Android notification with RemoteViews - having activity associated with RemoteViews layout

android, android-activity, java, notifications, remoteview

Solution

You have to associate the activity thought `setOnClickPendingIntent` to launch the activity from remote view as below...You can set any of the layout id in the `RemoteView` to click.

 Intent intent = new Intent(context, YourActivity.class);
 PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(context, 0, intent,   PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
 RemoteViews removeWidget = new RemoteViews(context.getPackageName(), R.layout.your_layout);
 removeWidget.setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.layout_id, pendingIntent);

provide an `+id/layout_id` to the `RelativeLayout` your using.

If you have to launch the activity when user click on the notification, then you have to use `PendingIntent` as....

    NotificationCompat.Builder mBuilder =
            new NotificationCompat.Builder(this)
                    .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_launcher)
                    .setContentTitle("title")
                    .setContent(mRemoteControl);
    Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, YourActivity.class);
    PendingIntent contentIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(
            this, 0, notificationIntent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
    mBuilder.setContentIntent(contentIntent);
    mNM.notify(1000,mBuilder.build());

For 3 buttons , You have to use create a custom `RemoteView` and use `PendingIntent`. some thing as below...

Here is the custom remote view i am using for one of my media player app. it has three button to handler click.

public class RemoveControlWidget extends RemoteViews
{
private final Context mContext;

public static final String ACTION_PLAY = "com.mediabook.app.ACTION_PLAY";

public static final String ACTION_PREVIOUS = "com.mediabook.app.ACTION_PREVIOUS";

public static final String ACTION_NEXT = "com.mediabook.app.ACTION_NEXT";

public RemoveControlWidget(Context context , String packageName, int layoutId)
{
    super(packageName, layoutId);
    mContext = context;
    Intent intent = new Intent(ACTION_PLAY);
    PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getService(mContext.getApplicationContext(),100,
            intent,PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
    setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.play_control,pendingIntent);
    setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.pause_control,pendingIntent);
    intent = new Intent(ACTION_PREVIOUS);
    pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getService(mContext.getApplicationContext(),101,
            intent,PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
    setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.previous_control,pendingIntent);
    intent = new Intent(ACTION_NEXT);
    pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getService(mContext.getApplicationContext(),102,
            intent,PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
    setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.next_control,pendingIntent);
}
}

Problem

I've been researching on how to create custom-layout notification using `RemoteView`. So far, I am able to create a notification with `contentView` and `bigContentView` pointing to a `RemoteView` with a custom layout xml. However, what does not happen, is to have `Activity` (associated with custom layout) started when this `RemoteView` is created. I've double checked and in my layout xml, it appears to have correct `Activity` class name: ``` <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" android:paddingBottom="0dp" android:paddingLeft="0dp" android:paddingRight="0dp" android:paddingTop="0dp" tools:context=".LLMNotificationActivity" > ..... the rest are standard layout items: images, buttons and text </RelativeLayout> ``` In manifest file, right after main application main activity, notification activity is also added: ``` <activity android:name=".LLMNotificationActivity" android:label="@string/app_name"> <intent-filter> <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /> </intent-filter> </activity> ``` I would expect when notification uses `RemoteView` for its content, that this `RemoteView` will launch activity that is attached to its layout definition. However it appears not. Here is how I create a notification in main application `Activity`: ``` protected void startNoti() { if( noti!=null ) return; Context context = getApplicationContext(); RemoteViews contentView = new RemoteViews(context.getPackageName(),R.layout.activity_noti1); Notification.Builder notibuilder = new Notification.Builder(context); notibuilder.setContentTitle(" "); notibuilder.setContentText(" "); notibuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_launcher); notibuilder.setOngoing(true); manager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE); noti = notibuilder.build(); noti.contentView = contentView; manager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, noti); } ``` `LLMNotificationActivity` activity class is defined as usual: ``` public class LLMNotificationActivity extends Activity { .... etc.... constructor, some button on-click handlers, nothing spectacular... } ``` Can anyone point to me what I am missing or if I have misunderstood what `RemoteView` can do? My understanding is that `RemoteView` should, once created, invoke activity associated with its layout. Or - is there some API I've missed that explicitly can set intent of the `RemoteView`? What I have found so far are only setting content `Intent` which basically just launches an `Activity` once user touches notification. What I'm looking for is to handle touches to some of UI elements inside custom-layout notification, not to launch an `Activity` regardless where the user clicks on notification surface. For example, if I have 3 icons (i.e. `ImageView`) in a `RemoteView` which notification uses, I'd like to be able to handle touch on each one of them. I can't imagine this wouldn't be possible as if it's not, what's the point of having `RemoteView` in notification?

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