(intent);

Here SecondActivity is the JAVA class name where the activity will now be navigated.

Implicit Intent:
In Implicit Intents we do need to specify the name of the component. We just specify the Action which
has to be performed and further this action is handled by the component of another application. The basic
example of implicit Intent is to open any web page.
Let’s take an example to understand Implicit Intents more clearly. We have to open a website using intent
in your application. See the code snippet given below

Intent intentObj = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);

SEng3035 Page 10
Mobile Programming

intentObj.setData(Uri.parse("https://www.google.com"));
startActivity(intentObj);

Unlike Explicit Intent you do not use any class name to pass through Intent(). In this example we have
just specified an action. Now when we run this code then Android will automatically start your web
browser and it will open Google home page.
Example:
The example will show you both implicit and explicit Intent together. Let’s implement Intent for a very
basic use. In the below example we will Navigate from one Activity to another and open a web homepage
of Google using Intent.
Create a project in Android Studio and named it “Intents”. Make an activity, which would
consists Java file; MainActivity.java and an xml file for User interface which would be
activity_main.xml
Step 1: Let’s design the UI of activity_main.xml:
 First design the text view displaying basic details of the App
 Second design the two button of Explicit Intent Example and Implicit Intent Example
Below is the complete code of activity_main.xml

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:paddingLeft="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingRight="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingTop="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
android:paddingBottom="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
tools:context=".MainActivity">
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceMedium"
android:text="If you click on Explicit example we will navigate to
second
activity within App and if you click on Implicit example Google
Homepage will
open in Browser"
android:id="@+id/textView2"
android:clickable="false"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_alignParentStart="true"
android:layout_marginTop="42dp"
android:background="#3e7d02"
android:textColor="#ffffff" />

SEng3035 Page 11
Mobile Programming

<Button
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Explicit Intent Example"
android:id="@+id/explicit_Intent"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginTop="147dp" />
<Button
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Implicit Intent Example"
android:id="@+id/implicit_Intent"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true" />
</RelativeLayout>

Step 2: Design the UI of second activity activity_second.xml

Now let’s design UI of another activity where user will navigate after he click on Explicit
Example button. Go to layout folder, create a new activity and name it activity_second.xml.
 In this activity we will simply use TextView to tell user he is now on second activity.
Below is the complete code of activity_second.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:paddingLeft="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingRight="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
android:paddingTop="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
android:paddingBottom="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
android:background="#CCEEAA"
tools:context="com.example.android.intents.SecondActivity">
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
android:text="This is Second Activity"
android:id="@+id/textView"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true" />
</RelativeLayout>

Step 3: Implement onClick event for Implicit and Explicit Button inside MainActivity.java

SEng3035 Page 12
Mobile Programming

Now we will use setOnClickListener() method to implement OnClick event on both the button. Implicit
button will open AbhiAndroid.com homepage in browser and Explicit button will move to
SecondActivity.java.
Below is the complete code of MainActivity.java

import android.content.Intent;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
Button explicit_btn, implicit_btn;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
explicit_btn = (Button)findViewById(R.id.explicit_Intent);
implicit_btn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.implicit_Intent);
//implement Onclick event for Explicit Intent
explicit_btn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
Intent intent = new Intent(getBaseContext(),
SecondActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);
}
});
//implement onClick event for Implicit Intent
implicit_btn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("https://www.google.com"));
startActivity(intent);
}
});
} }

Step 4: Create A New JAVA class name SecondActivity

Now we need to create another SecondActivity.java which will simply open the layout of
activity_second.xml. Also we will use Toast to display message that he is on second activity.
Below is the complete code of SecondActivity.java:

import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;

SEng3035 Page 13
Mobile Programming

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class SecondActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_second);
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "We are moved to second
Activity”, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
}

Step 5: Manifest file:

Make sure Manifest file has both the MainActivity and SecondActivity listed it. Also here MainActivity
is our main activity which will be launched first. So make sure intent-filter is correctly added just below
MainActivity.
Below is the code of Manifest file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.android.intents" >
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:supportsRtl="true"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
<activity android:name=".MainActivity" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".SecondActivity" >
</activity>
</application>
</manifest>

Testing:
 Now run the above program in your Emulator.
 First Click on Explicit Intent Example. The SecondActivity will be open within the App.
 Now go back in Emulator and click on Implicit Intent Example. The google.com homepage will
open in Browser (make sure you have internet)
Benefits of Intent in Android

SEng3035 Page 14
Mobile Programming

Android uses Intents for facilitating communication between its components like Activities, Services and
Broadcast Receivers.
For an Activity: Every screen in Android application represents an activity. To start a new activity you
need to pass an Intent object to startActivity() method. This Intent object helps to start a new activity and
passing data to the second activity.
For Services: Services work in background of an Android application and it does not require any user
Interface. Intents could be used to start a Service that performs one-time task(for example: Downloading
some file) or for starting a Service you need to pass Intent to startService() method.
For Broadcast Receivers: There are various messages that an app receives; these messages are called as
Broadcast Receivers. (For example, a broadcast message could be initiated to intimate that the file
downloading is completed and ready to use). Android system initiates some broadcast message on several
events, such as System Reboot, Low Battery warning message etc.
For Android Applications: Whenever you need to navigate to another activity of your app or you need
to send some information to next activity then we can always prefer to Intents for doing so.

