Question

The clipboard code that works for API levels < 11 crashes on devices with API levels >= 11.

The clipboard code that work for API level >= 11 crashes on devices with API levels < 11.

I can not compile code for both versions because they have conflicting import requirements.

One needs:
import android.text.ClipboardManager;

while the other needs:
import android.content.ClipboardManager;

Surely there is a way write some code that will work on both sides of API level 11. I just can’t figure it out.

***Edited (Since I can’t answer my own question) *******

I found the problem. The exception message says, “Can’t create handler inside a thread that has not called Looper.prepare().”

Apparently I have to jump through some more hoops since I am executing this code from an Async task.

Answer 1

The clipboard code that works for API levels < 11 crashes on devices with API levels >= 11.

This sample project works quite nicely on API levels before and after 11. I just retested it on Android 2.3 (Nexus One) and Android 4.0 (Nexus S).

The clipboard code that work for API level >= 11 crashes on devices with API levels < 11.

That is not surprising. If you are referring to classes or methods that do not exist in older versions of Android, you will get a VerifyError or similar crashes.

I can not compile code for both versions because they have conflicting import requirements.

Not really.

One needs: import android.text.ClipboardManager;

That works on all API levels.

while the other needs: import android.content.ClipboardManager;

That was added to API Level 11. If your app will only run on API Level 11 or higher, use this class (method signatures are all the same IIRC).