Custom cut/copy action bar for EditText that shows text selection handles

Question

I have an app where I want to be able to show a TextView (or EditText) that allows the user to select some text, then press a button to have something done with that text. Implementing this on Android versions prior to Honeycomb is no problem but on Honeycomb and above the default long-press action is to show an action bar with Copy/Cut/Paste options. I can intercept long-press to show my own action bar, but then I do not get the text selection handles displayed.

Once I have started my own ActionMode how do I get the text selection handles displayed?

Here is the code I'm using to start the ActionMode, which works except there are no text selection handles displayed:

public boolean onLongClick(View v) {
    if(actionMode == null)
        actionMode = startActionMode(new QuoteCallback());
    return true;
}

class QuoteCallback implements ActionMode.Callback {

    public boolean onCreateActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
        MenuInflater inflater = mode.getMenuInflater();
        inflater.inflate(R.menu.quote, menu);
        return true;
    }

    public boolean onPrepareActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
        return false;
    }

    public boolean onActionItemClicked(ActionMode mode, MenuItem item) {
        switch(item.getItemId()) {

        case R.id.quote:
            Log.d(TAG, "Selected menu");
            mode.finish();
            // here is where I would grab the selected text
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }

    public void onDestroyActionMode(ActionMode mode) {
        actionMode = null;
    }
}

Solution 1

I figured out the answer to my own question; TextView (and therefore EditText) has a method setCustomSelectionActionModeCallback() which should be used instead of startActionMode(). Using this enables customisation of the menu used by TextView for text selection. Sample code:

bodyView.setCustomSelectionActionModeCallback(new StyleCallback());

where StyleCallback customises the text selection menu by removing Select All and adding some styling actions:

class StyleCallback implements ActionMode.Callback {

    public boolean onCreateActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
        Log.d(TAG, "onCreateActionMode");
        MenuInflater inflater = mode.getMenuInflater();
        inflater.inflate(R.menu.style, menu);
        menu.removeItem(android.R.id.selectAll);
        return true;
    }

    public boolean onPrepareActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
        return false;
    }

    public boolean onActionItemClicked(ActionMode mode, MenuItem item) {
        Log.d(TAG, String.format("onActionItemClicked item=%s/%d", item.toString(), item.getItemId()));
        CharacterStyle cs;
        int start = bodyView.getSelectionStart();
        int end = bodyView.getSelectionEnd();
        SpannableStringBuilder ssb = new SpannableStringBuilder(bodyView.getText());

        switch(item.getItemId()) {

        case R.id.bold:
            cs = new StyleSpan(Typeface.BOLD);
            ssb.setSpan(cs, start, end, 1);
            bodyView.setText(ssb);
            return true;

        case R.id.italic:
            cs = new StyleSpan(Typeface.ITALIC);
            ssb.setSpan(cs, start, end, 1);
            bodyView.setText(ssb);
            return true;

        case R.id.underline:
            cs = new UnderlineSpan();
            ssb.setSpan(cs, start, end, 1);
            bodyView.setText(ssb);
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }

    public void onDestroyActionMode(ActionMode mode) {
    }
}

The XML for the menu additions is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:id="@+id/italic"
          android:showAsAction="always"
          android:icon="@drawable/italic"
          android:title="Italic"/>
    <item android:id="@+id/bold"
          android:showAsAction="always"
          android:icon="@drawable/bold"
          android:title="Bold"/>
    <item android:id="@+id/underline"
          android:showAsAction="always"
          android:icon="@drawable/underline"
          android:title="Underline"/>
</menu>

Solution 2

Above solution is good if you want to customize the options in action bar. But if you want to override action bar copy/Paste etc, below is the code...

public class MainActivity extends Activity {
    EditText editText;
    private ClipboardManager myClipboard;
    private ClipData myClip;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        myClipboard = (ClipboardManager) getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE);
        editText = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText3);

        myClipboard = (ClipboardManager) getSystemService(CLIPBOARD_SERVICE);
        editText = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText3);
        editText.setCustomSelectionActionModeCallback(new Callback() {

