</li>
<li><a href="#IntentForSuggestions">Declaring an Intent for Suggestions</a>
<ol>
- <li><a href="#IntentAction">Declaring the Intent action</a></li>
- <li><a href="#IntentData">Declaring the Intent data</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#IntentAction">Declaring the intent action</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#IntentData">Declaring the intent data</a></li>
</ol>
</li>
<li><a href="#HandlingIntent">Handling the Intent</a></li>
</div>
</div>
-<p>When using the Android search dialog, you can provide custom search suggestions that are
-created from data in your application. For example, if your application is a word
+<p>When using the Android search dialog or search widget, you can provide custom search suggestions
+that are created from data in your application. For example, if your application is a word
dictionary, you can suggest words from the
dictionary that match the text entered so far. These are the most valuable suggestions, because you
can effectively predict what the user wants and provide instant access to it. Figure 1 shows
Search Box, providing access to your content from outside your application.</p>
<p>Before you begin with this guide to add custom suggestions, you need to have implemented the
-Android search dialog for searches in your
-application. If you haven't, see <a href="search-dialog.html">Using the Android Search
-Dialog</a>.</p>
+Android search dialog or a search widget for searches in your
+application. If you haven't, see <a href="search-dialog.html">Creating a Search Interface</a>.</p>
<h2 id="TheBasics">The Basics</h2>
search suggestions.</p>
</div>
-<p>When the user selects a custom suggestion, the Search Manager sends an {@link
+<p>When the user selects a custom suggestion, the Android system sends an {@link
android.content.Intent} to
-your searchable Activity. Whereas a normal search query sends an Intent with the {@link
+your searchable activity. Whereas a normal search query sends an intent with the {@link
android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} action, you can instead define your custom suggestions to use
-{@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_VIEW} (or any other Intent action), and also include data
+{@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_VIEW} (or any other intent action), and also include data
that's relevant to the selected suggestion. Continuing
the dictionary example, when the user selects a suggestion, your application can immediately
open the definition for that word, instead of searching the dictionary for matches.</p>
<p>To provide custom suggestions, do the following:</p>
<ul>
- <li>Implement a basic searchable Activity, as described in <a
-href="search-dialog.html">Using the Android Search Dialog</a>.</li>
+ <li>Implement a basic searchable activity, as described in <a
+href="search-dialog.html">Creating a Search Interface</a>.</li>
<li>Modify the searchable configuration with information about the content provider that
provides custom suggestions.</li>
<li>Build a table (such as in an {@link android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase}) for your
suggestion (including a custom action and custom data). </li>
</ul>
-<p>Just like the Search Manager displays the search dialog, it also displays your search
-suggestions. All you need is a content provider from which the Search Manager can retrieve your
+<p>Just as the Android system displays the search dialog, it also displays your search
+suggestions. All you need is a content provider from which the system can retrieve your
suggestions. If you're not familiar with creating content
providers, read the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/providers/content-providers.html">Content
Providers</a> developer guide before you continue.</p>
-<p>When the Search Manager identifies that your Activity is searchable and provides search
-suggestions, the following procedure takes place as soon as the user enters text into the
-search dialog:</p>
+<p>When the system identifies that your activity is searchable and provides search
+suggestions, the following procedure takes place when the user types a query:</p>
<ol>
- <li>Search Manager takes the search query text (whatever has been typed so far) and performs a
+ <li>The system takes the search query text (whatever has been typed so far) and performs a
query to your content provider that manages your suggestions.</li>
<li>Your content provider returns a {@link android.database.Cursor} that points to all
suggestions that are relevant to the search query text.</li>
- <li>Search Manager displays the list of suggestions provided by the Cursor.</li>
+ <li>The system displays the list of suggestions provided by the Cursor.</li>
</ol>
<p>Once the custom suggestions are displayed, the following might happen:</p>
<li>If the user types another key, or changes the query in any way, the above steps are repeated
and the suggestion list is updated as appropriate. </li>
<li>If the user executes the search, the suggestions are ignored and the search is delivered
-to your searchable Activity using the normal {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH}
-Intent.</li>
- <li>If the user selects a suggestion, an Intent is sent to your searchable Activity, carrying a
+to your searchable activity using the normal {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH}
+intent.</li>
+ <li>If the user selects a suggestion, an intent is sent to your searchable activity, carrying a
custom action and custom data so that your application can open the suggested content.</li>
</ul>
</searchable>
</pre>
-<p>You might need some additional attributes, depending on the type of Intent you attach
+<p>You might need some additional attributes, depending on the type of intent you attach
to each suggestion and how you want to format queries to your content provider. The other optional
attributes are discussed in the following sections.</p>
href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/providers/content-providers.html">Content Provider</a> developer
guide. For the most part, a content provider for custom suggestions is the
same as any other content provider. However, for each suggestion you provide, the respective row in
-the {@link android.database.Cursor} must include specific columns that the Search Manager
+the {@link android.database.Cursor} must include specific columns that the system
understands and uses to format the suggestions.</p>
-<p>When the user starts typing into the search dialog, the Search Manager queries your content
-provider for suggestions by calling {@link
+<p>When the user starts typing into the search dialog or search widget, the system queries
+your content provider for suggestions by calling {@link
android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String) query()} each time
a letter is typed. In your implementation of {@link
android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String) query()}, your
two sections:</p>
<dl>
<dt><a href="#HandlingSuggestionQuery">Handling the suggestion query</a></dt>
- <dd>How the Search Manager sends requests to your content provider and how to handle them</dd>
+ <dd>How the system sends requests to your content provider and how to handle them</dd>
<dt><a href="#SuggestionTable">Building a suggestion table</a></dt>
- <dd>How to define the columns that the Search Manager expects in the {@link
+ <dd>How to define the columns that the system expects in the {@link
android.database.Cursor} returned with each query</dd>
</dl>
<h3 id="HandlingSuggestionQuery">Handling the suggestion query</h3>
-<p>When the Search Manager requests suggestions from your content provider, it calls your content
+<p>When the system requests suggestions from your content provider, it calls your content
provider's {@link android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String)
query()} method. You must
implement this method to search your suggestion data and return a
{@link android.database.Cursor} pointing to the suggestions you deem relevant.</p>
-<p>Here's a summary of the parameters that the Search Manager passes to your {@link
+<p>Here's a summary of the parameters that the system passes to your {@link
android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String) query()} method
(listed in order):</p>
content://<em>your.authority</em>/<em>optional.suggest.path</em>/<em>{@link
android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_URI_PATH_QUERY}</em>
</pre>
-<p>The default behavior is for Search Manager to pass this URI and append it with the query text.
+<p>The default behavior is for system to pass this URI and append it with the query text.
