Using onPrepareOptionsMenu instead of onCreateOptionsMenu in Fragment
android, android-fragments, android-menu, events, menu
Solution
You should call `super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu, inflater);` after you have created your menu, not before. That sends the menu up in the hierarchy and other fragments or the activity may want to add items themselves.
The activity is responsible for the displaying and managing the menu, so if you change the visibility after it has been sent to the activity, nothing much is going to happen.
Now, when you call `super.onPrepareOptionsMenu(menu);` it will "prepare" it's menu, but it will now take the changes you've made in the `onCreateOptionsMenu` into account.
Problem
I had a problem setting up some fragment menu items in the `ActionBar` and I found a way to solve it, but I don't understand why it worked. I wanted to change the visibility in a menu item right after I inflated it from a menu xml file in `onCreateOptionsMenu` method. The code seems to work fine, but there's no visible effect. I solved the problem inflating the menu in `onCreateOptionsMenu` method but changing the visibility of it in `onPrepareOptionsMenu` method. What I want to know is why changing the visibility in `onCreateOptionsMenu` does not work. What can I do in `onPrepareOptionsMenu` that I can't do in `onCreateOptionsMenu`? Is there any pattern to follow here? Thanks! Here's the relevant code, just in case: ``` public class MyFragment extends Fragment { @Override public void onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu, MenuInflater inflater) { super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu, inflater); inflater.inflate(R.menu.my_menu, menu); // This does not work, compiles and runs fine, but has no visible effect MenuItem someMenuItem = menu.findItem(R.id.some_menu_item); someMenuItem.setVisible(false); } @Override public void onPrepareOptionsMenu(Menu menu) { super.onPrepareOptionsMenu(menu); // This does work MenuItem someMenuItem = menu.findItem(R.id.some_menu_item); someMenuItem.setVisible(false); } } ```