public abstract class

PreferenceActivity

extends ListActivity

java.lang.Object
↳	android.content.Context
	↳	android.content.ContextWrapper
		↳	android.view.ContextThemeWrapper
			↳	android.app.Activity
				↳	android.app.ListActivity
					↳	android.preference.PreferenceActivity

Class Overview

Shows a hierarchy of Preference objects as lists, possibly spanning multiple screens. These preferences will automatically save to SharedPreferences as the user interacts with them. To retrieve an instance of SharedPreferences that the preference hierarchy in this activity will use, call getDefaultSharedPreferences(android.content.Context) with a context in the same package as this activity.

Furthermore, the preferences shown will follow the visual style of system preferences. It is easy to create a hierarchy of preferences (that can be shown on multiple screens) via XML. For these reasons, it is recommended to use this activity (as a superclass) to deal with preferences in applications.

A PreferenceScreen object should be at the top of the preference hierarchy. Furthermore, subsequent PreferenceScreen in the hierarchy denote a screen break--that is the preferences contained within subsequent PreferenceScreen should be shown on another screen. The preference framework handles showing these other screens from the preference hierarchy.

The preference hierarchy can be formed in multiple ways:

From an XML file specifying the hierarchy

From different Activities that each specify its own preferences in an XML file via Activity meta-data

From an object hierarchy rooted with PreferenceScreen

To inflate from XML, use the addPreferencesFromResource(int). The root element should be a PreferenceScreen. Subsequent elements can point to actual Preference subclasses. As mentioned above, subsequent PreferenceScreen in the hierarchy will result in the screen break.

To specify an Intent to query Activities that each have preferences, use addPreferencesFromIntent(Intent). Each Activity can specify meta-data in the manifest (via the key METADATA_KEY_PREFERENCES) that points to an XML resource. These XML resources will be inflated into a single preference hierarchy and shown by this activity.

To specify an object hierarchy rooted with PreferenceScreen, use setPreferenceScreen(PreferenceScreen).

As a convenience, this activity implements a click listener for any preference in the current hierarchy, see onPreferenceTreeClick(PreferenceScreen, Preference).

Summary

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Inherited Constants

From class android.app.Activity

From class android.content.Context

Public Constructors
	PreferenceActivity()

Public Methods
void	addPreferencesFromIntent(Intent intent) Adds preferences from activities that match the given Intent.
void	addPreferencesFromResource(int preferencesResId) Inflates the given XML resource and adds the preference hierarchy to the current preference hierarchy.
Preference	findPreference(CharSequence key) Finds a Preference based on its key.
PreferenceManager	getPreferenceManager() Returns the PreferenceManager used by this activity.
PreferenceScreen	getPreferenceScreen() Gets the root of the preference hierarchy that this activity is showing.
void	onContentChanged() Updates the screen state (current list and other views) when the content changes.
boolean	onPreferenceTreeClick(PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen, Preference preference)
void	setPreferenceScreen(PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen) Sets the root of the preference hierarchy that this activity is showing.

Protected Methods
void	onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) Called when an activity you launched exits, giving you the requestCode you started it with, the resultCode it returned, and any additional data from it.
void	onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) Called when the activity is starting.
void	onDestroy() Perform any final cleanup before an activity is destroyed.
void	onNewIntent(Intent intent) This is called for activities that set launchMode to "singleTop" in their package, or if a client used the FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP flag when calling startActivity(Intent).
void	onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle state) Ensures the list view has been created before Activity restores all of the view states.
void	onSaveInstanceState(Bundle outState) Called to retrieve per-instance state from an activity before being killed so that the state can be restored in onCreate(Bundle) or onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle) (the Bundle populated by this method will be passed to both).
void	onStop() Called when you are no longer visible to the user.

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Inherited Methods

From class android.app.ListActivity

ListAdapter	getListAdapter() Get the ListAdapter associated with this activity's ListView.
ListView	getListView() Get the activity's list view widget.
long	getSelectedItemId() Get the cursor row ID of the currently selected list item.
int	getSelectedItemPosition() Get the position of the currently selected list item.
void	onContentChanged() Updates the screen state (current list and other views) when the content changes.
void	onListItemClick(ListView l, View v, int position, long id) This method will be called when an item in the list is selected.
void	onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle state) Ensures the list view has been created before Activity restores all of the view states.
void	setListAdapter(ListAdapter adapter) Provide the cursor for the list view.
void	setSelection(int position) Set the currently selected list item to the specified position with the adapter's data

