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Android APIs
public class

Preference

extends Object
implements Comparable<T>
java.lang.Object
   ↳ android.preference.Preference
Known Direct Subclasses
Known Indirect Subclasses

Class Overview

Represents the basic Preference UI building block displayed by a PreferenceActivity in the form of a ListView. This class provides the View to be displayed in the activity and associates with a SharedPreferences to store/retrieve the preference data.

When specifying a preference hierarchy in XML, each element can point to a subclass of Preference, similar to the view hierarchy and layouts.

This class contains a key that will be used as the key into the SharedPreferences. It is up to the subclass to decide how to store the value.

Developer Guides

For information about building a settings UI with Preferences, read the Settings guide.

Summary

Nested Classes
class Preference.BaseSavedState A base class for managing the instance state of a Preference. 
interface Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener Interface definition for a callback to be invoked when the value of this Preference has been changed by the user and is about to be set and/or persisted. 
interface Preference.OnPreferenceClickListener Interface definition for a callback to be invoked when a Preference is clicked. 
XML Attributes
Attribute Name Related Method Description
android:defaultValue The default value for the preference, which will be set either if persistence is off or persistence is on and the preference is not found in the persistent storage. 
android:dependency The key of another Preference that this Preference will depend on. 
android:enabled Whether the Preference is enabled. 
android:fragment When used inside of a modern PreferenceActivity, this declares a new PreferenceFragment to be shown when the user selects this item. 
android:icon The optional icon for the preference