For example:</p>
<pre class="no-pretty-print">
content://<em>your.authority</em>/<em>optional.suggest.path</em>/<em>{@link
<dd>Always null</dd>
</dl>
-<p>The Search Manager can send you the search query text in two ways. The
+<p>The system can send you the search query text in two ways. The
default manner is for the query text to be included as the last path of the content
URI passed in the {@code uri} parameter. However, if you include a selection value in your
searchable configuration's {@code
String query = uri.getLastPathSegment().toLowerCase();
</pre>
-<p>This returns the last segment of the {@link android.net.Uri}, which is the query text entered in
-the search dialog.</p>
+<p>This returns the last segment of the {@link android.net.Uri}, which is the query text entered
+by the user.</p>
{@code selection} and {@code selectionArgs} parameters to carry the appropriate values. In such a
case, add the {@code android:searchSuggestSelection} attribute to your searchable configuration with
your SQLite selection string. In the selection string, include a question mark ("?") as
-a placeholder for the actual search query. The Search Manager calls {@link
+a placeholder for the actual search query. The system calls {@link
android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String) query()} with the
selection string as the {@code selection} parameter and the search query as the first
element in the {@code selectionArgs} array.</p>
android:label="@string/app_label"
android:hint="@string/search_hint"
android:searchSuggestAuthority="com.example.MyCustomSuggestionProvider"
- android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.Intent.action.VIEW"
+ android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.intent.action.VIEW"
<b>android:searchSuggestSelection="word MATCH ?"</b>>
</searchable>
</pre>
<p>With this configuration, your {@link
android.content.ContentProvider#query(Uri,String[],String,String[],String) query()} method
-delivers the {@code selection} parameter as "word MATCH ?" and the {@code selectionArgs}
-parameter as whatever the user entered in the search dialog. When you pass these to an SQLite
+delivers the {@code selection} parameter as {@code "word MATCH ?"} and the {@code selectionArgs}
+parameter as the search query. When you pass these to an SQLite
{@link android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase#query(String,String[],String,String[],String,String,
String) query()} method, as their respective arguments, they are synthesized together (the
question mark is replaced with the query
question mark.</p>
<p>Another new attribute in the example above is {@code android:searchSuggestIntentAction}, which
-defines the Intent action sent with each Intent when the user selects a suggestion. It is
+defines the intent action sent with each intent when the user selects a suggestion. It is
discussed further in the section about <a href="#IntentForSuggestions">Declaring an Intent for
-suggestions</a>.</p>
+Suggestions</a>.</p>
<p class="note"><strong>Tip:</strong> If you don't want to define a selection clause in
the {@code android:searchSuggestSelection} attribute, but would still like to receive the query
<h2>Creating a Cursor without a table</h2>
<p>If your search suggestions are not stored in a table format (such as an SQLite table) using the
columns required by the
-Search Manager, then you can search your suggestion data for matches and then format them
+system, then you can search your suggestion data for matches and then format them
into the necessary table on each request. To do so, create a {@link android.database.MatrixCursor}
using the required column names and then add a row for each suggestion using {@link
android.database.MatrixCursor#addRow(Object[])}. Return the final product from your Content
</div>
</div>
-<p>When you return suggestions to the Search Manager with a {@link android.database.Cursor}, the
-Search Manager expects specific columns in each row. So, regardless of whether you
+<p>When you return suggestions to the system with a {@link android.database.Cursor}, the
+system expects specific columns in each row. So, regardless of whether you
decide to store
your suggestion data in an SQLite database on the device, a database on a web server, or another
format on the device or web, you must format the suggestions as rows in a table and
-present them with a {@link android.database.Cursor}. The Search
-Manager understands several columns, but only two are required:</p>
+present them with a {@link android.database.Cursor}. The system understands several columns, but
+only two are required:</p>
<dl>
<dt>{@link android.provider.BaseColumns#_ID}</dt>
- <dd>A unique integer row ID for each suggestion. The search dialog requires this in order
-to present suggestions in a ListView.</dd>
+ <dd>A unique integer row ID for each suggestion. The system requires this in order
+to present suggestions in a {@link android.widget.ListView}.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_TEXT_1}</dt>
<dd>The string that is presented as a suggestion.</dd>
</dl>
all suggestions are provided in an icon-plus-text format with the icon on the right side. This can
be null or zero to indicate no icon in this row.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION}</dt>
- <dd>An Intent action string. If this column exists and contains a value at the given row, the
-action defined here is used when forming the suggestion's Intent. If the element is not
+ <dd>An intent action string. If this column exists and contains a value at the given row, the
+action defined here is used when forming the suggestion's intent. If the element is not
provided, the action is taken from the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentAction} field in your
searchable configuration. If your action is the same for all
suggestions, it is more efficient to specify the action using {@code
android:searchSuggestIntentAction} and omit this column.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA}</dt>
<dd>A data URI string. If this column exists and contains a value at the given row, this is the
-data that is used when forming the suggestion's Intent. If the element is not provided, the data is
+data that is used when forming the suggestion's intent. If the element is not provided, the data is
taken from the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentData} field in your searchable configuration. If
neither source is provided,
-the Intent's data field is null. If your data is the same for all suggestions, or can be
+the intent's data field is null. If your data is the same for all suggestions, or can be
described using a constant part and a specific ID, it is more efficient to specify it using {@code
android:searchSuggestIntentData} and omit this column.
</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID}</dt>
<dd>A URI path string. If this column exists and contains a value at the given row, then "/" and
-this value is appended to the data field in the Intent. This should only be used if the data field
+this value is appended to the data field in the intent. This should only be used if the data field
specified
by the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentData} attribute in the searchable configuration has already
been set to an appropriate base string.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_EXTRA_DATA}</dt>
<dd>Arbitrary data. If this column exists and contains a value at a given row, this is the
-<em>extra</em> data used when forming the suggestion's Intent. If not provided, the
-Intent's extra data field is null. This column allows suggestions to provide additional data that is
-included as an extra in the Intent's {@link android.app.SearchManager#EXTRA_DATA_KEY} key.</dd>
+<em>extra</em> data used when forming the suggestion's intent. If not provided, the
+intent's extra data field is null. This column allows suggestions to provide additional data that is
+included as an extra in the intent's {@link android.app.SearchManager#EXTRA_DATA_KEY} key.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_QUERY}</dt>
<dd>If this column exists and this element exists at the given row, this is the data that is
-used when forming the suggestion's query, included as an extra in the Intent's {@link
+used when forming the suggestion's query, included as an extra in the intent's {@link
android.app.SearchManager#QUERY} key. Required if suggestion's action is {@link
android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH}, optional otherwise.</dd>
<dt>{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_SHORTCUT_ID}</dt>
-<h2 id="IntentForSuggestions">Declaring an Intent for suggestions</h2>
+<h2 id="IntentForSuggestions">Declaring an Intent for Suggestions</h2>
-<p>When the user selects a suggestion from the list that appears below the search dialog, the Search
-Manager sends a custom {@link android.content.Intent} to your searchable Activity. You must define
-the action and data for the Intent.</p>
+<p>When the user selects a suggestion from the list that appears below the search dialog or widget,
+the system sends a custom {@link android.content.Intent} to your searchable activity. You
+must define the action and data for the intent.</p>
-<h3 id="IntentAction">Declaring the Intent action</h3>
+<h3 id="IntentAction">Declaring the intent action</h3>
-<p>The most common Intent action for a custom suggestion is {@link
+<p>The most common intent action for a custom suggestion is {@link
android.content.Intent#ACTION_VIEW}, which is appropriate when
you want to open something, like the definition for a word, a person's contact information, or a web
-page. However, the Intent action can be any other action and can even be different for each
+page. However, the intent action can be any other action and can even be different for each
suggestion.</p>
-<p>Depending on whether you want all suggestions to use the same Intent action, you
+<p>Depending on whether you want all suggestions to use the same intent action, you
can define the action in two ways:</p>
<ol type="a">
default, then override this action for some suggestions by declaring a different action in the
{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION} column. If you do not include
a value in the {@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION} column, then the
-Intent provided in the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentAction} attribute is used.</p>
+intent provided in the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentAction} attribute is used.</p>
<p class="note"><strong>Note</strong>: If you do not include the
{@code android:searchSuggestIntentAction} attribute in your searchable configuration, then you
<em>must</em> include a value in the {@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION}
-column for every suggestion, or the Intent will fail.</p>
+column for every suggestion, or the intent will fail.</p>
-<h3 id="IntentData">Declaring Intent data</h3>
+<h3 id="IntentData">Declaring intent data</h3>
-<p>When the user selects a suggestion, your searchable Activity receives the Intent with the
-action you've defined (as discussed in the previous section), but the Intent must also carry
-data in order for your Activity to identify which suggestion was selected. Specifically,
+<p>When the user selects a suggestion, your searchable activity receives the intent with the
+action you've defined (as discussed in the previous section), but the intent must also carry
+data in order for your activity to identify which suggestion was selected. Specifically,
the data should be something unique for each suggestion, such as the row ID for the suggestion in
-your SQLite table. When the Intent is received,
+your SQLite table. When the intent is received,
you can retrieve the attached data with {@link android.content.Intent#getData()} or {@link
android.content.Intent#getDataString()}.</p>
-<p>You can define the data included with the Intent in two ways:</p>
+<p>You can define the data included with the intent in two ways:</p>
<ol type="a">
<li>Define the data for each suggestion inside the {@link
android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA} column of your suggestions table.
