Showing a Toast in Android

Showing a toast is a common way to display brief, non-intrusive messages to the user in an Android application. A toast message appears as a small popup that fades in and out quickly, providing important information or notifications. In this article, we will explore how to show a toast in an Android app using Kotlin.

Displaying a Simple Toast

To display a simple toast in Android using Kotlin, you can use the Toast class provided by the Android SDK. Here's an example of how to show a basic toast message:

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1Toast.makeText(context, "Hello, Toast!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()

In the above code snippet, context refers to the current application context, and "Hello, Toast!" is the message to be displayed. The Toast.LENGTH_SHORT parameter specifies the duration for which the toast should be visible (short duration).

Customizing a Toast

You can customize the appearance and behavior of a toast to better suit your application's needs. For instance, you can change the duration, position, and layout of the toast, or even provide a custom view. Let's look at some examples of toast customization.

Setting the Duration

By default, a toast is visible for a short duration. However, you can adjust the duration to make it longer or shorter by passing either Toast.LENGTH_SHORT or Toast.LENGTH_LONG to the makeText() method. Here's an example:

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1Toast.makeText(context, "This toast will last longer.", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show()

Changing the Position

By default, a toast is displayed at the bottom of the screen. However, you can change its position by using the setGravity() method. For instance, to display a toast at the top of the screen, you can modify the code as follows:

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1val toast = Toast.makeText(context, "Toast at the top!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT)
2toast.setGravity(Gravity.TOP or Gravity.CENTER_HORIZONTAL, 0, 0)
3toast.show()

Using a Custom Layout

If you want more control over the appearance of the toast, you can create a custom layout and display it using the setView() method. This allows you to design a toast with your desired UI elements. Here's an example:

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1val inflater = LayoutInflater.from(context)
2val layout = inflater.inflate(R.layout.custom_toast_layout, null)
3
4val toast = Toast(context)
5toast.view = layout
6toast.duration = Toast.LENGTH_SHORT
7toast.show()

In the above code, R.layout.custom_toast_layout refers to the XML layout file defining the custom toast layout. You can design this layout according to your requirements.

Also Remember

Toasts are useful for displaying short-lived messages that don't require immediate user action. However, they should be used sparingly and for non-critical information to avoid disrupting the user experience.