AsyncTaskLoader Fun.

gistfile1.txt

public class SampleLoader extends AsyncTaskLoader<List<SampleItem>> {

  // We hold a reference to the Loader’s data here.
  private List<SampleItem> mData;

  public SampleLoader(Context ctx) {
    // Loaders may be used across multiple Activitys (assuming they aren't
    // bound to the LoaderManager), so NEVER hold a reference to the context
    // directly. Doing so will cause you to leak an entire Activity's context.
    // The superclass constructor will store a reference to the Application
    // Context instead, and can be retrieved with a call to getContext().
    super(ctx);
  }

  /****************************************************/
  /** (1) A task that performs the asynchronous load **/
  /****************************************************/

  @Override
  public List<SampleItem> loadInBackground() {
    // This method is called on a background thread and should generate a
    // new set of data to be delivered back to the client.
    List<SampleItem> data = new ArrayList<SampleItem>();

    // TODO: Perform the query here and add the results to 'data'.

    return data;
  }

  /********************************************************/
  /** (2) Deliver the results to the registered listener **/
  /********************************************************/

  @Override
  public void deliverResult(List<SampleItem> data) {
    if (isReset()) {
      // The Loader has been reset; ignore the result and invalidate the data.
      releaseResources(data);
      return;
    }

    // Hold a reference to the old data so it doesn't get garbage collected.
    // We must protect it until the new data has been delivered.
    List<SampleItem> oldData = mData;
    mData = data;

    if (isStarted()) {
      // If the Loader is in a started state, deliver the results to the
      // client. The superclass method does this for us.
      super.deliverResult(data);
    }

    // Invalidate the old data as we don't need it any more.
    if (oldData != null && oldData != data) {
      releaseResources(oldData);
    }
  }

  /*********************************************************/
  /** (3) Implement the Loader’s state-dependent behavior **/
  /*********************************************************/

  @Override
  protected void onStartLoading() {
    if (mData != null) {
      // Deliver any previously loaded data immediately.
      deliverResult(mData);
    }

    // Begin monitoring the underlying data source.
    if (mObserver == null) {
      mObserver = new SampleObserver();
      // TODO: register the observer
    }

    if (takeContentChanged() || mData == null) {
      // When the observer detects a change, it should call onContentChanged()
      // on the Loader, which will cause the next call to takeContentChanged()
      // to return true. If this is ever the case (or if the current data is
      // null), we force a new load.
      forceLoad();
    }
  }

  @Override
  protected void onStopLoading() {
    // The Loader is in a stopped state, so we should attempt to cancel the 
    // current load (if there is one).
    cancelLoad();

    // Note that we leave the observer as is. Loaders in a stopped state
    // should still monitor the data source for changes so that the Loader
    // will know to force a new load if it is ever started again.
  }

  @Override
  protected void onReset() {
    // Ensure the loader has been stopped.
    onStopLoading();

    // At this point we can release the resources associated with 'mData'.
    if (mData != null) {
      releaseResources(mData);
      mData = null;
    }

    // The Loader is being reset, so we should stop monitoring for changes.
    if (mObserver != null) {
      // TODO: unregister the observer
      mObserver = null;
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void onCanceled(List<SampleItem> data) {
    // Attempt to cancel the current asynchronous load.
    super.onCanceled(data);

    // The load has been canceled, so we should release the resources
    // associated with 'data'.
    releaseResources(data);
  }

  private void releaseResources(List<SampleItem> data) {
    // For a simple List, there is nothing to do. For something like a Cursor, we 
    // would close it in this method. All resources associated with the Loader
    // should be released here.
  }

  /*********************************************************************/
  /** (4) Observer which receives notifications when the data changes **/
  /*********************************************************************/
 
  // NOTE: Implementing an observer is outside the scope of this post (this example
  // uses a made-up "SampleObserver" to illustrate when/where the observer should 
  // be initialized). 
  
  // The observer could be anything so long as it is able to detect content changes
  // and report them to the loader with a call to onContentChanged(). For example,
  // if you were writing a Loader which loads a list of all installed applications
  // on the device, the observer could be a BroadcastReceiver that listens for the
  // ACTION_PACKAGE_ADDED intent, and calls onContentChanged() on the particular 
  // Loader whenever the receiver detects that a new application has been installed.
  // Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you still find this confusing! :)
  private SampleObserver mObserver;
}