-<p>Provide all necessary data information for each Intent in the suggestions table by including the
+<p>Provide all necessary data information for each intent in the suggestions table by including the
{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA} column and then populating it with
-unique data for each row. The data from this column is attached to the Intent exactly as you
+unique data for each row. The data from this column is attached to the intent exactly as you
define it in this column. You can then retrieve it with with {@link
android.content.Intent#getData()} or {@link android.content.Intent#getDataString()}.</p>
</li>
<li>Fragment a data URI into two pieces: the portion common to all suggestions and the portion
-unique to each suggestion. Place these parts into the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentData}
+unique to each suggestion. Place these parts into the {@code android:searchSuggestintentData}
attribute of the searchable configuration and the {@link
android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID} column of your
suggestions table, respectively.
android:label="@string/app_label"
android:hint="@string/search_hint"
android:searchSuggestAuthority="com.example.MyCustomSuggestionProvider"
- android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.Intent.action.VIEW"
+ android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.intent.action.VIEW"
<b>android:searchSuggestIntentData="content://com.example/datatable"</b> >
</searchable>
</pre>
<p>Then include the final path for each suggestion (the unique part) in the {@link
android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID}
-column of your suggestions table. When the user selects a suggestion, the Search Manager takes
+column of your suggestions table. When the user selects a suggestion, the system takes
the string from {@code android:searchSuggestIntentData}, appends a slash ("/") and then adds the
respective value from the {@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID} column to
form a complete content URI. You can then retrieve the {@link android.net.Uri} with with {@link
<h4>Add more data</h4>
-<p>If you need to express even more information with your Intent, you can add another table column,
+<p>If you need to express even more information with your intent, you can add another table column,
{@link android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_EXTRA_DATA}, which can store additional
information about the suggestion. The data saved in this column is placed in {@link
-android.app.SearchManager#EXTRA_DATA_KEY} of the Intent's extra Bundle.</p>
+android.app.SearchManager#EXTRA_DATA_KEY} of the intent's extra Bundle.</p>
<h2 id="HandlingIntent">Handling the Intent</h2>
-<p>Now that your search dialog provides custom search suggestions with custom Intents, you
-need your searchable Activity to handle these Intents when the user selects a
+<p>Now that you provide custom search suggestions with custom intents, you
+need your searchable activity to handle these intents when the user selects a
suggestion. This is in addition to handling the {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent, which your searchable Activity already does.
-Here's an example of how you can handle the Intents during your Activity {@link
+android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent, which your searchable activity already does.
+Here's an example of how you can handle the intents during your activity {@link
android.app.Activity#onCreate(Bundle) onCreate()} callback:</p>
<pre>
}
</pre>
-<p>In this example, the Intent action is {@link
+<p>In this example, the intent action is {@link
android.content.Intent#ACTION_VIEW} and the data carries a complete URI pointing to the suggested
item, as synthesized by the {@code android:searchSuggestIntentData} string and {@link
android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_DATA_ID} column. The URI is then passed to the local
{@code showResult()} method that queries the content provider for the item specified by the URI.</p>
-<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> You do <em>not</em> need to add an Intent filter to your
-Android manifest file for the Intent action you defined with the {@code
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> You do <em>not</em> need to add an intent filter to your
+Android manifest file for the intent action you defined with the {@code
android:searchSuggestIntentAction} attribute or {@link
-android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION} column. The Search Manager opens your
-searchable Activity by name to deliver the suggestion's Intent, so the Activity does not need to
+android.app.SearchManager#SUGGEST_COLUMN_INTENT_ACTION} column. The system opens your
+searchable activity by name to deliver the suggestion's intent, so the activity does not need to
declare the accepted action.</p>
<h2 id="RewritingQueryText">Rewriting the query text</h2>
-<p>If the user navigates through the suggestions list using the directional controls (trackball or
-d-pad), the text in the search dialog won't change, by default. However, you can temporarily rewrite
-the user's query text as it appears in the text box with
+<p>If the user navigates through the suggestions list using the directional controls (such
+as with a trackball or d-pad), the query text does not update, by default. However, you
+can temporarily rewrite the user's query text as it appears in the text box with
a query that matches the suggestion currently in focus. This enables the user to see what query is
being suggested (if appropriate) and then select the search box and edit the query before
dispatching it as a search.</p>
android:label="@string/app_label"
android:hint="@string/search_hint"
android:searchSuggestAuthority="com.example.MyCustomSuggestionProvider"
- android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.Intent.action.VIEW"
+ android:searchSuggestIntentAction="android.intent.action.VIEW"
android:includeInGlobalSearch="true"
<b>android:searchSettingsDescription="@string/search_description"</b> >
</searchable>
<h3 id="ManagingShortcuts">Managing Quick Search Box suggestion shortcuts</h3>
<p>Suggestions that the user selects from Quick Search Box can be automatically made into shortcuts.
-These are suggestions that the Search Manager has copied from your content provider so it can
+These are suggestions that the system has copied from your content provider so it can
quickly access the suggestion without the need to re-query your content provider. </p>
<p>By default, this is enabled for all suggestions retrieved by Quick Search Box, but if your
-page.title=Using the Android Search Dialog
+page.title=Creating a Search Interface
parent.title=Search
parent.link=index.html
@jd:body
<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">
+
+ <h2>Quickview</h2>
+ <ul>
+ <li>The Android system sends search queries from the search dialog or widget to an activity you
+specify to perform searches and present results</li>
+ <li>You can put the search widget in the Action Bar, as an "action view," for quick
+access</li>
+ </ul>
+
+
<h2>In this document</h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#TheBasics">The Basics</a></li>
<li><a href="#SearchableConfiguration">Creating a Searchable Configuration</a></li>
<li><a href="#SearchableActivity">Creating a Searchable Activity</a>
<ol>
- <li><a href="#DeclaringSearchableActivity">Declaring a searchable Activity</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#DeclaringSearchableActivity">Declaring a searchable activity</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#EnableSearch">Enabling the search dialog and search widget</a></li>
<li><a href="#PerformingSearch">Performing a search</a></li>
</ol>
</li>
-<li><a href="#InvokingTheSearchDialog">Invoking the Search Dialog</a>
+<li><a href="#UsingTheSearchDialog">Using the Search Dialog</a>
+ <ol>
+ <li><a href="#LifeCycle">The impact of the search dialog on your activity lifecycle</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#SearchContextData">Passing search context data</a></li>
+ </ol>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#UsingSearchWidget">Using the Search Widget</a>
<ol>
- <li><a href="#LifeCycle">The impact of the search dialog on your Activity life-cycle</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#ConfiguringWidget">Configuring the search widget</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#WidgetFeatures">Other search widget features</a></li>
</ol>
</li>
-<li><a href="#SearchContextData">Passing Search Context Data</a></li>
<li><a href="#VoiceSearch">Adding Voice Search</a></li>
+<li><a href="#SearchSuggestions">Adding Search Suggestions</a></li>
</ol>
<h2>Key classes</h2>
<ol>
<li>{@link android.app.SearchManager}</li>
+<li>{@link android.widget.SearchView}</li>
</ol>
<h2>Related samples</h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/SearchableDictionary/index.html">Searchable
Dictionary</a></li>
+<li><a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/ApiDemos/src/com/example/android/apis/view/SearchViewActionBar.html">SearchView
+ in the Action Bar</a></li>
+<li><a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/ApiDemos/src/com/example/android/apis/view/SearchViewFilterMode.html">SearchView
+ filter mode</a></li>
</ol>
<h2>Downloads</h2>
</div>
</div>
-<p>When you want to implement search in your application, the last thing you should have to worry
-about is where to put the search box. When you implement search with the Android search framework,
-you don't have to. When the user invokes search, a search dialog appears at the top of the screen
-with your application icon to the left of the search box. When the user executes the search, your
-application receives the query so it can search your application's data. An example of the search
-dialog is shown in figure 1.</p>
+<p>When you're ready to add search functionality to your application, Android helps you implement
+the user interface with either a search dialog that appears at the top of the activity window or a
+search widget that you can insert in your layout. Both the search dialog and the widget can deliver
+the user's search query to a specific activity in your application. This way, the user can initiate
+a search from any activity where the search dialog or widget is available, and the system starts the
+appropriate activity to perform the search and present results.</p>
+
+<p>Other features available for the search dialog and widget include:</p>
-<p>This guide shows you how to set up your application to provide search in the search
-dialog. When you use the search dialog, you provide a standardized search
-experience and can add features such as voice search and search suggestions.</p>
+<ul>
+ <li>Voice search</li>
+ <li>Search suggestions based on recent queries</li>
+ <li>Search suggestions that match actual results in your application data</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>This guide shows you how to set up your application to provide a search interface
+that's assisted by the Android system to deliver search queries, using either the
+search dialog or the search widget.</p>
<h2 id="TheBasics">The Basics</h2>
<p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 1.</strong> Screenshot of an application's search dialog.</p>
</div>
-<p>The Android search framework manages the search dialog for your application. You never need
-to draw it or worry about where it is, and your Activity is not interrupted when the search dialog
-appears. The Search Manager ({@link android.app.SearchManager}) is the component that does this work
-for you. It manages the life of the search dialog and sends your application the user's search
-query.</p>
-
-<p>When the user executes a search, the Search Manager creates an {@link android.content.Intent} to
-pass the search query to the Activity that you've declared to handle searches. Basically, all you
-need is an Activity that receives the search Intent, performs the search, and presents the results.
