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Android APIs
public abstract class

ActionBar

extends Object
java.lang.Object
   ↳ android.support.v7.app.ActionBar
Known Direct Subclasses

Class Overview

A window feature at the top of the activity that may display the activity title, navigation modes, and other interactive items.

Note: This class is included in the support library for compatibility with API level 7 and higher. If you're developing your app for API level 11 and higher only, you should instead use the framework ActionBar class.

When using the support library, you can add the action bar to the top of your activity window by extending the ActionBarActivity class and setting the activity theme to Theme.AppCompat or a similar theme.

By default, the action bar shows the application icon on the left, followed by the activity title. If your activity has an options menu, you can make select items accessible directly from the action bar as "action items". You can also modify various characteristics of the action bar or remove it completely.

From your activity, you can retrieve an instance of ActionBar by calling getSupportActionBar().

In some cases, the action bar may be overlayed by another bar that enables contextual actions, using an ActionMode. For example, when the user selects one or more items in your activity, you can enable an action mode that offers actions specific to the selected items, with a UI that temporarily replaces the action bar. Although the UI may occupy the same space, the ActionMode APIs are distinct and independent from those for ActionBar.

Developer Guides

For information about how to use the action bar, including how to add action items, navigation modes and more, read the Action Bar API guide.

Summary

Nested Classes
class ActionBar.LayoutParams Per-child layout information associated with action bar custom views. 
interface ActionBar.OnMenuVisibilityListener Listener for receiving events when ActionBar items are shown or hidden. 
interface ActionBar.OnNavigationListener Listener for receiving ActionBar navigation events. 
class ActionBar.Tab A tab in the action bar that manages the hiding and showing of Fragments. 
interface ActionBar.TabListener Callback interface invoked when an ActionBar.Tab is focused, unfocused, added, or removed. 
Constants
int DISPLAY_HOME_AS_UP Display the 'home' element such that it appears as an 'up' affordance.
int DISPLAY_SHOW_CUSTOM Show the custom view if one has been set.
int DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME Show 'home' elements in this action bar, leaving more space for other navigation elements.
int DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE Show the activity title and subtitle, if present.
int DISPLAY_USE_LOGO Use logo instead of icon if available.
int NAVIGATION_MODE_LIST List navigation mode.
int NAVIGATION_MODE_STANDARD Standard navigation mode.
int NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS Tab navigation mode.
Public Constructors
ActionBar()
Public Methods
abstract void addOnMenuVisibilityListener(ActionBar.OnMenuVisibilityListener listener)
Add a listener that will respond to menu visibility change events.
abstract void addTab(ActionBar.Tab tab, int position)
Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode.
abstract void addTab(ActionBar.Tab tab)
Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode.
abstract void addTab(ActionBar.Tab tab, boolean setSelected)
Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode.
abstract void addTab(ActionBar.Tab tab, int position, boolean setSelected)
Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode.
abstract View getCustomView()
abstract int getDisplayOptions()
abstract int getHeight()
Retrieve the current height of the ActionBar.
abstract int getNavigationItemCount()
Get the number of navigation items present in the current navigation mode.
abstract int getNavigationMode()
Returns the current navigation mode.
abstract int getSelectedNavigationIndex()
Get the position of the selected navigation item in list or tabbed navigation modes.
abstract ActionBar.Tab getSelectedTab()
Returns the currently selected tab if in tabbed navigation mode and there is at least one tab present.
abstract CharSequence getSubtitle()
Returns the current ActionBar subtitle in standard mode.
abstract ActionBar.Tab getTabAt(int index)
Returns the tab at the specified index.
abstract int getTabCount()
Returns the number of tabs currently registered with the action bar.
Context getThemedContext()
Returns a Context with an appropriate theme for creating views that will appear in the action bar.
abstract CharSequence getTitle()
Returns the current ActionBar title in standard mode.
abstract void hide()