Must be a reference to another resource, in the form "@[+][package:]type:name" or to a theme attribute in the form "?[package:][type:]name". 
android:key The key to store the Preference value. 
android:layout The layout for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen. 
android:order The order for the Preference (lower values are to be ordered first). 
android:persistent Whether the Preference stores its value to the shared preferences. 
android:selectable Whether the Preference is selectable. 
android:shouldDisableView Whether the view of this Preference should be disabled when this Preference is disabled. 
android:summary The summary for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen. 
android:title The title for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen. 
android:widgetLayout The layout for the controllable widget portion of a Preference. 
Constants
int DEFAULT_ORDER Specify for setOrder(int) if a specific order is not required.
Public Constructors
Preference(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyle)
Perform inflation from XML and apply a class-specific base style.
Preference(Context context, AttributeSet attrs)
Constructor that is called when inflating a Preference from XML.
Preference(Context context)
Constructor to create a Preference.
Public Methods
int compareTo(Preference another)
Compares Preference objects based on order (if set), otherwise alphabetically on the titles.
Context getContext()
Returns the Context of this Preference.
String getDependency()
Returns the key of the dependency on this Preference.
SharedPreferences.Editor getEditor()
Returns an SharedPreferences.Editor where this Preference can save its value(s).
Bundle getExtras()
Return the extras Bundle object associated with this preference, creating a new Bundle if there currently isn't one.
String getFragment()
Return the fragment class name associated with this Preference.
Drawable getIcon()
Returns the icon of this Preference.
Intent getIntent()
Return the Intent associated with this Preference.
String getKey()
Gets the key for this Preference, which is also the key used for storing values into SharedPreferences.
int getLayoutResource()
Gets the layout resource that will be shown as the View for this Preference.
Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener getOnPreferenceChangeListener()
Returns the callback to be invoked when this Preference is changed by the user (but before the internal state has been updated).
Preference.OnPreferenceClickListener getOnPreferenceClickListener()
Returns the callback to be invoked when this Preference is clicked.
int getOrder()
Gets the order of this Preference with respect to other Preference objects on the same level.
PreferenceManager getPreferenceManager()
Gets the PreferenceManager that manages this Preference object's tree.
SharedPreferences getSharedPreferences()
Returns the SharedPreferences where this Preference can read its value(s).
boolean getShouldDisableView()
Checks whether this Preference should disable its view when it's action is disabled.
CharSequence getSummary()
Returns the summary of this Preference.
CharSequence getTitle()
Returns the title of this Preference.
int getTitleRes()
Returns the title resource ID of this Preference.
View getView(View convertView, ViewGroup parent)
Gets the View that will be shown in the PreferenceActivity.
int getWidgetLayoutResource()
Gets the layout resource for the controllable widget portion of this Preference.
boolean hasKey()
Checks whether this Preference has a valid key.
boolean isEnabled()
Checks whether this Preference should be enabled in the list.
boolean isPersistent()
Checks whether this Preference is persistent.
boolean isSelectable()
Checks whether this Preference should be selectable in the list.
void notifyDependencyChange(boolean disableDependents)
Notifies any listening dependents of a change that affects the dependency.
void onDependencyChanged(Preference dependency, boolean disableDependent)
Called when the dependency changes.
void onParentChanged(Preference parent, boolean disableChild)
Called when the implicit parent dependency changes.
Bundle peekExtras()
Return the extras Bundle object associated with this preference, returning null if there is not currently one.
void restoreHierarchyState(Bundle container)
Restore this Preference hierarchy's previously saved state from the given container.
void saveHierarchyState(Bundle container)
Store this Preference hierarchy's frozen state into the given container.
void setDefaultValue(Object defaultValue)
Sets the default value for this Preference, which will be set either if persistence is off or persistence is on and the preference is not found in the persistent storage.
void setDependency(String dependencyKey)
Sets the key of a Preference that this Preference will depend on.
void setEnabled(boolean enabled)
Sets whether this Preference is enabled.
void setFragment(String fragment)
Sets the class name of a fragment to be shown when this Preference is clicked.
void setIcon(Drawable icon)
Sets the icon for this Preference with a Drawable.
void setIcon(int iconResId)
Sets the icon for this Preference with a resource ID.
void setIntent(Intent intent)
Sets an Intent to be used for startActivity(Intent) when this Preference is clicked.
void setKey(String key)
Sets the key for this Preference, which is used as a key to the SharedPreferences.
void setLayoutResource(int layoutResId)
Sets the layout resource that is inflated as the View to be shown for this Preference.
void setOnPreferenceChangeListener(Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener onPreferenceChangeListener)
Sets the callback to be invoked when this Preference is changed by the user (but before the internal state has been updated).
void setOnPreferenceClickListener(Preference.OnPreferenceClickListener onPreferenceClickListener)
Sets the callback to be invoked when this Preference is clicked.
void setOrder(int order)
Sets the order of this Preference with respect to other Preference objects on the same level.
void setPersistent(boolean persistent)
Sets whether this Preference is persistent.
void setSelectable(boolean selectable)
Sets whether this Preference is selectable.
void setShouldDisableView(boolean shouldDisableView)
Sets whether this Preference should disable its view when it gets disabled.
void setSummary(int summaryResId)
Sets the summary for this Preference with a resource ID.
void setSummary(CharSequence summary)
Sets the summary for this Preference with a CharSequence.
void setTitle(int titleResId)
Sets the title for this Preference with a resource ID.
void setTitle(CharSequence title)
Sets the title for this Preference with a CharSequence.
void setWidgetLayoutResource(int widgetLayoutResId)
Sets the layout for the controllable widget portion of this Preference.
boolean shouldCommit()
Returns whether the Preference should commit its saved value(s) in getEditor().
boolean shouldDisableDependents()
Checks whether this preference's dependents should currently be disabled.
String toString()
Returns a string containing a concise, human-readable description of this object.
Protected Methods
boolean callChangeListener(Object newValue)
Call this method after the user changes the preference, but before the internal state is set.
Preference findPreferenceInHierarchy(String key)
Finds a Preference in this hierarchy (the whole thing, even above/below your PreferenceScreen screen break) with the given key.
boolean getPersistedBoolean(boolean defaultReturnValue)
Attempts to get a persisted boolean from the SharedPreferences.
float getPersistedFloat(float defaultReturnValue)
Attempts to get a persisted float from the SharedPreferences.
int getPersistedInt(int defaultReturnValue)
Attempts to get a persisted int from the SharedPreferences.
long getPersistedLong(long defaultReturnValue)
Attempts to get a persisted long from the SharedPreferences.
String getPersistedString(String defaultReturnValue)
Attempts to get a persisted String from the SharedPreferences.
void notifyChanged()
Should be called when the data of this Preference has changed.
void notifyHierarchyChanged()
Should be called when a Preference has been added/removed from this group, or the ordering should be re-evaluated.
void onAttachedToActivity()
Called when the Preference hierarchy has been attached to the PreferenceActivity.
void onAttachedToHierarchy(PreferenceManager preferenceManager)
Called when this Preference has been attached to a Preference hierarchy.
void onBindView(View view)
Binds the created View to the data for this Preference.
void onClick()
Processes a click on the preference.
View onCreateView(ViewGroup parent)
Creates the View to be shown for this Preference in the PreferenceActivity.
Object onGetDefaultValue(TypedArray a, int index)
Called when a Preference is being inflated and the default value attribute needs to be read.
void onPrepareForRemoval()
Called when this Preference is being removed from the hierarchy.
void onRestoreInstanceState(Parcelable state)
Hook allowing a Preference to re-apply a representation of its internal state that had previously been generated by onSaveInstanceState().
Parcelable onSaveInstanceState()
Hook allowing a Preference to generate a representation of its internal state that can later be used to create a new instance with that same state.
void onSetInitialValue(boolean restorePersistedValue, Object defaultValue)
Implement this to set the initial value of the Preference.
boolean persistBoolean(boolean value)
Attempts to persist a boolean to the SharedPreferences.
boolean persistFloat(float value)
Attempts to persist a float to the SharedPreferences.
boolean persistInt(int value)
Attempts to persist an int to the SharedPreferences.
boolean persistLong(long value)
Attempts to persist a long to the SharedPreferences.
boolean persistString(String value)
Attempts to persist a String to the SharedPreferences.
boolean shouldPersist()
Checks whether, at the given time this method is called, this Preference should store/restore its value(s) into the SharedPreferences.
[Expand]
Inherited Methods
From class java.lang.Object
From interface java.lang.Comparable

