Get filtered array size in AutoCompleteTextview

Question

I am working on the project in which user can search data. For that, I have implemented AutoCompleteTextView.

 autoComplete.setAdapter(new ArrayAdapter<String>(CheckRiskActivity.this,
                                        R.layout.auto_text_row, druglist));
                                autoComplete.setThreshold(1);
//druglist is my arraylist

Text change listener is as below:

autoComplete.addTextChangedListener(new TextWatcher() {

        @Override
        public void afterTextChanged(Editable s) {
            // here I want to get the size of filtered array list every time when the user adds any character.
        }

        @Override
        public void beforeTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start,
                                      int count, int after) {
        }

        @Override
        public void onTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start,
                                  int before, int count) {
        }
    });

Explanation: If my initial array size is 100 and if the user types 'a', then I want to get the size of filtered array.

Note: I have tried autoComplete.getAdapter().getCount(); but it gives the actual result after adding one more character.

Answer 1

You cannot get correct filtered items' count in TextWatcher, because filtering usually takes longer time than TextWatcher event listeners. Therefore you get incorrect autoComplete.getAdapter().getCount() in afterTextChanged(). I would recommend to use custom listener which will be called every time when filtered items are changed.

I will provide 2 similar approaches: using separate classes and using only 1 class.

APPROACH 1: Your adapter should look like:

import android.content.Context;
import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
import android.widget.Filter;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

public class AutoCompleteAdapter extends ArrayAdapter
{
    private List<String>    tempItems;
    private List<String>    suggestions;
    private FilterListeners filterListeners;

    public AutoCompleteAdapter(Context context, int resource, List<String> items)
    {
        super(context, resource, 0, items);

        tempItems = new ArrayList<>(items);
        suggestions = new ArrayList<>();
    }

    public void setFilterListeners(FilterListeners filterFinishedListener)
    {
        filterListeners = filterFinishedListener;
    }

    @Override
    public Filter getFilter()
    {
        return nameFilter;
    }

    Filter nameFilter = new Filter()
    {
        @Override
        protected FilterResults performFiltering(CharSequence constraint)
        {
            if (constraint != null)
            {
                suggestions.clear();
                for (String names : tempItems)
                {
                    if (names.toLowerCase().startsWith(constraint.toString().toLowerCase()))
                    {
                        suggestions.add(names);
                    }
                }
                FilterResults filterResults = new FilterResults();
                filterResults.values = suggestions;
                filterResults.count = suggestions.size();
                return filterResults;
            }
            else
            {
                return new FilterResults();
            }
        }

        @Override
        protected void publishResults(CharSequence constraint, FilterResults results)
        {
            List<String> filterList = (ArrayList<String>) results.values;

            if (filterListeners != null && filterList!= null)
                filterListeners.filteringFinished(filterList.size());

            if (results != null && results.count > 0)
            {
                clear();
                for (String item : filterList)
                {
                    add(item);
                    notifyDataSetChanged();
                }
            }
        }
    };
}

An interface which is used to inform you when filtering will be finished:

public interface FilterListeners
{
    void filteringFinished(int filteredItemsCount);
}

And you can use it:

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.util.Log;
import android.widget.AutoCompleteTextView;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

public class MainActivity extends Activity implements FilterListeners
{
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
    {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        AutoCompleteTextView autoComplete = (AutoCompleteTextView) findViewById(R.id.autoComplete);
        autoComplete.setThreshold(1);

        List<String> stringList = new ArrayList<>();
        stringList.add("Black");
        stringList.add("White");
        stringList.add("Yellow");
        stringList.add("Blue");
        stringList.add("Brown");


        final AutoCompleteAdapter adapter = new AutoCompleteAdapter(this, android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1, stringList);
        adapter.setFilterListeners(this);
        autoComplete.setAdapter(adapter);
    }

    @Override
    public void filteringFinished(int filteredItemsCount)
    {
        Log.i("LOG_TAG", " filteringFinished  count = " + filteredItemsCount);
    }
}

APPROACH 2:

    import android.app.Activity;
    import android.os.Bundle;
    import android.util.Log;
    import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
    import android.widget.AutoCompleteTextView;
    import android.widget.Filter;
    import java.util.ArrayList;
    import java.util.List;

    public class MainActivity extends Activity
    {
        @Override
        protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
        {
            super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
            setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

            final AutoCompleteTextView autoComplete = (AutoCompleteTextView) findViewById(R.id.autoComplete);
            autoComplete.setThreshold(1);

            final List<String> stringList = new ArrayList<>();
            stringList.add("Black");
            stringList.add("White");
            stringList.add("Yellow");
            stringList.add("Blue");
            stringList.add("Brown");

            final ArrayAdapter arrayAdapter = new ArrayAdapter(this, android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1, stringList)
            {
                private List<String> tempItems   = stringList;
                private List<String> suggestions = new ArrayList<>();

                @Override
                public Filter getFilter()
                {
                    return nameFilter;
                }

                Filter nameFilter = new Filter()
                {
                    @Override
                    protected FilterResults performFiltering(CharSequence constraint)
                    {
                        if (constraint != null)
                        {
                            suggestions.clear();
                            for (String names : tempItems)
                            {
                                if (names.toLowerCase().startsWith(constraint.toString().toLowerCase()))
                                {
                                    suggestions.add(names);
                                }
                            }
                            FilterResults filterResults = new FilterResults();
                            filterResults.values = suggestions;
                            filterResults.count = suggestions.size();
                            return filterResults;
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            return new FilterResults();
                        }
                    }

                @Override
                protected void publishResults(CharSequence constraint, FilterResults results)
                {
                    List<String> filterList = (ArrayList<String>) results.values;
                    filteringFinished(filterList.size());

                    if (results != null && results.count > 0)
                    {
                        clear();
                        for (String item : filterList)
                        {
                            add(item);
                            notifyDataSetChanged();
                        }
                    }
                }
            };
        };

        autoComplete.setAdapter(arrayAdapter);
    }

    private void filteringFinished(int filteredItemsCount)
    {
        Log.i("LOG_TAG", " filteringFinished  count = " + filteredItemsCount);
    }
}

filteringFinished() method will be called when you enter something to an autocomplete input field and it gets filtered.

UPDATE (Trie Search):

I have created a Github project with a simple example of using Trie search algorithm to increase autocomplete performance very much.

https://github.com/saqada/android-AutoCompleteWithTrie

Answer 2

according to Ayaz Alifov answer you cannot get correct filtered items' count in TextWatcher, because filtering usually takes longer time than TextWatcher event listeners.

but i have done a trick with a timerTask. so the TextWatcher would execute after counting.

editText.addTextChangedListener(
new TextWatcher() {
    @Override public void onTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int before, int count) { }
    @Override public void beforeTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int count, int after) { }

    private Timer timer=new Timer();
    private final long DELAY = 1000; // milliseconds

    @Override
    public void afterTextChanged(final Editable s) {
        timer.cancel();
        timer = new Timer();
        timer.schedule(
            new TimerTask() {
                @Override
                public void run() {
                      // adapter.getCount()  will give you the correct item's counts 
                      Log.d(TAG, "run: afterTextChanged " + adapter.getCount());
                }
            }, 
            DELAY
        );
    }
}
);

Edited: 5/Sep/2019

you can also get items count with the help of setting a registerDataSetObserver.

adapter.registerDataSetObserver(new DataSetObserver() {
    @Override
    public void onChanged() {
        super.onChanged();
        Log.d(TAG, "onChanged: " + adapter.getCount());
    }
});

in this way the onChanged() will call every time text change. But if the suggestion list becomes empty, it will not be called.