6 June 2024 Leave a comment Tech-Help
Managing the soft keyboard on Android can be a bit tricky, especially when you want it to hide automatically when the user touches outside an EditText. This guide will walk you through a robust method to achieve this functionality using a simple yet effective approach.
Step-by-Step Solution
The following method offers a comprehensive way to hide the soft keyboard when the user touches outside the EditText. This involves setting up a touch listener on all views except the EditText. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Create a Utility Method to Hide the Keyboard
public static void hideSoftKeyboard(Activity activity) {
InputMethodManager inputMethodManager =
(InputMethodManager) activity.getSystemService(
Activity.INPUT_METHOD_SERVICE);
if (inputMethodManager.isAcceptingText()) {
inputMethodManager.hideSoftInputFromWindow(
activity.getCurrentFocus().getWindowToken(),
0
);
}
}2. Setup Touch Listeners on Non-Text Views
public void setupUI(View view) {
if (!(view instanceof EditText)) {
view.setOnTouchListener(new View.OnTouchListener() {
@Override
public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
hideSoftKeyboard(MyActivity.this);
return false;
}
});
}
if (view instanceof ViewGroup) {
for (int i = 0; i < ((ViewGroup) view).getChildCount(); i++) {
View innerView = ((ViewGroup) view).getChildAt(i);
setupUI(innerView);
}
}
}Assign an ID to your parent container in your layout file:
<RelativeLayout
android:id="@+id/parent"
... >
...
</RelativeLayout>Then, call the setupUI method in your activity after setting the content view:
setupUI(findViewById(R.id.parent));Additional Tips
If you use multiple activities, you can create a base activity that includes this method and extend it across your application. This way, you maintain consistency and reduce redundancy:
public class BaseActivity extends Activity {
@Override
protected void onResume() {
super.onResume();
setupUI(findViewById(R.id.main_parent));
}
}Ensure all parent layouts in your activities have a common ID, such as main_parent, to make this approach effective.
Kotlin Version
For Kotlin users, here is the equivalent method:
fun Activity.hideSoftKeyboard() {
currentFocus?.let {
val inputMethodManager = ContextCompat.getSystemService(this, InputMethodManager::class.java)!!
inputMethodManager.hideSoftInputFromWindow(it.windowToken, 0)
}
}Conclusion
By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that the soft keyboard hides whenever the user touches outside an EditText. This improves the user experience by providing a cleaner and more intuitive interface.
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