Android Notifications via compatibility support library

Special imports:

import android.app.Notification;

//You may find v4 support library here

import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;

import android.app.NotificationManager;

import android.app.PendingIntent;

Initialise notification manager:

NotificationManager mNotificationManager=(NotificationManager)

                              getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);

Prepare target intent: This intent will be started when user clicks on the notification which is being sent.

Intent intentTargetActivity=new Intent();

Add the parameters according to the requirement. Mean to say you may pass the context & class object just like starting normal activity. Ensure if you are passing class object, it is your application property :P

Embed target intent into pending intent:

Create a pending intent using target intent. Now, why this PendingIntent??? Answer is if you wish to have a control on how your target intent being launched[like security constraints] then you can do so using pending intents. If you have not specified any then default target specifications will be used to launch the target intent.

PendingIntent  pendingIntentTarget=PendingIntent.getActivity(context,

                  REQUEST_CODE,intentTargetActivity,/*PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT*/

                  android.content.Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);

Prepare the notification:

Note: Pre HoneComb[3.0], Building Notification directly is not directly supported. So you need use compatibility class given in v4 support library. i.e

NotificationCompat.Builder notificationBuilder=new NotificationCompat.Builder(this);

      notificationBuilder.setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_launcher);//Mandatory

      notificationBuilder.setContentIntent(pendingIntentTarget);//Mandatory

      notificationBuilder.setWhen(System.currentTimeMillis());//Mandatory

      notificationBuilder.setTicker("TickerText");//Mandatory

      notificationBuilder.setContentTitle("ContentTitle");//Mandatory

      notificationBuilder.setContentText("ContentText");//Mandatory

     

Finally build the notification instance and set specific flags if you wish any ..

Notification notificationInfo=notificationBuilder.build();

      notificationInfo.flags|=Notification.FLAG_AUTO_CANCEL;//Notification gets cancelled once user clicks on it.

     

Value addition:

You may wish to customize notification behavior? A few are shown below

//Don’t forget to add in manifest:

// <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/>

//notificationInfo.vibrate=VIBRATE_PATTERN;

//where VIBRATE_PATTERN is something {100,200,100,200};

//similarly you may set audio effect to your notification

//by setting uri of sound file like:

//notificationInfo.sound=soundUri;

     

//Main thing: custom view!!

//notificationInfo.contentView=remoteView;

     

//Else you may wish to use the default notification behavior by:

//notificationInfo.defaults=Notification.DEFAULT_ALL;

  

Finally notify! :

How to send..? Like this:

//Using notification count itself as ID..

//Note using this notification ID we can controle post notification behaviour

// i.e we may cancel the notification if it exists or check for

//presence of the notification with same id.. etc..

mNotificationManager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, notificationInfo);

      

Need a working soldier? Go to My SampleNotification project on GitHub

Happy coding

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