Hide the ActionBar if it is currently showing.
abstract boolean isShowing()
abstract ActionBar.Tab newTab()
Create and return a new ActionBar.Tab.
abstract void removeAllTabs()
Remove all tabs from the action bar and deselect the current tab.
abstract void removeOnMenuVisibilityListener(ActionBar.OnMenuVisibilityListener listener)
Remove a menu visibility listener.
abstract void removeTab(ActionBar.Tab tab)
Remove a tab from the action bar.
abstract void removeTabAt(int position)
Remove a tab from the action bar.
abstract void selectTab(ActionBar.Tab tab)
Select the specified tab.
abstract void setBackgroundDrawable(Drawable d)
Set the ActionBar's background.
abstract void setCustomView(int resId)
Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation.
abstract void setCustomView(View view, ActionBar.LayoutParams layoutParams)
Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation.
abstract void setCustomView(View view)
Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation.
abstract void setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(boolean showHomeAsUp)
Set whether home should be displayed as an "up" affordance.
abstract void setDisplayOptions(int options, int mask)
Set selected display options.
abstract void setDisplayOptions(int options)
Set display options.
abstract void setDisplayShowCustomEnabled(boolean showCustom)
Set whether a custom view should be displayed, if set.
abstract void setDisplayShowHomeEnabled(boolean showHome)
Set whether to include the application home affordance in the action bar.
abstract void setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(boolean showTitle)
Set whether an activity title/subtitle should be displayed.
abstract void setDisplayUseLogoEnabled(boolean useLogo)
Set whether to display the activity logo rather than the activity icon.
void setHomeButtonEnabled(boolean enabled)
Enable or disable the "home" button in the corner of the action bar.
abstract void setIcon(Drawable icon)
Set the icon to display in the 'home' section of the action bar.
abstract void setIcon(int resId)
Set the icon to display in the 'home' section of the action bar.
abstract void setListNavigationCallbacks(SpinnerAdapter adapter, ActionBar.OnNavigationListener callback)
Set the adapter and navigation callback for list navigation mode.
abstract void setLogo(int resId)
Set the logo to display in the 'home' section of the action bar.
abstract void setLogo(Drawable logo)
Set the logo to display in the 'home' section of the action bar.
abstract void setNavigationMode(int mode)
Set the current navigation mode.
abstract void setSelectedNavigationItem(int position)
Set the selected navigation item in list or tabbed navigation modes.
void setSplitBackgroundDrawable(Drawable d)
Set the ActionBar's split background.
void setStackedBackgroundDrawable(Drawable d)
Set the ActionBar's stacked background.
abstract void setSubtitle(int resId)
Set the action bar's subtitle.
abstract void setSubtitle(CharSequence subtitle)
Set the action bar's subtitle.
abstract void setTitle(int resId)
Set the action bar's title.
abstract void setTitle(CharSequence title)
Set the action bar's title.
abstract void show()
Show the ActionBar if it is not currently showing.
[Expand]
Inherited Methods
From class java.lang.Object

Constants

public static final int DISPLAY_HOME_AS_UP

Display the 'home' element such that it appears as an 'up' affordance. e.g. show an arrow to the left indicating the action that will be taken. Set this flag if selecting the 'home' button in the action bar to return up by a single level in your UI rather than back to the top level or front page.

Setting this option will implicitly enable interaction with the home/up button. See setHomeButtonEnabled(boolean).

Constant Value: 4 (0x00000004)

public static final int DISPLAY_SHOW_CUSTOM

Show the custom view if one has been set.

Constant Value: 16 (0x00000010)

public static final int DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME

Show 'home' elements in this action bar, leaving more space for other navigation elements. This includes logo and icon.

Constant Value: 2 (0x00000002)

public static final int DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE

Show the activity title and subtitle, if present.

Constant Value: 8 (0x00000008)

public static final int DISPLAY_USE_LOGO

Use logo instead of icon if available. This flag will cause appropriate navigation modes to use a wider logo in place of the standard icon.

Constant Value: 1 (0x00000001)

public static final int NAVIGATION_MODE_LIST

List navigation mode. Instead of static title text this mode presents a list menu for navigation within the activity. e.g. this might be presented to the user as a dropdown list.