From class android.app.Activity

From class android.view.ContextThemeWrapper

From class android.content.ContextWrapper

From class android.content.Context

abstract boolean	bindService(Intent service, ServiceConnection conn, int flags) Connect to an application service, creating it if needed.
abstract int	checkCallingOrSelfPermission(String permission) Determine whether the calling process of an IPC or you have been granted a particular permission.
abstract int	checkCallingOrSelfUriPermission(Uri uri, int modeFlags) Determine whether the calling process of an IPC or you has been granted permission to access a specific URI.
abstract int	checkCallingPermission(String permission) Determine whether the calling process of an IPC you are handling has been granted a particular permission.
abstract int	checkCallingUriPermission(Uri uri, int modeFlags) Determine whether the calling process and user ID has been granted permission to access a specific URI.
abstract int	checkPermission(String permission, int pid, int uid) Determine whether the given permission is allowed for a particular process and user ID running in the system.
abstract int	checkUriPermission(Uri uri, int pid, int uid, int modeFlags) Determine whether a particular process and user ID has been granted permission to access a specific URI.
abstract int	checkUriPermission(Uri uri, String readPermission, String writePermission, int pid, int uid, int modeFlags) Check both a Uri and normal permission.
abstract void	clearWallpaper() Remove any currently set wallpaper, reverting to the system's default wallpaper.
abstract Context	createPackageContext(String packageName, int flags) Return a new Context object for the given application name.
abstract String[]	databaseList() Returns an array of strings naming the private databases associated with this Context's application package.
abstract boolean	deleteDatabase(String name) Delete an existing private SQLiteDatabase associated with this Context's application package.
abstract boolean	deleteFile(String name) Delete the given private file associated with this Context's application package.
abstract void	enforceCallingOrSelfPermission(String permission, String message) If neither you nor the calling process of an IPC you are handling has been granted a particular permission, throw a SecurityException.
abstract void	enforceCallingOrSelfUriPermission(Uri uri, int modeFlags, String message) If the calling process of an IPC or you has not been granted permission to access a specific URI, throw SecurityException.
abstract void	enforceCallingPermission(String permission, String message) If the calling process of an IPC you are handling has not been granted a particular permission, throw a SecurityException.
abstract void	enforceCallingUriPermission(Uri uri, int modeFlags, String message) If the calling process and user ID has not been granted permission to access a specific URI, throw SecurityException.
abstract void	enforcePermission(String permission, int pid, int uid, String message) If the given permission is not allowed for a particular process and user ID running in the system, throw a SecurityException.
abstract void	enforceUriPermission(Uri uri, int pid, int uid, int modeFlags, String message) If a particular process and user ID has not been granted permission to access a specific URI, throw SecurityException.
abstract void	enforceUriPermission(Uri uri, String readPermission, String writePermission, int pid, int uid, int modeFlags, String message) Enforce both a Uri and normal permission.
abstract String[]	fileList() Returns an array of strings naming the private files associated with this Context's application package.
abstract Context	getApplicationContext() Return the context of the single, global Application object of the current process.
abstract ApplicationInfo	getApplicationInfo() Return the full application info for this context's package.
abstract AssetManager	getAssets() Return an AssetManager instance for your application's package.
abstract File	getCacheDir() Returns the absolute path to the application specific cache directory on the filesystem.
abstract ClassLoader	getClassLoader() Return a class loader you can use to retrieve classes in this package.
abstract ContentResolver	getContentResolver() Return a ContentResolver instance for your application's package.
abstract File	getDatabasePath(String name) Returns the absolute path on the filesystem where a database created with openOrCreateDatabase(String, int, SQLiteDatabase.CursorFactory) is stored.
abstract File	getDir(String name, int mode) Retrieve, creating if needed, a new directory in which the application can place its own custom data files.
abstract File	getFileStreamPath(String name) Returns the absolute path on the filesystem where a file created with openFileOutput(String, int) is stored.
abstract File	getFilesDir() Returns the absolute path to the directory on the filesystem where files created with openFileOutput(String, int) are stored.
abstract Looper	getMainLooper() Return the Looper for the main thread of the current process.
abstract PackageManager	getPackageManager() Return PackageManager instance to find global package information.
abstract String	getPackageName() Return the name of this application's package.
abstract Resources	getResources() Return a Resources instance for your application's package.