-Specifically, you need the following:</p>
-
-<dl>
- <dt>A searchable configuration</dt>
- <dd>An XML file that configures the search dialog and includes settings for features such as voice
-search, search suggestion, and the hint text.</dd>
- <dt>A searchable Activity</dt>
- <dd>The {@link android.app.Activity} that receives the search query, then searches your data and
-displays the search results.</dd>
- <dt>A mechanism by which the user can invoke search</dt>
- <dd>The device search key invokes the search dialog, by default. However, a dedicated search key
-is not guaranteed on all devices, so provide another means by which the user can invoke a search,
-such as a search button in the Options Menu or elsewhere in the Activity UI.</dd>
-</dl>
-
+<p>Before you begin, you should decide whether you'll implement your search interface using the
+search dialog or the search widget. Both provide the same search features, but in slightly different
+ways:</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>The <strong>search dialog</strong> is a UI component that's controlled by the Android system.
+When activated by the user, the search dialog appears at the top of the activity, as shown in figure
+1.
+ <p>The Android system controls all events in the search dialog. When the user
+submits a query, the system delivers the query to the activity that you specify to
+handle searches. The dialog can also provide search suggestions while the user types.</p></li>
+
+ <li>The <strong>search widget</strong> is an instance of {@link android.widget.SearchView} that
+you can place anywhere in your layout. By default, the search widget behaves like a standard {@link
+android.widget.EditText} widget and doesn't do anything, but you can configure it so that the
+Android system handles all input events, delivers queries to the appropriate activity, and provides
+search suggestions (just like the search dialog). However, the search widget is available only in
+Android 3.0 (API Level 11) and higher.
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If you want, you can handle all user input into the
+search widget yourself, using various callback methods and listeners. This document, however,
+focuses on how to integrate the search widget with the system for an assisted search
+implementation. If you want to handle all user input yourself, read the reference documentation for
+{@link android.widget.SearchView} and its nested interfaces. </p></li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>When the user executes a search from the search dialog or a search widget, the system creates an
+{@link android.content.Intent} and stores the user query in it. The system then starts the activity
+that you've declared to handle searches (the "searchable activity") and delivers it the intent. To
+set up your application for this kind of assisted search, you need the following:</p>
+
+<ul>
+ <li>A searchable configuration
+ <p>An XML file that configures some settings for the search dialog or widget. It includes settings
+for features such as voice search, search suggestion, and hint text for the search box.</p></li>
+ <li>A searchable activity
+ <p>The {@link android.app.Activity} that receives the search query, searches your
+data, and displays the search results.</p></li>
+ <li>A search interface, provided by either:
+ <ul>
+ <li>The search dialog
+ <p>By default, the search dialog is hidden, but appears at the top of the screen when the
+user presses the device SEARCH button (when available) or another button in your user interface.</p>
+ </li>
+ <li>Or, a {@link android.widget.SearchView} widget
+ <p>Using the search widget allows you to put the search box anywhere in your activity.
+Instead of putting it in your activity layout, however, it's usually more convenient for users as an
+<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html#ActionView">action view in the Action Bar</a>.</p>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>The rest of this document shows you how to create the searchable configuration, searchable
+activity, and implement a search interface with either the search dialog or search widget.</p>
<h2 id="SearchableConfiguration">Creating a Searchable Configuration</h2>
-<p>The searchable configuration is an XML file that defines several settings for the search
-dialog in your application. This file is traditionally named {@code searchable.xml} and must be
-saved in the {@code res/xml/} project directory.</p>
+<p>The first thing you need is an XML file called the searchable configuration. It configures
+certain UI aspects of the search dialog or widget and defines how features such as suggestions and
+voice search behave. This file is traditionally named {@code searchable.xml} and must be saved in
+the {@code res/xml/} project directory.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> The system uses this file to instantiate a {@link
+android.app.SearchableInfo} object, but you cannot create this object yourself at
+runtime—you must declare the searchable configuration in XML.</p>
-<p>The file must consist of the {@code <searchable>} element as the root node and specify one
-or more attributes that configure your search dialog. For example:</p>
+<p>The searchable configuration file must include the <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/search/searchable-config.html#searchable-element">{@code
+<searchable>}</a> element as the root node and specify one
+or more attributes. For example:</p>
<pre>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
</searchable>
</pre>
-<p>The {@code android:label} attribute is the only required attribute and points to a string
-resource, which should be the same as the application name. This label isn't actually visible to the
-user until you enable suggestions for Quick Search Box, at which point, this label is visible in the
-list of Searchable items in the system Settings.</p>
+<p>The {@code android:label} attribute is the only required attribute. It points to a string
+resource, which should be the application name. This label isn't actually visible to the
+user until you enable search suggestions for Quick Search Box. At that point, this label is visible
+in the list of Searchable items in the system Settings.</p>
<p>Though it's not required, we recommend that you always include the {@code android:hint}
-attribute, which provides a hint string in the search dialog's text box before the user
-enters their query. The hint is important because it provides important clues to users about what
+attribute, which provides a hint string in the search box before users
+enters a query. The hint is important because it provides important clues to users about what
they can search.</p>
<p class="note"><strong>Tip:</strong> For consistency among other
Android applications, you should format the string for {@code android:hint} as "Search
-<em><content-or-product></em>". For example, "Search songs and artists" or "Search
+<content-or-product>". For example, "Search songs and artists" or "Search
YouTube".</p>
-<p>The {@code <searchable>} element accepts several other attributes. Most attributes apply
-only when configuring features such as search suggestions and voice search.</p>
-
-<p>For more details about the searchable configuration file, see the <a
-href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/search/searchable-config.html">Searchable Configuration</a>
-reference.</p>
+<p>The <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/search/searchable-config.html#searchable-element">{@code
+<searchable>}</a> element accepts several other attributes. However, you don't need
+most attributes until you add features such as <a href="#SearchSuggestions">search suggestions</a>
+and <a href="#VoiceSearch">voice search</a>. For detailed information about the searchable
+configuration file, see the <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/search/searchable-config.html">Searchable Configuration</a> reference
+document.</p>
<h2 id="SearchableActivity">Creating a Searchable Activity</h2>
-<p>When the user executes a search from the search dialog, the Search Manager takes the query
-and sends it to your searchable {@link android.app.Activity} in the {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} {@link android.content.Intent}. Your searchable Activity
-then searches your data using the query and presents the results to the user.</p>
+<p>A searchable activity is the {@link android.app.Activity} in your application that performs
+searches based on a query string and presents the search results.</p>
+
+<p>When the user executes a search in the search dialog or widget, the system starts your
+searchable activity and delivers it the search query in an {@link
+android.content.Intent} with the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} action. Your
+searchable activity retrieves the query from the intent's {@link android.app.SearchManager#QUERY
+QUERY} extra, then searches your data and presents the results.</p>
-<p>In order for the Search Manager to know where to deliver the search query, you must declare your
-searchable Activity in the Android manifest file.</p>
+<p>Because you may include the search dialog or widget in any other activity in your application,
+the system must know which activity is your searchable activity, so it can properly deliver the
+search query. So, you must first declare your searchable activity in the Android manifest file.</p>
-<h3 id="DeclaringSearchableActivity">Declaring a searchable Activity</h3>
+<h3 id="DeclaringSearchableActivity">Declaring a searchable activity</h3>
-<p>If you don't have one already, create an {@link android.app.Activity} that performs
-searches and present search results. To set up this Activity as your searchable Activity:</p>
+<p>If you don't have one already, create an {@link android.app.Activity} that will perform
+searches and present results. You don't need to implement the search functionality yet—just
+create an activity that you can declare in the manifest. Inside the manifest's <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">{@code <activity>}</a>
+element:</p>
<ol>
- <li>Declare the Activity to accept the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} {@link
-android.content.Intent}, in an <a
-href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html">{@code <intent-filter>}</a>
+ <li>Declare the activity to accept the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent, in an
+<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html">{@code
+<intent-filter>}</a>
element.</li>
- <li>Apply the searchable configuration, in a <a
+ <li>Specify the searchable configuration to use, in a <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
element.</li>
</ol>
<pre>
<application ... >
- <activity android:name=".MySearchableActivity" >
+ <activity android:name=".SearchableActivity" >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH" />
</intent-filter>
reference to the searchable configuration file (in this example, it
refers to the {@code res/xml/searchable.xml} file).</p>
-<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> The {@code <intent-filter>} does not need a <a
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> The <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html">{@code
+<intent-filter>}</a> does not need a <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/category-element.html">{@code <category>}</a> with the
-{@code DEFAULT} value, because the Search Manager delivers the {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent explicitly to your searchable Activity by name.</p>
-
-<p>The search dialog is not, by default, available from every Activity of your
-application. Rather, the search dialog is presented to users only when they
-invoke search from a searchable context of your application. A searchable context is any Activity
-for which you have
-declared searchable meta-data in the manifest file. For example, the searchable Activity itself
-(declared in the manifest snippet above) is
-a searchable context because it includes meta-data that defines the
-searchable configuration. Any other Activity in your application is not a searchable context, by
-default, and thus, does not reveal the search dialog. However, you probably do want the search
-dialog available from your other activities (and to launch the searchable Activity when the user
-executes a search). You can do exactly that.</p>
-
-<p>If you want all of your activities to provide the search dialog, add another {@code
-<meta-data>} element inside the {@code
-<application>} element. Use this element to declare the existing searchable Activity as the
-default searchable Activity. For example:</p>
-
-<pre>
-<application ... >
- <activity android:name=".MySearchableActivity" >
- <intent-filter>
- <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH" />
- </intent-filter>
- <meta-data android:name="android.app.searchable"
- android:resource="@xml/searchable"/>
- </activity>
- <activity android:name=".AnotherActivity" ... >
- </activity>
- <!-- declare the default searchable Activity for the whole app -->
- <b><meta-data android:name="android.app.default_searchable"
- android:value=".MySearchableActivity" /></b>
- ...
