Develop Reference

Android SurfaceView current thread reference

I'm following this tutorial on game development, and I've ran across something that is a little bit puzzling to me.
So in the tutorial, a class that extends SurfaceView implementing Runnable is created for managing the main game content view. The surface view is set as the content view of the main activity as following:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private GameView gameView;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
gameView = new GameView(this);
setContentView(gameView);
}
#Override
protected void onPause() {
super.onPause();
gameView.pause();
}
#Override
protected void onResume() {
super.onResume();
gameView.resume();
}
}
The SurfaceView class is defined as following:
public class GameView extends SurfaceView implements Runnable {
Thread gameThread = null;
private boolean playing;
public TDView(Context context) {
super(context);
// other game logic
}
public void pause() {
playing = false;
try {
gameThread.join();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
}
}
public void resume() {
playing = true;
gameThread = new Thread(this);
gameThread.start();
}
#Override
public void run() {
while (playing) {
update();
draw();
control();
}
}
}
Don't get me wrong - the code works perfectly, but I am confused as to where does the gameThread variable get instantiated? There is no line of code anywhere in my project indicating it does, besides in the resume method. Is the resume method called on creation of the GameView instance, or is there something else I am missing?
Excuse me if this is a silly question, but I couldn't figure out even how to google this.

pause() won't be called if Activity is not resumed. So this approach is fine. Everytime pause() is called gameThread is not null.

Why goes a layout root through an observer?

For some hours I have been working at my new Android App, but tangle up myself at a very strange Exception.
Means the Exception is clear, but i do not understand the content behind it.
I have an activity named MainActivity like this :
public class MainActivity extends Activity implements Observer {
private gameState st = new gameState();
private gameEngine bc;
public RelativeLayout gameLayout;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
st.addObserver(this);
gameLayout = (RelativeLayout) findViewById(R.id.gLayout);
startGame();
}
#Override
public void update(Observable observable, Object data) {
int gameState = ((gameState) observable).getState();
if(gameState == 1){
continueGame();
}
if(gameState == 2){
killGame();
}
}
private void killGame(){
if(!bc.BarThread.isInterrupted()){
bc.BarThread.interrupt();
}
gameLayout.removeAllViewsInLayout();
RelativeLayout.LayoutParams params = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(
LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT,
LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT
);
TextView tv = new TextView(this);
gameLayout.addView(tv, params);
tv.setText("Game Over");
}
}
My simple gameState class:
public class gameState extends Observable{
private int state = 0;
public gameState() {
}
public void setState(int var){
synchronized(this){
state = var;
}
setChanged();
notifyObservers();
}
public synchronized int getState(){
return state;
}
}
And my gameEngine (instantiated as bc), which is too long, to post here, but i can try to explain the content in easy words.
The Game Engine features some game Elements like Buttons and an ProgressBar and a Thread (BarThread) which fills the Bar continuously.
if the user is successful, the gameEngine sets the gameState to 1 and the MainActivity does something like the killGame() Method, which works perfectly.
If the user is too slow and the ProgressBar is full, the BarThread sets the gameState to two.
Then MainActivity does killGame and throws
android.view.ViewRootImpl$CalledFromWrongThreadException: Only the original thread that created a view hierarchy can touch its views.
But I can not understand why the Thread has an effect throught the observer ?

I'm guessing BarThread calls setState(int var), right? If that's true, then that method is called on a thread that is NOT the main thread. That means that everything that setState() calls (e.g. notifyObservers()) is not called on the main thread. I'm guessing that notifyObservers() eventually calls MainActivity.update(Observable observable, Object data), which calls killGame(), which changes the view hierarchy (i.e. adding a text view). This means that your view hierarchy is modified from a thread that is not the main thread.
You're probably going to need to create a Handler in MainActivity. Then in killGame(), call Handler.post(Runnable runnable). Something like this:
private Handler handler;
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
handler = new Handler();
}
private void killGame() {
if(!bc.BarThread.isInterrupted()){
bc.BarThread.interrupt();
}
handler.post(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
gameLayout.removeAllViewsInLayout();
RelativeLayout.LayoutParams params = new RelativeLayout.LayoutParams(
LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT,
LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT
);
TextView tv = new TextView(MainActivity.this);
gameLayout.addView(tv, params);
tv.setText("Game Over");
}
});
}