XML Attributes

android:defaultValue

The default value for the preference, which will be set either if persistence is off or persistence is on and the preference is not found in the persistent storage.

May be a reference to another resource, in the form "@[+][package:]type:name" or to a theme attribute in the form "?[package:][type:]name".

May be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

May be an integer value, such as "100".

May be a boolean value, either "true" or "false".

May be a floating point value, such as "1.2".

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol defaultValue.

Related Methods

android:dependency

The key of another Preference that this Preference will depend on. If the other Preference is not set or is off, this Preference will be disabled.

Must be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol dependency.

Related Methods

android:enabled

Whether the Preference is enabled.

Must be a boolean value, either "true" or "false".

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol enabled.

Related Methods

android:fragment

When used inside of a modern PreferenceActivity, this declares a new PreferenceFragment to be shown when the user selects this item.

Must be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol fragment.

Related Methods

android:icon

The optional icon for the preference

Must be a reference to another resource, in the form "@[+][package:]type:name" or to a theme attribute in the form "?[package:][type:]name".

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol icon.

Related Methods

android:key

The key to store the Preference value.

Must be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol key.

Related Methods

android:layout

The layout for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen. This should rarely need to be changed, look at widgetLayout instead.

Must be a reference to another resource, in the form "@[+][package:]type:name" or to a theme attribute in the form "?[package:][type:]name".

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol layout.

Related Methods

android:order

The order for the Preference (lower values are to be ordered first). If this is not specified, the default orderin will be alphabetic.

Must be an integer value, such as "100".

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol order.

Related Methods

android:persistent

Whether the Preference stores its value to the shared preferences.

Must be a boolean value, either "true" or "false".

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol persistent.

Related Methods

android:selectable

Whether the Preference is selectable.

Must be a boolean value, either "true" or "false".

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol selectable.

Related Methods

android:shouldDisableView

Whether the view of this Preference should be disabled when this Preference is disabled.

Must be a boolean value, either "true" or "false".

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol shouldDisableView.

Related Methods

android:summary

The summary for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen.

Must be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol summary.

Related Methods

android:title

The title for the Preference in a PreferenceActivity screen.

Must be a string value, using '\\;' to escape characters such as '\\n' or '\\uxxxx' for a unicode character.

This may also be a reference to a resource (in the form "@[package:]type:name") or theme attribute (in the form "?[package:][type:]name") containing a value of this type.