-</application>
-</pre>
+{@code DEFAULT} value (which you usually see in <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">{@code <activity>}</a> elements),
+because the system delivers the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent explicitly to
+your searchable activity, using its component name.</p>
-<p>The {@code <meta-data>} element with the {@code android:name} attribute value of
-{@code "android.app.default_searchable"} specifies a default searchable Activity for the context in
-which it is placed (which, in this case, is the entire application). The searchable Activity to
-use is specified with the {@code android:value} attribute. All other activities in the
-application, such as {@code AnotherActivity}, are now considered a searchable context and can invoke
-the search dialog. When a search is executed, {@code MySearchableActivity} is launched to handle
-the search query.</p>
-
-<p>You can also control which activities provide search at a more granular level.
-To specify only an individual Activity as a searchable context, place the {@code
-<meta-data>} with the {@code
-"android.app.default_searchable"} name inside the respective {@code <activity>}
-element (rather than inside the {@code <application>} element). While uncommon, you
-can also create more than one searchable Activity and provide each one in different contexts of your
-application, either by declaring a different searchable Activity in each {@code <activity>}
-element, or by declaring a default searchable Activity for the entire application and then
-overriding it with a {@code <meta-data>} element inside certain activities. (You might do
-this if you want to search different sets of data that cannot be handled by the same
-searchable Activity, depending on the currently open Activity.)</p>
<h3 id="PerformingSearch">Performing a search</h3>
-<p>Once you have declared your searchable Activity, performing a search for the user involves
-three steps:</p>
+<p>Once you have declared your searchable activity in the manifest, performing a search in your
+searchable activity involves three steps:</p>
+
<ol>
<li><a href="#ReceivingTheQuery">Receiving the query</a></li>
<li><a href="#SearchingYourData">Searching your data</a></li>
</ol>
<p>Traditionally, your search results should be presented in a {@link android.widget.ListView}, so
-you might want your searchable Activity to extend {@link android.app.ListActivity}, which
-provides easy access to {@link android.widget.ListView} APIs. (See the <a
-href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/views/hello-listview.html">List View Tutorial</a> for a simple
-{@link android.app.ListActivity} sample.)</p>
+you might want your searchable activity to extend {@link android.app.ListActivity}. It includes
+a default layout with a single {@link android.widget.ListView} and provides several
+convenience methods for working with the {@link android.widget.ListView}.</p>
<h4 id="ReceivingTheQuery">Receiving the query</h4>
-<p>When a user executes a search from the search dialog, the Search Manager sends the {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} {@link android.content.Intent} to your searchable Activity.
-This Intent carries the search query in the
+<p>When a user executes a search from the search dialog or widget, the system starts your
+searchable activity and sends it a {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent. This intent
+carries the search query in the
{@link android.app.SearchManager#QUERY QUERY} string extra. You must check for
-this Intent when the Activity starts and extract the string. For example, here's how you can get the
-query when your Activity starts:</p>
+this intent when the activity starts and extract the string. For example, here's how you can get the
+search query when your searchable activity starts:</p>
<pre>
@Override
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.search);
+ // Get the intent, verify the action and get the query
Intent intent = getIntent();
-
if (Intent.ACTION_SEARCH.equals(intent.getAction())) {
String query = intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY);
doMySearch(query);
</pre>
<p>The {@link android.app.SearchManager#QUERY QUERY} string is always included with
-the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent. In this example, the query is
+the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent. In this example, the query is
retrieved and passed to a local {@code doMySearch()} method where the actual search operation
is done.</p>
<p>The process of storing and searching your data is unique to your application.
You can store and search your data in many ways, but this guide does not show you how to store your
data and search it. Storing and searching your data is something you should carefully consider in
-terms of your needs and your data. However, here are some tips you might be able to apply:</p>
+terms of your needs and your data format. However, here are some tips you might be able to
+apply:</p>
<ul>
<li>If your data is stored in a SQLite database on the device, performing a full-text search
-(using FTS3, rather than a LIKE query) can provide a more robust search across text data and can
-produce results significantly faster. See <a href="http://sqlite.org/fts3.html">sqlite.org</a>
+(using FTS3, rather than a {@code LIKE} query) can provide a more robust search across text data and
+can produce results significantly faster. See <a href="http://sqlite.org/fts3.html">sqlite.org</a>
for information about FTS3 and the {@link android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase} class for
information about SQLite on Android. Also look at the <a
href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/SearchableDictionary/index.html">Searchable Dictionary</a> sample
<li>If your data is stored online, then the perceived search performance might be
inhibited by the user's data connection. You might want to display a spinning progress wheel until
your search returns. See {@link android.net} for a reference of network APIs and <a
-href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/dialogs.html#ProgressDialog">Creating a Progress Dialog</a> to see
-how you can display a progress wheel.</li>
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/dialogs.html#ProgressDialog">Creating a Progress Dialog</a>
+for information about how to display a progress wheel.</li>
</ul>
<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
<div class="sidebox">
<h2>About Adapters</h2>
-<p>An Adapter binds individual items from a set of data into individual {@link
-android.view.View} objects. When the Adapter
-is applied to a {@link android.widget.ListView}, the Views are injected as individual items of the
-list. {@link
-android.widget.Adapter} is simply an interface, so implementations such as {@link
+<p>An {@link android.widget.Adapter} binds each item from a set of data into a
+{@link android.view.View} object. When the {@link android.widget.Adapter}
+is applied to a {@link android.widget.ListView}, each piece of data is inserted as an individual
+view into the list. {@link
+android.widget.Adapter} is just an interface, so implementations such as {@link
android.widget.CursorAdapter} (for binding data from a {@link android.database.Cursor}) are needed.
-If none of the existing implementations work for your data, then you should implement your own from
+If none of the existing implementations work for your data, then you can implement your own from
{@link android.widget.BaseAdapter}. Install the SDK Samples package for API Level 4 to see the
-original version of the Searchable Dictionary, which creates a custom BaseAdapter.</p>
+original version of the Searchable Dictionary, which creates a custom adapter to read data from
+a file.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Regardless of where your data lives and how you search it, we recommend that you return search
-results to your searchable Activity with an {@link android.widget.Adapter}. This way, you can easily
+results to your searchable activity with an {@link android.widget.Adapter}. This way, you can easily
present all the search results in a {@link android.widget.ListView}. If your data comes from a
-SQLite database query, then you can apply your results to a {@link android.widget.ListView}
+SQLite database query, you can apply your results to a {@link android.widget.ListView}
using a {@link android.widget.CursorAdapter}. If your data comes in some other type of format, then
-you can create an extension of the {@link android.widget.BaseAdapter}.</p>
+you can create an extension of {@link android.widget.BaseAdapter}.</p>
+
<h4 id="PresentingTheResults">Presenting the results</h4>
-<p>Presenting your search results is mostly a UI detail that is not handled by the search APIs.
