How can I get the primary color from my app theme?

Question

In my Android java code, how can I reference the color "colorPrimary" set in my theme?

I have the following theme definition:

<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="AppBaseTheme">

    <item name="colorPrimary">@color/myColor1</item>
    <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/myColor2</item>      
    <item name="colorControlNormal">@color/myColor3</item>
    <item name="colorControlActivated">@color/myColor4</item>

</style>

I could reference the color resource directly (R.color.myColor1), but I would prefer to reference the theme's primaryColor setting, so that it stays consistent if the colorPrimary changes in the future.

Is this possible?

Solution 1

Use this:

TypedValue typedValue = new TypedValue();
getTheme().resolveAttribute(R.attr.colorPrimary, typedValue, true);
int color = typedValue.data;

Solution 2

You can get your current primary (or primaryVariant, etc) color by using ?attr/colorPrimary as the color in XML.

For example, I have a SVG and I need to set the background same as my current primary color. So I can do this like:

<path
        android:fillColor="?attr/colorPrimary"
        android:pathData="M0,0h800v800h-800z" />

Even if you change the theme, the background color will automatically change as well.

Comments

[Mayec]

That seems to be getting a different color, which looks like a generic android blue. Could it be that getTheme() is getting the default theme, not the one that's actually defined for the app?

[ByteHamster]

Oh sorry. If you use this snipped outside of onCreate, you need to use mActivity.getTheme(). (onCerate: mActivity = this)

[Mayec]

I am calling it inside a method of the main Activity (let's call it "myListActivity"). So, the call happens in myListActivity.myMethod(). In this case, wouldn't it also be that this = myListActivity?

[JavierSegoviaCordoba]

It should work. I used it a lot of times inside fragment which is inside other fragment and zero problems. If you can, call directly with gettheme if not, MainActivity.getTheme... Or getactivity.getTheme...

[ByteHamster]

@Mayec If my answer helped you, it would be great if you could mark it as accepted answer :)

[Mayec]

@ByteHamster It's hard to be sure now, 5 months later, but I seem to remember that I never managed to make your solution work, which is why I didn't mark it as accepted answer. In any case, thank you ByteHamster, I appreciate your help.

[n_r]

@Mayec / for anyone facing this problem now - try using typedValue.resourceId, that worked for me.

[Alex Huiculescu]

For anyone getting a different color, please check that the R class is your application's resources class, and not the android.R class

[gregn3]

@Mayec @ AlexHuiculescu I had this issue too, check that you are setting the correct theme and overriding colorPrimary , colorPrimaryDark in your custom child theme.