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol title.

Related Methods

android:widgetLayout

The layout for the controllable widget portion of a Preference. This is inflated into the layout for a Preference and should be used more frequently than the layout attribute. For example, a checkbox preference would specify a custom layout (consisting of just the CheckBox) here.

Must be a reference to another resource, in the form "@[+][package:]type:name" or to a theme attribute in the form "?[package:][type:]name".

This corresponds to the global attribute resource symbol widgetLayout.

Related Methods

Constants

public static final int DEFAULT_ORDER

Added in API level 1

Specify for setOrder(int) if a specific order is not required.

Constant Value: 2147483647 (0x7fffffff)

Public Constructors

public Preference (Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyle)

Added in API level 1

Perform inflation from XML and apply a class-specific base style. This constructor of Preference allows subclasses to use their own base style when they are inflating. For example, a CheckBoxPreference constructor calls this version of the super class constructor and supplies android.R.attr.checkBoxPreferenceStyle for defStyle. This allows the theme's checkbox preference style to modify all of the base preference attributes as well as the CheckBoxPreference class's attributes.

Parameters
context The Context this is associated with, through which it can access the current theme, resources, SharedPreferences, etc.
attrs The attributes of the XML tag that is inflating the preference.
defStyle The default style to apply to this preference. If 0, no style will be applied (beyond what is included in the theme). This may either be an attribute resource, whose value will be retrieved from the current theme, or an explicit style resource.
See Also

public Preference (Context context, AttributeSet attrs)

Added in API level 1

Constructor that is called when inflating a Preference from XML. This is called when a Preference is being constructed from an XML file, supplying attributes that were specified in the XML file. This version uses a default style of 0, so the only attribute values applied are those in the Context's Theme and the given AttributeSet.

Parameters
context The Context this is associated with, through which it can access the current theme, resources, SharedPreferences, etc.
attrs The attributes of the XML tag that is inflating the preference.
See Also

public Preference (Context context)

Added in API level 1

Constructor to create a Preference.

Parameters
context The Context in which to store Preference values.

Public Methods

public int compareTo (Preference another)

Added in API level 1

Compares Preference objects based on order (if set), otherwise alphabetically on the titles.

Parameters
another The Preference to compare to this one.
Returns
  • 0 if the same; less than 0 if this Preference sorts ahead of another; greater than 0 if this Preference sorts after another.

public Context getContext ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the Context of this Preference. Each Preference in a Preference hierarchy can be from different Context (for example, if multiple activities provide preferences into a single PreferenceActivity). This Context will be used to save the Preference values.

Returns
  • The Context of this Preference.

public String getDependency ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the key of the dependency on this Preference.

Returns
  • The key of the dependency.
See Also

public SharedPreferences.Editor getEditor ()

Added in API level 1

Returns an SharedPreferences.Editor where this Preference can save its value(s). Usually it's easier to use one of the helper save methods: persistBoolean(boolean), persistFloat(float), persistInt(int), persistLong(long), persistString(String). To read values, see getSharedPreferences(). If shouldCommit() returns true, it is this Preference's responsibility to commit.

In some cases, writes to this will not be committed right away and hence not show up in the SharedPreferences, this is intended behavior to improve performance.

Returns
  • A SharedPreferences.Editor where this preference saves its value(s), or null if it isn't attached to a Preference hierarchy.
See Also

public Bundle getExtras ()

Added in API level 11

Return the extras Bundle object associated with this preference, creating a new Bundle if there currently isn't one. You can use this to get and set individual extra key/value pairs.

public String getFragment ()

Added in API level 11

Return the fragment class name associated with this Preference.

Returns

public Drawable getIcon ()

Added in API level 11

Returns the icon of this Preference.

Returns
  • The icon.
See Also

public Intent getIntent ()

Added in API level 1

Return the Intent associated with this Preference.

Returns

public String getKey ()

Added in API level 1

Gets the key for this Preference, which is also the key used for storing values into SharedPreferences.

Returns
  • The key.

public int getLayoutResource ()

Added in API level 1

Gets the layout resource that will be shown as the View for this Preference.