-However, one option is to create your searchable Activity to extend {@link
-android.app.ListActivity} and call {@link
-android.app.ListActivity#setListAdapter(ListAdapter)}, passing it an {@link
+<p>As discussed above, the recommended UI for your search results is a {@link
+android.widget.ListView}, so you might want your searchable activity to extend {@link
+android.app.ListActivity}. You can then call {@link
+android.app.ListActivity#setListAdapter(ListAdapter) setListAdapter()}, passing it an {@link
android.widget.Adapter} that is bound to your data. This injects all the
-results into the Activity {@link android.widget.ListView}.</p>
+search results into the activity {@link android.widget.ListView}.</p>
-<p>For more help presenting your results, see the {@link android.app.ListActivity}
+<p>For more help presenting your results in a list, see the {@link android.app.ListActivity}
documentation.</p>
<p>Also see the <a
-<h2 id="InvokingTheSearchDialog">Invoking the Search Dialog</h2>
-<p>Once you have a searchable Activity, invoking the search dialog is easy. Many Android
-devices provide a dedicated SEARCH key, which reveals the search dialog when the user presses it
-from a searchable context of your application. However, you should not assume that a SEARCH
-key is available on the user's device and should always provide a search button in your UI that
-invokes search.</p>
-<p>To invoke search from your Activity, call {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()}.</p>
+<h2 id="SearchDialog">Using the Search Dialog</h2>
+
+<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
+<div class="sidebox">
+ <h2>Should I use the search dialog or the widget?</h2>
+ <p>The answer depends mostly on whether you are developing for Android 3.0 (API Level 11 or
+higher), because the {@link android.widget.SearchView} widget was introduced in Android 3.0. So,
+if you are developing your application for a version of Android lower than 3.0, the search widget is
+not an option and you should use the search dialog to implement your search interface.</p>
+ <p>If you <em>are</em> developing for Android 3.0 or higher, then the decision depends more on
+your needs. In most cases, we recommend that you use the search widget as an "action view" in the
+Action Bar. However, it might not be an option for you to put the search
+widget in the Action Bar for some reason (perhaps there's not enough space or you don't use the
+Action Bar). So, you might instead want to put the search widget somewhere in your activity layout.
+And if all else fails, you can still use the search dialog if you prefer to keep the search box
+hidden. In fact, you might want to offer both the dialog and the widget in some cases. For more
+information about the widget, skip to <a href="#UsingSearchWidget">Using the Search Widget</a>.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The search dialog provides a floating search box at the top of the screen, with the application
+icon on the left. The search dialog can provide search suggestions as the user types and, when
+the user executes a search, the system sends the search query to a
+searchable activity that performs the search. However, if you are developing
+your application for devices running Android 3.0, you should consider using the search widget
+instead (see the side box).</p>
+
+<p>The search dialog is always hidden by default, until the user activates it. If the user's device
+includes a SEARCH button, pressing it will activate the search dialog by default. Your application
+can also activate the search dialog on demand by calling {@link
+android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested onSearchRequested()}. However, neither of these work
+until you enable the search dialog for the activity.</p>
+
+<p>To enable the search dialog, you must indicate to the system which searchable activity should
+receive search queries from the search dialog, in order to perform searches. For example, in the
+previous section about <a href="#SearchableActivity">Creating a Searchable Activity</a>, a
+searchable activity named {@code SearchableActivity} was created. If you want a separate activity,
+named {@code OtherActivity}, to show the search dialog and deliver searches to {@code
+SearchableActivity}, you must declare in the manifest that {@code SearchableActivity} is the
+searchable activity to use for the search dialog in {@code OtherActivity}.</p>
+
+<p>To declare the searchable activity for an activity's search dialog,
+add a <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
+element inside the respective activity's <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">{@code <activity>}</a> element.
+The <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
+element must include the {@code android:value} attribute that specifies the searchable activity's
+class name and the {@code android:name} attribute with a value of {@code
+"android.app.default_searchable"}.</p>
+
+<p>For example, here is the declaration for
+both a searchable activity, {@code SearchableActivity}, and another activity, {@code
+OtherActivity}, which uses {@code SearchableActivity} to perform searches executed from its
+search dialog:</p>
+
+<pre>
+<application ... >
+ <!-- this is the searchable activity; it performs searches -->
+ <activity android:name=".SearchableActivity" >
+ <intent-filter>
+ <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH" />
+ </intent-filter>
+ <meta-data android:name="android.app.searchable"
+ android:resource="@xml/searchable"/>
+ </activity>
+
+ <!-- this activity enables the search dialog to initiate searches
+ in the SearchableActivity -->
+ <activity android:name=".OtherActivity" ... >
+ <!-- enable the search dialog to send searches to SearchableActivity -->
+ <b><meta-data android:name="android.app.default_searchable"
+ android:value=".SearchableActivity" /></b>
+ </activity>
+ ...
+</application>
+</pre>
+
+<p>Because the {@code OtherActivity} now includes a <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
+element to declare which searchable activity to use for searches, the activity has enabled the
+search dialog.
+While the user is in this activity, the device SEARCH button (if available) and the {@link
+android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested onSearchRequested()} method will activate the search dialog.
+When the user executes the search, the system starts {@code SearchableActivity} and delivers it
+the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> The searchable activity itself provides the search dialog
+by default, so you don't need to add this declaration to {@code SearchableActivity}.</p>
+
+<p>If you want every activity in your application to provide the search dialog, insert the above <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
+element as a child of the <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">{@code <application>}</a>
+element, instead of each <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">{@code <activity>}</a>. This
+way, every activity inherits the value, provides the search dialog, and delivers searches to
+the same searchable activity. (If you have multiple searchable activities, you can override the
+default searchable activity by placing a different <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/meta-data-element.html">{@code <meta-data>}</a>
+declaration inside individual activities.)</p>
+
+<p>With the search dialog now enabled for your activities, your application is ready to perform
+searches.</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="InvokingTheSearchDialog">Invoking the search dialog</h3>
+
+<p>As mentioned above, the device SEARCH button and {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested
+onSearchRequested()} method will open the search dialog, as long as the current activity
+has declared the searchable activity to use, as shown in the previous section.</p>
+
+<p>However, you should not assume that a SEARCH button is available on the user's device. You
+should always provide another search button in your UI that activates the search dialog by calling
+{@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()}.</p>
-<p>For instance, you should provide a menu item in your <a
-href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/menus.html#options-menu">Options Menu</a> or a button in your UI to
-invoke search with this method. The <a
+<p>For instance, you should either provide a menu item in your <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/menus.html#options-menu">Options Menu</a> or a button in your
+activity layout that
+activates search by calling {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()}. The <a
href="{@docRoot}shareables/search_icons.zip">search_icons.zip</a> file includes icons for
-medium and high density screens, which you can use for your search menu item or button (low density
-screens automatically scale-down the hdpi image by one half). </p>
+medium and high density screens, which you can use for your search menu item or button (low-density
+screens scale-down the hdpi image by one half). </p>
<!-- ... maybe this should go into the Creating Menus document ....
<p>If you chose to provide a shortcut key for the menu item, using {@link
key character, representing the default search key.</p>
-->
-<p>You can also enable "type-to-search" functionality, which reveals the search dialog when the
-user starts typing on the keyboard and the keystrokes are inserted into the search dialog. You can
-enable type-to-search in your Activity by calling
+<p>You can also enable "type-to-search" functionality, which activates the search dialog when the
+user starts typing on the keyboard—the keystrokes are inserted into the search dialog. You can
+enable type-to-search in your activity by calling
{@link android.app.Activity#setDefaultKeyMode(int) setDefaultKeyMode}({@link
-android.app.Activity#DEFAULT_KEYS_SEARCH_LOCAL}) during your Activity's
+android.app.Activity#DEFAULT_KEYS_SEARCH_LOCAL}) during your activity's
{@link android.app.Activity#onCreate(Bundle) onCreate()} method.</p>
-<h3 id="LifeCycle">The impact of the search dialog on your Activity lifecycle</h3>
+<h3 id="LifeCycle">The impact of the search dialog on your activity lifecycle</h3>
<p>The search dialog is a {@link android.app.Dialog} that floats at the top of the
-screen. It does not cause any change in the Activity stack, so when the search dialog appears, no
-lifecycle methods for the currently open Activity (such as {@link
-android.app.Activity#onPause()}) are called. Your Activity just loses input focus as it is given to
-the search dialog.
