Android: Return search query to current activity

Question

I followed the steps described on http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/search/search-dialog.html to implement a search feature in my notepad application.

My problem is, that when I finish the search a new activity opens capturing my search query. But what I really want, is the query returned to the current activity instead of starting a new one.

Is this possible?

UPDATE:

AndroidManifest.xml


<activity android:name="MyNotepad"
                  android:label="@string/app_name">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH"></action>
            </intent-filter>
            <meta-data android:resource="@xml/searchable" android:name="android.app.searchable"></meta-data>
        </activity><activity android:name="Preferences" android:label="Preferences" >
</activity>

searchable.xml


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<searchable
  xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  android:label="@string/app_name"
  android:hint="@string/search_hint">
</searchable>

JAVA-code


@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.main_pad);
    Intent intent = getIntent();
    if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
        String query = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
        Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), query, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
    }
}


@Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item)
{
    switch(item.getItemId())
    {
        case R.id.menuItemSearch:
            startSearch("", false, null, false);
    break;
    }
    return true;
}

Even if I use the search-button on the phone it doesn't work. I therefor believe that the problem is in the AndroidManifest.xml

Yes, its possible. We could give more specific answers if you provide your current code. — Will Tate, Feb 23 '11 at 18:35
Hi any luck in making it work? I am also looking for the same thing too. Too bad I don't have enough rep or i'll gladly add a bounty for this question. — Creniale, Jun 29 '11 at 04:59

score 64 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 24 '11 at 04:34

In your Application Manifest you need to define the current activity as a searchable activity.

<activity android:name="BrowseItems" android:label="@string/browseitems"
            android:launchMode="singleTop">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH" />
            </intent-filter>
            <meta-data android:name="android.app.searchable"
                android:resource="@xml/itemsearchable" />
</activity>

You then use the following code, which is from http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/search/search-dialog.html#LifeCycle

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.search);
    handleIntent(getIntent());
}

@Override
protected void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
    setIntent(intent);
    handleIntent(intent);
}

private void handleIntent(Intent intent) {
    if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
      String query = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
      // Do work using string
    }
}

You can then use the string to reload your activity, if its a list activity you can call your code that you use to load data and use the string in that.

I believe the most important point here is using `android:launchMode="singleTop"`. If your searchable activity is already on top of the activity stack, Android will not launch a new activity. You will receive the Search Intent in your currently active activity instead (through `onNewIntent`). — Shiki, Nov 22 '11 at 10:33
Thanks for your answer, for me is working only with android:launchMode="singleTop". — Crash, Aug 23 '15 at 20:46
@Lachlan Ennis , how can i implement onTextChange search ? to start searching while user is typing... not to wait until clicking done button — eawedat, Jun 27 '21 at 07:22

score 19 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 02 '13 at 21:58

Add to AndroidManifest.xml in your Searchable Activity:

android:launchMode="singleTop"

so, your AndroidManifest.xml looks like:

<activity android:name="MyNotepad"
              android:label="@string/app_name"
              android:launchMode="singleTop">
        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
            <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH"></action>
        </intent-filter>
        <meta-data android:resource="@xml/searchable" android:name="android.app.searchable"></meta-data>
    </activity><activity android:name="Preferences" android:label="Preferences" >

The reason:

From this post:

The activity launch mode has four valid values:

"standard" "singleTop" "singleTask" "singleInstance"

The 'standard' is the default value. The four values fall into two groups:

'standard' and 'singleTop' can instantiate multiple activity instances and the instance will stay in the same task. For 'singleTask' or 'singleInstance', the activity class uses the singleton pattern, and that instance will be the root activity of a new task. Let's examine each value: "standard":

Multiple instances of the activity class can be instantiated and multiple instances can be added to the same task or different tasks. This is the common mode for most of the activities.

"singleTop":

The difference from 'standard' is, if an instance of activity already exists at the top of the current task and system routes intent to this activity, no new instance will be created because it will fire off an onNewIntent() method instead of creating a new object.

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 28 '16 at 11:42

I simply use this:-

searchView.setOnQueryTextListener(new SearchView.OnQueryTextListener() {
        @Override
        public boolean onQueryTextSubmit(String s) {
            //on submit
            return false;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean onQueryTextChange(String s) {
            //get all text changes
            return false;
        }
});

This is best used when you have to search across a listview and have to filter out items. I never go by implementing the search function using the manifest file. The 2 methods do all the job.

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 01 '15 at 10:22

I was also facing the same problem, then I wrote this code and it solved my problem.

