Android display a button with OnTouchListener

[Alexander Pavlov]

I have a button that disappears 3 seconds after I press on it. I would like to make it visible again by touching the screen.

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    Runnable buttonRunnable;
    Handler buttonHandler = new Handler();

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

        final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
        buttonRunnable = new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                button.setVisibility(View.GONE);

            }
        };

        button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View view) {   

                buttonHandler.postDelayed(buttonRunnable, 3000);
            }
        });
    }

    private OnTouchListener buttonOnTouchListener = new OnTouchListener() {

        @Override
        public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
            final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
            button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
            return true;
        }

    };

}

I am able to hide the button after 3 seconds but I cannot make it visible again.

I've asked the same question on another forum and got told that I need to get a reference to the parent container view, call setClickable(true) on it. Then, attach another click handler to that view, and in that click handler, call button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);

I am a bit struggling with this part and I'm not sure how I can implement it as I'm very new to Android.

Thank you.

[Steve Luke]

Sounds like decent advice. Let's see how to implement it:

Alexander Pavlov wrote:...I've asked the same question on another forum and got told that I need to get a reference to the parent container view ...

You already know how to do that since you do it for the button...

...call setClickable(true) on it. ...

Looks like a simple method call.

... Then, attach another click handler to that view, and in that click handler, call button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);

Another thing you know how to do because you do essentially the same thing with the button.

So what is the problem you are having?

[Alexander Pavlov]

I've done everything that I was advised to do and this is my updated code:

public class MainActivity extends Activity {
	
	Runnable buttonRunnable;
	Handler buttonHandler = new Handler();
	
	protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
		
		final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
		buttonRunnable = new Runnable() {
	        public void run() {
	        	button.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
	        	
	        }
		};
		
		button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View view) {   
            	
                buttonHandler.postDelayed(buttonRunnable, 3000);
            }
        });
	}
	
	private OnTouchListener buttonOnTouchListener = new OnTouchListener() {

        @Override
        public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
        	
        	final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
        	final LinearLayout linearLayout=(LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.myLinearLayout);
        	
        	linearLayout.setClickable(true);
        	linearLayout.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {	
        		public void onClick(View view) {   

        			button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                }
        	});
            return true;
        }

	};

}

However, the button still doesn't turn visible when I touch anywhere on the screen. I know the problem is somewhere in my OnTouchListener method but as I'm very new to programming I just can't figure out what it is.

[Steve Luke]

You have an OnTouchListener, but where do you register it? When do you think it would get called? Count the number of listeners you have in your code. Which one(s) do you think get executed? If you aren't sure, then try adding Log.d(...) calls and looking in LogCat to see what gets executed.

[Alexander Pavlov]

Thanks for your reply, Steve. I've added a call for OnTouchListener in my onCreate method right after button.SetOnClickListener. So that way if I touch anywhere on the LinearLayout, it should call "buttonOnTouchListener" and execute all the code in it. However, I still can't get the button to turn visible.

public class MainActivity extends Activity{
	
	Runnable buttonRunnable;
	Handler buttonHandler = new Handler();
	
	protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
		
		final LinearLayout linearLayout=(LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.myLinearLayout);
		final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
		buttonRunnable = new Runnable() {
	        public void run() {
	        	button.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
	        	
	        }
		};
		
		button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View view) {   
            	
                buttonHandler.postDelayed(buttonRunnable, 3000);
            }
        });
		
		linearLayout.setOnTouchListener(buttonOnTouchListener);
	}
	
	private OnTouchListener buttonOnTouchListener = new OnTouchListener() { 
	    @Override
	    public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
	    	
	    	final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
	    	final LinearLayout linearLayout=(LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.myLinearLayout);
	    	
	    	linearLayout.setClickable(true);
	    	linearLayout.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {	
	    		public void onClick(View view) {   
	
	    			button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
	            }
	    	});
	        return true;
	    }
	};
}

[Alexander Pavlov]

I have fixed the problem. There was too much code in my OnTouchListener that I didn't need. Thanks for your help, Steve!

public class MainActivity extends Activity{
	
	Runnable buttonRunnable;
	Handler buttonHandler = new Handler();
	
	protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
		
		final LinearLayout linearLayout=(LinearLayout)findViewById(R.id.myLinearLayout);
		final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
		buttonRunnable = new Runnable() {
	        public void run() {
	        	button.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
	        	
	        }
		};
		
		button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View view) {   
            	
                buttonHandler.postDelayed(buttonRunnable, 3000);
            }
        });
		
		linearLayout.setOnTouchListener(buttonOnTouchListener);
	}
	
	private OnTouchListener buttonOnTouchListener = new OnTouchListener() { 
	    @Override
	    public boolean onTouch(View v, MotionEvent event) {
	    	
	    	final Button button=(Button)findViewById(R.id.myButton);
	    	
	    	
	  		button.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
	      
	        return true;
	    }
	};
}