Returns
  • The layout resource ID.

public Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener getOnPreferenceChangeListener ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the callback to be invoked when this Preference is changed by the user (but before the internal state has been updated).

Returns
  • The callback to be invoked.

public Preference.OnPreferenceClickListener getOnPreferenceClickListener ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the callback to be invoked when this Preference is clicked.

Returns
  • The callback to be invoked.

public int getOrder ()

Added in API level 1

Gets the order of this Preference with respect to other Preference objects on the same level.

Returns
  • The order of this Preference.
See Also

public PreferenceManager getPreferenceManager ()

Added in API level 1

Gets the PreferenceManager that manages this Preference object's tree.

Returns

public SharedPreferences getSharedPreferences ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the SharedPreferences where this Preference can read its value(s). Usually, it's easier to use one of the helper read methods: getPersistedBoolean(boolean), getPersistedFloat(float), getPersistedInt(int), getPersistedLong(long), getPersistedString(String). To save values, see getEditor().

In some cases, writes to the getEditor() will not be committed right away and hence not show up in the returned SharedPreferences, this is intended behavior to improve performance.

Returns
  • The SharedPreferences where this Preference reads its value(s), or null if it isn't attached to a Preference hierarchy.
See Also

public boolean getShouldDisableView ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this Preference should disable its view when it's action is disabled.

Returns
  • True if it should disable the view.
See Also

public CharSequence getSummary ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the summary of this Preference.

Returns
  • The summary.
See Also

public CharSequence getTitle ()

Added in API level 1

Returns the title of this Preference.

Returns
  • The title.
See Also

public int getTitleRes ()

Added in API level 14

Returns the title resource ID of this Preference. If the title did not come from a resource, 0 is returned.

Returns
  • The title resource.
See Also

public View getView (View convertView, ViewGroup parent)

Added in API level 1

Gets the View that will be shown in the PreferenceActivity.

Parameters
convertView The old View to reuse, if possible. Note: You should check that this View is non-null and of an appropriate type before using. If it is not possible to convert this View to display the correct data, this method can create a new View.
parent The parent that this View will eventually be attached to.
Returns
  • Returns the same Preference object, for chaining multiple calls into a single statement.
See Also

public int getWidgetLayoutResource ()

Added in API level 1

Gets the layout resource for the controllable widget portion of this Preference.

Returns
  • The layout resource ID.

public boolean hasKey ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this Preference has a valid key.

Returns
  • True if the key exists and is not a blank string, false otherwise.

public boolean isEnabled ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this Preference should be enabled in the list.

Returns
  • True if this Preference is enabled, false otherwise.

public boolean isPersistent ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this Preference is persistent. If it is, it stores its value(s) into the persistent SharedPreferences storage.

Returns
  • True if it is persistent.

public boolean isSelectable ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this Preference should be selectable in the list.

Returns
  • True if it is selectable, false otherwise.

public void notifyDependencyChange (boolean disableDependents)

Added in API level 1

Notifies any listening dependents of a change that affects the dependency.

Parameters
disableDependents Whether this Preference should disable its dependents.

public void onDependencyChanged (Preference dependency, boolean disableDependent)

Added in API level 1

Called when the dependency changes.

Parameters
dependency The Preference that this Preference depends on.
disableDependent Set true to disable this Preference.

public void onParentChanged (Preference parent, boolean disableChild)

Added in API level 19

Called when the implicit parent dependency changes.

Parameters
parent The Preference that this Preference depends on.
disableChild Set true to disable this Preference.

public Bundle peekExtras ()

Added in API level 11

Return the extras Bundle object associated with this preference, returning null if there is not currently one.

public void restoreHierarchyState (Bundle container)

Added in API level 1

Restore this Preference hierarchy's previously saved state from the given container.

Parameters
container The Bundle that holds the previously saved state.
See Also

public void saveHierarchyState (Bundle container)

Added in API level 1

Store this Preference hierarchy's frozen state into the given container.

Parameters
container The Bundle in which to save the instance of this Preference.
See Also

public void setDefaultValue (Object defaultValue)

Added in API level 1

Sets the default value for this Preference, which will be set either if persistence is off or persistence is on and the preference is not found in the persistent storage.

