What am I doing wrong with my handling of Contex ( Java - Android)

Question

I made a class (first block of code) that take in a bunch of data, creates 3 TextViews and then returns a RelativeLayout with all three them as children. Do accomplish this I needed to make the constructor of the class take in a argument for 'Context' since I need 'Context' to create the TextView. However when I try to create the class and pass in context (through getApplicationContex)I get an error (please see the log below in the second block of code)

Class:

package com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer;
//These imports are used to setup the android widgets that the class generates
import android.content.Context;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.RelativeLayout;

//Imports for the date handling in the createPartTwo method
import java.util.Date;
import org.joda.time.DateTime;
import java.util.GregorianCalendar;
import org.joda.time.Interval;
import org.joda.time.Period;



public class ToDoItem {
    //Context Variable
    private Context con;
    // Variable Storage for the three different TextView instances
    private TextView firstElement = new TextView(con);
    private TextView secondElement = new TextView(con);
    private TextView thirdElement = new TextView(con);
    //Class Version (to prevent errors in serialization
    public final double version = 1.0;
    //Calaender input variable
    private DateTime finalInputDate;
    //Main Return Variable
    private RelativeLayout finalLayout = new RelativeLayout(con);

    /**
     * This is the main public constructor method of the class
     * @param c The current context of the program
     */
    public ToDoItem(Context c){
        con = c;
    }

    /**
     * This method calls the create method on all three other views and cobines them into a view container
     * @param eventName Name of the event for the first text box
     * @param className Name of the class for the third text box
     * @param year Year of the end of the timer
     * @param month Month of the end of the timer
     * @param day Day of the end of the timer
     * @param hour Hour of the end of the timer
     * @param minute Minute of the end of the timer
     */
    public RelativeLayout createViews(String eventName, String className, int year, int month, int day, int hour, int minute){
        firstElement = createPartOne(eventName);
        secondElement= createPartTwo(year, month, day, hour, minute);
        thirdElement = createPartThree(className);
        finalLayout.addView(firstElement);
        finalLayout.addView(secondElement);
        finalLayout.addView(thirdElement);
        //TODO Finish this method, so that the layout looks nice when its returned
        return finalLayout;
    }

    /**
     * The next three methods are the main constructors of the elements of the class. These methods
     * create the various TextView that get put together in the later methods
     */

    /**
     *Creates a TextView with from the given string
     * @param title Title used for the Text View
     * @return  Returns a TextView Instance
     */
    public TextView createPartOne(String title){
        //Create and apply the various properties to the new TextView before returning it
        //TODO add some more configuration code in here once we see what the feild looks like
        TextView tempText = new TextView(con);
        tempText.setText(title);
        tempText.setHeight(150);
        tempText.setWidth(950);
        tempText.setTextSize(40);
        tempText.setTextAlignment(View.TEXT_ALIGNMENT_CENTER);
        return tempText;
    }

    /**
     * Sets up the second TextView for the block. This one contains the countdown timer to the
     * date passed into it
     * @param year Int number representing the year
     * @param month Int number representing the month
     * @param day Int number representing the day
     * @param hour Int number representing the hour
     * @param minute Int number representing the minute
     * @return Returns a TextView with the specified countdown timer
     */
    public TextView createPartTwo(int year, int month, int day, int hour, int minute){
        //Construct the current time
        Date currentDate = new Date();
        DateTime currentTime = new DateTime(currentDate);
        //Construct the inputed time
        GregorianCalendar input = new GregorianCalendar();
        input.set(year, month, day, hour, minute);
        DateTime inputTime = new DateTime(input.getTime());
        finalInputDate = inputTime.toDateTime();
        //Do the Comparison
        Interval timeBet = new Interval(inputTime, currentTime);
        //Create the Ui Element
        TextView tempText = new TextView(con);
        Period outputTime = timeBet.toPeriod();
        //Formating stuff down here (really borring, and propaly has the bug your looking for)
        int outcome;
        if(outputTime.getYears()<1 && outputTime.getMonths()<1 && outputTime.getDays()<1 && outputTime.getHours()<1){
            tempText.setText(outputTime.getMinutes() + " Minutes");
            outcome = 0;
        }
        if(outputTime.getYears()<1 && outputTime.getMonths()<1 && outputTime.getDays()<1){
            tempText.setText(outputTime.getHours() + " Hours " + outputTime.getMinutes() + " Minutes ");
            outcome = 1;
        }
        if(outputTime.getYears()<1 && outputTime.getMonths()<1){
            tempText.setText(outputTime.getDays() + " Days " + outputTime.getHours() + " Hours " +
                outputTime.getMinutes() + " Minutes ");
            outcome = 2;
        }
        if(outputTime.getYears() < 1){
            tempText.setText(outputTime.getMonths() + " Months " + outputTime.getDays()
                    + " Days " + outputTime.getHours() + " Hours " + outputTime.getMinutes() + " Minutes ");
            outcome = 3;
        }
        else{
            tempText.setText( outputTime.getYears() + " Years " + outputTime.getMonths() +
                    " Months " + outputTime.getDays() + " Days " + outputTime.getHours()
                    + " Hours " + outputTime.getMinutes() + " Minutes ");
            outcome = 4;
        }
        //Setup the basics of the textView
        tempText.setWidth(950);
        tempText.setHeight(250);
        //Modify the Text box further according to the outcome variable. Bigger amounts of numbers need smaller font
        if(outcome == 0){
            tempText.setTextSize(25);
        }
        if(outcome == 1){
            tempText.setTextSize(20);
        }
        if(outcome == 2 ){
            tempText.setTextSize(15);
        }
        if(outcome == 3){
            tempText.setTextSize(10);
        }
        if(outcome == 4){
            tempText.setTextSize(5);
        }
        //Return tempText
        return tempText;
    }

