Android: "BadTokenException: Unable to add window; is your activity running?" at showing dialog in PreferenceActivity

Question

I'd like to ask for some help: In my app, I have only one activity, a PreferenceActivity (don't need other, it's just a simple background-sync app, so the PrefsActivity is the Main/Launcher). After the user setup preferences, checks a checkBoxPreference, and that starts (or stops) a service. At starting, a dialog shows. But here is the problem: if the user press back (leave the activity), start it again, and than tries to check the checkBoxPref., the prefsactivity crashes. Dialog doesn't shows. I have no idea why, and how to fix it.

This code is exactly same with that part, what gives me the problem:

PrefsActivity.java:

   package is.it.works;     // imports .....     public class PrefsActivity extends PreferenceActivity implements OnSharedPreferenceChangeListener { SharedPreferences prefs;  @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {     super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);     addPreferencesFromResource(R.xml.prefs);     prefs = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(this);     prefs.registerOnSharedPreferenceChangeListener(this); }// onCreate  @Override public void onSharedPreferenceChanged(SharedPreferences preferences, String key) {     if (key.equals("checkTest")) {         showDialog(1);     }     if (key.equals("cancel")) {         dismissDialog(1);     } }// onSPC  @Override protected Dialog onCreateDialog(int id) {     switch (id) {     case 1: {         ProgressDialog dialog = new ProgressDialog(this);         dialog.setMessage("press back twice, start the app again, and click checkbox...");         dialog.setIndeterminate(true);         dialog.setCancelable(true);         dialog.setOnCancelListener(new OnCancelListener() {              @Override             public void onCancel(DialogInterface dialog) {                 prefs.edit().putBoolean("cancel", false).commit();             }         });         return dialog;     }// case     }// switch     return null; }// onCreateDialog }// PrefsActivity 

prefs.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <PreferenceScreen xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">      <CheckBoxPreference android:key="checkTest" android:title="test" />  </PreferenceScreen> 

and the manifest:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" package="is.it.works" android:versionCode="1" android:versionName="1.0"> <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="4" />  <application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">     <activity android:name=".PrefsActivity" android:label="@string/app_name">         <intent-filter>             <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />             <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />         </intent-filter>     </activity>  </application> </manifest> 

LogCat error:

09-14 10:34:34.472: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281): Uncaught handler: thread main exiting due to uncaught exception 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281): android.view.WindowManager$BadTokenException: Unable to add window -- token android.os.BinderProxy@43756de8 is not valid; is your activity running? 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.view.ViewRoot.setView(ViewRoot.java:456) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.addView(WindowManagerImpl.java:177) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.addView(WindowManagerImpl.java:91) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.view.Window$LocalWindowManager.addView(Window.java:409) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.app.Dialog.show(Dialog.java:238) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.app.Activity.showDialog(Activity.java:2413) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at is.it.works.PrefsActivity.onSharedPreferenceChanged(PrefsActivity.java:27) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.app.ApplicationContext$SharedPreferencesImpl$EditorImpl.commit(ApplicationContext.java:2727) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.Preference.tryCommit(Preference.java:1199) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.Preference.persistBoolean(Preference.java:1404) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.CheckBoxPreference.setChecked(CheckBoxPreference.java:155) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.CheckBoxPreference.onClick(CheckBoxPreference.java:143) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.Preference.performClick(Preference.java:811) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.preference.PreferenceScreen.onItemClick(PreferenceScreen.java:190) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.widget.AdapterView.performItemClick(AdapterView.java:284) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.widget.ListView.performItemClick(ListView.java:3246) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.widget.AbsListView$PerformClick.run(AbsListView.java:1635) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4203) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:521) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:791) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:549) 09-14 10:34:34.502: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(281):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) 09-14 10:34:34.522: INFO/Process(52): Sending signal. PID: 281 SIG: 3 09-14 10:34:34.532: INFO/dalvikvm(281): threadid=7: reacting to signal 3 09-14 10:34:34.592: INFO/dalvikvm(281): Wrote stack trace to '/data/anr/traces.txt' 09-14 10:34:38.533: DEBUG/dalvikvm(107): GC freed 437 objects / 21560 bytes in 136ms 09-14 10:34:39.183: INFO/global(175): Default buffer size used in BufferedReader constructor. It would be better to be explicit if an 8k-char buffer is required. 09-14 10:34:44.632: INFO/global(175): Default buffer size used in BufferedReader constructor. It would be better to be explicit if an 8k-char buffer is required. 09-14 10:34:47.412: INFO/Process(281): Sending signal. PID: 281 SIG: 9 09-14 10:34:47.472: INFO/ActivityManager(52): Process is.it.works (pid 281) has died. 09-14 10:34:47.492: INFO/WindowManager(52): WIN DEATH: Window{4394f638 is.it.works/is.it.works.PrefsActivity paused=false}  

After googleing a lot, I think, the wrong part is the ProgressDialog dialog = new ProgressDialog(this);. Cause this changes. But changing it to getApplicationContext(), or PrefsActivity.this doesn't help, the problem is still there. Please, tell me why is this happening, and what could be the solution! Thank You! I'm stuck, and now I have no idea...

Answer 1

I had a very similar issue (which landed me here) and found a very simple fix for it. While my code is different, it should be easy to adapt. Here is my fix:

public void showBox() {     mActive = true;     if (! ((Activity) mContext).isFinishing()) {         mDialogBox.show();     } }  

So, in the sample code in the question, the fix would have been (at a guess):

@Override public void onSharedPreferenceChanged(SharedPreferences preferences, String key) {     if (key.equals("checkTest")) {         if (! this.isFinishing()) {             showDialog(1);         }     }     if (key.equals("cancel")) {         dismissDialog(1);     } }// onSPC 

Answer 2

Maybe you didn't close or unregister something in your activity. In that case, try unregistering the broadcastreceiver on onDestroy.