Question

When using a AsyncTaskLoader how would you update a progressbar showing the status as it is being updated? Normally you wait for the callback to remove when done, but how to do running updates?
Would you let the main thread (ui) poll the data as it is being set or something?

Edit: I’m talking about AsyncTaskLoader, look at the loader part. Here is link to class: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/AsyncTaskLoader.html

I want to use it because its the future :), I know how to do this with AsyncTask.

Answer 1

You can do that with loaders, but you need to keep and update a WeakReference on your Activity :

public class LoaderTestActivity extends FragmentActivity implements LoaderCallbacks<Void> {
    private static final int MAX_COUNT = 100;

    private ProgressBar progressBar;

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

        progressBar = (ProgressBar) findViewById(R.id.progressBar1);
        progressBar.setMax(MAX_COUNT);
        AsyncTaskCounter.mActivity = new WeakReference<LoaderTestActivity>(this);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.activity_async_task_test, menu);
        return true;
    }

    public void onStartButtonClick(View v) {
        startWork();
    }

    void startWork() {
        getSupportLoaderManager().initLoader(0, (Bundle) null, this);
    }

    static class AsyncTaskCounter extends AsyncTaskLoader<Void> {
        static WeakReference<LoaderTestActivity> mActivity;

        AsyncTaskCounter(LoaderTestActivity activity) {
            super(activity);
            mActivity = new WeakReference<LoaderTestActivity>(activity);
        }

        private static final int SLEEP_TIME = 200;

        @Override
        public Void loadInBackground() {
            for (int i = 0; i < MAX_COUNT; i++) {
                try {
                    Thread.sleep(SLEEP_TIME);
                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
                Log.d(getClass().getSimpleName(), "Progress value is " + i);
                Log.d(getClass().getSimpleName(), "getActivity is " + getContext());
                Log.d(getClass().getSimpleName(), "this is " + this);

                final int progress = i;
                if (mActivity.get() != null) {
                    mActivity.get().runOnUiThread(new Runnable() {

                        @Override
                        public void run() {
                            mActivity.get().progressBar.setProgress(progress);
                        }
                    });
                }
            }
            return null;
        }

    }

    @Override
    public Loader<Void> onCreateLoader(int id, Bundle args) {
        AsyncTaskLoader<Void> asyncTaskLoader = new AsyncTaskCounter(this);
        asyncTaskLoader.forceLoad();
        return asyncTaskLoader;
    }

    @Override
    public void onLoadFinished(Loader<Void> arg0, Void arg1) {

    }

    @Override
    public void onLoaderReset(Loader<Void> arg0) {

    }

}