Parameters
defaultValue The default value.

public void setDependency (String dependencyKey)

Added in API level 1

Sets the key of a Preference that this Preference will depend on. If that Preference is not set or is off, this Preference will be disabled.

Parameters
dependencyKey The key of the Preference that this depends on.

public void setEnabled (boolean enabled)

Added in API level 1

Sets whether this Preference is enabled. If disabled, it will not handle clicks.

Parameters
enabled Set true to enable it.

public void setFragment (String fragment)

Added in API level 11

Sets the class name of a fragment to be shown when this Preference is clicked.

Parameters
fragment The class name of the fragment associated with this Preference.

public void setIcon (Drawable icon)

Added in API level 11

Sets the icon for this Preference with a Drawable. This icon will be placed into the ID icon within the View created by onCreateView(ViewGroup).

Parameters
icon The optional icon for this Preference.

public void setIcon (int iconResId)

Added in API level 11

Sets the icon for this Preference with a resource ID.

Parameters
iconResId The icon as a resource ID.
See Also

public void setIntent (Intent intent)

Added in API level 1

Sets an Intent to be used for startActivity(Intent) when this Preference is clicked.

Parameters
intent The intent associated with this Preference.

public void setKey (String key)

Added in API level 1

Sets the key for this Preference, which is used as a key to the SharedPreferences. This should be unique for the package.

Parameters
key The key for the preference.

public void setLayoutResource (int layoutResId)

Added in API level 1

Sets the layout resource that is inflated as the View to be shown for this Preference. In most cases, the default layout is sufficient for custom Preference objects and only the widget layout needs to be changed.

This layout should contain a ViewGroup with ID widget_frame to be the parent of the specific widget for this Preference. It should similarly contain title and summary.

Parameters
layoutResId The layout resource ID to be inflated and returned as a View.
See Also

public void setOnPreferenceChangeListener (Preference.OnPreferenceChangeListener onPreferenceChangeListener)

Added in API level 1

Sets the callback to be invoked when this Preference is changed by the user (but before the internal state has been updated).

Parameters
onPreferenceChangeListener The callback to be invoked.

public void setOnPreferenceClickListener (Preference.OnPreferenceClickListener onPreferenceClickListener)

Added in API level 1

Sets the callback to be invoked when this Preference is clicked.

Parameters
onPreferenceClickListener The callback to be invoked.

public void setOrder (int order)

Added in API level 1

Sets the order of this Preference with respect to other Preference objects on the same level. If this is not specified, the default behavior is to sort alphabetically. The setOrderingAsAdded(boolean) can be used to order Preference objects based on the order they appear in the XML.

Parameters
order The order for this Preference. A lower value will be shown first. Use DEFAULT_ORDER to sort alphabetically or allow ordering from XML.
See Also

public void setPersistent (boolean persistent)

Added in API level 1

Sets whether this Preference is persistent. When persistent, it stores its value(s) into the persistent SharedPreferences storage.

Parameters
persistent Set true if it should store its value(s) into the SharedPreferences.

public void setSelectable (boolean selectable)

Added in API level 1

Sets whether this Preference is selectable.

Parameters
selectable Set true to make it selectable.

public void setShouldDisableView (boolean shouldDisableView)

Added in API level 1

Sets whether this Preference should disable its view when it gets disabled.

For example, set this and setEnabled(boolean) to false for preferences that are only displaying information and 1) should not be clickable 2) should not have the view set to the disabled state.

Parameters
shouldDisableView Set true if this preference should disable its view when the preference is disabled.

public void setSummary (int summaryResId)

Added in API level 1

Sets the summary for this Preference with a resource ID.

Parameters
summaryResId The summary as a resource.
See Also

public void setSummary (CharSequence summary)

Added in API level 1

Sets the summary for this Preference with a CharSequence.

Parameters
summary The summary for the preference.

public void setTitle (int titleResId)

Added in API level 1

Sets the title for this Preference with a resource ID.

Parameters
titleResId The title as a resource ID.
See Also

public void setTitle (CharSequence title)

Added in API level 1

Sets the title for this Preference with a CharSequence. This title will be placed into the ID title within the View created by onCreateView(ViewGroup).

