If you’ve ever wanted to make specific words in a TextView clickable in your Android application, you’ve come to the right place! The Android TextView-LinkBuilder library simplifies this process and makes it incredibly user-friendly. In this article, we will take you through the steps to implement and customize clickable links in your TextViews effortlessly.

Features of LinkBuilder

• Create clickable links from any combination of Strings within a TextView
• Specify both long and short click actions for specific words
• Provide immediate user feedback by highlighting the text when touched
• Utilize both single Strings and regular expressions to set clickable links
• Customize link color and highlighted text color
• Adjust the transparency of the highlighting on touch
• Set options for underlined and bold text

Installation

LinkBuilder can be installed in two easy ways:

As a Gradle Dependency

This is the preferred method. Add the following line to your project dependencies:

dependencies {
    compile 'com.klinkerapps:link_builder:2.0.5'
}

Run gradle build or gradle assemble to complete the installation.

As a Library Project

You can also download the source code and import it as a library project in Eclipse. For more details on how to do this, check out the official guide.

Example Usage

Let’s break down how to implement clickable links using the library. Imagine a scenario where you’re at a party, and you have a group of friends chatting about various topics. You want to make sure that when someone mentions a specific topic, any friends around can quickly join in the conversation. Similarly, LinkBuilder helps you make specific words clickable, allowing users to engage with them. Here’s how to do it:

Link link = new Link("click here")
    .setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#259B24"))
    .setTextColorOfHighlightedLink(Color.parseColor("#0D3D0C"))
    .setHighlightAlpha(.4f)
    .setUnderlined(false)
    .setBold(true)
    .setOnLongClickListener(new Link.OnLongClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onLongClick(String clickedText) {
            // do something on long click
        }
    })
    .setOnClickListener(new Link.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(String clickedText) {
            // do something on click
        }
    });

TextView demoText = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.test_text);
LinkBuilder.on(demoText)
    .addLink(link)
    .build();

Here’s an analogy to help understand this code: Think of the Link as a special invitation to join a conversation at the party. With this invitation, you can specify details like the color of the text (how the invitation looks), what happens if someone clicks or holds the invitation (the reaction), and whether or not the invitation should be highlighted. Your TextView is like the gathering place where all these conversations occur!

Setting Up CharSequence Links

Additionally, if you’d prefer to create links as a CharSequence, you can follow this approach:

TextView demoText = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.test_text);
CharSequence sequence = LinkBuilder.from(this, demoText.getText().toString())
    .addLinks(getExampleLinks())
    .build();
demoText.setText(sequence);
demoText.setMovementMethod(TouchableMovementMethod.getInstance());

Troubleshooting Tips

Sometimes, you might encounter issues, especially if your links are not clickable. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

• Ensure you have set the movement method on your TextViews after applying the CharSequence.
• Check if you have properly added the link rules.
• If using with ListView, remember to implement LinkConsumableTextView to properly handle touch events.

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Final Thoughts

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.