CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javaandroid
SHAHM
SHAHM

Reputation: 373

Should "this" be always used as the Context in creating a new object?

When a new object is made, it often goes:

TextView textView = new TextView(this)

Here, should we always use "this" pointer (an instance of an Activity, normally) as the Context of TextView? For me it seems that any Context would work in many circumstances, such as the following method.

  TextView textView = new TextView(this);
        textView.setTextSize(textSize);
        textView.setTextColor(textColor);
        textView.setText(text);
        tableRow.addView(textView);

And my assertion is, as I am not adopting any resources, any Context could replace "this." (I assume it is wrong.) Why should we use "this" instead of any other Contexts?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 71

Answers (1)

CommonsWare
CommonsWare

Reputation: 1006799

Here, should we always use "this" pointer (an instance of an Activity, normally) as the Context of TextView?

Occasionally, there is a better choice, but that's usually in obvious circumstances:

  • You are using Presentation to route stuff to an external display, and so you use the Context associated with that Display

  • You are writing an InputMethodService and need to return the View in onCreateInputView()

  • You are writing a DreamService and need to call setContentView() and choose to create your widgets in Java code rather than use a layout

  • Etc.

I am not adopting any resources

Your code is not. Your app is, in the form of framework classes accessing style/theme resources for your activity (or app).

The blog post by Dave Smith in laalto's comment is an excellent starting point for choosing the right Context for the right situation.

Upvotes: 2

Related Questions