Implement this in your Activity

**implements SearchView.OnQueryTextListener, SearchView.OnCloseListener**

Add this function in the class:

private void setupSearchView()
        {

            searchView.setIconifiedByDefault(true);

            SearchManager searchManager = (SearchManager) getSystemService(Context.SEARCH_SERVICE);
            if (searchManager != null)
                {
                    List<SearchableInfo> searchables = searchManager.getSearchablesInGlobalSearch();

                    // Try to use the "applications" global search provider
                    SearchableInfo info = searchManager.getSearchableInfo(getComponentName());
                    for (SearchableInfo inf : searchables)
                        {
                            if (inf.getSuggestAuthority() != null && inf.getSuggestAuthority().startsWith("applications"))
                                {
                                    info = inf;
                                }
                        }
                    searchView.setSearchableInfo(info);
                }

            searchView.setOnQueryTextListener(this);
            searchView.setOnCloseListener(this);
        }

Call the function in the onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu)

@Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu)
        {
            MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
            inflater.inflate(R.menu.menu, menu);
            //restoreActionBar();
            // Associate searchable configuration with the SearchView
            //SearchManager searchManager = (SearchManager) getSystemService(Context.SEARCH_SERVICE);
            searchView = (SearchView) menu.findItem(R.id.action_search).getActionView();
            //searchView.setSearchableInfo(searchManager.getSearchableInfo(getComponentName()));
            setupSearchView();
            return super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);
        }

This will totally solve your problem..

Happy Coding!!

I've tried to make query & query result activity the same one. With declaration of `singleTop`, the AppCompatActivity still not receive any intent @ onNewIntent(). So I try this one, which works! And by implementing `implements SearchView.OnQueryTextListener` you can work more closely with SearchView. — Robert, Jan 11 '16 at 06:35

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Dec 28 '16 at 08:51

2

Briefly:

Add android:launchMode="singleTop" to the searchable activity definition in the AndroidManifest.xml
Implement onNewIntent in the searchable activity and handle the search there.

edited Dec 28 '16 at 08:51

Satan Pandeya

3,747
4
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answered Jun 19 '13 at 12:28

Mahmoud Badri

1,256
14
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score 1 · Answer 6 · edited Sep 19 '13 at 07:39

1

in the manifest file, add:

android:launchMode="singleTop"

To your search activity. Then, let your search activity implement SearchView.OnSuggestionListener finally:

mSearchView.setOnSuggestListener(this)

this way you can handle the suggestion click event with out creating a new instance of your search activity.

edited Sep 19 '13 at 07:39

laalto

150,114
66
286
303

answered Sep 19 '13 at 07:25

guy.gc

3,359
2
24
39

score 1 · Answer 7 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:00

I followed Lachlan's clue of "You can then use the string to reload your activity", and finally worked this out. So please read Lachlan's post first, and then take the following 3 steps "to reload your activity":

Save query string in ApplicationContext.
Finish the new opened search Activity.
Override OnResume, get query string you just saved, and then refresh the list.

Codes in List Activity:

private void handleIntent(Intent intent) {
    if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
        String searchText = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
        ((MyApp)this.getApplicationContext()).setSearchText(searchText);
        this.finish();
    }
}

protected void onResume() {
    super.onResume();

    String searchText = ((MyApp)this.getApplicationContext()).getSearchText();
    //refresh your list here...
}

MyApp class: (This original idea is from here: Android: How to declare global variables?)

public class MyApp extends Application {

    private String mSearchText;

    public String getSearchText() {
        return mSearchText;
    }

    public void setSearchText(String searchText) {
        this.mSearchText = searchText;
    }
}

Don't forget to add property android:name=".MyApp" to your application in the Manifest file. Good luck!

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered May 02 '13 at 21:13

It doesn't bring up a new activity if the SearchView.OnSuggestionListener on the searchView is set, and the overridden methods return true (overriding the default behavior). You can do that in the onCreateOptionsMenu() implementation, like this:

    searchView.setOnSuggestionListener(new SearchView.OnSuggestionListener() {
        @Override
        public boolean onSuggestionSelect(int position) {
            return true;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean onSuggestionClick(int position) {
            CursorAdapter selectedView = searchView.getSuggestionsAdapter();
            Cursor cursor = (Cursor) selectedView.getItem(position);
            int index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(SearchManager.SUGGEST_COLUMN_TEXT_1);
            searchView.setQuery(cursor.getString(index), true);
            return true;
        }
    });

No need to force the activity to singleTop or other hacks.

score -1 · Answer 9 · edited Jul 19 '11 at 16:41

-1

Just add

<application>

  <meta-data 
     android:name="android.app.default_searchable"
     android:value="#Activity_Name" />

   <!-- All your activities, service, etc. -->

</application>

in your android_manifest.xml file where #Activity_Name is the name of the activity that handles the search.

edited Jul 19 '11 at 16:41

WarrenFaith

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answered May 26 '11 at 23:17

Ruivo

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1

Hi Ruivo, can you elaborate your answer? – Creniale Jun 29 '11 at 05:08

Android: Return search query to current activity

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