Call AsyncTask from another class

Question

In an existing app I have an activity with an inner class which extends AsyncTask, this looks like the following:

public class Activity_1 extends BaseActivity {
    ....
    new async().execute();
    ...

    public class asyncextends AsyncTask<Void, Void, String> {
        protected String doInBackground(Void... progress) { ... }
        protected void onPreExecute() { ... }
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) { ... }
    }
}

Now, I need to call the same doInBackground-method from another activity, but the onPostExecute() of the this inner class operates on some local UI variables and hence it's not possible to use it from outside the clas. Is there any way I can call this AsyncTask, and just override the onPostExecute andonPreExecute-method, or shall I create yet another inner-class in the other activity, do the same background thing (of course move it to common utility-class or something), etc...?

Answer 1

You can make a separate abstract package private class, extending AsyncTask and implementing doInBackground() method:

abstract class MyAsyncTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, String> {
    @Override
    final protected String doInBackground(Void... progress) { 
        // do stuff, common to both activities in here
    }
}

And in your activities just inherit from MyAsyncTask (new class probably should be private, by the way), implementing onPostExecute() and onPreExecute() methods:

public class Activity_1 extends BaseActivity {

    ...
    new Async1().execute();
    ...

    private class Async1 extends MyAsyncTask {
        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute(){ 
            // Activity 1 GUI stuff
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            // Activity 1 GUI stuff
        }
    }
}

If onPreExecute and onPostExecute contain some common actions as well, you can apply the following pattern:

abstract class MyAsyncTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, String> {
    public interface MyAsyncTaskListener {
       void onPreExecuteConcluded();
       void onPostExecuteConcluded(String result);  
    }

    private MyAsyncTaskListener mListener;

    final public void setListener(MyAsyncTaskListener listener) {
       mListener = listener;
    }

    @Override
    final protected String doInBackground(Void... progress) { 
        // do stuff, common to both activities in here
    }

    @Override
    final protected void onPreExecute() {
        // common stuff
        ...
        if (mListener != null) 
            mListener.onPreExecuteConcluded();
    }

    @Override
    final protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
        // common stuff
        ...
        if (mListener != null) 
            mListener.onPostExecuteConcluded(result);
    }
}

and use it in your activity as following:

public class Activity_1 extends BaseActivity {

    ...
    MyAsyncTask aTask = new MyAsyncTask();
    aTask.setListener(new MyAsyncTask.MyAsyncTaskListener() {
       @Override
       void onPreExecuteConcluded() {
           // gui stuff
       }

       @Override
       void onPostExecuteConcluded(String result) {
           // gui stuff
       }
    });
    aTask.execute();
    ...
}    

You can also have your Activity implement MyAsyncTaskListener as well:

public class Activity_1 extends BaseActivity implements MyAsyncTask.MyAsyncTaskListener {
    @Override
    void onPreExecuteConcluded() {
        // gui stuff
    }

    @Override
    void onPostExecuteConcluded(String result) {
       // gui stuff
    }

    ...
    MyAsyncTask aTask = new MyAsyncTask();
    aTask.setListener(this);
    aTask.execute();
    ...

}

I wrote the code from the head, so it might contain errors, but it should illustrate the idea.