Android communication between main thread and other thread

I want to change dynamically the text of a textview, but I will need the same logic if I want to make a game thread, so I need to make the communication between the main one and the second one.
I have the files :
MainActivity
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
public static Handler mHandler;
Runnable thread = new SampleThread();
TextView txt1 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txt1);
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
ActionBar actionBar = getSupportActionBar();
actionBar.hide();
//hiding status bar
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < 16) {
getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN,
WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN);
} else {
View decorView = getWindow().getDecorView();
int uiOptions = View.SYSTEM_UI_FLAG_FULLSCREEN;
decorView.setSystemUiVisibility(uiOptions);
}
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
mHandler = new Handler() {
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
// process incoming messages here
// i want to change the text of txt1 here
}
};
new Thread(thread).start();
}
}
SampleThread
package com.example.katsar0v.myapplication;
import android.util.Log;
/**
* Created by Katsar0v on 1/21/2015.
*/
public class SampleThread implements Runnable {
#Override
public void run() {
int two = 0;
while(two<10) {
two++;
try {
Thread.sleep(1000);
//instead of logging, i want to send the text to main UI
Log.d("MSG", String.valueOf(two + "sec"));
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
}
The problem I see is, how do I change the text with the handler, when my thread is in another file? Or should I make the second class static within the first one (and what should I do when the code gets really long, it can't be all in one file)?

You could implement a custom Interface in order to handle it from your main activity.
On your SampleThread:
public interface TextViewChangeListener
{
public void onTextViewChanged(String newName);
}
TextViewChangeListener mListener;
Then call mListener.onTextViewChanged(String newName) wherever you want to have the new name in your TextView. Remember to initialize mListener with an instance of your MainActivity first, otherwise you will get a null pointer exception. You can do that either in the constructor of SampleThread or by creating a method for the purpose.
In your activity you should implement SampleThread.TextViewChangeListener and override the onTextViewChanged.
#Override
public void onTextViewChanged(String newName)
{
//MyTextView.setText(newName);
}
Edit: untested code:
MainActivity:
public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity implements SampleThread.TextViewChangeListener {
#Override
public void onTextViewChanged(Message msg)
{
// process incoming messages here
// i want to change the text of txt1 here
}
public static Handler mHandler;
Runnable thread = new SampleThread(this);
TextView txt1 = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txt1);
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
ActionBar actionBar = getSupportActionBar();
actionBar.hide();
//hiding status bar
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < 16) {
getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN,
WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN);
} else {
View decorView = getWindow().getDecorView();
int uiOptions = View.SYSTEM_UI_FLAG_FULLSCREEN;
decorView.setSystemUiVisibility(uiOptions);
}
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
new Thread(thread).start();
}
}
SampleThread:
package com.example.katsar0v.myapplication;
import android.util.Log;
/**
* Created by Katsar0v on 1/21/2015.
*/
public class SampleThread implements Runnable
{
public interface TextViewChangeListener
{
public void onTextViewChanged(Message msg);
}
public SampleThread(TextViewChangeListener mListener)
{
this.mListener = mListener;
}
TextViewChangeListener mListener;
#Override
public void run() {
int two = 0;
while(two<10) {
two++;
try {
Thread.sleep(1000);
mListener.onTextViewChanged(String.valueOf(two + "sec"));
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
}
Let me know if that helped.

You can find some examples in Grafika, which does a lot of work off the UI thread. For example, TextureFromCameraActivity has a pair of handlers, one for the UI thread, one for the renderer thread. In onResume() you can see the main thread passing its handler to the renderer through a constructor, then retrieving the renderer thread's handler with a method call.
ContinuousCaptureActivity has a slightly different approach, using a Handler that also implements a callback interface. The handler object is passed to the CircularEncoder constructor as an interface instance. The public callback methods use the Handler internally.
The only tricky bit is if you're passing a Handler out of the non-UI thread. You either need to do it before the thread starts, or use appropriate thread synchronization operations to avoid data races.
You don't need to have your classes in the same file (and you really shouldn't unless one is nested inside the other). If they're in the same package then the default (package) scope will let them see each other. The first example from Grafika uses nested / private classes, the second example is more spread out.
Of course, if all you're trying to do is submit UI events from a non-UI thread, you can just use Activity.runOnUiThread().

