Passing data between activities in Android

For this lesson we are only concerned with passing data between activities without making them persistent so we’ll look at the two simplest ways to achieve that which are by using Static methods and Intents

Using Static methods

This example demonstrate about Passing data between activities in Android using Static methods.

Step 1 − Create a new project in Android Studio, go to File ⇒ New Project and fill all required details to create a new project.

Step 2 − Add the following code to res/layout/activity_main.xml.

<?xml version = "1.0" encoding = "utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android = "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   xmlns:tools = "http://schemas.android.com/tools"
   android:layout_width = "match_parent"
   android:layout_height = "match_parent"
   android:layout_margin = "16dp"
   android:orientation = "vertical"
   tools:context = ".MainActivity">
   <EditText
      android:id = "@+id/edit_text"
      android:layout_width = "match_parent"
      android:layout_height = "wrap_content"
      android:layout_gravity = "center"
      android:hint = "Enter something to pass"
      android:inputType = "text" />
   <Button
      android:id = "@+id/button"
      android:layout_width = "wrap_content"
      android:layout_height = "wrap_content"
      android:layout_gravity = "center"
      android:layout_marginTop = "16dp"
      android:text = "Next" />
</LinearLayout>

Step 3 − Add the following code to src/MainActivity.java

package com.example.myapplication;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
   private static String value;
   public static String getValue() {
      return value;
   }
   @Override
   protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
      super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
      setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
      final EditText editText = findViewById(R.id.edit_text);
      Button button = findViewById(R.id.button);
      button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
         @Override
         public void onClick(View v) {
            value = editText.getText().toString().trim();
            Intent intent = new Intent(MainActivity.this, SecondActivity.class);
            startActivity(intent);
         }
      });
   }
}

Step 4 − Add the following code to res/layout/activity_second.xml.

<?xml version = "1.0" encoding = "utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android = "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   xmlns:tools = "http://schemas.android.com/tools"
   android:layout_width = "match_parent"
   android:layout_height = "match_parent"
   android:layout_margin = "16dp"
   android:orientation = "vertical"
   tools:context = ".SecondActivity">
   <TextView
      android:id = "@+id/text_view"
      android:layout_width = "match_parent"
      android:layout_height = "wrap_content"
      android:layout_gravity = "center" />
</LinearLayout>

Step 5 − Add the following code to src/SecondActivity.java

package com.example.myapplication;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;
public class SecondActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
   @Override
   protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
      super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
      setContentView(R.layout.activity_second);
      TextView textView = findViewById(R.id.text_view);
      textView.setText(MainActivity.getValue());
   }
}

Step 6 − Add the following code to androidManifest.xml

<?xml version = "1.0" encoding = "utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android = "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   package = "com.example.myapplication">
   <application
      android:allowBackup = "true"
      android:icon = "@mipmap/ic_launcher"
      android:label = "@string/app_name"
      android:roundIcon = "@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
      android:supportsRtl = "true"
      android:theme = "@style/AppTheme">
      <activity android:name = ".MainActivity">
         <intent-filter>
            <action android:name = "android.intent.action.MAIN" />
            <category android:name = "android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
         </intent-filter>
      </activity>
      <activity android:name = ".SecondActivity"></activity>
   </application>
</manifest>

Let's try to run your application. I assume you have connected your actual Android Mobile device with your computer. To run the app from android studio, open one of your project's activity files and click   Run icon from the toolbar. Select your mobile device as an option and then check your mobile device which will display your default screen –

Click here to download the project code