Question

I have an application set up to where there are eighteen buttons. The basic idea behind this is that if three of those buttons are clicked, a string variable is assigned to each button. The values are then added together and compared to a string. If the values of the strings match, I would like an alert dialog to appear. I tried storing each button variable in shared preferences, but the alert dialog shows only after you restart that activity. I would like this to happen instantly. If anyone can shed any light on this, I would be forever grateful. Also, if a more efficient way of doing this is possible, that would be helpful.

I am not sure hot to handle variables outside of a block such as a button. If I knew how to, I would just pass the three variables outside of the button block and call for it within the same file, compare and then set the alert. Again, the basic logic is: if three specific buttons are selected and all three are selected, then and only then should the alert dialog appear. (If it helps, any other button selected resets all the other buttons). Code:

public class Stage1Level1Activity extends Activity {



/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.stage1level1);



    ImageButton a1 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.a1);
    ImageButton a3 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.a3);
    ImageButton a4 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.a4);
    ImageButton b1 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.b1);
    final ImageButton b2 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.b2);
    ImageButton b3 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.b3);
    ImageButton b4 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.b4);
    ImageButton c1 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.c1);
    final ImageButton c2 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.c2);
    ImageButton c3 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.c3);
    ImageButton c4 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.c4);
    ImageButton d1 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.d1);
    final ImageButton d2 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.d2);
    ImageButton d3 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.d3);
    ImageButton d4 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.d4);
    ImageButton e1 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.e1);
    ImageButton e3 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.e3);
    ImageButton e4 = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.e4);



    a1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });


    a3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    a4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    b1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });

    b2.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_filled);
            SharedPreferences sharedPreferences1 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPreferences1.edit();
            editor.putString("part1", "a");
            editor.commit();
        }
        });
    b3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    b4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    c1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    c2.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_filled);
            SharedPreferences sharedPreferences2 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPreferences2.edit();
            editor.putString("part2", "b");
            editor.commit();
        }
        });
    c3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    c4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    d1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    d2.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_filled);
            SharedPreferences sharedPreferences3 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPreferences3.edit();
            editor.putString("part3", "c");
            editor.commit();
        }
        });
    d3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    d4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    e1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });

    e3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });
    e4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
            d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);


        }
        });

    SharedPreferences sharedPreferences1 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
    String part1 = sharedPreferences1.getString("part1", "");
    SharedPreferences sharedPreferences2 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
    String part2 = sharedPreferences2.getString("part2", "");
    SharedPreferences sharedPreferences3 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
    String part3 = sharedPreferences3.getString("part3", "");

    String added = part1 + part2 + part3;
    String compared = "abc";

    if (added.equalsIgnoreCase(compared) ){

        AlertDialog alertDialog = new AlertDialog.Builder(Stage1Level1Activity.this).create();
        alertDialog.setTitle("Reset...");
        alertDialog.setMessage("R u sure?");
        alertDialog.setButton2("OK", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
              public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {



            } });

        alertDialog.show();
    }





}
}

Answer 1

If you create your variables in the “Class” that contained all those handlers they could all access the variables directly.

So try this:

public class Stage1Level1Activity extends Activity {
    private String myVariable;

You should then be able to access myVariable in ANY of these methods you have defined

(Editorial follows, not part of answer)
The problem is that this code really should be 10-15 lines, seriously (and not densely-packed hard to understand lines either!). I can’t quite do it for you because I don’t have the GUI tool, but for instance at a very VERY minimum just to get you started (so you can see what I mean):

b3.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    public void onClick(View view) {
        b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
    }
    });
b4.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    public void onClick(View view) {
        b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
    }

is equivalent to:

OnClickListener ocLictener=new View.OnClickListener() {
    public void onClick(View view) {
        b2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        c2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
        d2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
    }
    });
b3.setOnClickListener(ocListener);
b4.setOnClickListener(ocListener);

(Note that I just picked 2 that followed that exact same pattern, there are many more.

I’m not trying to be critical (Well I guess I am but I don’t mean it in a mean way, just instructive), I’m just thinking that if you continue coding along these lines you are going to cause yourself a lot of heartache. I would post this entire clip on the “Refactoring” SO site and see what happens 🙂

By the way part of the problem is the GUI builders, they encourage this kind of code, but they don’t require it…

EDIT: Actually I just can’t leave this alone, let me try a little refactor:

public class Stage1Level1Activity extends Activity {

/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.stage1level1);

// Here we create a bunch of image buttons.  Instead of having he same line repeated
// let's put them into an array.  I forget the type of Android's resources but let's
// assume they are Strings:

// Need to list all the ids somehow, this is probably the easiest.
private String[] ids=new String[]{R.id.a1, R.id.a2, r.id.a3, ..., r.id.e4}  
private String[] triggerIds=new String[]{R.id.b2, R.id.c2, r.id.d2}    
private ImageButton btns=new ImageButton[ids.length];
private ImageButton triggerBtns=new ImageButton[ids.length];

for(int i=0;i<ids.length;i++)
    btns[i]= (ImageButton) findViewById(ids[i]);
for(int i=0;i<triggerIds.length;i++)
    triggerBtns[i]=(ImageButton) findViewById(ids[i]);

// Now you have two types of buttons, the first type are all the same
for(ImageButton ib:btns) {
    ib.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            for(ImageButton tb:triggerBtns) {
                tb.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_empty);
    }
    });
}

int arrayPtr=0;  // Used to fill out some values in the following loop

for(ImageButton tb:triggerBtns) {
    tb.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        public void onClick(View view) {
            tb.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.green_filled);
            SharedPreferences sharedPreferences1 = getSharedPreferences("MY_SHARED_PREF", MODE_PRIVATE);
            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPreferences1.edit();
            // Right here is the only place that these three differ.  The pattern is:
            // editor.putString("part1", "a");
            // editor.putString("part2", "b");
            // editor.putString("part3", "c");
            String[] values=new String[]{"part1", "a", "part2","b","part3","c"};
            editor.putString(values[arrayPtr++], values[arrayPtr++]);
            editor.commit();
        }
    });
// I'll leave it here, that replaces at least 4/5 of the original code and in 20
// or so lines.  A lot more could be done, but the array trick is really handy
// for code like this.