abstract SharedPreferences	getSharedPreferences(String name, int mode) Retrieve and hold the contents of the preferences file 'name', returning a SharedPreferences through which you can retrieve and modify its values.
final String	getString(int resId, Object... formatArgs) Return a localized formatted string from the application's package's default string table, substituting the format arguments as defined in Formatter and format(String, Object...).
final String	getString(int resId) Return a localized string from the application's package's default string table.
abstract Object	getSystemService(String name) Return the handle to a system-level service by name.
final CharSequence	getText(int resId) Return a localized, styled CharSequence from the application's package's default string table.
abstract Resources.Theme	getTheme() Return the Theme object associated with this Context.
abstract Drawable	getWallpaper() Like peekWallpaper(), but always returns a valid Drawable.
abstract int	getWallpaperDesiredMinimumHeight() Returns the desired minimum height for the wallpaper.
abstract int	getWallpaperDesiredMinimumWidth() Returns the desired minimum width for the wallpaper.
abstract void	grantUriPermission(String toPackage, Uri uri, int modeFlags) Grant permission to access a specific Uri to another package, regardless of whether that package has general permission to access the Uri's content provider.
boolean	isRestricted() Indicates whether this Context is restricted.
final TypedArray	obtainStyledAttributes(int resid, int[] attrs) Retrieve styled attribute information in this Context's theme.
final TypedArray	obtainStyledAttributes(AttributeSet set, int[] attrs, int defStyleAttr, int defStyleRes) Retrieve styled attribute information in this Context's theme.
final TypedArray	obtainStyledAttributes(int[] attrs) Retrieve styled attribute information in this Context's theme.
final TypedArray	obtainStyledAttributes(AttributeSet set, int[] attrs) Retrieve styled attribute information in this Context's theme.
abstract FileInputStream	openFileInput(String name) Open a private file associated with this Context's application package for reading.
abstract FileOutputStream	openFileOutput(String name, int mode) Open a private file associated with this Context's application package for writing.
abstract SQLiteDatabase	openOrCreateDatabase(String name, int mode, SQLiteDatabase.CursorFactory factory) Open a new private SQLiteDatabase associated with this Context's application package.
abstract Drawable	peekWallpaper() Retrieve the current system wallpaper.
abstract Intent	registerReceiver(BroadcastReceiver receiver, IntentFilter filter, String broadcastPermission, Handler scheduler) Register to receive intent broadcasts, to run in the context of `scheduler`.
abstract Intent	registerReceiver(BroadcastReceiver receiver, IntentFilter filter) Register a BroadcastReceiver to be run in the main activity thread.
abstract void	removeStickyBroadcast(Intent intent) Remove the data previously sent with sendStickyBroadcast(Intent), so that it is as if the sticky broadcast had never happened.
abstract void	revokeUriPermission(Uri uri, int modeFlags) Remove all permissions to access a particular content provider Uri that were previously added with grantUriPermission(String, Uri, int).
abstract void	sendBroadcast(Intent intent) Broadcast the given intent to all interested BroadcastReceivers.
abstract void	sendBroadcast(Intent intent, String receiverPermission) Broadcast the given intent to all interested BroadcastReceivers, allowing an optional required permission to be enforced.
abstract void	sendOrderedBroadcast(Intent intent, String receiverPermission, BroadcastReceiver resultReceiver, Handler scheduler, int initialCode, String initialData, Bundle initialExtras) Version of sendBroadcast(Intent) that allows you to receive data back from the broadcast.
abstract void	sendOrderedBroadcast(Intent intent, String receiverPermission) Broadcast the given intent to all interested BroadcastReceivers, delivering them one at a time to allow more preferred receivers to consume the broadcast before it is delivered to less preferred receivers.
abstract void	sendStickyBroadcast(Intent intent) Perform a sendBroadcast(Intent) that is "sticky," meaning the Intent you are sending stays around after the broadcast is complete, so that others can quickly retrieve that data through the return value of registerReceiver(BroadcastReceiver, IntentFilter).
abstract void	setTheme(int resid) Set the base theme for this context.
abstract void	setWallpaper(InputStream data) Change the current system wallpaper to a specific byte stream.
abstract void	setWallpaper(Bitmap bitmap) Change the current system wallpaper to a bitmap.
abstract void	startActivity(Intent intent) Launch a new activity.
abstract boolean	startInstrumentation(ComponentName className, String profileFile, Bundle arguments) Start executing an Instrumentation class.
abstract ComponentName	startService(Intent service) Request that a given application service be started.
abstract boolean	stopService(Intent service) Request that a given application service be stopped.
abstract void	unbindService(ServiceConnection conn) Disconnect from an application service.
abstract void	unregisterReceiver(BroadcastReceiver receiver) Unregister a previously registered BroadcastReceiver.