Constant Value: 1 (0x00000001)

public static final int NAVIGATION_MODE_STANDARD

Standard navigation mode. Consists of either a logo or icon and title text with an optional subtitle. Clicking any of these elements will dispatch onOptionsItemSelected to the host Activity with a MenuItem with item ID android.R.id.home.

Constant Value: 0 (0x00000000)

public static final int NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS

Tab navigation mode. Instead of static title text this mode presents a series of tabs for navigation within the activity.

Constant Value: 2 (0x00000002)

Public Constructors

public ActionBar ()

Public Methods

public abstract void addOnMenuVisibilityListener (ActionBar.OnMenuVisibilityListener listener)

Add a listener that will respond to menu visibility change events.

Parameters
listener The new listener to add

public abstract void addTab (ActionBar.Tab tab, int position)

Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode. The tab will be inserted at position. If this is the first tab to be added it will become the selected tab.

Parameters
tab The tab to add
position The new position of the tab

public abstract void addTab (ActionBar.Tab tab)

Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode. The tab will be added at the end of the list. If this is the first tab to be added it will become the selected tab.

Parameters
tab Tab to add

public abstract void addTab (ActionBar.Tab tab, boolean setSelected)

Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode. The tab will be added at the end of the list.

Parameters
tab Tab to add
setSelected True if the added tab should become the selected tab.

public abstract void addTab (ActionBar.Tab tab, int position, boolean setSelected)

Add a tab for use in tabbed navigation mode. The tab will be insterted at position.

Parameters
tab The tab to add
position The new position of the tab
setSelected True if the added tab should become the selected tab.

public abstract View getCustomView ()

Returns
  • The current custom view.

public abstract int getDisplayOptions ()

Returns
  • The current set of display options.

public abstract int getHeight ()

Retrieve the current height of the ActionBar.

Returns
  • The ActionBar's height

public abstract int getNavigationItemCount ()

Get the number of navigation items present in the current navigation mode.

Returns
  • Number of navigation items.

public abstract int getNavigationMode ()

Returns the current navigation mode. The result will be one of:

Returns
  • The current navigation mode.

public abstract int getSelectedNavigationIndex ()

Get the position of the selected navigation item in list or tabbed navigation modes.

Returns
  • Position of the selected item.

public abstract ActionBar.Tab getSelectedTab ()

Returns the currently selected tab if in tabbed navigation mode and there is at least one tab present.

Returns
  • The currently selected tab or null

public abstract CharSequence getSubtitle ()

Returns the current ActionBar subtitle in standard mode. Returns null if getNavigationMode() would not return NAVIGATION_MODE_STANDARD.

Returns
  • The current ActionBar subtitle or null.

public abstract ActionBar.Tab getTabAt (int index)

Returns the tab at the specified index.

Parameters
index Index value in the range 0-get

public abstract int getTabCount ()

Returns the number of tabs currently registered with the action bar.

Returns
  • Tab count

public Context getThemedContext ()

Returns a Context with an appropriate theme for creating views that will appear in the action bar. If you are inflating or instantiating custom views that will appear in an action bar, you should use the Context returned by this method. (This includes adapters used for list navigation mode.) This will ensure that views contrast properly against the action bar.

Returns
  • A themed Context for creating views

public abstract CharSequence getTitle ()

Returns the current ActionBar title in standard mode. Returns null if getNavigationMode() would not return NAVIGATION_MODE_STANDARD.

Returns
  • The current ActionBar title or null.

public abstract void hide ()

Hide the ActionBar if it is currently showing. If the window hosting the ActionBar does not have the feature FEATURE_ACTION_BAR_OVERLAY it will resize application content to fit the new space available.

Instead of calling this function directly, you can also cause an ActionBar using the overlay feature to hide through View.SYSTEM_UI_FLAG_FULLSCREEN. Hiding the ActionBar through this system UI flag allows you to more seamlessly hide it in conjunction with other screen decorations.

public abstract boolean isShowing ()

Returns
  • true if the ActionBar is showing, false otherwise.

public abstract ActionBar.Tab newTab ()

Create and return a new ActionBar.Tab. This tab will not be included in the action bar until it is added.

