B4A Library StdActionBar - Another ActionBar library

StdActionBar (Standard ActionBar) library is based on the native ActionBar API, therefore it is only supported by Android 4+.

StdActionBar / StdViewPager tutorial: ActionBar / Sliding Pages tutorial

The share of Android 2.x devices is dropping and currently (January 2014) it is only 24%.

This library allows you to add tabs and dropdown list to the action bar:

upload_2014-1-16_17-20-37.png
upload_2014-1-16_17-21-7.png


The attached example demonstrates both modes. You should change the navigation mode to see the two modes.

List mode

Adding a list is very simple. You set the NavigationMode:
B4X:
bar.NavigationMode = bar.NAVIGATION_MODE_LIST
Add the items:
B4X:
bar.SetListItems(Array As String("Dropdown 1", "Dropdown 2", "Dropdown 3"))

And handle the event:
B4X:
Sub bar_ListItemSelected (Index As Int, Value As String)
   Log("Selected value: " & Value)
End Sub

Tabs mode

Unlike TabHost, the tabs do not hold any views. You are responsible for switching the layout based on the selected tab.

The first step is to set the navigation mode:
B4X:
bar.NavigationMode = bar.NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS

Then we add the tabs:
B4X:
bar.AddTab("Tab 1")
bar.AddTab returns a StdTab object. We can use it to modify the tabs:
B4X:
bar.AddTab("Tab 1").Tag = panel1
bar.AddTab("Tab 2").Tag = panel2
'Add icon to tab 3
Dim tb As StdTab = bar.AddTab("Tab 3")
tb.Tag = panel3
Dim bd As BitmapDrawable
bd.Initialize(LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "ic_small.png"))
tb.Icon = bd
In the above code we add three tabs and use the tabs tag property to store a panel in each tab. Later we will use these panels to switch the layout.

When the TabChanged event is raised we clear the current layout and show the new layout.
B4X:
Sub bar_TabChanged(Index As Int, STab As StdTab)
   Activity.RemoveAllViews
   Dim pnl As Panel = STab.Tag
   Dim height As Int
   If 100%y > 100%x Then
     height = 100%y - 48dip 'fix for the additional tabs height
   Else
     height = 100%y
   End If
   Activity.AddView(pnl, 0, 0, 100%x, height)
   If pnl.NumberOfViews = 0 Then
     pnl.LoadLayout(Index)
   End If
End Sub

Note that the attached example uses the Holo.Light theme. This is done with this manifest editor line:
B4X:
SetApplicationAttribute(android:theme, "@android:style/Theme.Holo.Light")

V1.52 is released. Fixes an incompatibility with Android 5.0. Note that the ButtonClicked event will not work on these devices.

You should use Activity_ActionBarHomeClick event instead.
 

Attachments

  • StdActionBarExample.zip
    11 KB · Views: 1,998
  • StdActionBar.zip
    22.9 KB · Views: 870
Last edited:

GMan

Well-Known Member
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I got a "warning" when compiling, that the sample code is written for a newer version ?
Means that its only for IDE > 2.71 useable
 

socialnetis

Active Member
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Hi Erel, is this the same bar that use Gmail and youtube? For example:
youtubeBar.png


The Logo is a button that opens a left panel, and for example the search button uses the App Name Label to make the search.
 
D

Deleted member 30048

Guest
I got a "warning" when compiling, that the sample code is written for a newer version ?
Means that its only for IDE > 2.71 useable

You can use this library in 2.71 version. The problem are the .bal files that are created with the newest version. You must delete them and create them again to work.

Another question, I've been reading this tutorial to change the color of the action bar:

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/themes.html

but I have not been successful. This library supports the color change?

Thanks!
 

Erel

B4X founder
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woniol

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Hi,
This ActionBar looks nice, would it be possible to add support for 'home/back' and drawer indicator icon to use with drawer lib.
This icons are placed left to app icon.

Can you also give an example of color/backgroun how to customize it.
 
Last edited:

corwin42

Expert
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Longtime User
Hi,
This ActionBar looks nice, would it be possible to add support for 'home/back' and drawer indicator icon to use with drawer lib.
This icons are placed left to app icon.

I'm currently playing with it (again).

The problem is that there is no event (in B4A) when home/up is pressed so you can't open/close the drawer when the home button is pressed.

Changing the up indicator is a bit tricky with Android < API 18 but I created a small library that handles this. I will talk to Erel if he wants to add it to the StdActionBar library or if I should create an ActionBarHelper library.
 

woniol

Active Member
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Longtime User
Hi,
the view pager works fine, but when I add more than three tabs in landscape, the tab are changed to drop-down.
This drop down isn't synchronized with view pager.
 

woniol

Active Member
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Longtime User
That's the example i try it with, the only deference is that i add 6 tabs instead of 3.
The dropdown is not updated with page slide, it works fine when i select item form dropdown i get the right tab displayed.

I try it on real device with android 4.1.2
 

woniol

Active Member
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Longtime User
Works fine when tabs a visible, but does not work with dropdown.

To be strict the problem is when the amount of tabs is too big to fit in the bar and they are changet do dropdown. Not in typical List Mode
 
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