How to use ActionMenuView?

How to Use ActionMenuView

ActionMenuView is a specialized view in Android that provides a menu-like layout for displaying a list of actions. It’s a powerful tool for creating compact and user-friendly interfaces for your app.

Understanding ActionMenuView

• ActionMenuView extends LinearLayout, making it flexible for arranging menu items horizontally.
• Designed primarily for displaying action items in the Action Bar (or Toolbar).
• Allows you to customize the appearance of your action items with attributes like background, padding, and font styles.

Implementing ActionMenuView

1. Add the ActionMenuView to your layout:

<androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView
    android:id="@+id/action_menu_view"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    app:popupTheme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light" />

2. Create a Menu Resource:

<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item
        android:id="@+id/action_search"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_search"
        android:title="@string/search" />
    <item
        android:id="@+id/action_settings"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_settings"
        android:title="@string/settings" />
</menu>

3. Inflate and Set the Menu in your Activity/Fragment:

import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuInflater;

// ...

@Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
    inflater.inflate(R.menu.action_menu, menu);
    return true;
}

4. Attach the Menu to the ActionMenuView:

import androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView;
import androidx.appcompat.widget.PopupMenu;

// ...

ActionMenuView actionMenuView = findViewById(R.id.action_menu_view);

PopupMenu popupMenu = new PopupMenu(this, actionMenuView);
popupMenu.getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.action_menu, popupMenu.getMenu());
popupMenu.setOnMenuItemClickListener(item -> {
    // Handle item clicks
    return true;
});

actionMenuView.setOnMenuItemClickListener(item -> {
    popupMenu.show();
    return true;
});

Customization Options

1. Setting Popup Theme:

<androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView
    android:id="@+id/action_menu_view"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    app:popupTheme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light" />

2. Background and Padding:

<androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView
    android:id="@+id/action_menu_view"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:background="@color/light_gray"
    android:padding="8dp" />

3. Item Visibility and Order:

// In your menu resource (e.g., action_menu.xml):
<item
    android:id="@+id/action_search"
    android:visible="true"
    android:orderInCategory="1" />

// In your Activity/Fragment:
menu.findItem(R.id.action_search).setVisible(false);

Considerations

• ActionMenuView is designed for compact menus; avoid overloading it with too many items.
• Use the “orderInCategory” attribute in your menu resources to control the order of items.
• Consider using a PopupMenu or other menu options for larger sets of actions.

Example:

layout/activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:padding="16dp">

    <androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView
        android:id="@+id/action_menu_view"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        app:popupTheme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light" />

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Main Content" />
</LinearLayout>

menu/action_menu.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item
        android:id="@+id/action_search"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_search"
        android:title="@string/search" />
    <item
        android:id="@+id/action_settings"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_settings"
        android:title="@string/settings" />
</menu>

MainActivity.java

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuInflater;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import androidx.appcompat.widget.ActionMenuView;
import androidx.appcompat.widget.PopupMenu;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

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

        ActionMenuView actionMenuView = findViewById(R.id.action_menu_view);

        PopupMenu popupMenu = new PopupMenu(this, actionMenuView);
        popupMenu.getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.action_menu, popupMenu.getMenu());
        popupMenu.setOnMenuItemClickListener(item -> {
            // Handle item clicks
            return true;
        });

        actionMenuView.setOnMenuItemClickListener(item -> {
            popupMenu.show();
            return true;
        });
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
        inflater.inflate(R.menu.action_menu, menu);
        return true;
    }
}

By using ActionMenuView effectively, you can create clean and intuitive user interfaces for your Android apps, enhancing the overall user experience.