            @Override
            public boolean onPrepareActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                return false;
            }

            @Override
            public void onDestroyActionMode(ActionMode mode) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            }

            @Override
            public boolean onCreateActionMode(ActionMode mode, Menu menu) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                return true;
            }

            @Override
            public boolean onActionItemClicked(ActionMode mode, MenuItem item) {
                // TODO Auto-generated method stub
                switch (item.getItemId()) {
                case android.R.id.copy:
                    int min = 0;
                    int max = editText.getText().length();
                    if (editText.isFocused()) {
                        final int selStart = editText.getSelectionStart();
                        final int selEnd = editText.getSelectionEnd();

                        min = Math.max(0, Math.min(selStart, selEnd));
                        max = Math.max(0, Math.max(selStart, selEnd));
                    }
                    // Perform your definition lookup with the selected text
                    final CharSequence selectedText = editText.getText()
                            .subSequence(min, max);
                    String text = selectedText.toString();

                    myClip = ClipData.newPlainText("text", text);
                    myClipboard.setPrimaryClip(myClip);
                    Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Text Copied",
                            Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
                    // Finish and close the ActionMode
                    mode.finish();
                    return true;
                case android.R.id.cut:
                    // add your custom code to get cut functionality according
                    // to your requirement
                    return true;
                case android.R.id.paste:
                    // add your custom code to get paste functionality according
                    // to your requirement
                    return true;

                default:
                    break;
                }
                return false;
            }
        });         
    }    
}

Comments

[Maniac]

I'm trying the same, but because I add some more items, they don't fit in the ActionBar on phones. If I let them go to the overflow menu, the ActionMode is always destroyed as soon as I click on the overflow button. Did you encounter the same problem? Has anyone a workaround for it?

[thisiscrazy4]

Are we able to override methods for copy, share, web search etc. ?

[Clyde]

@thisiscrazy4 Dunno about override, but you can remove any pre-populated menu items then add your own.

[thisiscrazy4]

setCustomSelectionActionModeCallback() is only for TextView and EditText. Is there anything for WebView?

[Mahadevan Sreenivasan]

@Maniac Did you find a solution to this problem?

[Maniac]

No. Didn't have more ideas, so didn't try anything more.

[David]

This only works with API>10, is there something for lower APIs?

[Iman Marashi]

What is bodyView exactly?

[Clyde]

bodyView is the TextView that is showing the text being edited.

[Rahul]

Is there any way by which we can do this on a button cliick, like.. i have a textview, which is selectable. i want to launch the defaultactionmode associated wit text view (with select all and copy), on click of a button. I cant use performLongClick () of textview as, it is already overridden. Is there any possibility to acheive this? I tried startActionMode(), but it opens with a blank action bar.

[Admin]

@Maniac I have the same problem right now. Did you solve it? I have about 6 items and not all are showing. and Clyde: Do your copy/paste/cut functions still work after this customization?

[Admin]

I followed your solution and it workd almost. The only catch is that not all of my custom items is showing on the text selection toolbar. Anyway to implement a horizontal list to it? and the other thing is that the default functions like copy/paste, they dont work anymore, but the icons is showing, is it possible to reactive them again?

[Mina Dahesh]

@Clyde i do so for my app, thanks.if i want to use Toast in this class, how can i define it?

[Clyde]

@MinaDahesh Your question is completely orthogonal to the topic of this answer. To learn how to use Toast I recommend you read the Toast Developer Guide.

[Mina Dahesh]

@Clyde. i've one question, as i use this code, i can't use the the default menu btns like copy and paste... why ? and how can i solve it?

[Mina Dahesh]

@Clyde. this is the link of my question- would you please check it? stackoverflow.com/questions/37052973/…

[shivamDev31]

@Clyde - How you are getting reference to bodyView in StyleCallback class?

[n-y]

and dont forget bodyView.setTextIsSelectable(true);