Implement Search Bar In Your Android App

Introduction

Android is one of the most popular operating systems for mobile. I will show you how to implement search bar in your Android application using Android studio. Android is the kernel based operating system. It allows the user to modify the GUI components and source code.

Requirements

• Android studio
• Little bit XML and JAVA Knowledge.
• Android emulator (or) android mobile
• Download link (android studio)

Steps should be followed

Carefully follow my steps to implement search bar in your Android application using Android studio and I have included the source code below.

Step 1

Open Android studio and start the new project.



Step 2

Put the application name and company domain. If you wish to use c++ for coding the project , mark the Include c++ support then click next.



Step 3

Select the Android minimum SDK. After you chose the minimum SDK it will show approximate percentage of people who use the that sdk then click next.



Step 4

Choose the basic activity then click next.



Step 5

Put the activity name and layout name. Android studio basically takes the java class name as what you provide for the activity name and click finish.



Step 6

Go to activity_main.xml then click the text bottom. This xml file contains the designing code for android app. Into the activity_main.xml copy and paste the below code.

Activity_main.xml code

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<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="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
    android:paddingLeft="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingRight="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingTop="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
    tools:context="ngvl.android.demosearch.MainActivity">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello World!"/>
</RelativeLayout>

Step 7

Create new Activity_searchable.xml file (File ⇒ New ⇒Activity⇒Empty_activity).

Go to Activity_searchable.xml then click the text bottom. This xml file contains the designing code for android app. Into the Activity_searchable.xml copy and paste the below code

Activity_searchable.xml code

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<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="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
    android:paddingLeft="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingRight="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingTop="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
    tools:context="ngvl.android.demosearch.SearchableActivity">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
        android:text="Large Text"
        android:id="@+id/textView"
        android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
        android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
        android:layout_alignParentStart="true"/>
</RelativeLayout>

Step 8

Into the MainActivity.java copy and paste the below code.java programming is the backend language for android. Do not replace your package name otherwise the app will not run.

MainActivity.java code

package ngvl.android.demosearch;

import android.app.SearchManager;
import android.content.ComponentName;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v4.view.MenuItemCompat;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.support.v7.widget.SearchView;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity
        implements SearchView.OnQueryTextListener {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu_search, menu);

        MenuItem searchItem = menu.findItem(R.id.search);
        SearchView searchView = (SearchView) MenuItemCompat.getActionView(searchItem);
        searchView.setOnQueryTextListener(this);

        SearchManager searchManager = (SearchManager) getSystemService(Context.SEARCH_SERVICE);
        searchView.setSearchableInfo(searchManager.getSearchableInfo(
                new ComponentName(this, SearchableActivity.class)));
        searchView.setIconifiedByDefault(false);

        return true;
    }

    @Override
    protected void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
        super.onNewIntent(intent);
        if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
            String query = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
            Toast.makeText(this, "Searching by: "+ query, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();

        } else if (Intent.ACTION_VIEW.equals(intent.getAction())) {
            String uri = intent.getDataString();
            Toast.makeText(this, "Suggestion: "+ uri, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onQueryTextSubmit(String query) {
        // User pressed the search button
        return false;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onQueryTextChange(String newText) {
        // User changed the text
        return false;
    }
}

 

Step 9

Create new CitySuggesionProvider.java file (File ⇒ New ⇒Java class).

Into the CitySuggesionProvider.java copy and paste the below code. Java programming is the backend language for Android. Do not replace your package name otherwise app will not run.

CitySuggesionProvider.java code

package ngvl.android.demosearch;

import android.app.SearchManager;
import android.content.ContentProvider;
import android.content.ContentValues;
import android.content.UriMatcher;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.database.MatrixCursor;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.provider.BaseColumns;
import android.util.Log;

import org.json.JSONArray;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

import okhttp3.OkHttpClient;
import okhttp3.Request;
import okhttp3.Response;

public class CitySuggestionProvider extends ContentProvider {

    private static final String AUTHORITY = "ngvl.android.demosearch.citysuggestion";

    private static final int TYPE_ALL_SUGGESTIONS = 1;
    private static final int TYPE_SINGLE_SUGGESTION = 2;

    private UriMatcher mUriMatcher;
    private List<String> cities;

    @Override
    public boolean onCreate() {
        mUriMatcher = new UriMatcher(UriMatcher.NO_MATCH);
        mUriMatcher.addURI(AUTHORITY, "/#", TYPE_SINGLE_SUGGESTION);
        mUriMatcher.addURI(AUTHORITY, "search_suggest_query/*", TYPE_ALL_SUGGESTIONS);
        return false;
    }

    @Override
    public Cursor query(Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection,
                        String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder) {
        if (cities == null || cities.isEmpty()){
            Log.d("NGVL", "WEB");
            OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();
            Request request = new Request.Builder()
                    .url("https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6802536/cidades.json")
                    .build();

            try {
                Response response = client.newCall(request).execute();
                String jsonString = response.body().string();
                JSONArray jsonArray = new JSONArray(jsonString);

                cities = new ArrayList<>();

                int lenght = jsonArray.length();
                for (int i = 0; i < lenght; i++) {
                    String city = jsonArray.getString(i);
                    cities.add(city);
                }