+screen. It does not cause any change in the activity stack, so when the search dialog appears, no
+lifecycle methods (such as {@link android.app.Activity#onPause()}) are called. Your activity just
+loses input focus, as input focus is given to the search dialog.
</p>
-<p>If you want to be notified when search is invoked, override the {@link
-android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} method. When the system calls this method, you can do any
-work you want to when your Activity looses input focus to the search dialog (such as pause
-animations). Unless you are <a href="#SearchContextData">passing search context data</a>
+<p>If you want to be notified when the search dialog is activated, override the {@link
+android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} method. When the system calls this method, it is an
+indication that your activity has lost input focus to the search dialog, so you can do any
+work appropriate for the event (such as pause
+a game). Unless you are <a
+href="#SearchContextData">passing search context data</a>
(discussed below), you should end the method by calling the super class implementation. For
example:</p>
}
</pre>
-<p>If the user cancels search by pressing the BACK key, the Activity in which search was
-invoked re-gains input focus. You can register to be notified when the search dialog is
+<p>If the user cancels search by pressing the BACK button, the search dialog closes and the activity
+regains input focus. You can register to be notified when the search dialog is
closed with {@link android.app.SearchManager#setOnDismissListener(SearchManager.OnDismissListener)
setOnDismissListener()}
and/or {@link android.app.SearchManager#setOnCancelListener(SearchManager.OnCancelListener)
user explicitly exited the search dialog, so it is not called when a search is executed (in which
case, the search dialog naturally disappears).</p>
-<p>If the current Activity is not the searchable Activity, then the normal Activity lifecycle
-events are triggered once the user executes a search (the current Activity receives {@link
+<p>If the current activity is not the searchable activity, then the normal activity lifecycle
+events are triggered once the user executes a search (the current activity receives {@link
android.app.Activity#onPause()} and so forth, as
-described in <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/fundamentals/activities.html#Lifecycle">Activities</a>
-document). If, however, the current Activity is the searchable Activity, then one of two
+described in the <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/fundamentals/activities.html#Lifecycle">Activities</a>
+document). If, however, the current activity is the searchable activity, then one of two
things happens:</p>
<ol type="a">
- <li>By default, the searchable Activity receives the {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent with a call to {@link
+ <li>By default, the searchable activity receives the {@link
+android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent with a call to {@link
android.app.Activity#onCreate(Bundle) onCreate()} and a new instance of the
-Activity is brought to the top of the Activity stack. There are now two instances of your
-searchable Activity in the Activity stack (so pressing the BACK key goes back to the previous
-instance of the searchable Activity, rather than exiting the searchable Activity).</li>
- <li>If you set {@code android:launchMode} to "singleTop", then the
-searchable Activity receives the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent with a call
+activity is brought to the top of the activity stack. There are now two instances of your
+searchable activity in the activity stack (so pressing the BACK button goes back to the previous
+instance of the searchable activity, rather than exiting the searchable activity).</li>
+ <li>If you set {@code android:launchMode} to <code>"singleTop"</code>, then the
+searchable activity receives the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent with a call
to {@link android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent)}, passing the new {@link
-android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} Intent here. For example, here's how you might handle
-this case, in which the searchable Activity's launch mode is "singleTop":
+android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent here. For example, here's how you might handle
+this case, in which the searchable activity's launch mode is <code>"singleTop"</code>:
<pre>
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
<p>Compared to the example code in the section about <a href="#PerformingSearch">Performing a
Search</a>, all the code to handle the
-search Intent is now in the {@code handleIntent()} method, so that both {@link
+search intent is now in the {@code handleIntent()} method, so that both {@link
android.app.Activity#onCreate(Bundle)
onCreate()} and {@link android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent) onNewIntent()} can execute it.</p>
-<p>When the system calls {@link android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent)}, the Activity has
+<p>When the system calls {@link android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent)}, the activity has
not been restarted, so the {@link android.app.Activity#getIntent()} method
-returns the same Intent that was received with {@link
+returns the same intent that was received with {@link
android.app.Activity#onCreate(Bundle) onCreate()}. This is why you should call {@link
android.app.Activity#setIntent(Intent)} inside {@link
-android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent)} (so that the Intent saved by the Activity is updated in
+android.app.Activity#onNewIntent(Intent)} (so that the intent saved by the activity is updated in
case you call {@link android.app.Activity#getIntent()} in the future).</p>
</li>
</ol>
-<p>The second scenario using "singleTop" launch mode is usually ideal, because chances are good that
-once a search is done, the user will perform additional searches and it's a bad experience if your
-application creates multiple instances of the searchable Activity. So, we recommend that you set
-your searchable Activity to "singleTop" launch mode in the application
-manifest. For example:</p>
+<p>The second scenario using <code>"singleTop"</code> launch mode is usually ideal, because chances
+are good that once a search is done, the user will perform additional searches and it's a bad
+experience if your application creates multiple instances of the searchable activity. So, we
+recommend that you set your searchable activity to <code>"singleTop"</code> launch mode in the
+application manifest. For example:</p>
<pre>
-<activity android:name=".MySearchableActivity"
+<activity android:name=".SearchableActivity"
<b>android:launchMode="singleTop"</b> >
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.SEARCH" />
-<h2 id="SearchContextData">Passing Search Context Data</h2>
+<h3 id="SearchContextData">Passing search context data</h3>
-<p>To refine your search criteria from the current Activity instead of depending only on the user's
-search query, you can provide additional data in the Intent that the Search Manager sends to your
-searchable Activity. In a simple case, you can make your refinements inside the searchable
-Activity, for every search made, but if your
-search criteria varies from one searchable context to another, then you can pass whatever data
-is necessary to refine your search in the {@link android.app.SearchManager#APP_DATA} {@link
-android.os.Bundle}, which is included in the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH}
-Intent.</p>
+<p>In some cases, you can make necessary refinements to the search query inside the searchable
+activity, for every search made. However, if you want to refine your search criteria based on the
+activity from which the user is performing a search, you can provide additional data in the intent
+that the system sends to your searchable activity. You can pass the additional data in the {@link
+android.app.SearchManager#APP_DATA} {@link android.os.Bundle}, which is included in the {@link
+android.content.Intent#ACTION_SEARCH} intent.</p>
-<p>To pass this kind of data to your searchable Activity, override {@link
-android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} method for the Activity in which search can be invoked.
+<p>To pass this kind of data to your searchable activity, override the {@link
+android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} method for the activity from which the user can perform a
+search, create a {@link android.os.Bundle} with the additional data, and call {@link
+android.app.Activity#startSearch startSearch()} to activate the search dialog.