    /**
     * This method creates the class name box, the last of the three
     * @param className Name of the school class provided by the user
     * @return Returns a TextView with the passed in text in it
     */
    public TextView createPartThree(String className){
        TextView tempText = new TextView(con);
        tempText.setText(className);
        tempText.setHeight(125);
        tempText.setWidth(950);
        tempText.setTextSize(30);
        tempText.setTextAlignment(View.TEXT_ALIGNMENT_CENTER);
        return tempText;
    }

    /**
     * The following methods are for the utility of the class
     */
    public void updatePartTwo(){
        createPartTwo(finalInputDate.getYear(), finalInputDate.getMonthOfYear(), finalInputDate.getDayOfMonth(),
                finalInputDate.getHourOfDay(), finalInputDate.getMinuteOfHour());
    }

}

And here is the error log:

01-30 23:22:02.077  13627-13627/com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer E/AndroidRuntime﹕ FATAL EXCEPTION: main
        Process: com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer, PID: 13627
        java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer/com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer.MainScreen}: java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtual method 'android.content.res.Resources android.content.Context.getResources()' on a null object reference
                at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2298)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2360)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.access$800(ActivityThread.java:144)
                at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1278)
                at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
                at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:135)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5221)
                at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
                at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:372)
                at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:899)
                at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:694)
         Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtual method 'android.content.res.Resources android.content.Context.getResources()' on a null object reference
                at android.view.ViewConfiguration.get(ViewConfiguration.java:359)
                at android.view.View.<init>(View.java:3580)
                at android.view.View.<init>(View.java:3675)
                at android.widget.TextView.<init>(TextView.java:634)
                at android.widget.TextView.<init>(TextView.java:629)
                at android.widget.TextView.<init>(TextView.java:625)
                at android.widget.TextView.<init>(TextView.java:621)
                at com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer.ToDoItem.<init>(ToDoItem.java:26)
                at com.pp.camry.schoolprojectorganizer.MainScreen.onCreate(MainScreen.java:19)
                at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:5933)
                at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1105)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2251)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2360)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.access$800(ActivityThread.java:144)
                at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1278)
                at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
                at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:135)
                at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5221)
                at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
                at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:372)
                at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:899)
                at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:694)

and here is the call that is cuasing the error:

ToDoItem test = new ToDoItem(getApplicationContext());

If I understand the error my code is giving me then it seems that my call for context is returning a null object. I however don't understand why this is happening. Any help would be greatly apprecitated, and just a heads up this is my first android app so if I am missing something heavily evident or simple

Solution 1

NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtual method 'android.content.res.Resources android.content.Context.getResources()' on a null object reference

Because firstElement,secondElement and thirdElement TextView's is created using con before calling class constructor in which you are initializing con . do it as:

private TextView firstElement,secondElement,thirdElement;
public ToDoItem(Context c){
        con = c;
        firstElement= new TextView(con);
        secondElement = new TextView(con);
        thirdElement = new TextView(con);
    }

Suggestion: Use current application component context instead of getApplicationContext() to create Views.

ToDoItem test = new ToDoItem(ActivityName.this);

Solution 2

Never initialize class members with data that is not constant or already set.

You are creating the objects using a reference to the Context before the actual constructor of the class is called and the context is set.

public ToDoItem(Context c){
    con = c;
    firstElement = new TextView(con);
    secondElement = new TextView(con);
    thirdElement = new TextView(con);
}