Very often tabs will be used to switch between Fragment objects. Here is a typical implementation of such tabs:

import android.app.ActionBar;
import android.app.ActionBar.Tab;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.Fragment;
import android.app.FragmentTransaction;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.Toast;

/**
 * This demonstrates the use of action bar tabs and how they interact
 * with other action bar features.
 */
public class FragmentTabs extends Activity {
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        final ActionBar bar = getActionBar();
        bar.setNavigationMode(ActionBar.NAVIGATION_MODE_TABS);
        bar.setDisplayOptions(0, ActionBar.DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE);

        bar.addTab(bar.newTab()
                .setText("Simple")
                .setTabListener(new TabListener<FragmentStack.CountingFragment>(
                        this, "simple", FragmentStack.CountingFragment.class)));
        bar.addTab(bar.newTab()
                .setText("Contacts")
                .setTabListener(new TabListener<LoaderCursor.CursorLoaderListFragment>(
                        this, "contacts", LoaderCursor.CursorLoaderListFragment.class)));
        bar.addTab(bar.newTab()
                .setText("Apps")
                .setTabListener(new TabListener<LoaderCustom.AppListFragment>(
                        this, "apps", LoaderCustom.AppListFragment.class)));
        bar.addTab(bar.newTab()
                .setText("Throttle")
                .setTabListener(new TabListener<LoaderThrottle.ThrottledLoaderListFragment>(
                        this, "throttle", LoaderThrottle.ThrottledLoaderListFragment.class)));

        if (savedInstanceState != null) {
            bar.setSelectedNavigationItem(savedInstanceState.getInt("tab", 0));
        }
    }

    @Override
    protected void onSaveInstanceState(Bundle outState) {
        super.onSaveInstanceState(outState);
        outState.putInt("tab", getActionBar().getSelectedNavigationIndex());
    }

    public static class TabListener<T extends Fragment> implements ActionBar.TabListener {
        private final Activity mActivity;
        private final String mTag;
        private final Class<T> mClass;
        private final Bundle mArgs;
        private Fragment mFragment;

        public TabListener(Activity activity, String tag, Class<T> clz) {
            this(activity, tag, clz, null);
        }

        public TabListener(Activity activity, String tag, Class<T> clz, Bundle args) {
            mActivity = activity;
            mTag = tag;
            mClass = clz;
            mArgs = args;

            // Check to see if we already have a fragment for this tab, probably
            // from a previously saved state.  If so, deactivate it, because our
            // initial state is that a tab isn't shown.
            mFragment = mActivity.getFragmentManager().findFragmentByTag(mTag);
            if (mFragment != null && !mFragment.isDetached()) {
                FragmentTransaction ft = mActivity.getFragmentManager().beginTransaction();
                ft.detach(mFragment);
                ft.commit();
            }
        }

        public void onTabSelected(Tab tab, FragmentTransaction ft) {
            if (mFragment == null) {
                mFragment = Fragment.instantiate(mActivity, mClass.getName(), mArgs);
                ft.add(android.R.id.content, mFragment, mTag);
            } else {
                ft.attach(mFragment);
            }
        }

        public void onTabUnselected(Tab tab, FragmentTransaction ft) {
            if (mFragment != null) {
                ft.detach(mFragment);
            }
        }

        public void onTabReselected(Tab tab, FragmentTransaction ft) {
            Toast.makeText(mActivity, "Reselected!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
        }
    }
}

Returns
  • A new Tab
See Also

public abstract void removeAllTabs ()

Remove all tabs from the action bar and deselect the current tab.

public abstract void removeOnMenuVisibilityListener (ActionBar.OnMenuVisibilityListener listener)

Remove a menu visibility listener. This listener will no longer receive menu visibility change events.

Parameters
listener A listener to remove that was previously added

public abstract void removeTab (ActionBar.Tab tab)

Remove a tab from the action bar. If the removed tab was selected it will be deselected and another tab will be selected if present.