For example:</p>
<pre>
@Override
public boolean onSearchRequested() {
Bundle appData = new Bundle();
- appData.putBoolean(MySearchableActivity.JARGON, true);
+ appData.putBoolean(SearchableActivity.JARGON, true);
startSearch(null, false, appData, false);
return true;
}
</pre>
-<p>Returning "true" indicates that you have successfully handled this callback event. Then in your
-searchable Activity, you can extract the data placed inside {@code appdata} from the {@link
+<p>Returning "true" indicates that you have successfully handled this callback event and
+called {@link android.app.Activity#startSearch startSearch()} to activate
+the search dialog. Once the user submits a query, it's delivered to your
+searchable activity along with the data you've added. You can extract the extra data from the {@link
android.app.SearchManager#APP_DATA} {@link android.os.Bundle} to refine the search. For example:</p>
<pre>
Bundle appData = getIntent().getBundleExtra(SearchManager.APP_DATA);
if (appData != null) {
- boolean jargon = appData.getBoolean(MySearchableActivity.JARGON);
+ boolean jargon = appData.getBoolean(SearchableActivity.JARGON);
}
</pre>
<p class="caution"><strong>Caution:</strong> Never call the {@link
android.app.Activity#startSearch(String,boolean,Bundle,boolean) startSearch()} method from outside
-the {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} callback method. To invoke the search dialog
-in your Activity, always call {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()}. Otherwise, {@link
+the {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} callback method. To activate the search dialog
+in your activity, always call {@link android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()}. Otherwise, {@link
android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested()} is not called and customizations (such as the addition of
{@code appData} in the above example) are missed.</p>
+
+<h2 id="UsingSearchWidget">Using the Search Widget</h2>
+
+<div class="figure" style="width:429px;margin:0">
+ <img src="{@docRoot}images/ui/actionbar-actionview.png" alt="" />
+ <p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 2.</strong> The {@link
+android.widget.SearchView} widget as an "action view" in the Action Bar.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The {@link android.widget.SearchView} widget is available in Android 3.0 and higher. If
+you're developing your application for Android 3.0 and have decided to use the search widget, we
+recommend that you insert the search widget as an <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html#ActionView">action view in the Action Bar</a>,
+instead of using the search dialog (and instead of placing the search widget in your activity
+layout). For example, figure 2 shows the search widget in the Action Bar.</p>
+
+<p>The search widget provides the same functionality as the search dialog. It starts the appropriate
+activity when the user executes a search, and it can provide search suggestions and perform voice
+search.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> When you use the search widget as an action view, you
+still might need to support using the search dialog, for cases in which the search widget does
+not fit in the Action Bar. See the following section about <a href="#UsingBoth">Using both
+the widget and the dialog</a>.</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="ConfiguringWidget">Configuring the search widget</h3>
+
+<p>After you've created a <a href="#SearchableConfiguration">searchable configuration</a> and a <a
+href="#SearchableActivity">searchable activity</a>, as discussed above, you need to enable assisted
+search for each {@link android.widget.SearchView}. You can do so by calling {@link
+android.widget.SearchView#setSearchableInfo setSearchableInfo()} and passing it the {@link
+android.app.SearchableInfo} object that represents your searchable configuration.</p>
+
+<p>You can get a reference to the {@link android.app.SearchableInfo} by calling {@link
+android.app.SearchManager#getSearchableInfo getSearchableInfo()} on {@link
+android.app.SearchManager}.</p>
+
+<p>For example, if you're using a {@link android.widget.SearchView} as an action view in the <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html">Action Bar</a>, you should enable the widget
+during the {@link android.app.Activity#onCreateOptionsMenu onCreateOptionsMenu()} callback:</p>
+
+<pre>
+@Override
+public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
+ // Inflate the options menu from XML
+ MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
+ inflater.inflate(R.menu.options_menu, menu);
+
+ // Get the SearchView and set the searchable configuration
+ SearchManager searchManager = (SearchManager) {@link android.app.Activity#getSystemService getSystemService}(Context.SEARCH_SERVICE);
+ SearchView searchView = (SearchView) menu.findItem(R.id.menu_search).getActionView();
+ searchView.setSearchableInfo(searchManager.getSearchableInfo({@link android.app.Activity#getComponentName()}));
+ searchView.setIconifiedByDefault(false); // Do not iconify the widget; expand it by default
+
+ return true;
+}
+</pre>
+
+<p>That's all you need. The search widget is now configured and the system will deliver search
+queries to your searchable activity. You can also enable <a href="#SearchSuggestions">search
+suggestions</a> for the search widget.</p>
+
+<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If you want to handle all user input yourself, you can do so
+with some callback methods and event listeners. For more information, see the reference
+documentation for {@link android.widget.SearchView} and its nested interfaces for the
+appropriate event listeners.</p>
+
+<p>For more information about action views in the Action Bar, read <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html#ActionView">Using the Action Bar</a> (which
+includes sample code for adding a search widget as an action view).</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="WidgetFeatures">Other search widget features</h3>
+
+<p>The {@link android.widget.SearchView} widget allows for a few additional features you might
+want:</p>
+
+<dl>
+ <dt>A submit button</dt>
+ <dd>By default, there's no button to submit a search query, so the user must press the
+"Return" key on the keyboard to initiate a search. You can add a "submit" button by calling
+{@link android.widget.SearchView#setSubmitButtonEnabled setSubmitButtonEnabled(true)}.</dd>
+ <dt>Query refinement for search suggestions</dt>
+ <dd>When you've enabled search suggestions, you usually expect users to simply select a
+suggestion, but they might also want to refine the suggested search query. You can add a button
+alongside each suggestion that inserts the suggestion in the search box for refinement by the
+user, by calling {@link android.widget.SearchView#setQueryRefinementEnabled
+setQueryRefinementEnabled(true)}.</dd>
+ <dt>The ability to toggle the search box visibility</dt>
+ <dd>By default, the search widget is "iconified," meaning that it is represented only by a
+search icon (a magnifying glass), and expands to show the search box when the user touches it.
+As shown above, you can show the search box by default, by calling {@link
+android.widget.SearchView#setIconifiedByDefault setIconifiedByDefault(false)}. You can also
+toggle the search widget appearance by calling {@link android.widget.SearchView#setIconified
+setIconified()}.</dd>
+</dl>
+
+<p>There are several other APIs in the {@link android.widget.SearchView} class that allow you to
+customize the search widget. However, most of them are used only when you handle all
+user input yourself, instead of using the Android system to deliver search queries and display
+search suggestions.</p>
+
+
+<h3 id="UsingBoth">Using both the widget and the dialog</h3>
+
+<p>If you insert the search widget in the Action Bar as an <a
+href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html#ActionView">action view</a>, and you enable it to
+appear in the Action Bar "if there is room" (by setting {@code
+android:showAsAction="ifRoom"}), then there is a chance that the search widget will not appear
+as an action view, but the menu item will appear in the overflow menu. For example, when your
+application runs on a smaller screen, there might not be enough room in the Action Bar to display
+the search widget along with other action items or navigation elements, so the menu item will
+instead appear in the overflow menu. When placed in the overflow menu, the item works like an
+ordinary menu item and does not display the action view (the search widget).</p>
+
+<p>To handle this situation, the menu item to which you've attached the search widget should
+activate the search dialog when the user selects it from the overflow menu. In order for it to do
+so, you must implement {@link android.app.Activity#onOptionsItemSelected onOptionsItemSelected()} to
+handle the "Search" menu item and open the search dialog by calling {@link
+android.app.Activity#onSearchRequested onSearchRequested()}.</p>
+
+<p>For more information about how items in the Action Bar work and how to handle this situation, see
+the documentation for <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/actionbar.html">Using the Action
+Bar</a>.</p>
+
+<p>Also see the <a
+href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/SearchableDictionary/src/com/example/android/searchabledict/
+SearchableDictionary.html">Searchable Dictionary</a> for an example implementation using
+both the dialog and the widget.</p>
+
+
+
<h2 id="VoiceSearch">Adding Voice Search</h2>
-<p>You can add voice search functionality to your search dialog by adding the {@code
+<p>You can add voice search functionality to your search dialog or widget by adding the {@code
android:voiceSearchMode} attribute to your searchable configuration. This adds a voice search
-button in the search dialog that launches a voice prompt. When the user
+button that launches a voice prompt. When the user
has finished speaking, the transcribed search query is sent to your searchable
-Activity.</p>
+activity.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>The value {@code showVoiceSearchButton} is required to enable voice
search, while the second value, {@code launchRecognizer}, specifies that the voice search button
-should launch a recognizer that returns the transcribed text to the searchable Activity.</p>
+should launch a recognizer that returns the transcribed text to the searchable activity.</p>
<p>You can provide additional attributes to specify the voice search behavior, such
as the language to be expected and the maximum number of results to return. See the <a
<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> Carefully consider whether voice search is appropriate for
your application. All searches performed with the voice search button are immediately sent to
-your searchable Activity without a chance for the user to review the transcribed query. Sufficiently
+your searchable activity without a chance for the user to review the transcribed query. Sufficiently
test the voice recognition and ensure that it understands the types of queries that
the user might submit inside your application.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 id="SearchSuggestions">Adding Search Suggestions</h2>
+
+<div class="figure" style="width:250px;margin:0">
+<img src="{@docRoot}images/search/search-suggest-custom.png" alt="" height="417" />
+<p class="img-caption"><strong>Figure 3.</strong> Screenshot of a search dialog with custom
+search suggestions.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Both the search dialog and the search widget can provide search suggestions as the user
+types, with assistance from the Android system. The system manages the list of suggestions and
+handles the event when the user selects a suggestion.</p>
+
+<p>You can provide two kinds of search suggestions:</p>
+
+<dl>
+ <dt>Recent query search suggestions</dt>
+ <dd>These suggestions are simply words that the user previously used as search queries in
+your application.
+ <p>See <a href="adding-recent-query-suggestions.html">Adding Recent Query
+Suggestions</a>.</p></dd>
+ <dt>Custom search suggestions</dt>
+ <dd>These are search suggestions that you provide from your own data source, to help users
+immediately select the correct spelling or item they are searching for. Figure 3 shows an
+example of custom suggestions for a dictionary application—the user can select a suggestion
+to instantly go to the definition.
+ <p>See <a href="adding-custom-suggestions.html">Adding Custom
+Suggestions</a></p></dd>
+</dl>
+