3.4. Android Services

Android service is a component that is used to perform operations on the background such as playing
music, handle network transactions, interacting content providers etc. It doesn't have any UI (user
interface). The service runs in the background indefinitely even if application is destroyed. Moreover,
service can be bounded by a component to perform interactivity and inter process communication (IPC).
The android.app.Service is subclass of ContextWrapper class.
Life Cycle of Android Service
There can be two forms of a service. The lifecycle of service can follow two different paths: started or
bound.
 Started
 Bound
1) Started Service
A service is started when component (like activity) calls startService() method, now it runs in the
background indefinitely. It is stopped by stopService() method. The service can stop itself by calling the
stopSelf() method.
2) Bound Service
A service is bound when another component (e.g. client) calls bindService() method. The client can
unbind the service by calling the unbindService() method. The service cannot be stopped until all clients
unbind the service.
Example:
Let's see the example of service in android that plays an audio in the background. Audio will not be
stopped even if you switch to another activity. To stop the audio, you need to stop the service.
1. Create an android project and design the activity_main.xml as follows

SEng3035 Page 15
Mobile Programming

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
tools:context="example.com.androidservice.MainActivity">
<Button
android:id="@+id/buttonStart"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginTop="74dp"
android:text="Start Service" />
<Button
android:id="@+id/buttonStop"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:text="Stop Service" />
<Button
android:id="@+id/buttonNext"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
android:layout_marginBottom="63dp"
android:text="Next Page" />
</RelativeLayout>

2. Create the activity_next.xml file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/
android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
tools:context="example.com.androidservice.NextPage">

SEng3035 Page 16
Mobile Programming

<TextView
android:id="@+id/textView"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_marginEnd="8dp"
android:layout_marginStart="8dp"
android:layout_marginTop="200dp"
android:text="Next Page"
app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
</android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout>

3. Now create the service implementation class by inheriting the Service class and overriding its
callback methods. MyService.java

import android.app.Service;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.media.MediaPlayer;
import android.os.IBinder;
import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
import android.widget.Toast;
public class MyService extends Service {
MediaPlayer myPlayer;
@Nullable
@Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) { return null; }
@Override
public void onCreate() {
Toast.makeText(this, "Service Created", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
myPlayer = MediaPlayer.create(this, R.raw.sun);
myPlayer.setLooping(false); // Set looping
}
@Override
public void onStart(Intent intent, int startid) {
Toast.makeText(this, "Service Started", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
myPlayer.start();
}
@Override
public void onDestroy() {
Toast.makeText(this, "Service Stopped", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
myPlayer.stop();
} }

SEng3035 Page 17
Mobile Programming

4. Now create the MainActivity class to perform event handling. Here, we are writing the code to
start and stop service. Additionally, calling the second activity on buttonNext.
MainActivity.java

import android.content.Intent;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements View.OnClick
Listener{
Button buttonStart, buttonStop,buttonNext;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
buttonStart = findViewById(R.id.buttonStart);
buttonStop = findViewById(R.id.buttonStop);
buttonNext = findViewById(R.id.buttonNext);
buttonStart.setOnClickListener(this);
buttonStop.setOnClickListener(this);
buttonNext.setOnClickListener(this);
}
public void onClick(View src) {
switch (src.getId()) {
case R.id.buttonStart:
startService(new Intent(this, MyService.class));
break;
case R.id.buttonStop:
stopService(new Intent(this, MyService.class));
break;
case R.id.buttonNext:
Intent intent=new Intent(this,NextPage.class);
startActivity(intent);
break;
}
}
}

5. Now, create another activity.

NextPage.java

import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
public class NextPage extends AppCompatActivity {
@Override

SEng3035 Page 18
Mobile Programming

protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {

super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_next);
}
}

6. Finally, declare the service in the manifest file. Let's see the complete AndroidManifest.xml file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="example.com.androidservice">
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
android:supportsRtl="true"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme">
<activity android:name=".MainActivity">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity android:name=".NextPage"></activity>
<service
android:name=".MyService"
android:enabled="true" />
</application>
</manifest>

SEng3035 Page 19