Template-ish code for returning a user to the correct position within a ListView in an Android application.

ClassWithListView.java

public class ClassWithListView {
    /**
     * The last index in the list that the user was at.
     */
    private int lastIndex = -1;

    /**
     * Used with lastIndex to match the exact offset.
     */
    private int lastIndexOffset = 0;

    /**
     * Restores the position that the list was at using lastIndex and
     * lastIndexOffset.
     * 
     * Remarks:
     *   Works with dynamic lists as well.
     */
    public void restoreListPosition() {
        // Use your list's layout here.
        final FrameworkListView list = this.getView(R.id.list_layout);

        if (null == list) {
            return;
        }

        list.post(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                int count = list.getAdapter().getCount();
                if (count <= ClassWithListView.this.lastIndex) {
                    list.setSelection(count - 1);
                } else {
                    // Using -1 to show that it's been used. (If you're working
                    // with a list that dynamically adds items - aka reaching
                    // the bottom calls for more - we will keep jumping to the
                    // bottom until the item we were last at is finally
                    // on-screen. When a user goes further down the list and
                    // more items are dynamically added, this will be called
                    // again. If we don't use the -1 logic, it can result
                    // in the user being jumped back up to the previous index,
                    // which is mighty annoying).
                    if (-1 != ClassWithListView.this.lastIndex) {
                        list.setSelectionFromTop(
                            ClassWithListView.this.lastIndex,
                            ClassWithListView.this.lastIndexOffset);

                        ClassWithListView.this.lastIndex = -1;
                    }
                }
            };
        });
    }

    /**
     * Keeping track of the last viewed position.
     * 
     * References:
     *   http://stackoverflow.com/a/8716689/435460
     *   http://stackoverflow.com/a/3035521/435460
     *   http://stackoverflow.com/a/5688490/435460
     */
    public void saveListPosition() {
        final FrameworkListView list = this.getView(R.id.list_layout);

        if (null == list) {
            return;
        }

        this.lastIndex = list.getFirstVisiblePosition();

        View childToGetOffset = list.getChildAt(0);
        this.lastIndexOffset = (null == childToGetOffset)
            ? 0
            : childToGetOffset.getTop();
    }



    @Override
    public void onResume() {
        super.onResume();

        // This is (most-likely) the point when we want to call to return to
        // the correct position. If it doesn't work, then there's likely code
        // that's executing after this which updates the list.
        this.restoreListPosition();
    }

    @Override
    public void onPause() {
        // This is where we save the index position for when we return to the
        // list.
        this.saveListPosition();
        super.onPause();
    }
}