From class java.lang.Object

Object	clone() Creates and returns a copy of this `Object`.
boolean	equals(Object o) Compares this instance with the specified object and indicates if they are equal.
void	finalize() Is called before the object's memory is being reclaimed by the VM.
final Class<? extends Object>	getClass() Returns the unique instance of Class which represents this object's class.
int	hashCode() Returns an integer hash code for this object.
final void	notify() Causes a thread which is waiting on this object's monitor (by means of calling one of the `wait()` methods) to be woken up.
final void	notifyAll() Causes all threads which are waiting on this object's monitor (by means of calling one of the `wait()` methods) to be woken up.
String	toString() Returns a string containing a concise, human-readable description of this object.
final void	wait(long millis, int nanos) Causes the calling thread to wait until another thread calls the `notify()` or `notifyAll()` method of this object or until the specified timeout expires.
final void	wait(long millis) Causes the calling thread to wait until another thread calls the `notify()` or `notifyAll()` method of this object or until the specified timeout expires.
final void	wait() Causes the calling thread to wait until another thread calls the `notify()` or `notifyAll()` method of this object.

From interface android.content.ComponentCallbacks

From interface android.view.KeyEvent.Callback

From interface android.view.LayoutInflater.Factory

From interface android.view.View.OnCreateContextMenuListener

From interface android.view.Window.Callback

Public Constructors

public PreferenceActivity ()

Since: API Level 1

Public Methods

public void addPreferencesFromIntent (Intent intent)

Since: API Level 1

Adds preferences from activities that match the given Intent.

Parameters

intent	The Intent to query activities.

public void addPreferencesFromResource (int preferencesResId)

Since: API Level 1

Inflates the given XML resource and adds the preference hierarchy to the current preference hierarchy.

Parameters

preferencesResId	The XML resource ID to inflate.

public Preference findPreference (CharSequence key)

Since: API Level 1

Finds a Preference based on its key.

Parameters

key	The key of the preference to retrieve.

Returns

The Preference with the key, or null.

public PreferenceManager getPreferenceManager ()

Since: API Level 1

Returns the PreferenceManager used by this activity.

Returns

The PreferenceManager.

public PreferenceScreen getPreferenceScreen ()

Since: API Level 1

Gets the root of the preference hierarchy that this activity is showing.

Returns

The PreferenceScreen that is the root of the preference hierarchy.

public void onContentChanged ()

Since: API Level 1

Updates the screen state (current list and other views) when the content changes.

public boolean onPreferenceTreeClick (PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen, Preference preference)

Since: API Level 1

public void setPreferenceScreen (PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen)

Since: API Level 1

Sets the root of the preference hierarchy that this activity is showing.

Parameters

preferenceScreen	The root PreferenceScreen of the preference hierarchy.

Protected Methods

protected void onActivityResult (int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data)

Since: API Level 1

Called when an activity you launched exits, giving you the requestCode you started it with, the resultCode it returned, and any additional data from it. The resultCode will be RESULT_CANCELED if the activity explicitly returned that, didn't return any result, or crashed during its operation.

You will receive this call immediately before onResume() when your activity is re-starting.

Parameters

requestCode	The integer request code originally supplied to startActivityForResult(), allowing you to identify who this result came from.
resultCode	The integer result code returned by the child activity through its setResult().
data	An Intent, which can return result data to the caller (various data can be attached to Intent "extras").

protected void onCreate (Bundle savedInstanceState)

Since: API Level 1

Called when the activity is starting. This is where most initialization should go: calling setContentView(int) to inflate the activity's UI, using findViewById(int) to programmatically interact with widgets in the UI, calling managedQuery(android.net.Uri, String[], String, String[], String) to retrieve cursors for data being displayed, etc.

You can call finish() from within this function, in which case onDestroy() will be immediately called without any of the rest of the activity lifecycle (onStart(), onResume(), onPause(), etc) executing.

Derived classes must call through to the super class's implementation of this method. If they do not, an exception will be thrown.

Parameters

savedInstanceState	If the activity is being re-initialized after previously being shut down then this Bundle contains the data it most recently supplied in onSaveInstanceState(Bundle). *Note: Otherwise it is null.*

protected void onDestroy ()

Since: API Level 1

Perform any final cleanup before an activity is destroyed. This can happen either because the activity is finishing (someone called finish() on it, or because the system is temporarily destroying this instance of the activity to save space. You can distinguish between these two scenarios with the isFinishing() method.