Android: Updating gridview multiple times after x seconds

I am having a problem updating the view in android every x seconds.
To get to know how android works I am writing a small game.
It has a GameController which holds the game loop. Inside the loop, the logic is executed and afterwards the gui will be informed about the changes.
The problem is that the changes cannot be seen in the view. The view stays the same until the game loop finishes and updates then only once.
Here is my code (the important parts):
GameController.java:
IGui gui;
public void play() {
while (playing) {
getAndProcessInput();
updateGui();
try {
Thread.sleep(500);
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
}
private void updateGui() {
gui.setPlayer(x, y);
// ...
}
GameActivity.java:
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
GridView gridview = (GridView) findViewById(R.id.GridView1);
TextAdapter = new TextAdapter(this);
gridview.setAdapter(textAdapter);
GameController c = new GameController();
// here, the game loop shoud start.
// what i tried:
// new Thread(c).start(); <-- causes crash
// c.play(); <-- causes view to frease until game loop is done
this.runOnUiThread(c); <-- causes view to frease until game loop is done
}
TextAdapter.java:
public class TextAdapter extends BaseAdapter implements IGui {
private final Context context;
private final String[] texts;
public TextAdapter(Context context) {
this.context = context;
texts = new String[height * width];
for (int i = 0; i < texts.length; i++) {
texts[i] = " ";
}
}
public int getCount() {
return height * width;
}
public Object getItem(int position) {
return null;
}
public long getItemId(int position) {
return position;
}
public View getView(int position, View convertView, ViewGroup parent) {
TextView tv;
if (convertView == null) {
tv = new TextView(context);
tv.setLayoutParams(new GridView.LayoutParams(25, 25));
} else {
tv = (TextView) convertView;
}
tv.setText(texts[position]);
return tv; // <-- this happens only when game loop is done, not everytime something changed
}
#Override
public void setPlayer(int x, int y) {
texts[width * y + x] = "X";
// this.notifyDataSetChanged(); <-- this does not help (view still freases)
// gridview.invalidateViews(); does not help either
}
}
I googled a lot and tried a lot as well (and I do know that similar questions where asked here already, but they did not help me either), but somehow it just does not work.
I cannot get it do work that the view and logic run on different theads in android, and if they run on the same thread the logic blocks the view.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
// edit:
If I try new Thread(c).start(); LogCat sais:
java.lang.RuntimeException: Can't create handler inside thread that has not called Looper.prepare()
And if I add Looper.prepare(); :
java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{GameActivity}: java.lang.RuntimeException: Only one Looper may be created per thread
If I try this.runOnUiThread(c); there are no errors.

First, this doesn't seems like the way to crate a game, you will need to use SurfaceView, or GLSurfaceView to better do what you want.
You can also look for Cocos2d for android, it's a 2D platform (that was ported from iPhone) that makes you life easier:
http://code.google.com/p/cocos2d-android/
I muse warn you though, I tried it a couple months back, and it was not production grade yet, it did crash from time to time.
Anyway, if you still want to continue heading your way I'll try answering your question:
I think you are messing too much with the way these stuff should work. try understanding first how handlers work with threads.
Do anything you want on your thread:
new Thread(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
try
{
calculateGameChangesHere();
handler.sendEmptyMessage(SUCCESS);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
handler.sendEmptyMessage(FAILURE);
}
}
}).start();
When your data is ready, tell the handler to put it in a view and show it:
protected Handler handler = new Handler()
{
#Override
public void handleMessage(Message msg)
{
if (msg.what == SUCCESS)
{
setCalculatedDataToaView(); // the data you calculated from your thread can now be shown in one of your views.
}
else if (msg.what == FAILURE)
{
errorHandlerHere();//could be your toasts or any other error handling...
}
}
};
This goes to everything that requires heavy processing/networking that shouldn't block your UI thread.
Hope this helps.

Not sure what you are trying to achieve by refreshing a listView every few seconds. Anyways if you are writing some 2d games, you have to use SurfaceView , which is especially meant for continuous refreshing.

