OnOptionsMenu causes the app to crash

Question

The auto-generated OnCreateOptionsMenu in a certain activity, causes the app to crash when I press the options button in the device, despite, the same action does not crash the app while accessing others activities of the same app.

One of the logcat's complains is NPE, and I do not know what causes this error. All the xml files are correct.

Java Code:

     @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setRequestedOrientation( ActivityInfo.SCREEN_ORIENTATION_PORTRAIT);
        requestWindowFeature( Window.FEATURE_NO_TITLE );
        getWindow().setFormat(PixelFormat.TRANSPARENT);         
        getWindow().setFlags( WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN,
                                WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN );
        setContentView(R.layout.add_new_location_activity);

    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
        getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.addnewloaction_optionsmenu, menu);
        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
        // Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will
        // automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long
        // as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml.
        int id = item.getItemId();
        if (id == R.id.action_settings) {
            return true;
        }
        return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
    }

}

add_new_location_activity.xml

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <FrameLayout 
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent" 
    android:layout_width="fill_parent">

          <LinearLayout 
              android:layout_width="fill_parent"
              android:layout_height="fill_parent"
              android:orientation="horizontal"
              android:background="@color/titleBackGroundColor">              
              <RelativeLayout 
                  android:id="@+id/RelativeLayout00"
                  android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                  android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                  android:layout_gravity="top|center_horizontal">
                  <TextView 
                      android:id="@+id/addLocationActivityTitleID"
                      android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                      android:gravity="center"
                      android:textSize="@dimen/titlesTextSize"
                      android:text="@string/addLocationActivityTitle"
                      android:textColor="@color/titleColor">
                  </TextView>
              </RelativeLayout>
          </LinearLayout>

          <LinearLayout 
              android:layout_width="fill_parent"
              android:layout_height="fill_parent"
              android:orientation="horizontal">              
              <RelativeLayout 
                  android:id="@+id/RelativeLayout01"
                  android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                  android:layout_height="wrap_content"     
                  android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/marginTop"
                  android:background="@color/bodyBackGroundColor">
                  <TextView 
                      android:id="@+id/editTextLabelID"
                      android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                      android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
                      android:text="@string/editTextLabel"
                      android:gravity="left"
                      android:textSize="@dimen/labelsTextSizes"
                      android:textColor="@color/contentsColor">"
                  </TextView>
                  <EditText 
                      android:id="@+id/editTextID"
                      android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                      android:layout_width="match_parent"
                      android:layout_toRightOf="@+id/editTextLabelID"
                      android:textColor="@color/contentsColor"
                      android:inputType="text">
                  </EditText>
             </RelativeLayout>
         </LinearLayout>         
</FrameLayout>

Manifest file:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.meetingpointlocator_03"
    android:versionCode="1"
    android:versionName="1.0" >

    <uses-sdk
        android:minSdkVersion="8"
        android:targetSdkVersion="19" />

    <application
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
        <activity
            android:name="com.example.meetingpointlocator_03.Intro"
            android:label="@string/app_name" >
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <activity
            android:name="com.example.meetingpointlocator_03.MainMenuActivity"
            android:label="@string/title_activity_mpl" >
        </activity>
        <activity
            android:name="com.example.meetingpointlocator_03.AddNewLocationActivity"
            android:label="@string/title_activity_add_new_location" >
        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

Logcat output:

    05-11 23:27:28.591: E/InputEventSender(2636): Exception dispatching finished signal.
    05-11 23:27:28.596: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636): Exception in MessageQueue callback: 
    handleReceiveCallback
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636): java.lang.NullPointerException
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at  
    android.support.v7.app.ActionBarImplICS.getThemedContext(ActionBarImplICS.java:287)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at 
    android.support.v7.app.ActionBarImplJB.getThemedContext(ActionBarImplJB.java:20)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivityDelegate.getMenuInflater(ActionBarActivityDelegate.    java:98)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at 
    android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity.getMenuInflater(ActionBarActivity.java:71)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at    
com.example.meetingpointlocator_03.AddNewLocationActivity.onCreateOptionsMenu(AddNewLocatio    nActivity.java:35)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at    
    android.app.Activity.onCreatePanelMenu(Activity.java:2578)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at 
    android.support.v4.app.FragmentActivity.onCreatePanelMenu(FragmentActivity.java:224)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity.superOnCreatePanelMenu(ActionBarActivity.java:232)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivityDelegateICS.onCreatePanelMenu(ActionBarActivityDele    gateICS.java:147)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at  android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity.onCreatePanelMenu(ActionBarActivity.java:199)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivityDelegateICS$WindowCallbackWrapper.onCreatePanelMenu    (ActionBarActivityDelegateICS.java:285)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at   com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.preparePanel(PhoneWindow.java:507)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.onKeyDownPanel(PhoneWindow.java:964)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.onKeyDown(PhoneWindow.java:1670)
    05-11 23:27:28.626: E/MessageQueue-JNI(2636):   at  com. android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow$DecorView.dispatchKeyEvent(PhoneWindow.java:2227)

Answer 1

 causes the app to crash when I press the options button in the device

Issue is that since you have set the Window.FEATURE_NO_TITLE to the ActionBarActivity, the ActionBar is not created for this Activity . But your trying to inflate option menus.

Since ActionBar is not created for this Activity, when trying to call getMenuInflater , the ActionBar is null

FIX: Change the AddNewLocationActivity to extend Activity instead of ActionBarActivity

public class AddNewLocationActivity extends ActionBarActivity {

to

public class AddNewLocationActivity extends Activity {

You can still access the Menus using device option key.