Parameters
title The title for this Preference.

public void setWidgetLayoutResource (int widgetLayoutResId)

Added in API level 1

Sets the layout for the controllable widget portion of this Preference. This is inflated into the main layout. For example, a CheckBoxPreference would specify a custom layout (consisting of just the CheckBox) here, instead of creating its own main layout.

Parameters
widgetLayoutResId The layout resource ID to be inflated into the main layout.
See Also

public boolean shouldCommit ()

Added in API level 1

Returns whether the Preference should commit its saved value(s) in getEditor(). This may return false in situations where batch committing is being done (by the manager) to improve performance.

Returns
  • Whether the Preference should commit its saved value(s).
See Also

public boolean shouldDisableDependents ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether this preference's dependents should currently be disabled.

Returns
  • True if the dependents should be disabled, otherwise false.

public String toString ()

Added in API level 1

Returns a string containing a concise, human-readable description of this object. Subclasses are encouraged to override this method and provide an implementation that takes into account the object's type and data. The default implementation is equivalent to the following expression: 

   getClass().getName() + '@' + Integer.toHexString(hashCode())

See Writing a useful toString method if you intend implementing your own toString method.

Returns
  • a printable representation of this object.

Protected Methods

protected boolean callChangeListener (Object newValue)

Added in API level 1

Call this method after the user changes the preference, but before the internal state is set. This allows the client to ignore the user value.

Parameters
newValue The new value of this Preference.
Returns
  • True if the user value should be set as the preference value (and persisted).

protected Preference findPreferenceInHierarchy (String key)

Added in API level 1

Finds a Preference in this hierarchy (the whole thing, even above/below your PreferenceScreen screen break) with the given key.

This only functions after we have been attached to a hierarchy.

Parameters
key The key of the Preference to find.
Returns
  • The Preference that uses the given key.

protected boolean getPersistedBoolean (boolean defaultReturnValue)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to get a persisted boolean from the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
defaultReturnValue The default value to return if either this Preference is not persistent or this Preference is not in the SharedPreferences.
Returns
  • The value from the SharedPreferences or the default return value.
See Also

protected float getPersistedFloat (float defaultReturnValue)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to get a persisted float from the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
defaultReturnValue The default value to return if either this Preference is not persistent or this Preference is not in the SharedPreferences.
Returns
  • The value from the SharedPreferences or the default return value.
See Also

protected int getPersistedInt (int defaultReturnValue)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to get a persisted int from the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
defaultReturnValue The default value to return if either this Preference is not persistent or this Preference is not in the SharedPreferences.
Returns
  • The value from the SharedPreferences or the default return value.
See Also

protected long getPersistedLong (long defaultReturnValue)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to get a persisted long from the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
defaultReturnValue The default value to return if either this Preference is not persistent or this Preference is not in the SharedPreferences.
Returns
  • The value from the SharedPreferences or the default return value.
See Also

protected String getPersistedString (String defaultReturnValue)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to get a persisted String from the SharedPreferences.

This will check if this Preference is persistent, get the SharedPreferences from the PreferenceManager, and get the value.

Parameters
defaultReturnValue The default value to return if either the Preference is not persistent or the Preference is not in the shared preferences.
Returns
  • The value from the SharedPreferences or the default return value.
See Also

protected void notifyChanged ()

Added in API level 1

Should be called when the data of this Preference has changed.

protected void notifyHierarchyChanged ()

Added in API level 1

Should be called when a Preference has been added/removed from this group, or the ordering should be re-evaluated.

protected void onAttachedToActivity ()

Added in API level 1

Called when the Preference hierarchy has been attached to the PreferenceActivity. This can also be called when this Preference has been attached to a group that was already attached to the PreferenceActivity.

protected void onAttachedToHierarchy (PreferenceManager preferenceManager)

Added in API level 1

Called when this Preference has been attached to a Preference hierarchy. Make sure to call the super implementation.

Parameters
preferenceManager The PreferenceManager of the hierarchy.

protected void onBindView (View view)

Added in API level 1

Binds the created View to the data for this Preference.

This is a good place to grab references to custom Views in the layout and set properties on them.

Make sure to call through to the superclass's implementation.