Had the same problem and solved it using a pretty simple code.
Tips:
GridView must be refreshed by the UI thread
To display every change you must keep the loop and the Sleep method away from the UI thread
Solution:
Method to update the grid (put on your Activity that you build your GridView at the first place or wherever)
public void UpdateGrid(){
//your logic
//your way to change grid values (there are tones of other ways)
CustomGridAdapter cga = new CustomGridAdapter(this, values);
gridView.setAdapter(cga);
gridView.invalidateViews();
}
Build the non UI Thread that does the work
public class DataReceiver implements Runnable {
private MainActivity mainActivity;
public DataReceiver(MainActivity ma) {
mainActivity = ma;
}
#Override
public void run() {
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
mainActivity.runOnUiThread(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
//update the grid here
mainActivity.UpdateGrid();
}
});
//sleep here
try {
Thread.sleep(1000);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
}

Why does my app force close when I setText in an update method?

I have an android app I am just experimenting things on and I cannot seem to figure out why my app force closes when I update a TextView via a while loop. When I comment out the updateText method it runs fine.
public class GameThread extends Thread {
Thread t;
private int i;
private boolean running;
private long sleepTime;
GameView gv;
public GameThread() {
t = new Thread(this);
t.start();
i = 0;
sleepTime = 1000;
}
public void initView(GameView v) {
this.gv = v;
}
public void setRunning(boolean b) {
this.running = b;
}
public boolean getRunning() {
return running;
}
public void run() {
while(running) {
i++;
update();
try {
t.sleep(sleepTime);
} catch(InterruptedException e) {
}
}
}
public void update() {
gv.setText(i); // when this is uncommented, it causes force close
Log.v("Semajhan", "i = " + i);
}
public class GameView extends LinearLayout {
public TextView tv;
public GameView(Context c) {
super(c);
this.setBackgroundColor(Color.WHITE);
tv = new TextView(c);
tv.setTextColor(Color.BLACK);
tv.setTextSize(20);
this.addView(tv);
}
public void setText(int i) {
tv.setText("i count: " + i);
}
public class Exp extends Activity {
GameThread t;
GameView v;
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
requestWindowFeature(Window.FEATURE_NO_TITLE);
getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN);
v = new GameView(this);
setContentView(v);
t = new GameThread();
t.setRunning(true);
t.initView(v);
}
public boolean onTouchEvent(MotionEvent event) {
if (event.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN) {
if (t.getRunning() == true) {
t.setRunning(false);
Log.v("Semajhan", "STOPPED");
} else {
t.setRunning(true);
Log.v("Semajhan", "RESTART");
}
}
return true;
}
protected void onDestroy() {
Log.v("Semajhan", "DESTROYING");
super.onDestroy();
}
protected void onStop() {
Log.v("Semajhan", "Stopping");
super.onStop();
}
I though i'd post the whole app since it is relatively small and so that I could get some help without confusion.

First, when you get a Force Close dialog, use adb logcat, DDMS, or the DDMS perspective in Eclipse to examine LogCat and look at the stack trace associated with your crash.
In this case, your exception will be something to the effect of "Cannot modify the user interface from a non-UI thread". You are attempting to call setText() from a background thread, which is not supported.
Using a GameThread makes sense if you are using 2D/3D graphics. It is not an appropriate pattern for widget-based applications. There are many, many, many, many examples that demonstrate how to create widget-based applications without the use of a GameThread.

You have to call it from the UI thread.
For more info check: Painless Threading .
If you decide to use a Handler, the easiest solution for you will be to:
Extend a View, override it's onDraw , in it draw the game objects, after you have calculated the game data for them first of course
The Handler: (in your Activity)
private Handler playHandler = new Handler() {
public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
gameView.postInvalidate(); // gameView is the View that you extended
}
};
The game thread has a simple
Message.obtain(playHandler).sendToTarget();
In 2 words, the View is responsible for the drawing (you can move the calculations in a separate class, and call it before the onDraw), the thread is responsible only for scheduled calls to the Handler, and the Handler is responsible only to tell the View to redraw itself.

You cannot update the UI of your app outside of the UI Thread, which is the 'main' thread you start in. In onCreate(Context) of you app, you are creating the game thread object, which is what is doing the updating of your UI.
You should use a Handler:
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/Handler.html