Android Tutorials
How to Use The ListView Widget In Android – A Straightforward Tutorial For Beginners
Note: This tutorial is for Android Studio.
Step One – Declarations:
Import the ListView class by typing import android.widget.ListView; where all the other ‘import’ statements are. Now import the ArrayAdapter class by typing import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;.
As is the case with any other widget you want to manipulate in Android, you declare the ListView with whichever name you please for this tutorial, I chose ‘myListview’:
ListView myListview = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.myListview);
You also need to declare the ArrayAdapter which you will use to add items to your ListView.
ArrayAdapter myAdapter = new ArrayAdapter(this, R.layout.textview_for_list);
Don’t worry about the errors just yet, they will go away when you complete step two.
Step Two
Create a TextView XML file. The Android ListView widget uses a TextView to display each item in your list. In Android Studio, go to File > New > XML > Layout XML File.
In the ‘Layout File Name’ box, type whatever you want to name the TextView. For this tutorial, I named it ‘textview_for_list’.
In the ‘Root Tag’ box, enter the widget type, which in this case is: TextView, then click ‘Finish’.
To change the font colour, font size, padding, and more in your ListView, you would edit the TextView XML file by using android:textColor, android:textSize, and the other available options.
Step Three – You Can Finally Add Items To Your ListView
All you need to do to add items to your ListView is the following code:
myAdapter.add(“List Item One”);
Don’t forget to set your myadapter as your ArrayAdapter of choice, type this after all the myAdapter.add statements.
listView1.setAdapter(myAdapter);
Now you can compile and run your app.
Here is how the snippet of code should look (don’t forget the import statement at the top of your java file):
ListView listView1 = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.listview1);
ArrayAdapter<String> myAdapter = new ArrayAdapter<String>(this, R.layout.textview_for_list);
myAdapter.add(“List Item One”);
listView1.setAdapter(myAdapter);
After it works. Retry this several times until it becomes second nature. Practice makes perfect!
If you wish to do more with your ListView, visit the ListView guide on the Android website.
Need help with your project? Hire an Android developer and pay only if you’re satisfied.