Parameters
tab The tab to remove

public abstract void removeTabAt (int position)

Remove a tab from the action bar. If the removed tab was selected it will be deselected and another tab will be selected if present.

Parameters
position Position of the tab to remove

public abstract void selectTab (ActionBar.Tab tab)

Select the specified tab. If it is not a child of this action bar it will be added.

Note: If you want to select by index, use setSelectedNavigationItem(int).

Parameters
tab Tab to select

public abstract void setBackgroundDrawable (Drawable d)

Set the ActionBar's background. This will be used for the primary action bar.

Parameters
d Background drawable

public abstract void setCustomView (int resId)

Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation.

Custom navigation views appear between the application icon and any action buttons and may use any space available there. Common use cases for custom navigation views might include an auto-suggesting address bar for a browser or other navigation mechanisms that do not translate well to provided navigation modes.

The display option DISPLAY_SHOW_CUSTOM must be set for the custom view to be displayed.

Parameters
resId Resource ID of a layout to inflate into the ActionBar.

public abstract void setCustomView (View view, ActionBar.LayoutParams layoutParams)

Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation.

Custom navigation views appear between the application icon and any action buttons and may use any space available there. Common use cases for custom navigation views might include an auto-suggesting address bar for a browser or other navigation mechanisms that do not translate well to provided navigation modes.

The display option DISPLAY_SHOW_CUSTOM must be set for the custom view to be displayed.

Parameters
view Custom navigation view to place in the ActionBar.
layoutParams How this custom view should layout in the bar.

public abstract void setCustomView (View view)

Set the action bar into custom navigation mode, supplying a view for custom navigation. Custom navigation views appear between the application icon and any action buttons and may use any space available there. Common use cases for custom navigation views might include an auto-suggesting address bar for a browser or other navigation mechanisms that do not translate well to provided navigation modes.

Parameters
view Custom navigation view to place in the ActionBar.

public abstract void setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled (boolean showHomeAsUp)

Set whether home should be displayed as an "up" affordance. Set this to true if selecting "home" returns up by a single level in your UI rather than back to the top level or front page.

To set several display options at once, see the setDisplayOptions methods.

Parameters
showHomeAsUp true to show the user that selecting home will return one level up rather than to the top level of the app.

public abstract void setDisplayOptions (int options, int mask)

Set selected display options. Only the options specified by mask will be changed. To change all display option bits at once, see setDisplayOptions(int).

Example: setDisplayOptions(0, DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME) will disable the DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME option. setDisplayOptions(DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME, DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME | DISPLAY_USE_LOGO) will enable DISPLAY_SHOW_HOME and disable DISPLAY_USE_LOGO.

Parameters
options A combination of the bits defined by the DISPLAY_ constants defined in ActionBar.
mask A bit mask declaring which display options should be changed.

public abstract void setDisplayOptions (int options)

Set display options. This changes all display option bits at once. To change a limited subset of display options, see setDisplayOptions(int, int).

Parameters
options A combination of the bits defined by the DISPLAY_ constants defined in ActionBar.

public abstract void setDisplayShowCustomEnabled (boolean showCustom)

Set whether a custom view should be displayed, if set.

To set several display options at once, see the setDisplayOptions methods.

Parameters
showCustom true if the currently set custom view should be displayed, false otherwise.

public abstract void setDisplayShowHomeEnabled (boolean showHome)

Set whether to include the application home affordance in the action bar. Home is presented as either an activity icon or logo.

To set several display options at once, see the setDisplayOptions methods.

Parameters
showHome true to show home, false otherwise.

public abstract void setDisplayShowTitleEnabled (boolean showTitle)

Set whether an activity title/subtitle should be displayed.

To set several display options at once, see the setDisplayOptions methods.

Parameters
showTitle true to display a title/subtitle if present.

public abstract void setDisplayUseLogoEnabled (boolean useLogo)

Set whether to display the activity logo rather than the activity icon. A logo is often a wider, more detailed image.