Note: do not count on this method being called as a place for saving data! For example, if an activity is editing data in a content provider, those edits should be committed in either onPause() or onSaveInstanceState(Bundle), not here. This method is usually implemented to free resources like threads that are associated with an activity, so that a destroyed activity does not leave such things around while the rest of its application is still running. There are situations where the system will simply kill the activity's hosting process without calling this method (or any others) in it, so it should not be used to do things that are intended to remain around after the process goes away.

Derived classes must call through to the super class's implementation of this method. If they do not, an exception will be thrown.

protected void onNewIntent (Intent intent)

Since: API Level 1

This is called for activities that set launchMode to "singleTop" in their package, or if a client used the FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP flag when calling startActivity(Intent). In either case, when the activity is re-launched while at the top of the activity stack instead of a new instance of the activity being started, onNewIntent() will be called on the existing instance with the Intent that was used to re-launch it.

An activity will always be paused before receiving a new intent, so you can count on onResume() being called after this method.

Note that getIntent() still returns the original Intent. You can use setIntent(Intent) to update it to this new Intent.

Parameters

intent	The new intent that was started for the activity.

protected void onRestoreInstanceState (Bundle state)

Since: API Level 1

Ensures the list view has been created before Activity restores all of the view states.

Parameters

state	the data most recently supplied in onSaveInstanceState(Bundle).

protected void onSaveInstanceState (Bundle outState)

Since: API Level 1

Called to retrieve per-instance state from an activity before being killed so that the state can be restored in onCreate(Bundle) or onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle) (the Bundle populated by this method will be passed to both).

This method is called before an activity may be killed so that when it comes back some time in the future it can restore its state. For example, if activity B is launched in front of activity A, and at some point activity A is killed to reclaim resources, activity A will have a chance to save the current state of its user interface via this method so that when the user returns to activity A, the state of the user interface can be restored via onCreate(Bundle) or onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle).

Do not confuse this method with activity lifecycle callbacks such as onPause(), which is always called when an activity is being placed in the background or on its way to destruction, or onStop() which is called before destruction. One example of when onPause() and onStop() is called and not this method is when a user navigates back from activity B to activity A: there is no need to call onSaveInstanceState(Bundle) on B because that particular instance will never be restored, so the system avoids calling it. An example when onPause() is called and not onSaveInstanceState(Bundle) is when activity B is launched in front of activity A: the system may avoid calling onSaveInstanceState(Bundle) on activity A if it isn't killed during the lifetime of B since the state of the user interface of A will stay intact.

The default implementation takes care of most of the UI per-instance state for you by calling onSaveInstanceState() on each view in the hierarchy that has an id, and by saving the id of the currently focused view (all of which is restored by the default implementation of onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle)). If you override this method to save additional information not captured by each individual view, you will likely want to call through to the default implementation, otherwise be prepared to save all of the state of each view yourself.

If called, this method will occur before onStop(). There are no guarantees about whether it will occur before or after onPause().

Parameters

outState	Bundle in which to place your saved state.

protected void onStop ()

Since: API Level 1

Called when you are no longer visible to the user. You will next receive either onRestart(), onDestroy(), or nothing, depending on later user activity.

Note that this method may never be called, in low memory situations where the system does not have enough memory to keep your activity's process running after its onPause() method is called.

Derived classes must call through to the super class's implementation of this method. If they do not, an exception will be thrown.

Interfaces

Classes

PreferenceActivity

Class Overview

See Also

Summary

Public Constructors

public PreferenceActivity ()

Public Methods

public void addPreferencesFromIntent (Intent intent)

Parameters

public void addPreferencesFromResource (int preferencesResId)

Parameters

public Preference findPreference (CharSequence key)

Parameters

Returns

See Also

public PreferenceManager getPreferenceManager ()

Returns

public PreferenceScreen getPreferenceScreen ()

Returns

public void onContentChanged ()

public boolean onPreferenceTreeClick (PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen, Preference preference)

public void setPreferenceScreen (PreferenceScreen preferenceScreen)

Parameters

Protected Methods

protected void onActivityResult (int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data)

Parameters

protected void onCreate (Bundle savedInstanceState)

Parameters

protected void onDestroy ()

protected void onNewIntent (Intent intent)

Parameters

protected void onRestoreInstanceState (Bundle state)

Parameters

protected void onSaveInstanceState (Bundle outState)

Parameters

protected void onStop ()