            } catch (Exception e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
        } else {
            Log.d("NGVL", "Cache!");
        }

        MatrixCursor cursor = new MatrixCursor(
                new String[] {
                        BaseColumns._ID,
                        SearchManager.SUGGEST_COLUMN_TEXT_1,
                        SearchManager.SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID
                }
        );

        if (mUriMatcher.match(uri) == TYPE_ALL_SUGGESTIONS) {
            if (cities != null) {
                String query = uri.getLastPathSegment().toUpperCase();
                int limit = Integer.parseInt(uri.getQueryParameter(SearchManager.SUGGEST_PARAMETER_LIMIT));

                int lenght = cities.size();
                for (int i = 0; i < lenght && cursor.getCount() < limit; i++) {
                    String city = cities.get(i);
                    if (city.toUpperCase().contains(query)) {
                        cursor.addRow(new Object[]{i, city, i});
                    }
                }
            }
        } else if (mUriMatcher.match(uri) == TYPE_SINGLE_SUGGESTION) {
            int position = Integer.parseInt(uri.getLastPathSegment());
            String city = cities.get(position);
            cursor.addRow(new Object[]{position, city, position});
        }
        return cursor;
    }

    @Override
    public int delete(Uri uri, String selection, String[] selectionArgs) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
    }

    @Override
    public String getType(Uri uri) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
    }

    @Override
    public Uri insert(Uri uri, ContentValues values) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
    }

    @Override
    public int update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String selection,
                      String[] selectionArgs) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not yet implemented");
    }
}

Step 10

 

Create new SearchableActivity.java file (File ⇒ New ⇒Java class).

Into the SearchableActivity.java copy and paste the below code.java programming is the backend language for Android. Do not replace your package name otherwise app will not run.

SearchableActivity.java code

package ngvl.android.demosearch;

import android.app.SearchManager;
import android.content.AsyncQueryHandler;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.provider.BaseColumns;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.widget.TextView;

import java.lang.ref.WeakReference;

public class SearchableActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private MyHandler mHandler;

    private TextView txt;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_searchable);
        txt = (TextView)findViewById(R.id.textView);

        Intent intent = getIntent();
        if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
            String query = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
            txt.setText("Searching by: "+ query);

        } else if (Intent.ACTION_VIEW.equals(intent.getAction())) {
            mHandler = new MyHandler(this);
            mHandler.startQuery(0, null, intent.getData(), null, null, null, null);
        }
    }

    public void updateText(String text){
        txt.setText(text);
    }

    static class MyHandler extends AsyncQueryHandler {
        // avoid memory leak
        WeakReference<SearchableActivity> activity;

        public MyHandler(SearchableActivity searchableActivity) {
            super(searchableActivity.getContentResolver());
            activity = new WeakReference<>(searchableActivity);
        }

        @Override
        protected void onQueryComplete(int token, Object cookie, Cursor cursor) {
            super.onQueryComplete(token, cookie, cursor);
            if (cursor == null || cursor.getCount() == 0) return;

            cursor.moveToFirst();

            long id = cursor.getLong(cursor.getColumnIndex(BaseColumns._ID));
            String text = cursor.getString(cursor.getColumnIndex(SearchManager.SUGGEST_COLUMN_TEXT_1));
            long dataId =  cursor.getLong(cursor.getColumnIndex(SearchManager.SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID));

            cursor.close();

            if (activity.get() != null) {
                activity.get().updateText("onQueryComplete: " + id + " / " + text + " / " + dataId);
            }
        }
    };
}

 

Step 11

Create new dimens.xml file into values folder (File ⇒ New ⇒Activity⇒Empty_activity).

Go to dimens.xml then click the text bottom. This xml file contains the designing code for android app. Into the dimens.xml copy and paste the below code

dimens.xml code

<resources>
    <!-- Default screen margins, per the Android Design guidelines. -->
    <dimen name="activity_horizontal_margin">16dp</dimen>
    <dimen name="activity_vertical_margin">16dp</dimen>
</resources>

 

Step 12

Create XML folder into the values folder.

Create new searchable.xml file into values folder (File ⇒ New ⇒Activity⇒Empty_activity).

Go to searchable.xml then click the text bottom. This xml file contains the designing code for Android app. Go into the searchable.xml copy and paste the below code.Below list of stings contains ringtones name list.

searchable.xml code

<searchable xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
            android:hint="@string/hint_search"
            android:label="@string/app_name"
            android:voiceSearchMode="showVoiceSearchButton|launchRecognizer"
            android:searchSuggestAuthority="ngvl.android.demosearch.citysuggestion"
            android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.intent.action.VIEW"
            android:searchSuggestIntentData="content://ngvl.android.demosearch.citysuggestion"/>

 

Step 13

Create new strings.xml file into values folder (File ⇒ New ⇒Activity⇒Empty_activity).

Go to strings.xml then click the text bottom. This xml file contains the designing code for Android app. Go into the strings.xml copy and paste the below code. The below list of stings contains ringtones name list.

strings.xml code

<resources>
    <string name="app_name">DemoSearch</string>
    <string name="hint_search">Searching for…</string>
    <string name="search_description">City, Cities</string>
</resources>

Step 14

Click the make project option and run.

Deliverables

Here search bar in your android application is successfully created and executed.







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