To set several display options at once, see the setDisplayOptions methods.

Parameters
useLogo true to use the activity logo, false to use the activity icon.

public void setHomeButtonEnabled (boolean enabled)

Enable or disable the "home" button in the corner of the action bar. (Note that this is the application home/up affordance on the action bar, not the systemwide home button.)

This defaults to true for packages targeting < API 14. For packages targeting API 14 or greater, the application should call this method to enable interaction with the home/up affordance.

Setting the DISPLAY_HOME_AS_UP display option will automatically enable the home button.

Parameters
enabled true to enable the home button, false to disable the home button.

public abstract void setIcon (Drawable icon)

Set the icon to display in the 'home' section of the action bar. The action bar will use an icon specified by its style or the activity icon by default. Whether the home section shows an icon or logo is controlled by the display option DISPLAY_USE_LOGO.

Parameters
icon Drawable to show as an icon.

public abstract void setIcon (int resId)

Set the icon to display in the 'home' section of the action bar. The action bar will use an icon specified by its style or the activity icon by default. Whether the home section shows an icon or logo is controlled by the display option DISPLAY_USE_LOGO.

Parameters
resId Resource ID of a drawable to show as an icon.

public abstract void setListNavigationCallbacks (SpinnerAdapter adapter, ActionBar.OnNavigationListener callback)

Set the adapter and navigation callback for list navigation mode. The supplied adapter will provide views for the expanded list as well as the currently selected item. (These may be displayed differently.) The supplied OnNavigationListener will alert the application when the user changes the current list selection.

Parameters
adapter An adapter that will provide views both to display the current navigation selection and populate views within the dropdown navigation menu.
callback An OnNavigationListener that will receive events when the user selects a navigation item.

public abstract void setLogo (int resId)

Set the logo to display in the 'home' section of the action bar. The action bar will use a logo specified by its style or the activity logo by default. Whether the home section shows an icon or logo is controlled by the display option DISPLAY_USE_LOGO.

Parameters
resId Resource ID of a drawable to show as a logo.

public abstract void setLogo (Drawable logo)

Set the logo to display in the 'home' section of the action bar. The action bar will use a logo specified by its style or the activity logo by default. Whether the home section shows an icon or logo is controlled by the display option DISPLAY_USE_LOGO.

Parameters
logo Drawable to show as a logo.

public abstract void setNavigationMode (int mode)

Set the current navigation mode.

Parameters
mode The new mode to set.

public abstract void setSelectedNavigationItem (int position)

Set the selected navigation item in list or tabbed navigation modes.

Parameters
position Position of the item to select.

public void setSplitBackgroundDrawable (Drawable d)

Set the ActionBar's split background. This will appear in the split action bar containing menu-provided action buttons on some devices and configurations

You can enable split action bar with uiOptions

Parameters
d Background drawable for the split bar

public void setStackedBackgroundDrawable (Drawable d)

Set the ActionBar's stacked background. This will appear in the second row/stacked bar on some devices and configurations.

Parameters
d Background drawable for the stacked row

public abstract void setSubtitle (int resId)

Set the action bar's subtitle. This will only be displayed if DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE is set.

Parameters
resId Resource ID of subtitle string to set

public abstract void setSubtitle (CharSequence subtitle)

Set the action bar's subtitle. This will only be displayed if DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE is set. Set to null to disable the subtitle entirely.

Parameters
subtitle Subtitle to set

public abstract void setTitle (int resId)

Set the action bar's title. This will only be displayed if DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE is set.

Parameters
resId Resource ID of title string to set

public abstract void setTitle (CharSequence title)

Set the action bar's title. This will only be displayed if DISPLAY_SHOW_TITLE is set.

Parameters
title Title to set

public abstract void show ()

Show the ActionBar if it is not currently showing. If the window hosting the ActionBar does not have the feature FEATURE_ACTION_BAR_OVERLAY it will resize application content to fit the new space available.

If you are hiding the ActionBar through View.SYSTEM_UI_FLAG_FULLSCREEN, you should not call this function directly.