Parameters
view The View that shows this Preference.
See Also

protected void onClick ()

Added in API level 1

Processes a click on the preference. This includes saving the value to the SharedPreferences. However, the overridden method should call callChangeListener(Object) to make sure the client wants to update the preference's state with the new value.

protected View onCreateView (ViewGroup parent)

Added in API level 1

Creates the View to be shown for this Preference in the PreferenceActivity. The default behavior is to inflate the main layout of this Preference (see setLayoutResource(int). If changing this behavior, please specify a ViewGroup with ID widget_frame.

Make sure to call through to the superclass's implementation.

Parameters
parent The parent that this View will eventually be attached to.
Returns
  • The View that displays this Preference.
See Also

protected Object onGetDefaultValue (TypedArray a, int index)

Added in API level 1

Called when a Preference is being inflated and the default value attribute needs to be read. Since different Preference types have different value types, the subclass should get and return the default value which will be its value type.

For example, if the value type is String, the body of the method would proxy to getString(int).

Parameters
a The set of attributes.
index The index of the default value attribute.
Returns
  • The default value of this preference type.

protected void onPrepareForRemoval ()

Added in API level 1

Called when this Preference is being removed from the hierarchy. You should remove any references to this Preference that you know about. Make sure to call through to the superclass implementation.

protected void onRestoreInstanceState (Parcelable state)

Added in API level 1

Hook allowing a Preference to re-apply a representation of its internal state that had previously been generated by onSaveInstanceState(). This function will never be called with a null state.

Parameters
state The saved state that had previously been returned by onSaveInstanceState().
See Also

protected Parcelable onSaveInstanceState ()

Added in API level 1

Hook allowing a Preference to generate a representation of its internal state that can later be used to create a new instance with that same state. This state should only contain information that is not persistent or can be reconstructed later.

Returns
  • A Parcelable object containing the current dynamic state of this Preference, or null if there is nothing interesting to save. The default implementation returns null.
See Also

protected void onSetInitialValue (boolean restorePersistedValue, Object defaultValue)

Added in API level 1

Implement this to set the initial value of the Preference.

If restorePersistedValue is true, you should restore the Preference value from the SharedPreferences. If restorePersistedValue is false, you should set the Preference value to defaultValue that is given (and possibly store to SharedPreferences if shouldPersist() is true).

This may not always be called. One example is if it should not persist but there is no default value given.

Parameters
restorePersistedValue True to restore the persisted value; false to use the given defaultValue.
defaultValue The default value for this Preference. Only use this if restorePersistedValue is false.

protected boolean persistBoolean (boolean value)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to persist a boolean to the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
value The value to persist.
Returns
  • True if this Preference is persistent. (This is not whether the value was persisted, since we may not necessarily commit if there will be a batch commit later.)
See Also

protected boolean persistFloat (float value)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to persist a float to the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
value The value to persist.
Returns
  • True if this Preference is persistent. (This is not whether the value was persisted, since we may not necessarily commit if there will be a batch commit later.)
See Also

protected boolean persistInt (int value)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to persist an int to the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
value The value to persist.
Returns
  • True if the Preference is persistent. (This is not whether the value was persisted, since we may not necessarily commit if there will be a batch commit later.)
See Also

protected boolean persistLong (long value)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to persist a long to the SharedPreferences.

Parameters
value The value to persist.
Returns
  • True if this Preference is persistent. (This is not whether the value was persisted, since we may not necessarily commit if there will be a batch commit later.)
See Also

protected boolean persistString (String value)

Added in API level 1

Attempts to persist a String to the SharedPreferences.

This will check if this Preference is persistent, get an editor from the PreferenceManager, put in the string, and check if we should commit (and commit if so).

Parameters
value The value to persist.
Returns
  • True if the Preference is persistent. (This is not whether the value was persisted, since we may not necessarily commit if there will be a batch commit later.)
See Also

protected boolean shouldPersist ()

Added in API level 1

Checks whether, at the given time this method is called, this Preference should store/restore its value(s) into the SharedPreferences. This, at minimum, checks whether this Preference is persistent and it currently has a key. Before you save/restore from the SharedPreferences, check this first.

Returns
  • True if it should persist the value.